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Would you like to do something special for Valentine’s Day? There’s a wonderful Valentine Dinner Dance planned at the Middletown Moose on February 13th with the proceeds going to Aaron’s Journey.

By the way, even though this is billed as a “Valentine” event, don’t let that scare you away. It isn’t for couples only, especially since the real purpose of the event is to help Aaron. Bring a friend, heck bring a whole bunch of friends, and plan to have fun.

Here are the details:

Date/Time: February 13th, start time 6:00 p.m.

Location: Middletown Moose, 100 Mill Street Middletown, PA 17057

Entertainment: The band “Life After Work” (formerly “Crossroads”) will start playing at 8:00, and that’s when the dancing starts. There will be a photographer on the premises so that you can get that special photo taken. There will be roses for sale, and there will be a 50/50 auction. The lodge will be decorated appropriately for Valentine’s Day.

Dinner: The entrée is stuffed chicken breast with buttered onioned potatoes, veggies, and dessert. Drinks (soda, beer, mixed drinks) are extra and require cash. Munchies will be put out later on in the evening.

Dress Code: There isn’t one, but dressy casual would probably work.

Age Requirement: You must be at least 21 to attend!

Tickets: The ticket cost is $15 and there are 130 tickets available. Tickets can be picked up at the Middletown Moose by calling 717-944-9846. You can reserve your tickets for up to 5 days by calling, but if not picked up by then the tickets will be made available for someone else. If you are planning on attending the “Quarter Auction” later in January, you can also pick up your tickets there from Amanda Hackman. There aren’t any special seating arrangements, but if you are buying tickets in bulk for a group you can request to have a section saved for you.

Aaron had his evaluation at Kennedy-Krieger today. We arrived shortly after 9 am and wrapped up shortly before 1 pm. His physician was very well prepared and very thorough in his evaluation and examination of Aaron. His attitude was one of hope and lofty goals (not an attitude we have encountered very often). His recommendation for Aaron is to begin therapy at Kennedy in about 6 weeks. He wants Aaron to further strengthen and stablize his breathing first and also begin “traditional” outpatient therapy close to home as a “warm-up” to his Kennedy program. He talked like their program may really kick Aaron’s butt; Aaron is up for the challenge! Everything about Kennedy from the staff to the facility itself was just very impressive and we all felt very encouraged when we left there today. In the picture below on the wall behind us are the words “In my mind I can do anything”. There were encouraging words like that at various places in the building.

Jaime was in Myrtle Beach for the past 4 days. Please keep her and her family in prayer as her grandfather Paul is in the hospital as a result of complicatons from his diabetes. She was unable to be at Kennedy with us today, but she is here at our house now and she and Aaron are cuddled up watching a movie. A perfect ending to the day. 🙂

There’s a new fundraiser in town, and this one promises to be a lot of fun!

On Friday, January 29th, there will be a “quarter auction” at the Moose Lodge in Elizabethtown, with the proceeds from the admission fee, the raffles, and the bake sale going to Aaron’s Journey.

So what’s a “quarter auction” you may ask? Well, I asked the same thing, and it works like this:

1. The $5 admission fee gets you a number. Additional numbers can be purchased for $1.

2. Each vendor will put 4 items up for bid, one item at a time, and depending on the item it will be assigned a value of between 1 and 4 quarters.

3. When the item for auction is announced you put your quarter(s) bid in the container in the middle of the table and hold up your number. For example: If you have 2 numbers and want to bid with both numbers and it is a 2 quarter bid you must put $1 into the container, i.e. 2 quarters for each number you are bidding with.

4. The bidding is closed and the money is collected.

5. A number is pulled from a bucket filled with all the numbers.

6. If your number is called and you bid on the item, you win it. If you DID NOT BID on the item another number is pulled and called. If there are 6 numbers pulled with NO BID, then the one closest without going over gets the auctioned item.

There will be raffles of baskets filled with goodies. Each Vendor will be donating 1 item to be put in 1 large basket to be raffled off.
Vendors will include: Pampered Chef, Longaberger Baskets, Cookie Lee Jewelry, Premier Jewelry, and many more. There will also be Gift cards donated by local merchants to be Auctioned off to benefit Aaron’s Journey.

There are a limited number of tickets available, so please call to reserve yours (see contact information below).

