Hi, Monday, 4 February 2008, 5:00 pm CST

FORE!!!!!!

Look out one and all, Julie is back hitting golf balls for real. This afternoon we went to the Breamar Golf Dome, in Edina, so that Julie could hit some golf ball under the watchful eyes of therapists from Sister Kenny. She did quite well. Both Paige Safranski, the Sister Kenny therapist in charge, and I were very encouraged by how well Julie was able to keep her balance and make contact with the ball. We just took her 7 iron, and she was able to get the ball in the air about 6 feet and make it carry for about 30 yards. That is not too bad considering Julie was only using her left arm, had no weight shift or body turn. In total, she must have hit 60 balls. That is a very good effort in my books.

Today was just the first step on getting Julie back out playing gold again. The accomplishments of today were huge when considering what Julie has dealt with over the past year. I am so very proud of what Julie did today and for how far she has recovered from the days when she first came home. She is daily helping out in the kitchen, cleaning around the house, and is very diligent about doing her regimen of exercises. It is fun for us to meet people who havenÕt seen Julie in a while. They are all amazed at her progress. Even the Sister Kenny people, who live daily with tragic cases, are impressed with JulieÕs recovery so far and with her determination and great spirit. How can you not Love This Woman!!!!

Our next outing at the Breamar Dome is on February 25. In the interim, Julie will be practicing her swing in our basement, (without any real golf balls). I will be there helping and encouraging in any way that I can.

Hope to see you on the Links.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, January 22, 2008, 7:15 pm CST

I know it has been awhile since I last wrote to all of you. Things are going very well for Julie and me. Julie continues to do more and more around the house. She is able to do light cleaning chores, some basic cooking (especially her great sugar cookies), and is now trying to clean out drawers and closets.

We are still waiting to hear back from Sister Kenny about the golf league. They will be starting up next month in the dome at Breamar. They have a two hour slot on Monday afternoons for their participants to go there and hit balls with the help of golf instructors and therapists. I know this will be a very challenging time for Julie. She will have to learn a totally new way of playing golf. I believe it will be very frustrating for her as well. She used to play to an 18 handicap, which is pretty good. The goal here is to get her back out on the golf course playing, and to not worry about scoring well. She has been working so hard at home on her exercises and shows so much determination that I think she will do very well when she steps up the first tee at Timber Creek next spring. It will be such a thrill just to see her hit a ball again.

Stephen

HI, Tuesday, January 01, 2008, 10:00 pm CST

Happy New Year to one and all! Julie and I truly do wish you all a happy new year and we hope for good health and safety in the months ahead.

As you all know, this has been a very difficult year for Julie and for me. We have both been severely challenged. Julie with her life threatening medical issues, and me with having to witness it all first hand. Julie has been magnificent in her will to get better in the fact of very daunting odds. I am so very proud of her and of what she has been able to accomplish through shear will power and self determination. She has proven to me to be an even more wonderful person than I had known her to be prior to February 14, 2007. Julie has done what very few people in medical history have been able to do. She has survived a very rare and difficult to diagnose form of lymphoma in her central nervous system. Dr. Trusheim calls Julie his Miracle Girl. I totally agree with his assessment.

These past few days have seen Julie up and about more and more. She continues to spend more and more time out of her wheel chair. She is also continuing to do more and more around the house. She has started to do more mundane cleaning and cooking chores. In fact, I came home from a flight the other day, and Julie had dinner all ready to be served when I walked in the door. This is the first time she has been able to do that since early February of 2007. Julie still has a long way to go to get back to full recovery. In fact, total and complete recovery is doubtful, according to all the medical experts. Truly, they are unwilling to make an assessment of the probability of Julie making a full recovery. I know that they have to be very conservative in their assessments, and I agree that they must. Deep in my heart, I am betting that Julie will once again beat the medical odds, and make a recovery far beyond what they can now imagine.

The true test for Julie will begin in February, when she starts to get involved in the Sister Kenny Golf Program. She has repeatedly stated that getting back on the golf course was her main goal. This program will firmly place that challenge in front of her. There will be a staff of dedicated and motivated therapist and instructors who will assist all of the Sister Kenny golfers in learning how to play the game again, giving consideration to their particular disabilities. I am very much looking forward to helping Julie with this challenge. I will be making sure that I am available to get her to these sessions, and to also participate in any way that I can.

Once again, Happy New Year to you all!!!!!!

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, December 25, 2007, 9:10 pm CST

Merry Christmas to all. We are at the end of our celebration of Christmas. Julie and I spent the past few days with family and friends and have had a great time. We started it all with a neighbor hood open house at the HighlandÕs, across the street from us, on Saturday. We had a wonderful time with all of the neighbors that came to the gathering. Julie was able to walk into their house, after being driving down our very steep an icy driveway. She was also able to get down the stairs to the beautifully finished basement and we all enjoyed the big screen TV and fully appointed bar. The food was very plentiful and very delicious.

We did dinner and gifts with Ian on Sunday, so that he could spend time wit his mother on Christmas Day. That went very well, as I was able to cook some steaks on the grill.

On Christmas Eve Julie and I drove to Clear Lake Wisconsin to pick up her Mother and Father and take them to Milaca, Minnesota to do the annual big do at Kari and MarkÕs home. We all had a great time and Julie was able to spend a lot of time up out of her wheel chair mingling with the family. There were about 35 family members there from all over Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and England. Everybody was very impressed with JulieÕs progress. Needless to say, she received hugs and kisses from everybody. All of us are very grateful the Julie was there to get the hugs.

Today we spent a quiet day at home. I cooked a rib roast on the grill, and Julie and I watched movies with a nice warm fire in the fireplace.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and were able to enjoy your family and friends.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, December 09, 2007, 10:00 pm CST

Due to a sever cold in my head and chest, I was unable to fly my trips on Saturday and today. This unexpected time at home gave me the opportunity to watch Julie make further strides forward. Over the past few Christmas Seasons, Julie has organized a cookie exchange with several of the neighbor ladies. She has again organized the cookie exchange for this Thursday, Dec 13. In order to have enough cookies for her to give to the other nine ladies involved, Julie has been very busy this weekend baking cookies. The big difference here is that she is doing it all on her own. In the past she has asked Elise and Cara Hanson to come over and help her, but this time she did every thing herself. It gives me great pride to see how well she is doing with these tasks, and how hard an effort she puts forth to accomplish these tasks. What a Girl !!!!!!

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 10:15 CST

Today Julie came down stairs and made a few putts at our putting machine. She made about 12 putts, and 6 of them went right in the middle of the cup from about 4 feet. This is the first time Julie has had a golf club in her hands since October of last year. She could only grasp the putter with a cross handed grip, meaning her left hand was below her right hand. This is a totally new putter grip for her, but she managed to sink about half of the putts she attempted. As a long time golfer, I can attest that I would love to have made 50% of all the 4 footers I have faced in my golfing life. As you can see from the attached picture, she has to use a cross hand, or left hand low, grip because she is unable to full straighten her right arm. She also uses a claw grip with her right hand, holding the club between her thumb and index finger. She is planning on incorporating some putting in her exercise program from now on.

For those of you who are reading this from the Caringbridge web site, I posted the photo attachment to the photo section on JulieÕs web page so that all of you can see her putting as well.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, December 03, 2007, 7:00 pm CST

Julie and I are still here and doing well. I havenÕt written in a while because everything is going very smoothly. Julie continues to make slow steady progress, and I am back to my normal work schedule. There have been no major changes since I last wrote.

Our Thanksgiving went very well. Two of my brothers and their wives came over along with Ian and Sister-in-law Jill. I did a turkey on the rotisserie, and it came out great. The following Sunday, Julie and I went to GaryÕs and made peanut brittle, as is our family custom, which we will be sharing with friends over the holidays. Julie and Jill also spent a day shopping while I was flying.

This Sunday we had a great day. We started the day with a terrific brunch at azeltiHHHHH Hazeltine National Golf Club. We took JulieÕs SisterÕs Jill and Kari, KariÕs husband Mark, and the Hanson family from across the street. After the brunch we all went to Orchestra Hall for the annual Christmas Concert by the St. Thomas music department. JulieÕs nephew, (KariÕs son), Torin sings in the choir. We all enjoyed the performance very much. Julie did a great job of getting around Hazeltine with her cane. At Orchestra Hall she used her wheel chair, but it was no problem getting her to and from her seat.

Today Julie went to lunch with her friend Natalie. Julie used her cane and left the wheel chair at home. As you can see, she is making slow steady progress. I even took out her putter and put it in the basement where we have a putting machine. I told her that she should start with the putter and work her way back to using the irons and woods. I hope to soon be telling you all of her return to golf.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 4:30 pm CST

On this eve of Thanksgiving, I would like to send a special message of thanks to each and every on of you. Your support and prayers have made this year a lot easier to deal with for Julie and for me. Your emails and responses on the Caringbridge web site have been a joy to read. We are always energized and humbled by the number of people all around the world that have taken the time to send us a message of encouragement. We read them all and they all mean a lot to us both.

Julie and I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. We will be celebrating right here at home with my Brother David ,Wife Barbara, and Sarah, my Brother Gary, his Wife Diane, JulieÕs Sister Jill, and my Son Ian. This is the first time my brotherÕs and I have been together for Thanksgiving in a long long time, so I am really looking forward to the time together.

Our love and best wishes to you all,

Julie and Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 10:15 pm CST

Another small mile stone was reached today. Julie and I have decided that using the stairs to the basement for a rehab exercise would be a good thing. To that effort, over the past few days, Julie had been going down and up those stairs about four times a day; I have always stood one step below her for safety. This morning we did the same thing. Julie made two descents and climbs of the stairs. Just after lunch, I was in my office in the basement, and Julie called to me and said she was coming down the stairs. I started to go up to her to stand next to her, but she told me to stand at the bottom the stairs. She then proceeded to make the descent of the stairs all on her own, with out me being next to her for moral support. She immediately turned around and climbed up the stairs, again with me standing at the bottom watching. This effort gives her a big increase in her confidence to get to any where in this house, all on her own. I am very proud of her for this accomplishment. This evening she again came down the stairs all on her own. We watched a movie; the she went back up stairs and walked into the bedroom where she got undress and into bed; again all on her own.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Julie has become so much more independent over the past month. She is able to take care of herself in so many ways. The only major stumbling block is the problem of her getting her right leg brace and shoe on in the morning when she is getting dressed. It is so difficult for her to do this with the impairment of her right arm and hand. On the days I have to go to work, I will put on her brace and shoes before I leave the house. Julie will sleep for a while longer, and then be able to get up and get to the bathroom and kitchen on her own. We have been buying frozen meals that she can zap in the microwave or heat up in the oven on days that I am not there. She can now do some simple cooking things like chopping vegetables or fruit. I still do not like her to attempt any thing that involves a really sharp knife, but she is doing quite well in feeding herself when I am gone. I believe that this trend will continue. I am not sure that Julie will ever achieve 100% recovery, but I am confident that she will be able to take care of herself in all areas of personal hygiene, feeding, and general daily maintenance. That is another mile stone to look forward to.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, November 09, 2007, 8:15 pm CST

Another small mile stone was passed this evening. As Friday is our usual date night and Julie and I normally go to Hazeltine for dinner on our date night, this evening was no different. We did go to Hazeltine for dinner and enjoyed a very nice meal of King Crab Legs. The mile stone was that this time I dropped Julie off at the front door and she walked into the club and to the dining room. This walk is at least 200 feet. This is the first time Julie has walked into Hazeltine since January. Our favorite waiter, Peter, met us at the entry to the St. Andrews Room and was thrilled to see Julie walking in. We had a quiet but very delicious dinner, and then Julie walked back out to the front door where I met her with the car.

We are now back home and Julie is getting ready for bed. We have some first aid duties to look after concerning her boil lancing last night, but that is a minor thing and we should be sleeping soon. Tomorrow I am flying to Santa Anna, California and back, so I will be gone for most of the day. Julie is going out to lunch with Barb Cobb, my sister in law. I expect that they will be having a really good time planning for Thanksgiving dinner.

I hope all is well in your life.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, November 09, 2007, 1:00am CST

I just got Julie to bed, and she is sleeping very soundly. We decided to make a run to the Emergency Center at Abbott Hospital this evening. The problem, and this is quite ironic, is that Julie had a boil growing on the right cheek of her buttocks. The irony is that the life saving treatment Julie received at Abbott and SKI has been a pain in the buttocks because of the disruption her illness has caused us. We are both eternally grateful for all of the wonderful care and treatment Julie received, but the DA__ED CNS Lymphoma has been a huge pain in the buttocks for Julie and for me.

This afternoon the boil reached the size of her favorite Nike golf ball, so we decided it was time to get it taken care of. We thought it would be nice to go to Abbott, since we have spent so much time there and all of her medical records are in their computer system. Also, we really like the personnel at Abbott, and sure enough, the fellow who checked us in with registration was a familiar face. His name is Matt, and he did several of JulieÕs discharge or sign in procedures when Julie was moving from Abbott to SKI or SKI to Abbott. I told Julie that she was doing this just so she could go visit some old friends.

The procedure to lance her boil took a few minutes, once the doctor was able to do it. Julie will be fine in a few days and feels much more comfortable right now. It is also ironic that we had to go to an emergency center just a few days before Julie is scheduled to visit with her personal doctor, Dr. Kelly. This is the same set of occurrences that happened at the onset of JulieÕs CNS Lymphoma problems. Let us hope and pray that this incident heals quickly and does not take the same path that the CNS journey has taken us all on.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, November 05, 2007, 10:30 pm CST

Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work!

