Saturday 14 Aug 2010 by admin |
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Bakersfield,
Physical Therapy,
tumor
TJ had another MRI on August 12th and it showed that the tumor is still stable. Thank God! The MRI also showed a small amount of radiation damage but that is common to see from 6 months – 1 1/2 years after radiation treatment. The doctors are still very impressed with TJ and are glad to see that his tumor is stable and that he is getting stronger everyday. The doctors also told us that they know of a few long term survivors that have the same type of tumor as TJ. Knowing this gives us even more hope.
TJ is also going to have a water therapy session next week that we are very excited about. The therapist are also saying that a gate trainer might be good for TJ to help him walk. A gate trainer is similar to a infant walker. Here’s a pic to give you an idea of what it will look like.
So, once we go back to Bakersfield we will need to ask his local therapist if this would be good for him. See you soon and please continue to pray that TJ keeps getting stronger and for his brain to heal completely so we can hear our baby talk again.
Thursday 12 Aug 2010 by admin |
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Bakersfield
On Sunday, August 15th there will be a fundraiser held for TJ.
Where: Eagles Hall, on the corner of 17th and H Street, Bakersfield, CA
When: From 12:00pm to 5:00pm
A quilt has been donated and will be raffled off to raise funds for TJ.
Thanks again for your continued support
Wednesday 11 Aug 2010 by admin |
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Family,
Physical Therapy
TJ’s Birthday was on Sunday, August 8th. He turned 4 years old! We celebrated on Saturday by throwing a pizza party at the Family House. It turned out great! We decorated the kitchen and family room in a army/camoflauge theme to match his wheelchair. And needless to say he got tons of presents. HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY TJ! We Love You!
TJ’s Grandma Rita also came up to visit for his Birthday and spoiled him as usual. She took all of us to Great America and even TJ was able to get on some rides. No worries, he did great and, of course, we rode on all the rides with him. And, to our suprise, August 8th was Charlie Browns birthday too!
I was also finally able to talk to the rehab team regarding TJ’s inpatient physical therapy. They explained that when they said NO that it just meant NO FOR NOW. They want TJ to get a little stronger and be able to endure longer therapy sessions before they put him inpatient. So, for the next couple of months we(the parents) will be working TJ harder and longer to build up his strength. The rehab team wants TJ to get stronger so when he does go inpatient he will be able to get the most out of the inpatient therapy.
More good news! We will be coming home on August 23rd. We had originally planned to go home on the 18th but…. Family House got 49er tickets donated so they are letting us stay just so we could go to the game. We are so excited! What an awesome going home present.
Thanks again for all of your prayers. Please pray for TJ to get stronger and to start talking. God Bless.
Monday 26 Jul 2010 by admin |
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Physical Therapy
Unfortunately TJ was not approved for the intense physical therapy. We are really bummed out because we know that it would have benefited TJ a lot. It wasn’t that our insurance wouldn’t pay for it, it’s just that the rehab team, for some reason, doesn’t think TJ is fit for it. The only reason I could think of is that maybe they think TJ doesn’t have the strength to handle 3 hours of therapy a day. We are so upset about this… We are waiting for a call back from the rehab team so we can find out why TJ was not approved.
Wednesday 21 Jul 2010 by admin |
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Bakersfield,
Physical Therapy,
hospital
TJ staying cool
Rachelle and Brianna from Second Star to the Right
TJ with his sweetheart, Abby
(Daughter of Brianna from Second Star to the Right)
The fundraiser went great although there wasn’t as much people as we expected because of the 105 degree heat. Second Star to the Right is amazing. They put together crafts, face painting,and a huge bounce house for the kids. There also was a raffle and the cutest cupcakes were donated, made to look like little fish bowls(since we all know TJ loves to fish). It was great seeing family and friends and the best part was hearing everyones comments on how well TJ looks. He is getting so strong, his hair has grown back, and he got his color back too. The doctors have also noticed a big improvement in TJ. So… we may not be going back to Bakersfield as soon as we planned. Since TJ is doing so well the doctors are going to try to admit him into the hospital for 6 weeks to do intense physical therapy. This will consist of 3 hrs of physical therapy a day Monday thru Saturday. Hopefully, within a week they will schedule a date to assess TJ and determine whether or not this will benefit him. We are hoping they will approve this treatment.