So start saving your quarters and come enjoy the evening.

Here are the details:

Location: Elizabethtown Moose, 51 N. Market St, Elizabethtown PA. (it’s the old theater on the square in E-town).

Time: Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and you’ll be able to walk around and visit the various vendors including the food stand and the bake sale, and enter the raffles. The auction starts promptly at 7:00.

Contacts for Advance Tickets: Pat Hamilton at 717-367-1150, or Vicki Skees 717-367-1027 .

Concerning Quarters: This isn’t a casino, so you definitely need to bring your own quarters, and bring lots of them!

If anyone would like to donate a gift card or raffle basket please call Pat at 717-367-1150.

I would like to add a special thanks to all of the people who are donating their time, energy and resources to helping Aaron!

Hello All,

One of Aaron’s nurses was with him all day today. When I returned home from work  around 3 p.m. she reported that  Aaron was capped (his trach completely sealed off) all day again; he has been doing this for almost a week now. He’s breathing normally all day through his nose and mouth with no extra oxygen.  The new pulmonologist that we saw last week directed Aaron to use his spirometer at least 10 times every hour while he’s awake; this is how Aaron can strengthen his lungs and the muscles around them in order to eventually wean from the vent and get rid of his trach. We’re really seeing the results of that! The even bigger step that was made today was that as of this writing, Aaron has not had to use the coughalator, a machine that helps him to cough up secretions, nor did he need to be suctioned. Suctioning consists of putting a thin tube down his throat via his trach to suck out excess secretions that he can’t cough up. It also creates some additional secretions because it is invasive… a real catch 22. This is huge as it’s the first time since his accident that he has not had to coughalate or suction almost first thing in the morning. It  wasn’t that long ago that he could spend quite a bit of time especially in the morning trying to get his lungs cleared using these aids. He was also able to move all 3 balls upward on his spirometer today. Awesome! We’re all soooo proud of your determination Aaron. Keep it up!

Greetings. Aaron & his family wish you and yours a Happy New Year and hope that you enjoyed a Christ filled Christmas.

Aaron continues to amaze us with his progress at home. His breathing is getting stronger every day. We had a very encouraging visit with his new pulmonology group on Thursday. They are very interested in helping Aaron to wean off of the vent and think that he will accomplish this sooner rather than later. Needless to say we like them.

Busy schedule with doctor visits today with Dr. Newman (family doctor) and Kennedy/Krieger on 1/11. Aaron says K/K won’t happen soon enough. He is ready to get after it.

Aaron continues to be out and about. Diane & Aunt Den rung in the New Year with Aaron at our house. New Year’s day was spent with Woody, Gina, Aunt Barb, Uncle Pete & Aunt Diane at Mammaw, & Pappaw’s for a traditional pork & sauerkraut meal. We also enjoyed watching the Penn State game (WE ARE!). Then it was off to Malvern for the weekend. This most recent excursion was with Jaime to visit with Carl & Sue. Aaron enjoys his visits with them and always returns refreshed. They have gone out of their way to accommodate his every need. Thanks guys! His next ventures out could be as early as tonight to my J.V. basketball game at EAHS vs. Conestoga Valley and again on Saturday at EAHS vs. Wilson.

And finally….please don’t give up on this website. We realize that the posts have been less frequent but it will continue to be an important part of Aaron’s recovery as we relay information about his progress, future fundraisers, and who knows…..you may even hear from Aaron himself!

We love you guys and are thankful for each and every one of you and the roles that you play , whether you realize it or not, in his recovery.

P.U.S.H.

Pray Until Something Happens

Hello Everyone. Sorry for the long silence. We have been very busy the past couple of weeks with getting into the swing of things at home and the upcoming holidays. Aaron is doing quite well. He is enjoying home cooked food and getting stronger every day. We are working in conjunction with Lehigh Valley Respiratory to continue the process of weaning Aaron from the vent. He is doing much better with the spirometer which is an instrument that measures the strength of his breaths. In the past few days he has spent several hours each day on just room air (no vent, no oxygen) and has done quite well.