That is my excuse for not writing over the past week. I actually had to get back to work last Friday, after my extended vacation. I flew Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and today. I would like you to know that after all that time off, all the passengers I transported made it safely to there desired destination, and I did not make an embarrassing landing. I guess that is a successful return to the job.

Julie has been doing pretty well over the past week. She continues to make slow progress. Julie is now giving herself her estim treatments to herself. All I have to do is to place the electrodes on her shoulder and arm. She can now get the machine to run the appropriate program and set it for the proper settings. This will allow her a lot more freedom to get around and still get some therapy for her right shoulder and hand. I only wish that there was more progress in the rehab of her right shoulder and hand. It seems to me that the sublexation in the right shoulder and right hand immobility has not made any dramatic improvements. We may be wishing for results that are coming, but at a slower pace than we would like. I am now reminded of my year in Thailand, a country of Buddhist thinking. One thing I learned there was that life has its own pace, and we should not rush it! We both have to learn to live for today, not dwell on the past, and plan for the future.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, October 27, 2007, 7:15 pm CDT

Julie and I have had a pretty good week. The weather has been dry and mostly sunny with great fall temperatures.

Julie continues to make slow steady progress. It seems that every day she takes on a little more of the house hold chores, and that is really helpful to me. On Thursday, we visited with Dr. Rippe, JulieÕs rehab doctor. He is pleased with her progress, but a bit concerned with the continued stiffness in her right knee. We decided to increase her dosage of Baclofen, the muscle relaxant drug she is taking. We will be increasing it by ? tab at lunch and at bed time. If that is not helping, we will increase the dosage again, but in small increments. We also met with Matt White, JulieÕs OT therapist. Matt did an assessment on JulieÕs movement in her right arm. There were gains in all measurements, but at a smaller rate that the last measurements in September. Matt gave us another area to do the estim. The new area is on the triceps of the right arm. It seems that Julie is constantly hooked up to that machine. Fortunately it is small and very transportable. In fact, on Thursday we took the machine to the golf course and Julie did treatments on herself while riding around in the golf cart.

Today was another great weather day, so I spent the day doing fall clean up chores in the yard. Julie baked cookies with Elise and Cara Hanson, the girls across the street. They made two batches of Halloween cut out cookies. Julie managed to get all of that done and clean up the kitchen too. After the baking was done, Julie was covered in flour dust and cookie dough, but they all had a good time and the cookies are wonderful. Julie will be coming down stairs in a few minutes to watch the World Series game on the HD TV. She is getting very confident in being able to manage the stairs. I still stand below her as a safety net, but she is able to go up and down all on her own. It is just a matter of time before she will be doing the stairs with out me there.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 10:15 PM CDT

The past two days have been very nice here weather wise. Yesterday Julie and I took the opportunity to get some things done around the house. I worked outside and Julie did some cleaning and sorting inside. She continues to get more and more involved with the household activities. Today we went to the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. It is only a short distance from our home, and we have a membership. I have not been there in a couple of years, but Julie goes quite often. We had a very nice lunch in the cafeteria followed by a stroll around the gardens next to the main building. Due to the length and steepness of the trails, I pushed Julie in her wheel chair. There are still a lot of flowers in bloom and most of the trees still have some leaves. With the warm temperatures and clear blue sky, it was a very pleasant walk.

Tomorrow I have and early appointment with the dentist. The weather forecast is for great weather, so Julie and I are planning to go to Timber Creek in the afternoon for some golf. I know that Julie enjoys the ride in the golf cart, but we both canÕt wait until she is also able to play.

Julie continues to make slow steady progress. However, she still has a lot of stiffness in her right leg, she still has soreness in her right upper arm, and she still is getting cramps in her upper left leg. Fortunately, we are scheduled to see Dr. Rippe on Thursday. We hope he can help her to get these problems solved, and quickly.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, October 21, 2007, 11:30 pm CDT

Julie and I just finished watching game 7 of the ALCS, good luck to Boston. This is the second night in a row that Julie has come to the basement to watch the baseball game on our HD TV. The new hand railing has given her much more confidence to make the climb down and up those stairs. She has become much more active around the house as well. Yesterday was a beautiful fall day, clear skies and warm temperatures. Everybody was out doing lawn chores. I spend the afternoon mulching leaves. Julie spent the afternoon baking cookies. She made two batches of chocolate chip cookies and cleaned up all of the pots and pans on her own. I consider that a major step forward. She is spending more and more time walking around the house, which means that she is finding more and more projects for me. I guess that is a good trade off.

Her home therapies are going okay. I believe we need to spend more time on exercising her legs and arms, but with all of the estim we are doing and with all of the other things that need to get done, we are finding it hard to fit it all in. Julie now spends about two hours a day hooked up to the estim machine. She has been doing a lot of reading during these estim sessions. She has managed to read at least four books over the past two weeks.

Tomorrow some of JulieÕs girl friends from Wisconsin are coming over for a visit; I am planning to play golf. I know that they will all be pleased to see the progress Julie has made since their last visit many weeks ago.

The last time this group came to visit, Julie was just able to get out of her wheel chair and walk across the living room. Now she is up and on her feet for long stretches of time. She is now able to do chores in the kitchen and around the upper level of the house. We are not yet confident in her ability to get down and up the stairs to the basement with out someone to be a spotter for her, but I really feel that she will be doing those stairs on her own in a very short time. I can assure you that when Julie is able to get down and up those stairs on her own, there will be all kinds of new projects to be undertaken; I canÕt wait!

Stephen

Hi, Friday, October 19, 2007, 7:45 pm CDT

This past week has been so wet and rainy that Julie and I have not gotten out to do very much. I did manage to get another hand rail installed on the wall of the stairs to the basement. Julie had a much easier time getting down the stairs last night. She came down to watch the ball game between Cleveland and Boston. We both started dozing in the early innings, so Julie went back upstairs to bed early; I managed to last through the 8^th inning.

Julie is still doing her exercises every day. She varies them from her arms to her legs on an every other day schedule. She is also continuing with the estim on her right fore arm and shoulder. Her biggest problem lately has been her left leg. Her knee seems to have stiffened up a bit and she finds it hard to bend that leg. Also, she has been continuing to have cramping in the right leg up near her groin and hip. This usually occurs at night while she is sleeping. These cramps are her major cause of sleep interruption now. The CPAP machine is becoming more comfortable for her and she seems to be sleeping well with it, but the leg cramps wake her up three to four times a night. We will be seeing Dr. Rippe this next Thursday, so we will ask him about this cramping paroblem.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, October 16, 2007, 4:00 pm CDT

We have had some very rainy cool days on Monday and Tuesday. Julie and I have pretty much stayed at home. Julie continues to work on her exercises and walks around the house quite a bit. She is doing more and more small chores around the house. Mainly she is cleaning and organizing in the kitchen, bathroom and bed room. Her big challenge is to start cleaning out a couple of closets. We have one that is jam packed with gift wrapping paper, gift bags, and gift boxes. That closet will take the biggest effort.

I am working on getting another hand rail put up on the stairs to the basement. I have all of the materials, and have spent the day painting what needs to be painted. Hopefully the rail will go up tomorrow. This new rail will help Julie to get down the stairs. The existing rail is on the right side as you descend the stairs, so it is of little use to Julie going down. With the addition of the rail on the left side, the descent should be much easier for her. She is really looking forward to spending more time down stairs, and so am I.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, October 13, 2007, 7:30 pm CDT

Julie and I had a busy last two days. Yesterday I took Julie to the Chiropractor to get an adjustment on her lower back. She has been developing some pain in her lower back due to the twisting involved in getting into and out of bed. The adjustments seem to be helping. After the Chiropractic visit, Julie said she wanted to go to Calico Corners to visit with her former work mates. When we got there, Julie walked into the store, she spend about 30 minutes walking around the store looking at all the changes that have been made since February. After that visit we went to a local restaurant for lunch. Again, Julie walked into the restaurant for lunch. Last evening we went to some friendÕs house for dinner. When we got there, Julie again walked into the house. She stood in the kitchen for about an hour while we had hors dÕoeuvres. The only time she used her wheel chair was to sit at the dinner table. All in all, Julie spent more that two hours on her feet yesterday.

Today I completed the repair of a broken window in the morning. It was such a beautiful day here that Julie and I went to Timber Creek after I completed the window job. We had a very pleasant time and met a few new people on the golf course. I am becoming a firm believer that Julie is truly my good luck charm, because it seems I play much better when she is there. I shot an 82 today with 3 birdies, 6 pars, 5 bogies, and 4 double bogies. I really do miss her not being able to play, and I know that Julie misses it much more than I do. She is so determined to be playing next year that I believe it will happen.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 5:15 pm CDT

Last night Julie came down to the basement to watch a movie on the big screen TV. I made some pop corn and we had a very pleasant evening. She has decided that going up and down those stairs is good exercise for her. It makes her legs stronger, gives her more confidence, and gets her out of the wheel chair. I know that this will be a much more frequent occurrence in the future.

Today we went to SKI for JulieÕs final PT session, at least for several months. The session was spent doing evaluations of JulieÕs progress. She did make significant gains in all areas; however, she is still considered a fall risk due to her unsteady walking. One of the tests was a timed walk over 8 meters. One month ago it took Julie 60 seconds to cover the distance, today it took 37 seconds. She did very well climbing and descending the stairs. Her flexibility in both of legs has improved. Her right knee is still quite stiff, as is her right ankle. It will take more time and effort to get the flexibility back in these areas. Our next visit to SKI will be on October 25, we will be seeing Dr. Rippe for an evaluation examination. We will also be seeing Matt White, the OT therapist for an evaluation.

On our way out of Abbot Hospital we did stop by to see the CPAP tech about JulieÕs problems with the face mask she is using. We decided that the first step in trying to solve the problem is to use a chin strap that will help Julie keep her mouth closed at night. I told the tech that last night I heard some condensation water gurgling in the air hose. He suggested that we find some way to insulate the hose. Due to the heated air coming from the humidifier in the CPAP machine flowing up the air hose in the cooler temperatures of the house, the condensation takes place. It looks like Julie and I will have to come up with a light weight flexible form of insulating this tube. Do you have any ideas?

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 9 October 2007, 5:00 pm CDT

Sorry I havenÕt written in a few days, but Julie and I had a very busy weekend and I stayed up late watching baseball and football last night.

Saturday was a very full day. I played golf with some neighbors in the annual Oktoberfest at Timber Creek. We had a great time but did not score all that well. The format was a four man scramble, meaning each player hits a shot from the tee. All four players then hit again from the tee shot that was determined to be the best of the four. This process continues until you putt out. The format produces some low scores. The winning score was 60, 12 under par, and there were three foursomes that had that score. Our group shot 70, two under par, which I thought was pretty good for our group. There were about four groups with higher scores, so we accomplished our goal of not finishing last.

After the golf, Julie and I hosted a back yard cook out for the golf participants, their families, and a few other neighbors. The idea here was to say thanks to all of them for all that they have done for Julie, Chip and me over the past eight months. We all had a great time, and I once again got to use my new grill.

Sunday was such a pretty day that Julie and I went back to Timber Creek to play some more golf. Julie rode in the cart and, as usual, was a very good coach for me. By chance, another of our neighbors, Paul Cancilla, showed up at Timber Creek at the same time as we did, so we played together. Paul shot a very nice 75, I shot and 85. This seems to be a pattern, because the last time Paul and I played together, he beat me by 10 shots. Paul is a very good golfer and a lot of fun to play with.

Monday was spent doing errands and lawn work, and watching Cleveland beat the Yankees, and Dallas beat Buffalo. Both were very good games.

Julie has been doing well with her CPAP machine. The only problem now is that she is getting a bit of the sniffles, and the mask she is using connects directly to her nostrils. This is causing her some discomfort. Tomorrow we are going to SKI for our last PT session. While at Abbot Hospital we are going to stop by and talk to the CPAP tech to see if we can get her a regular mask that covers her nose and mouth. Hopefully that will make it more comfortable for Julie. I have definitely noticed a reduction in the snoring and gasping that occurred before the CPAP machine was used. I have slept very soundly the past few nights.

Julie has also been working very hard on her leg and arm exercises. We are also using the estim machine a lot. She is now doing two treatments on her arm for 30 minutes a day, and four treatments on her shoulder for 20 minutes a day. The shoulder treatments will increase to five times a day next week, and six times a day the following week. There dose seem to be some improvement in her shoulder, as Julie does not have as much aching and discomfort in her shoulder as she did just two week ago. Her right leg is still very stiff and she has difficulty bending her knee. We are doing the stretching and strength building exercises, so we hope to see improvement over time.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, October 05, 2007, 7:15 pm

Our dreams of a good night of sleep with the new CPAP machine were dashed by a long night of thunderstorms and a very nervous dog. Chip kept us both up for most of the night; he does not like thunder and lightening. We also had to get up early for a 9 am PT session at SKI. During this PT session, Julie did a lot of walking with a single point cane. She walked for 35 minutes or more, and did it all at a faster pace than I have seen her walk since before mid February.

After our visit to SKI, Julie and I stopped by at a local CVS Pharmacy and found her a nice single point cane of her own. She will be using this cane not only to walk with, but there are several exercises that the OT therapists have given us that use a single point cane. I am beginning to feel like we are living in a small rehab center. We now have an assortment of equipment that includes a wheel chair, a four point cane, a single point cane, an estim machine, a CPAP machine, and a device that I built out of PVC pipe for Julie to work out her right arm and shoulder, and a long list of exercises for Julie.

