What a fantastic week! It was everything we who were there with Aaron (Woody, Gina, Diane, & Denise) were hoping for and more. Aaron was surrounded with so much hope, energy, and positive attitudes from everyone he was in contact with this week; it was truly refreshing and energizing for all of us. His therapists, Kristen and Erin are obviously well qualified and take Aaron and his goal to someday walk very seriously. We didn’t have to listen to any speeches about the high level of Aaron’s injury and never heard the words can’t or won’t. Aaron worked very hard for 5 hours every day and can’t wait to get back there for 2 weeks beginning May 3rd. We were all very pleased to meet Dr. John McDonald (see pic below), the director of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger. He stopped and talked with Aaron a few times during the week and talked with him about his progress, both present and what he believes he can accomplish in the future. He also took time to work with Aaron on moving his hands and fingers. Much of the week was spent using electrical stimulation on various muscle groups, riding the bike using E-Stim, and standing up in the stander/glider. By the end of the week he was able to move the “arm skate” (in the video on a previous blog) with his triceps and biceps on his own without E-stim! Yesterday he showed us how he can move his left thumb and today he was moving his right thumb. Not big sweeping movements, but definately controlled movement! We will be getting an E-stim unit for use at home soon, eventually a stander, and then a stim bike so that Aaron can work hard every day, not just at Kennedy. 🙂

There were 3 little girls  at rehab all week that  had a princess party on Friday and Aaron was invited;  he got a necklace and we got to eat some cupcakes (see pic below). 🙂 I’m guessing  that they were aged 2 to 4 and it was just amazing how focused and hard working they were. They really touched our hearts. 🙂

We arrived home on Friday evening, all of us pretty well beat! Thanks again Diane for staying the night so we could sleep. Only one nights rest and you were on night duty again. You’re a sweetheart! 🙂

working on biceps & triceps video

The above video is fairly large and will take a minute or two to load.

Here are a few pictures of Aaron’s day at Kennedy Krieger on Monday and the Friday before at home. Aaron is having a great week at Kennedy. They are as aggressive as we had hoped and Aaron is working hard. They have been using Electrical Stimulation on his muscles to make him move and to re-teach his body that it can move by stimulating peripheral nerve responses. His therapists as well as Dr. McDonald (the director at Kennedy) told Aaron that his response to E-stim is classic textbook, and if they were going to grade his response to it, it would be an A+!!!! Hopefully we will have some more pics soon!

Woody & Aaron at home

With Kitty B

Aaron & Kristen

Aaron, Erin (behind Aaron), Amy (teal shirt), Rachel (white shirt)

SKATE VIDEO

You can click on the above link to watch video of Aaron. The video is sideways, but I can’t figure out how to fix it yet. It’s still fun to watch. Aaron’s arm is moving with the “skate” with the help of E-Stim. When he did it the first time he lifted the entire skate off the table, hence the 5 lb weight on top of his arm in this video. 🙂

Aaron, Gina, & I will be heading to Baltimore on Sunday for Aaron’s much anticipated week of rehab at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Gina has secured an apartment for us for the week 2 blocks off the harbor. Diane will be coming to Kennedy for a few days mid week and Gina and I will return for weeks end and the trip home. Aaron has been looking forward to this week for some time as he has not had any extensive therapy since Magee until his recent visits to Hershey to prep for Kennedy Krieger.

As we prepare to leave I can’t help but think of how far Aaron has come and of all of the people that have been so helpful, caring, & loving. We have tried to thank everyone along the way. It would be impossible to list everyone, you know who you are, and I don’t want to offend anyone by missing them so I won’t try. I do want to thank Gina’s cousin Chuck from Montana and her brother Curt & Irene from Colorado for the recent care packages filled with numerous goodies. Also thanks for the many yummy meals that we have received since Aaron has come home. Again you know who you are. A big thank you to Uncle Pete for organizing a project to reproduce some of the equipment that Aaron has used at Magee to aid him in his rehab at home. Thanks to Ralph Claire and Rooster’s Wood Shop at the Masonic Homes. Pictured below are George Jacobs & Al Wenrich, just two of several men that helped out.

As many of you know Aaron had his trach removed several weeks ago and has had no issues since. On the night that it was removed Woody’s JV basketball team wore Aaron’s Journey t-shirts instead of their regular shooting shirts for their game vs. Garden Spot. Pictured below are several of his players & fellow coaches who helped with a fall project doing yard work around the Wood’s home. They also participated in the bike, walk, run fundraiser in October.