Aaron, Jaime, & Tory went Christmas shopping at Target last week and had lots of fun. Aaron also did some shopping a couple of days ago without Jaime!  😉  Aaron, Jaime, & Tory will be leaving for Malvern today to spend Christmas Eve with Sue and Carl and family. Please keep them in your prayers as the weather could be a bit of a challenge. They will be returning Christmas day (weather perrmiting) to celebrate with his Dad’s family and Sunday they will be celebrating with his Mom’s family.

Aaron has his initial evaluation at Kennedy-Krieger on January 11th. For Aaron and his family, it can’t come soon enough, but we are all very excited and can’t wait to get to work at some aggressive physical therapies. Aaron is especially ready to get to work!

We will try to do better at keeping all of you up to date. We so appreciate all your support and prayers. Merry Christmas!

Aaron took a much anticipated road trip on Sunday to attend Tory’s 5th birthday party at Chuck E Cheese in Downingtown. Any doubts that Aaron may have had about traveling quickly disappeared as the trip went off without a hitch. We were only there a minute or two and he was talking, laughing, and taking in the scenery (a building full of kids tearing up the joint) enjoying every minute. Watching the way that Aaron looks at Jaime & Tory it is hard to tell which one is the love of his life (I think that it is a tie).

As if that wasn’t enough he was on the road again Monday night as Jaime & Aaron took Tory bowling to Clearview Lanes in Elizabethtown. Tory had been invited to a friends bowling birthday party back home in West Chester and the girl got sick and had to cancel. Tory was obviously disappointed (Aaron wasn’t because he got more time with his girls) so J & A brought the party to her. The bowling didn’t last long (1 game) but the three of them went next door to Hennigan’s Restaurant for dinner. Needless to say that the sparkle in Aaron’s eyes is greater the past few days. The next tentatively planned excursion is on Friday night to my JV basketball game at Elizabethtown High School.

Ground work to get Aaron to Kennedy/Kreiger continues to be laid. Nothing in this process happens fast enough. Aaron said that he is ready to tear it up at K/K.

 Aaron’s fantasy football team got back on it’s winning ways once again and is now 12-2  with a two game lead with two weeks left. Magic number is 1.

Just a word of advice…..if you plan on visiting Aaron you better call ahead to see if the Road Warrior is home.

Aaron is now residing at 934 Hedgewyck Lane in Elizabethtown.

Please keep us all in your prayers. While Aaron is on numerous meds the best method for healing continues to be your prayers!

Thanks

The much anticipated day of Aaron’s return home happened yesterday 12/8. For the first time since 8/8 Aaron was somewhere familiar and traveled by transportation (our van affectionately know as Big Blue II) other than an ambulance. The trip was uneventful which is a good thing. Gina, Diane, & I helped Aaron get settled in and Diane treated everyone, including Jeff the resp. therepist to lunch (subs from Pizzatown). The highlight of the evening was Jamie & Tory’s arrival. It was the first time that Tory was able to visit with Aaron since he had left Magee. She fell asleep in bed with him, resting her head on his chest and touching his hand. Dinner (pepper steak w/ mashed potatoes & lemon marangie pie was provided by Mammaw Wood. Dinner tonight (manicotti) is curteousy of Angie Parise. We look forward to the next step in Aaron’s Journey as we the family with assistance from Jeff now take on the task of weaning Aaron off of the vent and moving >forward> once again in the recovery process.

Thanks to everyone for meals, love, hope, & prayers!

Keep em coming!

The Ephrata Lion’s Club is hosting a dance on Saturday, January 30th, to benefit “Aaron’s Journey.” So how did the Ephrata Lion’s Club find out about Aaron you may wonder? Well, it’s a little like playing the old game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, only in this case it’s more like Six Degrees of Aaron Wood. So hold on to your hats, because here we go. Aaron is the cousin of Erin who is married to Nathan Gingrich who is the son of Jim and Karen Gingrich who are the owners of Gingrich Memorials as well as a number of other Memorials including Eitner Memorials whose branch manager is Mike Cisney who is also the president of the Ephrata Lion’s Club. Long story short, Mike went to his Lion’s Club with Aaron’s story and they decided to help by giving the proceeds from the dance to Aaron’s Journey. Whew! And if you check out the “Gingrich Memorials” link on the right, you’ll see that a portion of all sales for the months of November and December are going to Aaron’s Journey.