The big news of the day occurred after dinner tonight. Julie decided to walk down the stairs to the basement, and she did it! We are entertaining a few of our neighbors tomorrow night, just to say thank you for all that they have done for Julie, Chip, and me over the past eight months. Julie wanted to get to the basement to look for some glasses and napkins, so down the stairs she went. I stood in front of her on the way down, as a precaution, but she made her way down the steps all on her own. This is a huge mile stone for Julie. She was so happy to be able to get down the stairs for the first time since early February.

Once she was there, she was like an IG team leader, (thatÕs a military Inspector General team). She saw pictures that were not straight, spider webs in the corners, pillows out of alignment, etc, etc, etc. I just walked behind and said, ÒYes Dear.Ó We spent about 20 minutes walking around this area that Julie has not walked in for eight months. It really was a sentimental journey for her and for me. I really miss the days when we used to sit down there and watch a movie in front of a nice hot fire. After today, I really believe that those days are not far away us again.

Her trip up the stairs was easier than the trip down; Julie does have a fear of heights. I do believe that tonight we will all sleep a bit better. Today another barrier was broken, and more confidence gained. Today a new reality began for Julie and me. Today the prospect of recovery seems that much closer.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, October 04, 2007, 5:45 pm CDT

Julie had her sleep study done last night. We arrived at Abbot Hospital at 9 pm. Because of the hospital lock down at 8 pm, we had to go the Emergency Entrance to get into the building. From there we went to the main lobby admitting station. Once the in-processing was completed we waited for a security escort to the Sleep Clinic in the Piper Building of Abbot Hospital. Our technician, Max, show us to the room we were to use. The process of putting on all of the sensors and devises began at about 10 pm. This process took almost one hour. The total number of sensors and devises attached to Julie was 23. These included: 7 EEG sensors on her head,5 facial sensors, 2 repertory bands, 2 EKG sensors placed near each collar bone, 2 ENG sensors placed just below her knees on the out side of her leg, 1 snore mike placed on her throat, 1 oxygen sensor placed on the index finger of her left hand, and 1 oxygen feed placed in her nose. The EEG sensors were held in place by a water soluble past that looks a lot like the paste we all used in grade school. Tonight Julie will get a shower and shampoo to wash it all out.

The study consisted of two parts. The first part was taking readings of JulieÕs sleep patterns. All Julie needed to do was to sleep, and the sensors took reading of her brain wave patterns, breathing patterns, foot and leg movements, and a bunch of other stuff that I canÕt remember. Julie slept on a Sleep Number bed. I took us a little while playing with the different settings for Julie to decide that 45 was her number. I slept on a reclining chair that just got more uncomfortable as the night went on. The lights finally went out at about 11:45 pm. Julie quickly fell asleep and started snoring. I lay awake and listened. Max came into the room twice early on to readjust the oxygen feed in JulieÕs nose; it was now 12:30 am. After, what seemed to me, a very brief time, Max again came into the room to announce that the first phase of the study was over; it was now 2:45 am.

The second phase of the study involved hooking Julie up to a CPAP machine, (CPAP stands for Constant Positive Air Pressure). Once this machine was hooked up, Julie again quickly fell asleep. I lay awake for a while waiting for the snoring and snorting to begin, but it did not. Julie slept very quietly until Max awoke her and I at 6:45 am to announce the study was over. He was very pleased with the second phase. Max told us the Julie quickly went into deep REM sleep. This is very good, since it is in deep REM sleep that the body restores itself. Max also told us that because of the high number of breathing stoppages, Julie was able to get a CPAP machine even before DR. Trusheim sees the results. This meant that we could take a machine home with us this morning and us it tonight. We had to wait until about 9 am to see the CPAP technician. He gave us a brief overview of how the machine works and fitted Julie for a mask. We decided on a mask that Julie can easily put on with one hand. The mask has two pads that snug up to the nostrils of JulieÕs nose, but does not cover her mouth. The entire package fits easily into a small carrying case and is very light weight. We finally left the hospital at 10 am and drove home. We are both tired, but looking forward to the prospect of a good night of sleep for us both.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 7:30 pm CDT

Sorry I havenÕt written in a few days. Julie and I have been busy and we had a few early morning wake ups, so I have been going to bed early.

On Monday, we took advantage of some good weather and went to the golf course. As usual, we met several people that have not seen Julie since this medical voyage began. They were all very surprised and supportive. They all wished Julie a full and speedy recovery. I know that the recovery will not be that speedy, but I to hope that it is a full recovery.

On Tuesday, we had a very early PT session at SKI, 8:00 am. The PT session entailed Julie practicing her new walking cadence, but this time it was done with a single point cane. She did one walk of about 20 minutes and had no problems. She is still walking slowly, but her endurance is increasing. The challenge of the one point cane is that it is less stable that the four point cane she has been using so far. The goal here is to get her feeling comfortable with the one point cane and more confident in her ability to just walk.

After the PT session, Julie had an appointment at the nail salon. She spent an hour there, and had a great time. She had her nails done, a pedicure, an oil treatment on her legs, (for the dry skin), and a wax job on her eye brows. She said she felt great after they were done.

Today, I took Julie to the Chiropractor to get an adjustment on her lower back. She has been complaining of soreness there at night when she is getting up to use the commode. Due to all the twisting of her back involved with getting out of and into the bed, it is little wonder that she is experiencing some discomfort. After the Chiropractor, we went immediately to the golf course to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather. Julie rode in the cart with me while I played. Once again, we meet a few people that had not known of JulieÕs situation.

In about 45 minutes, we will be leaving for Abbot Hospital for the sleep evaluation. We will both spend the night there together. IÕll give you all of the details tomorrow.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, September 28, 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Today Julie had her last scheduled OT session with Matt. We spent the hour going over exercises that we can do at home to increase JulieÕs function in her right arm and hand. Our next scheduled visit will not be until December, and that will be a checkup session. We did find out that Blue Cross approved another Botox treatment; this will also take place in December. We are continuing to use the estim machine on JulieÕs right fore arm and shoulder. If this treatment works as well as expected, Julie should have good improvement in the movement of her right fingers. Also, there should be good improvement in the sublexation problem in her right shoulder. LetÕs hope all goes according to plan.

After the session at SKI, I took Julie to lunch, and then to her Cousin KristinÕs house. Kris had an afternoon tea for her cousins, aunts, and mother. Julie had a great tome catching up with all of them. They were all very glad to see Julie in such good shape, both physically and emotionally. I was asked to stay, but politely declined. I went to the golf course. It was such a beautiful day, I could not see spending it inside, (besides, IÕm a bit put off of tea after my experience with Pam, the ex-wife).

Next week Julie has two PT sessions and the sleep test. We will be doing a lot of exercising and estim therapy here at home form now on. I know that I have learned a lot about therapy over the past few months, but I also know I will miss the professionals that have given Julie such good treatment since this all began. We also will miss the relationships that we have formed among the staff at SKI. In all probability, Julie will be able to return to SKI for more treatment, but that may not be for many months. So, for the near future, it is up to Julie and me to get her as healthy as we can. It will take a lot of hard work, but than Julie has been working tremendously had since she started therapy. She is still very determined to be playing golf next summer. I will continue to give her all of the support and encouragement that I can. I also know that all of you will continue to do the same, and we appreciate it very much.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, September 26, 2007, 8:00 pm CDT

Well, our day yesterday turned out to be not a busy as we had thought. About a half hour before heading to Abbot Hospital for JulieÕs sleep test, I noticed on the paperwork that the scheduled date was Wednesday, October 3. I called the sleep center to confirm the date, and they said that the 3 October date is the real date. So, it looks like Julie and I will have to wait until next week for the sleep test. I still think it is odd, because both Julie and I had September 25 on our separate calendars. I also had the September 25 date written in the note book that I take to the hospital to keep a record of what is going on.

So, today we spent the morning doing errands. This afternoon I played golf. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Julie does not have an appointment at SKI until Friday. We did spend some time today doing the exercises that the therapists have laid out for Julie.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 4:30 pm CDT

What a busy day for Julie and me. We went to SKI this morning for PT and OT. In PT, Julie was given six different exercises that we will be doing at home for the next few weeks. Since Blue Cross is not going to continue to support JulieÕs rehab at SKI, we are learning these exercises so that she can continue to progress by working hard at home.

In OT, we were given an estim machine. We spent the entire hour learning how to set it up for the two different programs that we will be using. What this machine does is sends electrical impulses into JulieÕs muscles to stimulate them. The first program is for JulieÕs right hand. Two pads are placed on her right for arm, one near the wrist and the other near her elbow. The machine sends electrical impulses from the positive electrode, near her elbow, to the negative electrode, near her wrist. This stimulates the muscles that extend JulieÕs fingers. The impulse is on for ten seconds and off for thirty seconds. This continues for thirty minutes. The other program is for JulieÕs right shoulder. Here the electrodes are placed one at the top of her right shoulder blade, the other just behind the shoulder joint. This program starts out with the same ten second on thirty seconds off routine, and starts out for fifteen minutes. Over the next few weeks, this duration will be extended to several hours. According to Matt, the OT therapist, they have seen very good results from this type of therapy on similar sublexation problems with other patients. Time will tell, but we need to try every available therapy to get Julie functional with her right arm.

Tonight, we go back to Abbot Hospital for the sleep disorder test. We have to be there by 9:30 pm, and will both spend the night in the sleep lab. Julie will have twenty sensors placed on her head, face, and stomach to monitor her breathing patterns and sleep cycles. The hope here is to find a way for Julie to get a good recuperative night of sleep. If this can be done, it will help her in her recovery. We all know how important good sleep is to good health, especially when you are recovering from an illness. IÕll tell you tomorrow how things went.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, September 21, 2007, 10:45 pm CDT

V A C A T I O N !!!!!!

I just completed my last September trip this evening, a turn to San Diego and back. Now I am on vacation until November. This will be the first time off I have had this year that I can really relax and enjoy. All the other months off were, as you know, do to medical issues, JulieÕs and mine. Julie and I will continue to be spending time at SKI for her therapy sessions, but the rest of the time we can devote to relaxation and chores around the house.

Today my Brother Dave took Julie to SKI for PT and OT. In PT they started working on walking cadence with Julie. This new cadence is designed to get her walking at a faster pace. What it involves is moving her cane forward at the same time as her right leg. Previously, she would move the cane, then the right leg, then the left. It is a matter of Julie getting used to this new rhythm that will take he some time to get used to.

Julie also spent some time doing exercises to strengthen her right leg.

In OT, Julie and Matt again did some stretching of her right arm. Matt will be teaching us how to use the E-stem device on Tuesday. We will be taking one of these devices home, so that I can do these treatments at home with Julie. Matt also wants Julie to start using her right hand. He suggested that she start by holding a can or glass in her right hand. This will force her fingers to move more and build strength in her hand. ( I suggested to her that she might try and hold a golf club in her right hand too!)

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, September 20, 2007, 6:45 pm CDT

Today was MRI day. Julie had her MRI from 11:30 to 12:30 this morning. After the procedure, we went to

International Market Square

for lunch. Our visit with Dr. Trusheim was at 2:30 this afternoon. He showed us the latest MRI pictures. They all showed not tumors. You can still see some of the scaring on the spinal chord that is giving Julie her problems with her right side. I donÕt think the scaring will be going away, at least not for some time. What has to happen is that the brain and the nervous system need to figure out a different routing through the affected area of the spinal chord. That is what the PT and OT sessions are trying to do. The process is supposed to get the brain, nerves, and muscles all working together by a different and newly learned routing. These things take time, especially as we get older and the brain is not as active in producing new learning paths.

The other area of discussion with Dr. Trusheim was about JulieÕs new sleeping difficulties. Since the onset of this CNS Lymphoma, Julie has had some breathing problems while trying to sleep. These problems manifest themselves in the form of snoring and snorting noises that Julie never made before she became ill. As is turns out, Dr. Trusheim is also a board certified sleep expert. When we described these symptoms to Dr. Trusheim, he immediately suggested a sleep disorder test. Julie will be doing that next Tuesday night at Abbot Hospital. I will be staying with her in the sleep lab that entire night. Julie will be hooked up to 20 different sensors to measure all of the things to be tested. The goal here is for Julie and me to start getting some restful and recuperative sleep.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, September 19, 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Today Julie and I went our separate ways, again. I went to San Diego, and Julie went to SKI. My Brother Dave took Julie to her PT appointment this morning. Because of pressure from Blue Cross, it has been decided to reduce the frequency of PT visits so that Julie can lengthen the time she will be going to SKI. It looks like the frequency will be reduced from three visits a week to one or two. More emphasis is now being given to teaching Julie exercises that she and I can do at home to improve her right leg. I believe that the same thing will happen with OT.