Thanks again to all of you for your support and prayers. We couldn’t have gotten to this point without you!

A few of you have contacted me to find out what happened to the fundraiser that was to be held at Ski Roundtop.  Due to circumstances beyond my control, we had to cancel it.  It was sort of arranged last minute and there were details that needed to be worked out with Ski Roundtop which just didn’t seem to happen.  This fund raiser was being organized by a friend of mine at work and try as hard as he could, he just couldn’t get things worked out.  Sorry to anybody who was interested in attending.  As soon as I knew this was being canceled, we had the info removed from the blog, but I didn’t get a chance to let everybody know what happened until today.  So sorry!   Please continue to check Aaron’s blog for another fundraiser you might want to participate in!    We appreciate your interest in attending any of Aaron’s fundraisers!

Aaron had physical therapy on Friday at Hershey Med. Ctr., which went very well.   They stood him up in the standing machine again.  The first time they put him up, his face got a little gray and he felt a bit nauseous, so they sat him back down.  We applied some cold compresses, waited a little bit and tried putting him up again.  This time it went very well.  He was able to tolerate standing up and did so for several minutes.  The therapist then moved him to a mat and we sat him up on the edge of the mat.   She positioned his arms out behind him on the mat, so that he was putting some of his weight on them.  She then had him rock from side to side using the muscles he has control of, in his shoulders and upper arms.  He accomplished it with no problem.  In fact, she was able to let go of him, and with no support, he could sit up and rock from left to right.  I was very impressed with my boy!  So, we continue with PT and hope that when we get to Kennedy-Krieger in the first week of March that he is stronger and able to take whatever they throw his way! 

I’m not sure if Aaron will want to post any details on the blog about his weekend or not, but I’ll just tell you a little bit about it!

Aaron spent the weekend with Jaime and Tory at Jaime’s parent’s house in Malvern.  I drove him there Saturday and picked him up Sunday.  Of course, it’s never enough time, but he really seemed to enjoy himself, as he always does when he’s with his ladies (which doesn’t include me, of course, I was merely the chauffeur).   

God was with us this weekend, because after Sam (my husband) and I dropped Aaron off in Elizabethtown Sunday night, we headed for home and a few miles into the drive, our transmission went out!  I am just so grateful that didn’t happen with Aaron in the van!    Thanks to Aaron’s dad, Greg (a.k.a Woody), who came to our rescue and drove us home to Hummelstown. 

I also want to mention the wonderful fundraiser held for Aaron at the Middletown Moose on Saturday night.  It ran so smoothly, everybody seemed to have a nice time.  Thank you to everyone involved in setting it up and also to everybody who attended.  It is so heartwarming to see so many people show up to support my son.  It makes me proud to know that he is loved by so many people!

OK, Aaron, if you want to give us any more details about your weekend with Jaime, I am SURE people would like to hear about it.  The ball’s in your court!

Starting in February, USA Optical will be holding a raffle at three of its locations every month for the next four months to raise funds for Aaron’s Journey. For a simple $2.00 donation, each person will receive a chance to win an eyeglass frame valued up to $150. The winner can upgrade to a more expensive frame by simply paying the difference over $150. Winners will be drawn by the 7th of each month and notified by phone.

USA Optical is locally owned and operated and has been in business for over 25 years.
Here are the three participating stores:

• East York: York Market Place/ Beside Red Lobster
  2553 East Market Street
  York, PA 17402
  Phone: (717) 757-5632

• West York: West Manchester Mall/ Across from Gamestop
  1800 Loucks Rd. Suite 653 York, PA 17408
  Phone: (717) 764-8705

• USA Eyewear at the Harrisburg East Mall/ 1st Floor Beside CHAMPS
  3201 Paxton Street
  Harrisburg, PA 17111
  Phone: (717) 561-6000

Hi everyone!

Not too much to report, just wanted to check in!

Hope everyone enjoyed the snow and Super Bowl  I got to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday with Jaime and Tory, which is better than any game!  We then got to spend all day Monday together, which was awesome!  The best, no offense Jaime, was having Tory planted in my lap, for what seemed most the day, and watching her play in the snow!  I am truly a lucky man – there’s no doubt about!!  I love them both so much!