So about that dance…
Did I mention that it will be featuring DJ “Bouncing Bob”? Okay, so I live in Colorado and have no idea who this Bouncing Bob guy is, but it must be a good thing.
Another very important thing you should know is that the number of tickets are limited, so don’t wait too long to make up your mind. Also, you must be at least 21 to attend.

Here are the details:
Contacts for Tickets: Mike at 717-733-3452, or e-mail Nate at Nathan@gingrichmemorials.com
Admission: $15 per person (includes beer, soda, and snacks)
Dress: Casual
Date/Time: Saturday Jan. 30, 2010 from 8-12 p.m.
Where: Ephrata AmVets Building, 614 S. State St., Ephrata, PA

Aaron’s Aunt Deb was with Aaron this morning and he was awake and alert.  I arrived around 1:00 and found Aaron was STILL wide awake and alert.  That was wonderful.  He had a visitor today around lunch time, April Coble.  April touts herself as being Aaron’s “biggest fan”  because she faithfully attends/assists with as many fundraisers as possible. April’s highschool reunion was recently held where she spoke of Aaron and his accident.  Money was raised at the reunion and will be donated  to Aaron’s Journey.    April, we appreciate all that you do!   Actually, we appreciate ALL OF YOU;  those who attend the fundraisers, those who haven’t been able to attend but still find a way to participate, the local businesses who have so graciously donated gifts for the raffles held at the fundraisers, the business owners who held the fundraisers,  those who send good thoughts Aaron’s way, those that pray for his recovery, those that send cards and gifts, those that visit.  We appreciate everybody who checks this blog and passes the word on about Aaron.    I could go on and on but I won’t.  Oh, I guess I did.  Sorry, I was on a roll!

As the days wind down at Select, we will be busy preparing to take Aaron home.  Today, Gina and I started training on the ventilator Aaron will be using when he leaves Select.  First we learned (or were refreshed) on the tracheostomy, the different supplies used with regards to the trach, etc., then moved on to the ventilator itself.  We  just learned basics today, such as what the buttons on the face of the machine are for and about some of the possible settings.  Tomorrow, we are going to have a four hour training session to learn MORE about the ventilator.  It’s a lot to learn and it’s extremely important, so we have to get as much from this training as we can.  Aaron was involved in the training, too.  (He slept during the very beginning, but was awake for most of it. )

Aaron was in a good mood today, but he was a little saddened tonight before I left him to go home because he talked to Jaime on the phone and both she and Tory are not feeling well.  Hopefully Jaime will be feeling better soon and can get up to Select to see Aaron.  She was planning on visiting tomorrow, but can’t now because she’s ill.  He really misses her when he doesn’t see her for a few days.  Must be love, huh?

Please pray for Aaron and his family as we get ready for the trip home.  Thanks!

It was so amazing to see so many come to support Aaron at the Brownstone yesterday. I say amazing not surprising because we have seen the same kind of generosity and compassion throughout Aaron’s journey. A big huge thank you to all the folks at the Brownstone who gave of themselves for Aaron’s benefit. Other things that quickly come to my mind that I am thankful for this year…

Everyone who has given of themselves for Aaron; encouraging words, prayer, financial support, sharing of time and talents.
To be part of a loving family.
That Jaime and Tory came into Aaron’s life and love him so much.
That God is faithful even when we are not.
The power of prayer.

We visited with Aaron today and now that he is off most of the pain meds that were making him so tired and weak, he is very alert and has his quick wit and smile back. He had lots of visitors today… Aunt Den, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Deb, Pappaw, Mammaw, Uncle Pete and Aunt Diane, John Panni, and his mom was on her way when we left. Don’t know about anyone else, but we had a bounce in our step when we left. It was sooooo good to have Aaron back to normal!

We are currently training on Aaron’s ventilator  care in preparation for his discharge. We are hoping for a 12/7 discharge at the latest. Once he’s home he will be making his way to Kennedy Krieger for some aggressive physical therapies. We are all looking forward to that! Yes, Aaron will be coming home with a ventilator, but he will still be working to wean from it. We are finding that slow and steady is better than fast and furious as regards vent weaning. We all know he will be off the vent in the future, it just takes time to do it right.