Tomorrow is another MRI for Julie. She will have the procedure at 11:30 tomorrow morning. We will meet with Dr. Trusheim later at 2:30 pm. This is a checkup to make sure that Julie is still tumor free. I believe that it will show no tumors, since she has had no signs of any kind of relapse. In fact, Julie continues to make daily small improvements. She is much more active around the house, doing more baking and cleaning. She is spending much more time on her feet in the kitchen. She is even doing floor cleaning, with the Swifter, all over the main level of the house, (mostly she is picking up cat hair). It makes me feel so much more at ease to know that Julie is able to be on her own and feel that she is really contributing, just like she did before this all started.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, September 16, 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Julie had a very busy day today. I took off for Santa Anna, California this morning, and Julie started getting visits from our neighbor girls, Elise and Cara. They first arrived early with a breakfast of Waffles for Julie. They came back a little later to take Chip out for a walk. They came back a third time to help Julie put pricing stickers on a bunch of stuff that we are putting in a garage sale next weekend. By the time I got home this evening, Julie was just relaxing from all of this activity. She really enjoys having Elise and Cara stop by, they add so much activity and zest for life into JulieÕs day. Also, Cara and Elise do help Julie out with chores around the house. We are very lucky to have such great neighbors.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, September 16, 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Julie had a very busy day today. I took off for Santa Anna, California this morning, and Julie started getting visits from our neighbor girls, Elise and Cara. They first arrived early with a breakfast of Waffles for Julie. They came back a little later to take Chip out for a walk. They came back a third time to help Julie put pricing stickers on a bunch of stuff that we are putting in a garage sale next weekend. By the time I got home this evening, Julie was just relaxing from all of this activity. She really enjoys having Elise and Cara stop by, they add so much activity and zest for life into JulieÕs day. Also, Cara and Elise do help Julie out with chores around the house. We are very lucky to have such great neighbors.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 8:45 pm CDT

We had a day off from SKI today, so Julie and I spent the day catching up on chores. We first took advantage by sleeping in until 9:00 am. Both of us really needed the extra sleep, but Chip made sure it was not a very long sleep in. Chip got us up at 9:00, so we had a nice breakfast, and then I walked Chip. Julie and I went to shop for groceries after the walk. In the afternoon, I took off and did a bunch of other errands, while Julie stayed home and did some walking and exercising. The day was a beautiful fall day, cool in the morning warming into the mid 60Õs with bright sunshine all day. We had a very nice dinner and spend some time out on the veranda watching the sun go down. Our neighbor girlÕs, Elise and Cara, stopped by to visit. They were a lot of fun to chat with. I have never seen them so animated and chatty.

Tomorrow is the Botox treatment. Julie still has some trepidation about getting injections in her fore arm, bicep, and shoulder. I can totally empathize with her. Who looks forward to getting stuck with needles? The thing she has to remember is that these treatments will help her to rehab more quickly. The sooner she can get function back in her right arm the better. Julie has been such a good trooper for so long, I know that she will do just fine tomorrow. Like many of the scary treatments she has gone through, I feel that this one will prove to be another non event. Dr. Rippe is a good Doctor and knows what he is doing. Julie has talked to other SKI patients that have done the Botox infections with Dr. Rippe. They have all said that the injections are no big deal. All I can do is reassure Julie that these injections will not cause her much discomfort, (easy to say because I am not getting the treatment).

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, September 11, 2007, 8:00 pm CDT

Julie went to SKI today with my Brother Dave, as I was off to Santa Anna again. Julie said that both OT and PT sessions were spend doing evaluations of her progress. Julie said that she exceeded all goals. This included standing unassisted for 5 minutes, the goal was 2 minutes. She walked the 50 foot course 6 seconds faster than the last timed test. She was able to climb and descent the 11 step stairs more easily. She had more range of motion in her right arm and shoulder. The only area that has not shown good improvement is in being able to rotate her right fore arm. Julie still has difficulty rotating the right hand from its normal palm up position to a palm down position. She will be getting Botox treatment on Thursday; hopefully this will help her to get more motion and rotation in that right arm.

Julie continues to work very hard at her therapy sessions. Today she slept for most of the drive home because of the effort she put into the sessions. These improvements that were measured today are proof that her hard work is paying off. The progress is slow, but it is still progress! LetÕs hope that the Botox treatments will help to speed up the process of recovering the use of JulieÕs right arm and leg.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, September 09, 2007, 8:45 pm CDT

Another mile stone passed today. I flew my first trip after getting off of sick leave and going through recurrent training. I went out to Orange County, California and back. The trip went very smoothly, it was like I never had been off.

While I was gone, Julie had a fun day. Her Sister Jill took Julie out shopping. They found Julie some comfortable clothing to wear this fall in the cool air. Julie made one special purchase. She found a small doggie stair that sit at the end of the bed. Chip has been having problems jumping up on our new bed, as it is about three inches higher than the old bed. This stair has two steps on it and should allow Chip to get on the bed more easily. The problem so far is getting him to understand that he needs to climb up the two steps then jump on the bed. It may take some time to get him used to it, but Julie is very proud of the purchase and is having a lot of fun trying to get Chip to understand what the stair is all about.

For me the best thing about today was not that I went back to work. The best thing about today was that I was able to go to work and not have to worry about how Julie would manage on her own. She now has the capability to be on her own and do all of the necessary activities that one does in the course of a day. She can get out of bed, get dressed, get to the bathroom, and fix herself a meal, all on her own. She even is spending time doing cleaning chores in the kitchen and around the house. It does take her a lot more time to get these things done, but she is doing them. That is the really neat thing about today.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 8 September 2007, 8:00 pm CDT

Another quiet day here at Leslee Curve. Julie spent most of the day puttering around the house, and I played golf with some friends. I actually relish these more normal days. Julie is much more self sufficient, so I donÕt have to worry about her so much if I am away for a few hours. Tomorrow will be another test of that confidence, as I am flying my first trip back from my sick leave. I am going out to Orange County and back. The trip leaves at 9:00 am and returns at 5:30 pm. JulieÕs Sister Jill will be coming out to be with Julie while I am gone, so I am confident that all will be okay. Julie even said that they will have dinner ready when I get home.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 7 September 2007, 9:15 pm CDT

We had a very quiet day today. Julie went to SKI for PT and OT this morning. In OT Chris once again spent the entire hour stretching JulieÕs right arm and hand. In PT Julie spent some time on the treadmill, but she started feeling soreness near the ankle bone on the inner side of her right foot. Apparently, there is some sort of abrasion happening because of her AFO on the right leg. Stephanie spent quite a while looking at JulieÕs foot and at the AFO. We could not see any blatant reasons for JulieÕs discomfort, but it is real and will have to be dealt with. At our next session, we will be having an AFO expert from SKI take a look at the situation. Hopefully it will be resolved so that Julie can continue in her rehab with out any pain or discomfort from the AFO.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 6 Sep 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Hello again. Sorry IÕve been absent from the email circuit for the past few days, but I have been completing my requalification training at NWA. I have had simulator periods from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, and tonight. I was getting home at about 11:30 pm and was just too tired to write the email. Tonight I completed the last simulator period at 8:00 pm and am now home much more relaxed and ready to write.

Julie has been doing well over the past few days. She went to SKI for OT and PT sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the OT sessions, they once again, concentrated on stretching her right arm and hand. On Tuesday, Chris had Julie do a curl exercise with her right arm. He held her elbow with her arm extended straight. Julie was able to curl her fore arm up to her chest. It took a great effort on her part, but she did this about five times. This is a big improvement from the last time they did this exercise. I can tell that JulieÕs right arm and hand are much more flexible and relaxed than a month ago. All this stretching is paying dividends.

In PT, Julie has been working on more walking, climbing and descending stairs, and getting up from soft sofas and chairs. The main goal of all this work with getting up out of a sofa is so that Julie can use the new sofa and chair in our living room.

Today was day off from SKI, so we had my masseuse, Julianne, come over and give Julie an Ionic Cleansing. Julianne and I have been talking about this for some time. An Ionic Cleansing is a foot bath with hot water and salt. A small electronic device is placed in the foot bath that creates a charge in the water. This charge draws out of the body all sorts of impurities. The procedure only took 30 minutes, but it was amazing at all of the junk that ended up in the water. You could actually see the stuff coming out of JulieÕs feet and into the water. By the time the 30 minutes was up, the water was very dark and murky. The reason for all of this is to get the unwanted junk out of JulieÕs body from all of the meds she has been taking. We are hoping that this procedure will speed up JulieÕs rehab. We will be doing this several more times over the next few weeks.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 2 September 2007, 8:45 pm CDT

The news for today is that this after noon, Julie and I went to my Brother DaveÕs home for a family get together. Since Dave and Barb live in a condo with easy access, Julie decided to walk from the car into the condo. We parked the car across the street, so Julie had to walk across the street, up the short driveway, and negotiate two steps to get in doors. She did all of this with little problem. Once inside, Julie found a nice chair next to the dinner table and was able to enjoy the festivities and meal without having to move. The process was reversed when we left. Once again Julie did just fine. This is the first time that we have been out for and extended period where Julie did not use her wheel chair, we left it in the trunk of the car. I am hopeful that these kinds of situations happen with more frequency in the future. Julie needs to realize that there is life after the wheel chair, and the sooner we can put that chair in storage, the better.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 1 September 2007, 9:30 pm

What a day we had! Our neighbors, the HansonÕs, went to North Dakota to visit relatives this morning, so we are taking care of their dog Buster. Buster is a really nice, small dog, just like Chip. The HansonÕs have taken Chip to their home so many times while I was at the hospital with Julie. We feel great having Buster with us for a while.

This morning, Julie and I took Chip and Buster for a walk around the neighborhood. It was like a Laurel and Hardy skit. Can you picture it, Julie in a wheel chair with ChipÕs leash, and me pushing Julie in her wheel chair with BusterÕs leash? Of course the dogs were going this way and that, and Julie and I were trying our best to keep the leashes from getting tangled. We mostly did a good job, but there were several times when we just had to stop and untangle the mess. We did have a successful walk, as far as the dogs are concerned, and Julie and I had many a chuckle along the way.

After the walk, I went out to Timber Creek to play golf, while Julie stayed with the dogs and cat. When I got home we went to shop for groceries, because Julie promised to make a hash brown casserole for a Cobb family get together tomorrow. After the shopping, we went to work making the casserole. Julie read me the instruction from the recipe, and I did what she said. When it was all completed, Julie said, ÒThat was easy!Ó I looked at her laughing and said, ÒOf course it was easy, I did all of the work.Ó I am still grinning about that exchange.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 31 August 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

Can you believe that today is the last day of August? How this month has flown by!

I was able to get all of my ground training requirements out of the way by 11:00 this morning, which meant that I could get home in time to take Julie to SKI for her PT and OT sessions this after noon at 1:00 pm.

In PT Julie spent about half of the hour practicing getting up from a sofa. At first, she sat on the left hand side so that she could use her left hand on the arm rest to assist in getting herself up. After five successful attempts, Stephanie had Julie move to the right side of the sofa. On this side, Julie is unable to use the arm rest with her right arm and hand. She can still push off the sofa seat cushion with her left hand, but there is much less leverage because that seat cushion is much lower and softer. These factors make it much harder for Julie to stand up from the right side. She did five attempts and was able to get up with minimal assist from Stephanie. All of this sofa exercise was done at the

Sister Kenny Square

lounge which is located it the Sister Kenny Inpatient part of the hospital. Julie walked about half way from

Sister Kenny Square

back to the therapy gym. The total distance she walked was about 300 feet. Both Stephanie and I were really pleased with this, as her goal for the month was to walk 175 feet. I think Julie was mostly tired out.

I OT Chris again spent most of the session stretching JulieÕs right arm and hand. For the last 15 minutes, Chris used Estem to stimulate her right hand. This therapy was tried several weeks ago, but at the time JulieÕs right arm was very stiff and she could not rest it comfortably with the hand laying flat on the palm. Today she is able to do that because of the increased flexibility in her arm. ChrisÕs use of the Estem made JulieÕs right hand and fingers flex from a curled position to almost straight. Her wrist raised about 75 degrees from the limp position, and her fingers were almost straight, they had just a slight bend.

As you can see, Julie continues to make slow steady progress. She is up and doing more around the house every day. Just yesterday, Cara and Elise Hanson came over, and they baked cookies and cup cakes with Julie. Today when I arrived home from training, Julie had made herself lunch and was getting ready to head off to SKI. Two weeks ago, she was not doing these kinds of things. Two weeks from now she will be doing even more!

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 28 August 2007, 9:15 pm CDT

Today was the first time since early June that I have not been to SKI with Julie. I was up early and off to the training center to really start my requalification training. I spent my day in front of a computer terminal reviewing such exciting things as: deicing procedures, hazardous material handling, dealing with Federal Air Marshals, dealing with disruptive passengers, dealing with weather, and few other areas that my foggy mind can not remember.

While I was doing all of that, Julie was getting herself ready for the day with the assistance of the Hanson ladies, Cara, Elise, and Debbie. They came over early and took Chip for a walk; they also helped Julie get dressed. My brother Dave came by about noon and took Julie to SKI for her OP and PT sessions. According to Julie all that went very well. In OT, she again spent most of the hour getting her arm, hand, and shoulder stretched out. In PT, Julie said they did some walking and also found a stairwell that was more enclosed so that Julie did not have any acrophobic concerns. Julie said that she did a good job on the stairs. I like to hear this, as the more she can feel free to get out of her wheel chair and walk or climb stairs the better. I so look forward to the day when the wheel chair will be put in storage or given away. Let us hope that that is in the near future.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, August 27, 2007, 9:15 pm CDT

Well, the jokes on me today. I got up early and took off for the training center to start my requalification training. When I got there, I discovered that I donÕt actually start training until tomorrow. So, I went back home and pulled into the driveway right after JulieÕs sister Jill, she had volunteered to come and help Julie get going this morning. Since it was only 9:00 am, and none of us had eaten, I cooked Julie and Jill breakfast, the least I could do for poor Jill. Jill stayed until about 11:00 am then took off for home.

Since I now had a free day and the weather was nice, I asked Julie if she wanted to go to the golf course for a round of golf. She said sure, so I loaded her up and off we went to Timbercreek. When we first arrived at the golf course, I took Julie inside with the hopes that Shannon, the course manager, would be there. Sure enough Shannon was there and was thrilled to see Julie. Shannon made a special point to show Julie a brochure for the WomanÕs Golf League. On the front cover is a picture of the ninth tee from a ways away. The view in the picture shows a pond that separates the menÕs tees from the ladies tee. In the middle of the picture is a small figure standing next to a tree. Well, that person is Julie. She stands next to that tree to shield her from a some times errant tee shot by me. How nice to see that even a small image of Julie is a part of the history of our favorite golf course.