Anyway, hope you’re doing well…And enjoy the second round of snow!  🙂

Aaron

On March 20th a “Basket Bingo” fundraiser will be held at the Elizabethtown American Legion. The $20 ticket price will get you 20 three-card games, and at least one of those games will be a “blackout.” You can buy additional three-card strips for $5 each. The doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and the bingo will start at 1:00. There will be lots of good food for sale including barbeque, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken corn soup, chips, soda, and more. All of the proceeds from the sale of the tickets and the food and drinks will go to Aaron’s Journey. There will be 125 tickets for sale and all tickets must be purchased in advance.

So what is “basket bingo?” Simply put, the prize for each bingo winner is a Longaberger basket…nice! There will also be raffles for three larger baskets, plus there will be door prizes and a 50/50 auction.

To purchase tickets you will need to call Judy Roberts at 717-367-1110. Also, if you are interested in donating items for raffles or door prizes, or are interested in sponsoring a basket, please give Judy a call.

Good afternoon!

I have a huge yet simple request, and I would GREATLY appreciate your help!

My cousins, Erin and Nate, had a beautiful baby boy (Ben) on Jan. 10th!  Unfortunately he was born with some issues, which leaves many questions and even more stress and concern for my family.

Also, Erin’s Grandma Keyser recently suffered a heart attack.  Last I knew, she wa s stable b ut still hospitalized. 

Needless to say, they could use  some prayers and good thoughts sent their way.  You’ve all been such a big help to me, I figured maybe you’d take an extra minute to pray for them as well.  It would be truly awesome!

THANK YOU,

Aaron

ENOUGH SAID!

What a day!  Aaron and his dad and step-mom (Greg and Gina for those of you who might not know names) arrived at Lancaster General Hospital at 10:00 AM today for the trach removal.  They waited and waited and then found out that the doctor wasn’t going to get to the hospital until after his office hours.   Greg had to leave around 1:00 or 2:00 to go to work; Gina and Aaron just stuck around and waited and waited some more.  Aaron’s Aunt Den and I got to the hospital around 2:30 and we ALL continued to wait.  Finally around 5:00 or so, the doctor showed up, explained what he was going to do, and did it!  Aaron had his trach removed, sitting in his wheelchair, while the three of us watched.  It happened so quickly, it was amazing. The doctors decided not to insert a smaller trach, but  to just remove it and observe  him overnight.  So that’s what was done.  Aaron now has a small hole, about the size of the tip of my little finger, where the trach was.   No stitches needed, just a bandage over the hole which will just close eventually.  Aaron did want a picture of the trach to put on the blog, we’ll see what happens with that!  Stay tuned! 

His spirits were especially high tonight.  He has waited for this day for some time.  There were some people along the way who told him he might not be able to go without using the ventilator at night and also those who thought he may have to keep the trach.  As long as tonight goes well, he’ll have proven them wrong.  AND I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     

Well, that’s about it for now.   Things are looking up for Aaron and are going to continue to do so, I just feel it.  Please continue to pray for him and his recovery.  Thanks for sharing in his journey!

Diane (Aaron’s mom)

Hello everyone!

I will be going to Lancaster General tomorrow at 10am to have my trach removed…hopefully!  They are removing what I currently have, a size 7, and will insert a smaller trach, a size 4.  They will want to monitor me over night and if all goes well, they’ll remove that as well!   Wish me luck! 

Aaron

Greetings All.

Sorry for the time between entries. Aaron has been busy working at getting stronger breathing on his own to prepare for his intense week at Kennedy/Krieger. (More on that later)

Today was his first day of rehab at Hershey. He will be rehabbing twice a week there so he will be in tip top shape come March 1st. He got to do the standing machine for 40 minutes today. It is a piece of equipment that gradually takes him from a sitting to a standing position. He really enjoyed it and was ready to do it again but will have to wait until next week.

Aaron continues to be out and about for appointments, b-ball games, shopping, and dinners out. He, Jamie, Gina, & I went to Rockwell’s the other Saturday and had to wait for over 1.5 hours. We got a free Rhino Tour for our trouble. Went to Smokey Bones the next day but no freebies since we got seated right away.

Keep checking the site as info concerning several fund raisers will be coming soon. Basket Bingo @ the E-town American Legion on 3/20 & a golf tournament in June.

And now the big news………Cousin Chuck from Montana are you ready for this? Aaron has been off of the vent completely for 4 days…..day & night. Look out weeds here it comes. Next step is to get rid of the trach. Chuck…..where do you suggest we toss it?

Gina will be adding pictures to this post later so check back.

Keep on praying

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