As you know, Aaron has been fighting pneumonia and in addition, had increased neck pain over the past week or so.   His neck pain was pretty intense, so new medications were prescribed and as it turns out, were a bit too much for Aaron.  (We have since spoken to his physician and some of his medications will be changed and/or the dosage reduced.)  He pretty much slept through the last 2 days.  He slept through his shower, through visits, through physical therapy, through meals (you get the picture).  Several times when he was eating, I’d have to wake him up to tell him to chew and swallow!   Poor guy, all he wanted to do was sleep!

Well, this morning, I was pleasanty surprised when my phone rang and I picked it up to hear Aaron’s voice, clear and strong, on the other end.   One of the nurses dialed his phone and held it so he could talk to me.   He wanted to know what happened over the last day or so, because he couldn’t remember.  So, I filled him in and we talked for about 5 minutes.  He talked me into visiting today, which I wasn’t planning on doing (today was the one day I had totally devoted to cleaning my house), but as some of you may know, I’ve always had a hard time denying him anything.  So, I’ll be heading to Select in a couple of hours to spend some time with him.   His dad and step-mom usually spend Saturdays with him, I spend Sundays. That way we can get some other things done over the weekend……or not!   So, today he’ll have Greg and/or Gina AND me.  

I would like to tell you something that Aaron said to me, which really shows his true character.  Yesterday was my sister Deb’s birthday (45, right Deb?) and even though Aaron was really out of it, I tried to tell him when I left Select last evening, that it was her birthday and that I was going to go be with the family to have ice cream and cake.   In his drugged stupor, with his slurred speech, he said “I hope she understands why I’m not there”.   Unbelievable.  He wasn’t feeling sorry for himself that he couldn’t go, he was concerned that she understood him not being there.   I was so touched by that. 

Hopefully today is a better day for Aaron.   Please continue praying for him.    Thanks!

I apologize for the lack of posts lately but there has really not been a lot to comment on.
Aaron continues to recover from his most recent bout with pneumonia. We were told yesterday that it had gotten slightly worse.
Visitors this week included the usual cast of characters (Woody, Gina, Jaime, & Diane). Aaron also was visited by Sam & his mom & Brian Young & his wife. I apologize if I missed any one.
Jaime stayed the night (sleep over) on Wednesday which always makes Aaron’s day. He was very tired on Wednesday due to lack of sleep, meds, & pneumonia.
His fantasy team won again this week to open up a 2 game lead and is now 9-1.

Don’t know if you are aware but our good friends Greg & Maria Nauman were kind enough to donate a handicap van to us (Gina & Woody).  Diane & Sam are looking into a similar opportunity thanks to Ashley Reitz’s family. Jaime will of course have access to both. What are the chances to get 1 offer like this let alone 2. God is good….and continues to provide our needs and answer our prayers.

During one of our last visits to Magee I took measurements & Gina took pictures of some of the equipment that they used in Aaron’s rehab with the intent of duplicating it so that Aaron could continue his rehab at home. Thanks to Aaron’s Uncle Pete who has taken on that project. We will post pictures of “Woody’s Gym” at some point.

Thanks to all who have in one form or another partnered with Aaron on his Journey. 

We all need your prayers. Please continue to pray for strength & healing for Aaron & his family and wisdom & compassion for the medical team.

This coming Saturday evening Guido McNeals, a pub/restaurant in Middletown, is throwing a “sweatpants party” with the proceeds from the $10 donation at the door going to Aaron’s Journey. A local radio station, 105.7 the X, will be there broadcasting live for a few hours. There will be raffles for prizes such as a Nintendo Wii and Sixer’s tickets. Throw in $1 drafts and $1 jello shots and unless you really need to catch the latest episode of Antique’s Roadshow, this is the place for you!

Here are the details:
Place: Guido McNeals
When: Saturday, November 21st
Time: 7p.m. to close
Address: 9 E Main St, Middletown, PA 17057
Phone No.:(717) 930-0466
Theme: Sweatpants party
Who to contact if you have questions:
  Ian Walsh
  ian.walsh56@yahoo.com
  ian.walsh@sun.com
  717-315-9108
Interesting Links:
  Phillies Phanatics at Guido McNeals
  Guido McNeals Homepage

I am sorry I am late with this, I wanted to write this on Sunday, but didn’t leave Aaron’s room till nearly 8:00 PM and was just too tired to do it at that point.    I worked today, so this is my first opportunity to say thank you to Vicki Skees who held the jewelry fundraiser on Saturday and to everybody who assisted her, as well as to all those who shopped! 