We had a really great time on the golf course. I only wish that Julie was playing too. I truly believe that next year Julie will be playing golf! I think that by getting her out to the golf course and seeing what great shape it is in, only fuel her desire to get out there and play. The Sister Kenny Institute has a golf program for disabled and handicapped persons at Breamar Golf Course in Edina. I know that next year Julie will be a participant in that league, and I will caddy for her.

Today was a really fun day for Julie and me. I know there will be a lot more of these days ahead.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 26 Aug 2007, 7:30 pm CDT

Julie and I had another busy social day. Today, we had a JulieÕs parents, Tom and Georgene, Sister Jill, and my so Ian over to celebrate JulieÕs birthday. I did a capon on the rotisserie, and it turned out great. The meal was a great success, and it was nice to see our family again at the same table.

In the morning, I took Julie out on the walk with Chip. Julie held ChipÕs leash, and I pushed her wheel chair. This is the first time Julie has been out to walk Chip since early February. We did not go too far, but she really enjoyed herself. We even had one neighbor come running out of her front door just to say hello to Julie. I am planning on getting her out on these walks as often as I can; I know she feels better getting out of the house more often and doing something that resembles a normal life.

On a different note, I have been getting some reports that people have not been able to log onto the caringbridge wed site using JulieÕs sign on. I do not know why this is happening, because I have had no problems at all using either the authors sign in or the visitors sign in. Remember that the sign on to JulieÕs site is: julienilssencobb.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 25 August 2007, 11:30 pm

What a great day Julie and I had today. The weather here has finally turned very nice. We had sunshine and low humidity with temperatures in the mid 70Õs, this turned out to be perfect for our get together with my old sailing crew. But, before they came to our house this evening, JulieÕs cousins Ann and Kristen stopped by to deliver meals that they had prepared for us. We now have enough meals in our freezer for two weeks. Julie will be able to make these meals on her own while I am gone. I canÕt tell you how much this means to Julie and me. What a very nice gift from our dear family.

At 5:00 pm this evening my old sailing crew and their wives and girl friends came by. Bill Porter, the best cook I know, planned the meal. We had a beautifully repaired beef tenderloin with mixed veggies and potatoes, all done on the grill. The meal was fantastic, but the camaraderie was even better. Julie has not laughed so much in months. We spent a lot of time telling medical stories and laughing at how things operate at hospitals. We also spent a lot of time blessing the quality of care that Julie and others in the group have received from the hospital staffÕs they have dealt with. If it werenÕt for those dedicated care givers, Julie would not be with us today. All in attendance tonight feel the same way. I certainly do too!

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 24 Aug 2007

Today was JulieÕs 55^th birthday. We celebrated by sleeping in this morning. I wakened Julie with a modest little birthday gift and breakfast. We spent most of the day getting the house ready for visitors this weekend. We are getting together with my old sailing crew tomorrow for a cookout. On Sunday, Jill is going to meet Tom and Georgene in Hudson, and drive them to our house for a birthday get together. Both meals will be cooked on the Weber grill.

Julie had OT and PT late this after noon. She started at 3:00 pm with OT, where they again spent the hour stretching out her right hand, fore arm, and shoulder. In PT Julie did a lot of walking. She also spent some time walking up and down the ramp. The last few minutes were spent practicing getting up and down from the curb mockup.

After the therapies, I took Julie out to Hazeltine for a nice birthday dinner. We try and make Friday or date night, so this worked out perfectly. We always have a great meal at Hazeltine, and the service is always very friendly and timely. When we got home, we sat out on the veranda and listened to the Twins pull out a come from behind win over Baltimore. All in all, it was a very nice day.

Before I sign off, I thought I would pass on JulieÕs email address so that you can also write to her directly. JulieÕs email address is: jancobb@mchsi.com

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 22 Aug 2007

Today was a quiet day for Julie and I. We did go to SKI for OT at 10:00 am and PT at 11:00 am. In OT, they once again did a lot of stretching of JulieÕs right fore arm and shoulder. It seems to be paying off, as these muscle areas are much looser that they were just last week. We are also seeing some improvement in the mobility of her arm. Julie is also getting less irritation and soreness in her right shoulder.

In PT, Julie did a 175 foot walk around the gym, a 50 foot walk on carpet, and made it up and down the ramp twice. Stephanie had Julie working on lifting her right foot on and off the wheel chair foot rest by just using her thigh muscles. Julie has been doing this by grabbing her AFO with her left hand and lifting her leg onto the foot rest. Now, Julie is being challenged to do it all with her right leg muscles. The final exercise of the day was to help her with her balance. This is done by having Julie stand next to the balance rail and put one foot on a 4 inch high stool. She then stands and tries to not use her hand on the balance rail to assist her. This exercise is done by taking turns with both her right foot and left foot on the stool.

When we got home, Julie laid down for a nap, and I went to the golf course to hit some balls. I intend to start playing in a week or so, depending on my training schedule.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 21 August 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

Today in OT, Chris spent most of the time stretching out JulieÕs right fore arm, hand and shoulder. Chris said that Dr. Rippe really wants to spend time stretching out these areas so that the muscles will relax and allow Julie to begin to build strength and mobility. Chris did some measurements of the amount of movement Julie had after the stretching. Just like last week, Julie was able to get more range of motion out of her shoulder and arm than she had last week. The range of motion is improving, but her ability to move the arm and hand on her own is still a ways off.

The best news of the day came from PT. Stephanie started Julie out walking up and down a ramp built into the rehab gym. This ramp is about the same length of the longest ramp here at home, but the SKI ramp has at least 2 times the slope. Julie had no problem negotiating the ramp twice. From there, we went to a fire stair well where Julie climbed up and down a 12 step flight of stairs. Prior to today, the most stair steps Julie had climbed was 5. Since the stairway to the basement in our home also has 12 steps, this was a great confidence boost for Julie and for me. My next project is to get another hand rail installed on that basement stairway. Before we know it Julie will be going up and down those steps with ease.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 20 August 2007, 11:00 pm CDT

I can tell you that Julie is on the road to recovery because today she baked cookies. Julie makes the best cut out cookies that I have ever tasted. Anybody that has eaten them will agree. This morning Elise and Cara Hanson, out across the street neighbor girls, came over and made cookies with Julie. Julie has at least 60 cookie cutters in all sizes and shapes. The girls picked out the oneÕs they wanted and they made at least 100 cookies. Julie has not made these things since last January. I know that this is a really good omen that Julie is getting back to her normal self. She sent off boxes of cookies to our neighbors.

Julie continues to work hard at gaining mobility in he right arm and leg. She is getting up and walking around the house. She is doing daily exercises to strengthen her right arm and leg. For my part, I am finding it harder and harder to not get involved with her daily needs. Since I will be going back to work next week, Julie must be able to take care of all of her own personal hygiene issues on her own. To date she is doing very well in that regard. She is able to get her self into and out of bed all on her own. She can get to the toilet all on her own. She can get to the kitchen and make a meal for her self all on her own. As yet, we are not getting the stove or any other hot cooking elements involved with the cooking aspect, but we plan for easily accessible foods that Julie can get to in the refrigerator, or out of the cupboards. I am so proud of her efforts and grace with which she goes about her life. Today she gave to Elise and Cara her joy off making these great cookies. Julie is always giving her talents and joy of life to others. I am the most grateful recipient.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 18 August 2007, 10:30 pm CDT

Julie and I had one of the best days for a long long time. We went to a wedding of the daughter of some close friends of ours. They had the wedding at the Minnetonka Yacht Club on Lake Minnetonka. The setting was beautiful, but the weather was not. We have been in a draught situation here in Minnesota for the last few months, but today we had a nice soaking rain all day long. The rain was great for the ground, but not for a wedding on an island on the east side of Lake Minnetonka.

The wedding was scheduled for 4:00 pm this afternoon. I took Julie to the hair salon this morning at 10:00 am. She had an hour and a half session where the cut her hair and put in a little color. I spent my time at the cigar shop next door. When Julie was done with her hair appointment, she looked beautiful, I have never seen Julie with her hair cut so short, but I think she looks great! We came home and had a quick lunch and tried to figure out what to wear.

We had planned on hot and humid weather, but this morning we awoke to temps in the 50Õs and a forecast for soaking rain all day long. The rain is great for our lawn and the farmerÕs fields, but not so good for a wedding on an island. We changed our attire from hot weather to cool weather dress, plus rain coats. My biggest concern was getting Julie safely on to and off of the pontoon boat that transported us to the Yacht Club. This turned out to be a non issue as there were many people and both ends of the boat ride to assist us. I am very grateful to all of those that gave us a hand.

The wedding was a beautiful ceremony followed by a magnificent dinner and reception. Julie and I had a great time. I havenÕt seen Julie so radiant in a long time. When we got back home, I asked Julie how she would rate the day, she said she had a great time and was happy to be there. I am so proud of the way she just goes on with the flow of life. This is another day that just makes me love her more.

I just want to close by thanking Dave and Pattie Yorks for including us in the wedding of there daughter Shannon. I also want to thank Gail and Al Ofstehage fro there help in getting Julie and I to this wedding site. We love you all and dearly appreciate your help.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 18 August 2007, 10:30 pm CDT

Julie and I had one of the best days for a long long time. We went to a wedding of the daughter of some close friends of ours. They had the wedding at the Minnetonka Yacht Club on Lake Minnetonka. The setting was beautiful, but the weather was not. We have been in a draught situation here in Minnesota for the last few months, but today we had a nice soaking rain all day long. The rain was great for the ground, but not for a wedding on an island on the east side of Lake Minnetonka.

The wedding was scheduled for 4:00 pm this afternoon. I took Julie to the hair salon this morning at 10:00 am. She had an hour and a half session where the cut her hair and put in a little color. I spent my time at the cigar shop next door. When Julie was done with her hair appointment, she looked beautiful, I have never seen Julie with her hair cut so short, but I think she looks great! We came home and had a quick lunch and tried to figure out what to wear.

We had planned on hot and humid weather, but this morning we awoke to temps in the 50Õs and a forecast for soaking rain all day long. The rain is great for our lawn and the farmerÕs fields, but not so good for a wedding on an island. We changed our attire from hot weather to cool weather dress, plus rain coats. My biggest concern was getting Julie safely on to and off of the pontoon boat that transported us to the Yacht Club. This turned out to be a non issue as there were many people and both ends of the boat ride to assist us. I am very grateful to all of those that gave us a hand.

The wedding was a beautiful ceremony followed by a magnificent dinner and reception. Julie and I had a great time. I havenÕt seen Julie so radiant in a long time. When we got back home, I asked Julie how she would rate the day, she said she had a great time and was happy to be there. I am so proud of the way she just goes on with the flow of life. This is another day that just makes me love her more.

I just want to close by thanking Dave and Pattie Yorks for including us in the wedding of there daughter Shannon. I also want to thank Gail and Al Ofstehage fro there help in getting Julie and I to this wedding site. We love you all and dearly appreciate your help.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 16 August 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

Julie had no therapies today, but still it was a busy day. Julie had and appointment to get her nails done at 11:00 this morning. After that we had a nice lunch at an Italian sandwich and pizza place on the way home. The day was so beautiful that I took Julie out to the golf course in the afternoon. She gave me pointers on chipping and putting and enjoyed the sunshine. We were only there for a little over an hour, but her arms took on a lot of sun and are quite pink tonight. This is the first real sun Julie has been exposed to since we last played golf in October.

On the way home we stopped at a nice meat market in St. Bonifacious. Julie decided to walk into the store. It required her to climb two steps to get to the door, but she managed them just fine. We picked up two nice steaks and headed for home. While I cooked the steaks, Julie made us a nice salad. It is nice to see her getting more involved in household activities.

The evening was so nice that we sat out on the veranda and enjoyed the beautiful weather and sunset. Several people stopped by to see how Julie was doing. This is the first house I have ever lived in with a veranda over looking the street. It has proven very nice, since a lot of people are out walking the neighborhood in the evenings. We seem to know many of them, and they just stop by to say hello. What a great asset this veranda is to our home and our life.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 15 August 2007, 8:00 pm CDT

Today was a day of assessing JulieÕs progress in both OT and PT. I am very happy to tell you that Julie has shown good progress in all area but one. The one exception is her right hand. Julie still continues to have problems moving her fingers and flexing her wrist. These problems will be addressed in the future through therapy and Botox treatments. Julie will have her first Botox treatment on 12 September. The improvements she has made with her right arm are in motion and flexibility. Julie will continue to work to improve these areas, and again it will be done through therapy and Botox treatments.

We also discussed goals for the next few weeks. Some of the new OT goals include doing more kitchen and cooking duties. She already is doing a lot more of those things. Julie is setting the table for meals, she get things out of the refrigerator and dish washer, and she even is able to stand and reach dishes or food stuff in the upper cabinets.

In PT, Julie has also made some significant progress. They did a walking test over a 50 foot course that included a 180 degree turn. In her last test, it took Julie 1:50 to make this walk, with minimal assist. Today she did it in 1:00 with no assist. She has gained strength in both of her legs, as well as increased range of motion in her legs and feet. All of this is good news and give us encouragement that the improvements will continue.