This friday, July 23rd TJ will have his broviac removed. We are so excited! This means TJ will have one less tube coming out of him and best of all he will be able to go swimming. No more having to pin down TJ for weekly dressing changes and no more nightly heprin flushes before bed. Now the only thing TJ will have is his feeding tube, and that is a walk in the park.
Another thing that has been coming along beautifully is the bathroom. The walls have been removed and to my relief they is no mold in the 2×4’s and less than expected in the dry wall. It was a big weight lifted off of our shoulders knowing that this will be done by time we get back home and TJ will have a safe enviroment to live in. Thank all of you for your prayers. We love all of you are so blessed to have you here to support us.
Friday 9 Jul 2010 by admin |
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Bakersfield,
Family
TJ is doing wonderful and we are excited to go home for the weekend on July 17th. A fundraiser will be held for TJ at Beach Park in Bakersfield on July 17th starting at 10 am. It will be wonderful to see all of the support from the community and it will be great for everyone to finally be able to meet TJ. We can’t wait to see you all there! We would also like to send a special thanks to The Second Star to the Right for organizing this fundraiser for TJ. We appreciate everything you have done for us!
Sunday 27 Jun 2010 by admin |
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Filed under:
Chemo,
Family
On June 19th Grandma Rita came to visit with a wonderful suprise for us. A New Van! Yes, Grandma bought us a beautiful 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE. Just what we’ve been needing for TJ’s wheelchair. We no longer have to spend 20 minutes getting his wheelchair assembled or disassembled to fit it into the trunk. Boy was that a pain! TJ is also doing amazing! He is sitting crossed legged on his own for over 30 mins and is also able to go from laying down to sitting on his own. The next step is crawling. Although TJ has a lot of strength in his legs he still needs to work on building up strength in his arms. With our help he is able to take a few steps walking on his knees. We are planning to go home by the end of July, PERMANENTLY. Even though we are happy to go home after being here for 10 months, we are dreading the Bakersfield heat. We are so blessed to have such wonderful support from all of you. Thank you and please continue the prayers.
Friday 11 Jun 2010 by admin |
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Uncategorized
TJ did great on his swallow test so the doctors are allowing him to start eating soft foods such as pudding and baby food. We are so excited. He is starting to eat very little, just a few bites in a sitting. But something is better than nothing. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Thursday 3 Jun 2010 by admin |
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Filed under:
Bakersfield,
Chemo
Before we move back to Bakersfield we need to make sure that TJ has a safe enviroment to live in. For the next year TJ will be having chemo treatments which lower his immune system. This will make any bacteria life threatening for TJ. Unfortunately, the house we are moving into has mold in the bathroom. This NEEDS to be removed before TJ goes back to Bakersfield. If you know anyone that is willing to DONATE funds, supplies, and most importantly labor please contact me by leaving a message in the comment box. Thank You for helping us give TJ the ability to recover to his fullest.
Thursday 3 Jun 2010 by admin |
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Physical Therapy
Tj is now officially off oxygen. We went to the pulomologist today and his oxygen levels are great. We are one step closer to our goal of having ZERO tubes by time we go back to Bakersfield. All that’s left is his broviac, which should be removed within the next two months, and his G-Tube. Next week, on the 9th TJ will have a swallow test. If he does good then we could start feeding him by mouth. We have been practicing by giving him Gerber baby food and water. He has been doing good so hopefully he won’t clam up when the swallow test comes along. Once he is able to eat enough calories they will be able to take out his G-Tube. We also went to do physical therapy today. TJ did so well he even suprised his therapist with how strong he is getting and how well he is able to hold his head up. She still can’t believe how determined he is to do everything. We have been working on crawling and reaching with his hands. Sometimes it’s so hard to get him to do things for other people. But, and those who know TJ will tell you, he has always been very shy, especially around new people. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
TJ Garcia age 3