It was very gracious of Vicki to this and Aaron and his entire family thank her!

I can’t wait to get my jewelry!!!!!

So I haven’t written a blog in awhile, so I hope my blogs can compare to Greg and Diane’s…ha..but anyways, I had the opportunity of being in the Harrisburg area for the weekend! I just love the area from Elizabethtown to Middletown to Harrisburg. And thank you to everyone for your offers for me and Tory! We feel so loved!! When I arrived to the hospital Saturday afternoon, I exchanged Tory with Greg and Gina Wood since the hospital STILL won’t let little ones up there, even though my little bugger had her vaccinations, but ok we’re dealing with it….ANYWAYS, I walked up to see Aaron with Ann and Kelly Garrett! We had a fun little Saturday afternoon while Aaron got to visit with some loved ones he hadn’t seen in awhile. He was awake for the visit, and after Ann and Kelly left Aaron and I decided to have a little date night. We ordered some amazzzzzzzing food and tried to start a few movies. The movies were dull, so I helped Aaron in bed and we turned a little TNT on. Can never fail with that. So we wrapped up the night around nine and Aaron snoozed away while his trach was completely capped off. I heard he began the capping early in the AM, so a good day to say the least….I arrived Sunday after church to see Aaron visiting with his mother’s side of the fam (Pap, Diane, Deb, and Charlie). Aaron was again capped (since 10:30 AM!) and he was handling it great. We watched football (BOOOOOO STEEELERS) and ate a lot of snacks. Aaron had a decent day, but had a lot of neck pain. So anyone that visits, remind him to do his neck stretches ; ) . What else can I tell ya…um…yeah I thought he was doing excellent given his pneumonia #2 episode earlier in the week. But Aaron just fights on through..he’s a troooper!! : )  I left tonight to a beautiful sunset…I took a picture, but lost my patience when I try to post it to the website…so I will send that to Curt, so you can see the great view  Aaron has at Speciality Select!

On behalf of Aaron and the family, thanks for all the prayers and support! : )

Gina & I spent the day with Aaron today as he continues to recover from his latest bout with pneumonia.

There are many things contributing to Aaron being so tired. His injury, pneumonia, medication, and change in routine. His days are very uneventful as the amount of PT & OT that he receives is much less than what he was used to. You can only watch Sports Center, All in the Family, & The Beverly Hillbillies so many times. We did get to wheel Aaron around the 4th floor (first time out of his room since his arrival) and even down to check out the first floor (with permission from his doctor) this afternoon. It was kind of comical as Aaron and his groupies (Gina & I , 4 visitors, & 1 medical staff) paraded around the hospital.

Visitors today included Isaiah, Shannon, her mom, & Micah. Diane popped in as well for a quick visit over her lunch.

Aaron did eat well today and has actually gained a pound or two back.

We always ask for & welcome your prayers for Aaron but please keep Jaime & Tory in your prayers as well, as Jaime deals with work, being a mom (and a good one I might add), and a fiance (and a good one I might add). The added distance between them since Aaron’s most recent move has added a degree of difficulty to the effort. Pray for safe travel & strength as Jaime continues to amaze us with her capacity to love.

 Keep the prayers coming! We feel the power!

Well, we thought Aaron was so tired from spending 30 hours off the ventilator; that may have been part of the reason for his tiredness, but I don’t believe it was the total reason.  After a chest Xray today, we found out Aaron has pneumonia again.  Obviously, this isn’t the best news we’ve had, BUT there are many things to be thankful for.  As I told Aaron, this bout of pneumonia is being addressed and medicated so much earlier than the last time he had it.  He had a very high fever last time;  this time he doesn’t (as least so far).  He doesn’t feel poorly like he did the last time, he’s just really tired.  As long as he can be treated successfully at Select, he won’t have to be transported to the hospital, like he did the last time, when he ended up having to go to Hahnemann.  Yep, many things to be grateful for.  So that’s what we are going to focus on;  the positives, not the negatives. 