Some of the new PT goals are: increasing the walking distance to 175 feet, walking up and down a ramp, climbing and descending stairs, balance, and more stretching. I believe that all of these goals are well within JulieÕs reach. She still works very hard every day and still maintains a great positive attitude.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 14 August 2007, 6:15 pm CDT

My friend Gail came with us to SKI today to get the lay of the land for when she will be taking Julie there on days I am unable to after I return to work next month. All went well and I know Gail will do a great job for Julie and me.

The therapy sessions also went well for Julie today. In OT, Matt started Julie out with some electrical stimulation in her right fore arm. This stimulation is designed to help Julie extend her fingers. The process consists of two electrode pads being attached to her fore arm. These pads are then connected to a small transmitter that was set to give Julie mild electrical stimulation in 10 second intervals. While the stimulation was active, JulieÕs fingers did extend to about half of full extension. This went on for about 15 minutes. The electrodes were then moved to JulieÕs shoulder. The same process was repeated for another 15 minutes. During this process, Julie was sitting up on the side of a mat. Her right arm was bent at the elbow, and her right hand was supported by her cane. During the activation intervals, JulieÕs right arm extended towards a straight position. She was able to get about 3 inches of movement by her had in a thrusting forward motion. All of this is supposed to help activate the muscles in JulieÕs shoulder, arm, and hand. These sessions will be continuing with increasing amounts of electrical input with the aim of increasing the movement in her arm and hand.

PT went well for the most part. Julie again practiced standing and sitting. This time the mat was lowered to make the transfer more difficult. Julie did these transfers very well. Next, Julie went for a walk around the PT gym. This was followed by having her step up on and down from a simulated curb that is built in the gym. Julie did this twice, and did well. The last few minutes of the session were spent stretching out JulieÕs hips. Here is where the only glitch in the session occurred. Julie developed a cramp in her muscle on the inside of her left leg, high up near the hip area. This has become an increasingly frequent occurrence for Julie. She has had cramps in the same area trying to get into or out of bed. Stephanie, the PT therapist, believes these cramps are due to the increasing use of these muscles. They have been inactive for so long that they are protesting the increasing work load put on them. I guess we all have had muscle cramps when we use muscles that have not been utilized for a while.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, August 13, 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Julie had a very good day today. Four of her old girl friends from Wisconsin came over today for lunch. They had a great time catching up on things, and doing what women do when they get together; talk, talk, talk. I went to the golf course and worked on my chipping and putting. Julie did show the girls who well she can walk now and I imagine they were all very pleased to she her up and about.

We will be going to SKI three times this week for more physical and occupational therapy. My friend Gail will be coming with us tomorrow. Gail has volunteered to drive Julie to SKI on the days that I will be unable to after I get back to work. Tomorrow Gail will get an opportunity to see just where she will have to take Julie at Abbot. How nice it is to have such good friends!

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 12 August 2007, 9:15 pm CDT

Sorry there was no email yesterday, but we had a sever thunderstorm here about 2:00 am on Saturday that took out our electrical power until 10:30 pm last night. We did not have any damage other that a few downed branches. My brother Gary did not fair so well. He lives about a half mile south of us, but his neighborhood had much more saver winds. Gary had a tree blow down on his house that went through that south wall and roof. The tree penetrated one bedroom, a bathroom, and the kitchen. He spent the entire day getting the tree removed and the roof covered with tarps. Fortunately, Gary is a very good problem solver with great carpentry skills. He was able to get all of the tarp work done about 20 minutes before another storm dumped 1.5 inches of rain on us.

Julie and I had a much more relaxed day. I picked up branches and Julie did some cleaning in the house. We went to a friendÕs house for a cook out in the evening. Julie did a great job of getting out of her wheel chair and climbing a short step to get onto the patio area. We had a great time and were grateful to be at a home with great people and electrical power. As we drove home the second storm hit. Because the driveway and ramps were wet, we decided to park in the garage. Julie got out on the car and walked into the house, climbing the two steps required to get into the kitchen.

Last night we both slept well. Julie managed to get out of bed, onto the commode, and back into bed all by her self. This is the first time she has been able to do this. This is another great step towards self sufficiency for Julie.

Today we entertained JulieÕs sister Kari, her husband Mark, their son Jorgen, JulieÕs sister Jill, my brother Gary and his wife Diane. Kari, Mark, and Jorgen were in the area because they took their other son Torin to St.Thomas University today for the start football practice. Since I am now always looking for an excuse to show off my new Webber Summit 450 gas grill, we ask Jill, Gary and Diane to join us. The menu consisted of brauts, potato salad, fruit, and baked beans. My job was to cook the brauts. All was going well until I stepped inside to watch a bit of the PGA final round. Before I knew it, there was a huge pall of smoke coming out of the grill, and the brats were burned to a crisp. The meal was saved by cooking up the few as yet on cooked brauts and some hamburgers.

Before our guests left for home, Julie put on a demonstration of her increasing physical abilities. She walked across the living room into the kitchen, where she showed them the knee bend exercises she tries to do every day. She really is getting much more mobile and independent. I could not be more proud of her efforts and accomplishments.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 9 August 2007, 6:30 pm CDT

YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Julie had an MRI today at 11:30 am, and we met with Dr. Trusheim at 2:30 pm. He showed us the MRI pictures of JulieÕs brain and cervical spine. There was not a tumor to be found. JULIE IS TUMOR FREE!!!!

This is the most exciting news we have had since this medical voyage began in February. I have not felt this good since Ian was born and the day I married Julie. What a miracle!

The MRI did show some scaring on the spinal chord in the upper cervical spine. This is what is continuing to cause Julie her right arm problems. The prognosis is that there may be further recovery for Julie through rehab. This will take a lot of hard work on her part, and there is no certainty that Julie can have a complete and full recovery. Only time will tell.

From here forward, Dr. Trusheim will continue to monitor JulieÕs situation through follow up MRIÕs. The next one is scheduled on 20 September, then every three months for the next two years. Julie will continue in outpatient rehab at SKI for as long as it is affective. LetÕs hope she can get back to her old self quickly.

What a great day!!!

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 7 August 2007, 9: 45 pm CDT

Julie had a very good day at SKI today. It started with a PT session with Stephanie. They worked very hard on teaching Julie how to get on and off of the bed. Julie did a great job, and I am now confident that she can do this very important maneuver all on her own.

In her OT session, most of the time was again spent trying to get her right shoe and AFO, (leg brace), on and off. This is still a major stumbling block for Julie to be more self reliant. We discussed building some sort of a device that will hold AFO inside of her shoe, so that she can slide her leg and foot into them both at the same time. When we got home I went to the garage and build a contraption that may work. I am not the greatest carpenter, and I still cannot do any heavy lifting, so the thing was built out of scraps of wood. I think it will work, with a little practice by Julie.

Julie continues to have a very positive attitude and she works extremely hard at her rehab. Her biggest problem still is the right shoulder and arm. The shoulder has some sublexation that causes her some pain and discomfort. It is really noticeable at night. The shoulder is preventing her from getting a really good night of sleep. She also really worries about the shoulder, so that causes her anxiety. All of these things make sleeping difficult.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 6 August 7, 2007

I am getting to this email very late tonight as I once again forgot to write before I went to bed. I awoke in mid sleep with a possible solution to my email distribution problem to all of you. I just had to get to the computer and give it a try. Basically I just broke down my 56 member list into smaller groups. I hope this will resolve my problem of getting this message to you directly. Those of you whose email address I do not have and only get these messages through the caringbridge web site, please have patience with this message.

Julie and I had a very busy day. Julie was busy doing a lot of chores around the house that she has not done in many months. She totally cleaned out a closet in our main bathroom. This required her to stand up and reach above her shoulder to the upper shelf, and stoop down near the floor to the bottom shelf. She also cleaned off the mirror that required her to stand up and reach quite a distance from left to right and above her shoulder. She is really starting to become quite independent and resourceful. I really enjoy the way that she is working to find solutions to her access problems. We also got her up two times to just walk around the house. All in all she had a very good day.

As for me, I was able to get my 1^st Class Medical reinstated today. This will allow me to bid for a schedule in September. I will still not be going back to work until at least the 28^th of August, but at least I will have a schedule in September, as apposed to no schedule and flying at the will on NWA after my requalification training.

I do hope that this new short, multiple name list effort gets this message to you. If not, you will only know I tried a new tactic by reading the Caringbridge web site.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 4 August 2007, 7:15 pm CDT

We had a very nice day here at Leslee Curve today. JulieÕs parents were driven to our house by two friends from Clear Lake, Mike and Tim. My son Ian stopped by, as did Robbie Green. We had a very nice lunch of leg of lamb, rosemary potatoes, and asparagus. I did the lamb on the grill, and it turned out beautifully. Just after lunch, JulieÕs cousin Kris and Aunt Audrey stopped by for a visit. It was perfect timing, as Tom and Georgene were still here. They were all very impressed with the improvements Julie had made since the last time they saw her about three weeks ago.

Julie is really doing well at getting herself to the bathroom when she needs to. She is also doing better a dressing herself. Julie did a lot of the work in the kitchen, as far as getting the table set and organizing things. Today was the first day all week that we have not gotten her into the car to go someplace. I am sure that we will find a reason to be off in the car tomorrow.

On top of all of that, the Twins beat Cleveland this afternoon.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 3 August 2007, 7:15 pm CDT

Sorry I have not written in a few days. Wednesday was taken up with the bridge collapse here in Minneapolis. Yesterday I just plain forgot to sit down and write.

Julie has been doing very well these last few days. She has been able to get herself into the bathroom and use the toilet all on her own for the past three days. This marks a big step towards self sufficiency. Julie has been doing so well in these transfers, that she does not wear her safety belt around her waist. I ask her to put it on at night, so that I have something to grab on to, if the need arises, when she is getting up to use that commode. Late at night we are both a bit groggy, so I feel it safer if she is wearing the belt.

Her last two days of OT and PT also went very well. Julie seems to be getting stronger and more confident every day. I think that the fact that she will not be going back for more chemo next week has given her a lot of encouragement. She is sleeping better too, and that is a big bonus for us both.

We are looking forward to a busy weekend. JulieÕs parents are coming for a visit tomorrow. We have planed a nice lunch, cooked on the new grill of course.

We have not seen Tom and Georgene for quite a while, so I am sure they will be impressed with the progress Julie has made.

Hope you all have a nice weekend.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 31 July 2007, 10:00 pm CDT

Julie and I had a busy day here at Leslee Curve. It started out by getting up early so that I could walk Chip, so that I could get to a checkup with my eye doctor way up in the north suburbs of Minneapolis. My appointment ended at about 12:15, so I had to rush back home and have a quick lunch with Julie. We then rushed off to SKI, in south Minneapolis, for her out patient PT and OT sessions. Once we got home things quieted down to a more normal pace for us.

The out patient therapies went very well for Julie. In PT she did some walking, but spent most of the hour practicing getting up from her wheel chair. She did a great job with Stephanie at SKI. When we got home and she tried to do the same transfers in the bathroom, she was very hesitant. I know that she is having some mental block about getting out of the wheel chair in our own bathroom. I am not quite sure how she can get over it. We do have a very good therapist in Stephanie, and I am sure that we will figure this out in time. I know Julie can do this transfer on her own, but for now she does not seem to believe she can.

In OT, Julie had a session with a therapist named Chris. Julie had a few sessions with Chris while she was an in patient at SKI and they got along very well. Chris is a really patient and kind guy, I think h e is also charmed by JulieÕs hard work and sense of humor. He spent the entire session doing stretching on JulieÕs right arm and shoulder. During this session, DR. Rippe stopped by. We had a nice talk about the advantages of doing the Botox treatment. The biggest advantage is that the Botox treatment will loosen up those very tight muscles in JulieÕs arm and shoulder. This will allow more time in treatment to be spent on strength and mobility exercises. Now, an inordinate amount of time is spent on trying to loosen up these muscles. When Dr. Rippe explained to Julie that the injections would at a minimum be repeated in three month, Julie smiled. JulieÕs fear here is the injections. She dose not like to be stuck by a needle. Who dose? I think that we can convince Julie to get these Botox injections in the near future. This form of treatment can only expedite her recovery of her right arm and hand.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 30 July 2007, 6:15 pm CDT

I think I have resolved my problems that I have been having in getting out these emails to my Julie News list. I have heard from many people that they have not been receiving these almost nightly emails for some time. Any way here goes, I hope you get this message, if not it will be posted on the Caringbridge web sight as well.

We had a very quiet day here. The biggest excitement was that Ian was here for a good part of the day and helped me get some of my computer problems fixed, including getting this message sent out to everybody.

Julie continues to make slow but steady progress. She is doing a better job of walking and in the transitions from sitting to standing. Right now her biggest obstacle to doing all of these things on her own is her own confidence that she can do it. She is very close to doing all of these things with no assistance. I am sure that she will be there in a short time.

Tomorrow we start our three day a week therapy sessions at SKI. I am confident that these therapy sessions will also add to her confidence level, as well as getting improvements in strength and mobility. Time will tell, but I feel that these next few weeks will show Julie making very good progress towards becoming independent in a lot of areas. IÕll keep you posted.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, July 29, 2007, 8:40 pm CDT

I had a bit of a problem getting last nights email on the Caringbridge site, so I will try and up date you on the last two days in this message.

On Saturday, Julie and I went to MacyÕs to shop for a wedding gift. We did that very quickly and easily. Our next stop was at the womenÕs department to try and find a bra for Julie. Guys let me tell you, there are more sizes, shapes and styles of bras than fishing lures at Cabelas. At one point, after finding a bra that Julie thought might be okay, she asked me what I though. At that point, my eyes rolled back in my head and my mind went blank. My response was, ÒHow should I know!Ó Fortunately, a very nice sales lady came to our rescue. Julie explained what she needed and the sales lady quickly found a suitable bra for Julie. I have to imagine that the sales lady was very amused at my dilemma, but was very gracious and helpful.