Aaron had many visitors today and he didn’t sleep through one of their visits!  Jaime was the first visitor, then her mom showed up (which was really a great surprise to Aaron as she lives near Philadelphia and her visit was not in the least expected – thanks, Sue!), then I showed up and the party started.  (No, not really, but it sounded good.)   Later in the day Aunt Den came,  Jaime left for the day and then the Wood family arrived (Mammaw, Pappaw, Aunt Diane, Uncle Pete and Aunt Barb).  Aunt Den and I skipped out of Select for a little while so Aaron could visit with his family.   When I returned to Select alone (Aunt Den went home), I was parking my car and saw Terry and Candy in the parking lot.  When the three of us  got to Aaron’s room, the Woods were preparing to leave, so Terry, Candy and I  visitied with Aaron for a while.  So, as you can see, there were visitors pretty much all day for Aaron…..and even with pneumonia, he handled the revolving door to his room very well and was happy to see everybody.  

We will keep you up to date on Aaron’s run-in with pneumonia.  Hopefully he can kick it without too much difficulty.  Please pray for his strength and recovery.  Thank you so much!

Aaron was off the vent for a total of 30 hours at one shot!  While this is an awesome achievement, it was decided it was probably a little too much, a little too soon.  Aaron was so tired today, he didn’t even make it out of bed.  That’s not like him; I can’t remember the last day he spent in bed.  It had to be when he had pneumonia in Hahnemann Hospital in Phila.  anyway, it was very obvious he was totally zonked from his time off the vent.  He slept like a bear today;  through a visit from Candy, through lunch, through a very funny Beverly Hillbillies rerun (OK, maybe it was only me who thought it was funny), both sessions of physical therapy (which was perfectly OK with the therapists) and so on and so on.  Shortly after he woke up, an old friend, April ,stopped by to visit.  She was only there a short while when a technician came in to the room to give him an ultrasound.  During the preparation, Aaron had some difficulty breathing, so the procedure was delayed while the breathing issue was being “addressed”.  April had to leave the room and waited patiently to return to visit with Aaron.  Unfortunately, the difficulty breathing and the procedure he had was too much for him and he wasn’t up to visiting with April.  

There were nurses and therapists in and out of Aaron’s room all afternoon today.  It was just one of those days.  Finally, later in the day, he started to settle down a little bit and he had another visitor, Haley.  Aaron was able to stay awake and visit a little while, he was also able to eat his meal.   After Haley left, Aaron and I watched Wheel of Fortune (does the excitement ever end?) and not long after that, Jaime came.   I left Aaron in Jaime’s capable hands.

It was a very frustrating day for Aaron.  His was pretty down.  Please pray for him; for his state of mind……please pray that he can keep a positive attitude in this very difficult time.  Thank you so much.

Ever have one of those days that was two completely different days wrapped up into one? That was Aaron’s day on Monday.
When Gina & I arrived around 9:00 A.M. Aaron was in bed and having trouble catching a good breath. This continued through mid afternoon. During that time the staff gave Aaron chest therapy, breathing treatments, and even put him back on the vent for an hour or two to help him get back in the rhythm. As Diane eluded to yesterday Aaron was off of everything yesterday from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. breathing completely on his own. NO vent, NO treach collar, NO O2. While this was a huge accomplishment it did knock Aaron down for a while and he needed a day of rest to recover…..or so we thought.

The original plan was that I would leave around 3:30 and put a few hours in at work and return at 8:00 to watch the first half of the Steeler’s game with Aaron. Gina would stay with Aaron until he had his evening meal and then head home. When I called Gina at 7:30 to say that I was on my way up for the game she was still there. Aaron had perked up and Gina was enjoying her visit so much that she didn’t want to leave. We ended up staying until the Steeler’s had things well in hand late in the 4th quarter around 11:00.
Just as we were leaving the Res. Therapist came in and said that Aaron’s numbers looked good & so did he and that he would like to see how Aaron handled being off of the vent over night. That got his attention as he has been wanting to try it for some time but was not allowed to this point. We will be anxious to talk to Diane today and see how that went.
We also were told by the head of nursing that when they knew Aaron was coming for sure she reserved Rm. 400 for him (it is the only room that doesn’t face a brick wall. Instead it has a beautiful view of Harrisburg facing Front Street & the river). Aaron has received outstanding care at every stop along the way but the folks here at Select seem to have an extra measure of compassion.

Pray for Aaron’s continued progress and healing, physically, emotionally, & spiritually.