Our next stop after this adventure was at a nail salon that happens to be located right next door to my favorite cigar shop. This turned out to be a really good stop for both Julie and me. Julie had her nails done and I had time for a cigar with my friends at the cigar shop.

Today, Julie and I again ventured out to the world of commerce. We started at Target, were Julie found two more bras to her liking. From there we did a short detour the Minnetonka Yacht Club in Deephaven. This is the site of the wedding we are going to in August. I took Julie there because the Minnetonka Yacht Club is located on an island about 100 yds off of Deephaven Beach. Attending this wedding and reception will require us to take a pontoon boat from the shore to the island. When I first told Julie of this situation, she was very apprehensive about the problems we would have getting her on to and off of the boat. I have been trying to explain to her that there are handicapped sailors at this club who do this all of the time. When she saw the layout and the size of the pontoon boat, she was more accepting of the whole idea. I think that we will actually attend this wedding.

After the yacht club viewing, we went to Cub Foods to do some grocery shopping. This is the first time Julie has been in this store since early February. I think she really enjoyed the short outing there, but doing it in a wheel chair has to be disappointing to her.

As far as JulieÕs health, she has been getting much stronger each day since coming home from Abbot Hospital on Thursday. Today she has been getting up out of her wheel chair and the bed with little assistance from me. Her spirits have been improving with the increase in her ability to do things on her own. I also have to think that just getting out of the house and going places she used to go to have made her realize that she does have a real life ahead of her and that she will continue to improve physically so that she will be able to resume a more normal life. We both know that this will take time, but we have lots of time.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 27 July 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

We had another quiet day here on Leslee Curve. Julie and I both slept reasonably well; she only had to get up three times last night. This is better than when she last came home from chemo, when she was up every two hours, so things seem to be doing well.

Julie did a very good job of getting herself dressed this morning. I laid out the outfit she wanted and left her to dress. She was able to put on all of her own clothing to the point of pulling up her pants. I helped her stand up and she did the rest. I still do not know how any woman can hook up her bra behind her back. Over the years I have developed a slight ability to unhook them, but I have had a devil of a time getting them hooked up for Julie when I have needed to. This morning, she was able to get it all done by herself. She is still making gains every day. I am so proud of her!

The whole bathroom thing has been going better this time as well. We are both hoping that she can get back to a normal rhythm sooner that she has been able to in the past. I am still amazed at how the bathroom has taken over our lives. I guess this is a common situation for anybody that has gone through a major medical situation. I hope that all of you never have to face a similar situation, and that your lives are filled with health and happiness.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 26 July 2007, 8:30 pm CDT

Julie is back home tonight, after a very busy day at the hospital and SKI. It all started with an early morning PT session at station 30. Historically, Julie has not had her best PT sessions early in the morning. Today they had her up and walking, but she said that she did not do so well and felt very sluggish. This all happened before 9:00 am, since that is the time that I arrived and Julie was already done with the PT. Jill was also there when I arrived, so things got off to an early start.

The remainder of the morning was not so hectic, but she still has to give a urine sample every two hours for testing of the Methotrexate level. Just after lunch, I was given some training on giving Julie shots in her stomach. The official medical term is a subcutaneous injection, which means the injection must be given in the fatty tissue areas on the side of the stomach, (love handles). I got to practice on an orange the first time, and then I gave Julie a shot under the supervision of the nurse. These injections will occur every day for three weeks.

After all of that, things got a bit hectic again. We had previously scheduled an out patient therapy session at SKI for 3 pm. Since Julie had to be discharged from station 30 before she could go to the outpatient therapy, there was a bit of a rush to get all of the paper work done on time. Julie was officially discharged at about 2:30, at which time I took her for the short wheel chair ride down one floor to SKI. Along the way we stopped and said good-by to some of the nursing staff that we have come to know over the past few months. They were all so happy to see Julie making it through all of the chemo treatments and looking so good. They all said that Julie was one amazing patient and that they all were very glad to have worked with her. Yet another testimonial to the character of this amazing woman.

We did get to SKI on time for JulieÕs PT session. Most of the time was spent doing stretching of her right leg. The session was interrupted by a sever thunderstorm, so we had to vacate the gym area. We took her to an interior hallway, where Julie practiced standing up and sitting down in her wheel chair. Do to all of the chemo and lack of sleep the past few days, Julie was not at her best, but that is understandable considering what she had been through the past four days.

We did get a rehab schedule for August. Julie will be going to SKI three days a week for the entire month. She will get one hour of PT and one hour of OT each visit. This schedule promises to be demanding for Julie, but it should also produce improvements for her.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 25 July 2007, 8:15p pm CDT

For the most part, Julie had a quiet and uneventful day today. The biggest occurrence was that a hinge was put into the AFO, leg brace on her right foot and lower leg. This will allow Julie to flex her ankle when she walks. This ankle flexibility should allow her to bend her right knee more easily when she walks. Again, this is another small improvement that should allow Julie to make faster gains with her PT workouts.

Dr. Rippe, the rehab Dr. from SKI, stopped by to see how this improvement helped Julie in her walking. He is pleased with the modification. He also talked to us about the Botox infections. For now they are going to continue with the Baclofen medications, giving her a small increase before bedtime. At some point in the near future, Julie will start on the Botox therapy. These injections will be directly into the affected muscle areas that are causing Julie problems in extending her right arm and extending the fingers on her right hand. Frankly, I am anxious for these treatments to start, as it seems to me that treating the specific problem muscles will only enhance JulieÕs ability to recover the use of her right arm and hand.

As for me, it has been too hot and muggy to even attempt chipping and putting. Also, the Twins are sucking badly right now, so it has been painful to watch them play for the last week or so.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 24 July 2007, 6;00 pm CDT

Julie had quite a day today. It started out with a very upset stomach which caused her some discomfort this morning. Ruth Anderson visited early in the am and noticed some swelling in JulieÕs right arm. Ruth ordered an ultrasound of the neck and arm area where the PICC line is located. The ultrasound found that there was some blood clotting in the vein that the PICC line was located. The decision was quickly made to remove the PICC line and start Julie on blood thinning meds. All this was accomplished before 2:00 this afternoon. Because that PICC line was removed, an IV was placed in JulieÕs left forearm. This will be the site for all of the IV meds Julie will be receiving over the next few days. The good news in all of this is that it happened at the end of JulieÕs chemo treatment schedule, so there will be no need to place another PICC line.

All in all, Julie did get some good exercise in this morning and she still feels pretty good. She was a bit apprehensive about getting the PICC line pulled, but as we all told her they are much easier to take out than to put in. The most difficult part of the procedure was taking off the tape that held everything in place. Julie did not even feel the PICC line being pulled out. It was all over and done with before she realized what had just happened. We had to show her the PICC line to prove to her that it was indeed out of her arm.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 23 July 2007, 6:30 pm CDT

Julie is back at Abbot Hospital station 30. She is again in room 3036, the same room she had on her last visit. Her chemo started about 1:00 pm and will continue to the late hours tonight. The drill is the same, after the chemo, she will be monitored every two hours for the Methotrexate level. Hopefully, Julie will be able to come home on Thursday, but it may be Friday, as happened on her last chemo session.

We talked with Ruth Anderson this morning shortly after our arrival. I asked her what will happen after this last scheduled session of chemo is complete. She said that there might be further chemo treatments, but was more strongly hinting that this will be the last treatment. If it is, the next course of action will be radiation treatments, particularly on the cervical spine area. They have Julie scheduled for an MRI early in August, so I donÕt know if there will be a decision made before that happens.

I had a visit with my neurosurgeon this afternoon. I have been cleared to life up to 20 lbs, I can start to do some physical therapy to strengthen my back and stomach muscles, and I can start doing some chipping and putting at the golf course. I will not be able to take a full swing for another several weeks. Of course, I immediately went to the golf course and did some chipping and putting for about an hour. It felt good to have club in my hand again. This situation may give me the opportunity to make some improvements in that part of my game. LetÕs hope that happens.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 22 July 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

We had another rather quiet day around here. Jill came over this morning and helped Julie take a shower. I cooked breakfast on the gas grill. We watched golf and baseball on TV. That was about it for the day.

We packed a small bag for Julie to take to Abbot Hospital in the morning. We should be there before 10:00 am, so the chemo therapy will most likely start just after lunch. I have an appointment at my neurosurgeonÕs office tomorrow afternoon, so I will not be able to spend the entire day with Julie. This has become such a routine occurrence that at the last two chemo sessions Julie has been telling me to go home early anyway. We are not expecting anything more than what has happened in the last seven chemo treatments. Julie should have little if any side affects problems. The biggest bother is the two hour testing of her urine for the Methotrexate level over the three or four days following the input of the chemo drugs. So, you can plan that Julie will be at Abbot until at least Thursday, and maybe until Friday.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 21 July 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

Julie and I had another rather casual day her on Leslee Curve. The weather was again beautiful, although the forecast is for hot and humid conditions for the next 7-10 days. We woke up and immediately turned on the TV to watch the British Open coverage. Both of us spent most of the morning watching the tournament coverage. Tomorrow we plan to have a big breakfast, cooked on the new gas grill, and enjoy the drama of day four at a major golf tournament.

I have to tell you that Julie looks upon the next chemo session with some trepidation. She knows completely how the process works, but she does not like the fact that all of these treatments have thrown off her normal body function rhythms so much. I know that she finds it difficult to accept that all that has happened to her has caused her normal body functions to be thrown all out of kilter. I keep telling her that in time all of these problems will be resolved as her body adapts to the new situation. The fact that she is going from chemo for 4-5 days and then tries and adjust to normal life is difficult. She has been on this two week cycle of chemo since early April. I can only believe that it will take some time after all of these treatments are over for her body to adjust back to normal. I also let her know that we, meaning me and all of you, are here for her and will do all it takes to get her back to her normal self. I know that I love this woman, and I also know that everybody that reads these messages loves her too. Sometimes Julie is overwhelmed with the responses she has been getting from you. I keep telling her that all of these people are responding because of the person she is and because of all that she has given in the past. I have to assume that she does not realize how much she has give, because that is the nature of Julie.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 20 July 2007, 10:00 pm CDT

It was a quiet day on Leslee Curve. There were no trips to SKI for therapy, no home visits from nurses, and no home visits from therapists. What we did have was visits from several neighbors. Julie quite enjoyed seeing them and catching them up on her situation. We also had time to enjoy and absolutely beautiful July day. The sky was clear, the temperature about 78, and very low humidity. How can you not enjoy a day like that?

Julie did manage to get in her OT exercises for her arms and shoulders. She also did some walking about the house. I know she is feeling more confident in her ability to do things for herself, because she has also spent time sweeping up the kitchen floor and organizing things in her cloths drawers. I consider these all to be very good signs. The only down side is a continuing problem with the bathroom issues. I believe these too will be resolved, but not until she is through with her chemo treatments and gains more mobility and strength. Julie is really frustrated by these things, but I keep telling her that in time they too will pass.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 19 July 2007, 10:00 pm CDT

Sorry I did not get an email out last night. Julie and I went to my brother GaryÕs house for a cookout, and I just forgot to send out an email. The reason for this cook out was for us to meet my nephew CharlieÕs girl friend Mariaha Lyons. She is a truly lovely lady. Charlie and Mariaha will be moving to Seattle in the near future, so that Charlie can start his career in the world of finance. Charlie graduated from Gonzaga University this past spring with a Master in accounting. I am sure that he will do well in the business world, as he is very bright and has the common sense of his parents.

As for Julie and I, things have been going very well. Every day Julie continues to make small improvements in the way she moves about. The past few nights when she has needed to get out of bed to use the commode, she has been able to stand up from the bed with out any assistance from me. All I have needed to do was to get her legs over the side of the bed, Julie did the rest. This is a very big step forward. Also, three times today I went looking for Julie and found her sitting on the toilet. She was able to get into the bathroom and out of her wheel chair and onto the toilet all on her own. Again, these are big steps forward.

As you might have gathered form past emails, I am very proud of the effort and determination that Julie has been showing in her effort to rehab her body. She is a real roll model for me in her determination and perseverance. I am truly a lucky guy to be married to her.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 17 July 2007, 10:45 pm CDT

Today Julie had both PT and OT as an out patient at SKI. Her first session was with Matt, her new out patient OT therapist. Matt spent most of the hour doing evaluations of JulieÕs right arm, hand and shoulder. He took lots of measurements of her range of motion that will be used as a base line to evaluate future improvements. We also talked about goals for Julie over the next month or so. It was decided that one of the main OT goals is for Julie to get more function and strength in her right arm, hand and shoulder. While this might seem as an obvious goal, the methodology of obtaining this goal is determined by the goal itself. Matt wants Julie to be able to actually use her right arm and hand within the next six weeks or so. Julie and I would also like to achieve this goal, and I believe that it is a real possibility for Julie to achieve limited use of her right arm and hand before September. I may be optimistic, but I have seen some remarkable progress in Julie with the intense rehab she has had at SKI in the past.

In PT, Julie did a lot of practice in transitions. Basically, Stephanie made Julie repeat over and over the proper technique for standing up from her wheel chair. This technique is universal in transitioning from sitting to standing, and JulieÕs technique had gone off course over the past few weeks. It is heartening to me to see her try so hard and work so hard, plus the effort today has helped us after we came home this afternoon. Julie was much better at getting out of her wheel chair or the toilet, which takes a big load off of my back. Julie is always concerned that I may be over doing it when I assist her in these transitions. I tell her that if she will do it properly there is no strain what so ever on me. I guess I might be using my back situation as a prod to get Julie to progress faster, if so I hope it works, and the sooner she is back the better.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 16 July 2007, 7:15 pm CDT

Julie had her first visit back at Sister Kenny for outpatient rehab today. She did a one hour session with Stephanie, that involved an assessment, range of motion and strength exam, and some walking. Julie did very well with the walking part. She still has some range of motion issues with both the left side and the right side. She also is very weak on the right side and is still weak on the left. I guess this is to be expected after all she has been through. It looks like Julie will be getting an hour of PT and an hour of OT three day a week through July and August. After seeing the great strides that Julie made while at inpatient therapy, I am very optimistic that these out patient sessions will also show good improvement for Julie over the next several weeks.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 15 July 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

There is good news and not so good news tonight. The good news is that Julie is doing very well as far as her mobility and strength. The bad news is that she is starting to loose a lot of hair. We were told at the beginning of the chemo treatments that the hair loss side affect may not show up until late in the cycle, I guess the doctors new what they were talking about. So far the loss is only noticeable when Julie brushes her hair. Over the past few days, the brush has been getting more and more clogged with hair. I keep telling Julie that hair loss is a badge of courage that thousands of chemo patients have worn over the past few decades. I feel that she should be proud that she is here and loosing her hair, the alternative is that she is not and that we all would be missing her so much.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 14 July 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Today went much better for Julie. We reduced the level of Baclofen to what it was before Julie went in for chemo treatment. Today she was much more responsive and energetic. She was also able to do the transfers much better. It looks like it might be Botox time for Julie at some point in the near future. When Dr. Rippe talked to us about the possibility of doing the Botox treatment, JulieÕs response was, ÒSave some for my face.Ó

Since I am now the chief cook for the near future, we have really been enjoying our new gas grill. I have been using it almost daily. Tomorrow we are going to experiment with the smoker feature. This should be very interesting meal.

Julie received her handicap parking permit in the mail today. We can now take advantage of the close up parking spaces when we go somewhere. It seems that the only place I take Julie to is Abbot Hospital, but at some point Julie will want to get out and go shopping and the parking permit will come in handy.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 13 July 2007, 10:15 pm CDT

Julie came home today. We left Abbot Hospital at about 11:00 am, and got her in the door about 12:00 pm. She is really glad to be home again. This time it was just Julie and me coming home. Through out the course of the day, we had little problems getting her transferred from the wheel chair to where ever she needed to go. The only issue we have is that the increased dosage of Baclavan, the muscle relaxant prescribed by Dr. Rippe, had cause Julie to be very lethargic and her ability to do transfers has been diminished. It seems to me that we need to reduce the Baclavan dosage so that Julie can function more normally as she has in the time prior to the dosage increase. I feel that the muscle specific treatment with Botox that Dr. Rippe talked about will be the next step in getting Julie to function more normally. Julie will be returning to Sister Kenny on Monday and Tuesday for out patient rehab. At that time we will be talking to Dr. Rippe about these issues.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 12 July 2007, 7:30 pm CDT

Well, Julie did not get to come home today. Her Methotrexate levels did not come down to the desired level, so it looks like tomorrow will be the day she can come home.

She did have a rather slow day. The increase in the muscle relaxant drug she is getting has caused her to get a bit drowsy. It also has made it more difficult for her to get up and out of her wheel chair. Julie has also been given Lasix to make sure she can urinate enough for the test of the Methotrexate levels. This causes her to have to get to the toilet every hour and a half to two hours, what a bother! At night they catheterize Julie so that she can get some sleep. The catheter works well, but it dose kind of mess up her normal bladder function. We are both looking forward to the days when her body functions normally in all areas, especially in the bathroom functions.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 11 July 2007, 6:15 pm CDT

JulieÕs day was, for the most part, quiet. She had PT in the morning and managed to walk 150 ft., with minimal assistance from the PT therapist. The OT therapist did a lot of arm and shoulder exercises on JulieÕs right arm. We were told that she should be doing these exercises three times a day, I guess we both need to be more diligent at getting these exercises done during the days she will be at home.

After lunch, Julie and I were watching a repeat of a ShellÕs Wonderful World of Golf match on the Golf Channel. At one point Jim Furyk sank a 50 ft. birdie putt that caused Julie to let out a yell. The next thing we knew it two nurses were running into the room to see if Julie was all right. We all had a good laugh at JulieÕs enthusiasm for a great golf shot. Hopefully she will soon be making great shots of her own.

JulieÕs return home tomorrow will be dependent on the Methotrexate level she gets to tomorrow. In the past, she has always reached the necessary level by Thursday, when the chemo was started on Monday. If the Methotrexate level is not down to the benchmark level, she will stay on until it dose go down enough. I do not think she will be there past Friday.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 10 July 10, 2007, 7:15 pm CDT

Julie had a very good nights sleep last night at the hospital. I guess not having to get up every few hours to get to the bathroom made it easier for her to sleep.

Dr. Rippe, the rehab doctor from SKI, stopped by this morning. He, like Julie and I, is very concerned about JulieÕs right arm. The arm continues to be very stiff and inflexible. Dr. Rippe decided to increase the dose of Baclofen slightly in an effort to help get more flexibility in JulieÕs right arm and shoulder. If this does not get the desired results, they may do injections of Botox directly into the affected muscles.

JulieÕs OT and PT sessions also went well today. She is getting up and walking to the bathroom when she needs to, again showing improvement in her leg function from both legs.

Ruth Anderson also stopped by for a visit. She confirmed that Julie will be staying at Abbot until at least Thursday, and may stay until Friday, depending on the Methotrexate levels. Hopefully Julie will be able to come back home on Thursday.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 9 July 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

Julie and I arrived back at Abbot Hospital at 9:00 am. When we showed up at station 30, we were warmly greeted, like returning guest at resort or inn. Many of the nursing staff stopped by to say hello to Julie. We also had a nice visit with Dr. Trusheim and Ruth Anderson. Both of them are very encouraged by JulieÕs progress and recovery so far. Dr. Trusheim did indicate that there will be at least one more chemo treatment in a few weeks time. At that point there will be another MRI, which will allow for more informed decisions on how to proceed at than time.

Julie is now in room 3036, her bed side telephone number is 612-863-2308. Her chemo treatments started at 1:25 pm this afternoon. They will last until well into the night. Over the next few days, JulieÕs Methotrexate levels will be monitored every two hours, via urine samples. This means that Julie will be catheterized during her normal sleep periods, and the catheter will be removed during the waking hours. Hopefully, this strategy will allow Julie to get some sleep at night, and not disrupt her bladder function too much. Julie will be undergoing PT and OT therapy while she is at Abbot for the next few days. Her right leg and foot functions seem to be improving faster than her right hand and arm, so we are hoping that more frequent therapy from the Abbot and SKI therapist will help get JulieÕs right arm and hand situation improving more rapidly.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 7 July 7, 2007, 6:15 pnm CDT

Things have really heated up around here. The temps are in the upper 90Õs with high dew points, making it very hot and sticky. Fortunately, our air conditioner is working well and we are staying cool and dry indoors.

Julie continues to make gains everyday. Today, she was able to get herself from her wheel chair and onto the toilet with out any assistance. This is a really big step, as it will give us all a little bit more freedom. Jill was able to get away for a few hours during the day to get some personal chores done and to just relax a bit. Julie and I managed very well on our own. I can foresee that Julie and I will be able to get along with out any out side help in just a few more days.

On Monday, Julie will be returning to Abbot Hospital for round seven of chemo. Most likely, she will remain there until Thursday before being discharged back home. She is scheduled to begin out patient therapy at Sister Kenny on July 16. This will require driving to Abbot Hospital several days a week, but that is still a whole lot better than doing it every day to visit Julie.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 4 July 2007, 11:00 pm CDT

Hope you all had a great July 4^th. Julie and I sure did. We had really great weather, temps in the mid 80Õs, a bit humid, but a nice breeze, just about perfect weather for a Minnesota 4^th of July. We were able to get Julie down to the back yard patio by taking her out in the street, then wheeling her through our neighborÕs yard to our back yard. This is the first time Julie has been able to get to the back yard since she has come home. It also gave her a chance to see our new Weber Summit 450 gas grill in action for the first time. We cooked two chickens with the rotisserie. Our neighbors, the HansonÕs came over, Ian was here as well as Gary and Diane. The meal turned out great. For the first time ever trying to do chickens on the rotisserie, they turned out just about perfect. What a joy it is to be able to cook on a really nice grill for a change.

This evening, we loaded Julie in the car and took her down to Round House Park, a park on the west side of Lake Minnewashta, to watch the fire works. It turns out to be a great viewing spot, because we can see fire works displays from four or five different area all at once. The night was ideal, warm still air, and very few bugs. All in all, this was the very best day Julie and I have had since Christmas. We will both sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow will be another busy day. Julie has PT scheduled at 12:30, our new bed is supposed to be delivered between 11:00-3:00, and I get my stitches taken out of my back a 3:00, plus, the Twins and YankeeÕs play again tomorrow afternoon. I need to get to bed to rest up for all these activities!

Stephen

PS: Bob and Wanda, thanks for the great e-card.

Hi, Tuesday,3 July 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

What can I say. Today was another good day for us here at 4010 Leslee Curve. Julie did well in her OT session this morning. They worked on getting her right arm loosened up and felling more relaxed. Her early morning session with the home care nurse went well too. She had her dressing on her PIC line changed, blood drawn for the lab, and her vitals taken. As usual, her vital are very good. Julie is one strong woman.

Every day there is improvement in JulieÕs ability to get out of her bed or wheel chair. She continues to get stronger and more confident in her ability to do things on her own. Jill was able to get away for a few hours today to take a little R&R, a much needed break from the daily routine we have been under since JulieÕs return home. While Jill was away, I was able to help Julie get to the toilet when she needed. This is because Julie is able to get herself out of her wheel chair on her own. I have not had to strain my back at all. I really think that Julie is working so hard at these transfers so that she will not cause me any problems. Once again, Julie is thinking of someone other that herself. I think that our mutual impediments are causing us both to take more care of each other than we realize. I know that I will do any thing I can to help her, and I believe that she is putting out extra effort to limit the strain on me. I call that LOVE, and I so so LOVE her.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 2 July 2007, 10:00 pm CDT

Julie had a very good day today. She had visits from both PT and OT therapists this morning. Both sessions went very well. In PT Julie was up and walking around the house, making turns and standing at the kitchen counter grabbing things out of the cupboard. In OT, they spent most of the time working on JulieÕs right shoulder and arm. She has lost a bit of flexibility in the right arm and shoulder due to the slow down in therapy sessions since she has been home. On the good side, though, she is getting very good at getting up out of her wheel chair and bed. Her left leg is getting stronger daily and her right is too, but at a much slower pace. In the bathroom, where we have installed grab bars around the toilet, Julie can get out of the wheel chair with little or no assistance. She can also stand on her own with out her cane or assistance for more than a minute at a time. These are all big steps towards her self dependency.

My hip and leg continue to feel fine. My only problem is a very upset stomach from the pain meds I have been given. The nausea got so bad, that I stopped taking the pain meds. So far there is no pain and a reduced amount of stomach issues.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 28 June 2007, 1045 pm CDT

Julie had a good day today. She had a visit from the home care PT therapist that went very well. Julie was able to walk around the house with her four prong cane. The new flooring in the living room has proven to be a really good surface for her to walk on and to move about in her wheel chair. A home care nurse also stopped by and did all of the usual vital signs test. Julie continues to show very good blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and oxygen numbers. Through out this long ordeal, JulieÕs vital sign have been good. She is a very healthy person, except for those darn tumors. Her spirits remain high and she has a great sense of humor about all that has happened to her. She is one amazing woman!

JulieÕs sister, Jill is staying with us for a few days and is a great help. Jill has taken over all of the transfer duties getting Julie from bed to wheel chair and to the bathroom. She is also doing all of the house hold chores that I can not do until my back heals. I canÕt thank her enough for her help

I am also getting great help from my brothers Dave and Gary. Dave brought me home from the hospital this morning. He also stayed around and moved the sprinkler hoses around the yard, helped move my golf clubs into storage, and was just plain good company. Gary, as usual stopped by to see if there was anything he could do to help. I told him that there was nothing today, but that his help would be needed to move beds around when our new bed arrives. I know that he will be there when we need him, he always is.

As for me, my surgery went very well. Today I am feeling no pain at all in my left hip and leg. The only soreness I have is at the incision sight on my lower back, and compared to the pain I had before the surgery, it is very mild. My challenge over the next few weeks will be to limit my activities to allow the healing process to go forward. I have not felt this good in a long long time.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 30 June 2007, 6:50 pm CDT

What a beautiful day we had here in Minnesota today. The weather was perfect, with clam winds and temps in the mid 80Õs. We all have enjoyed the day a lot.

Julie has had a very good day. Her sister, Jill, stayed with us again last night to help get Julie to the bathroom. Jill has done yeomanÕs work in helping us both out. Today, Jill went to a wedding of a dear friend of Julie and JillÕs in Cadat, Wisconsin. Jill will be returning to our home this evening to again help out. I must say, though, that through out the day Julie has been able to get out of the wheel chair and onto the toilet with no assistance from anybody. This afternoon, my sister in law Diane, came over to help with Julie in JillÕs absence, but Julie is getting so proficient at transfers, that Diane had very little to do. I expect that Julie will soon be doing all of the transfers on her own.

My recover continues to go well. I still have no pain in my left leg or hip. The incision area is still a bit tender, but that is to be expected. I am being very careful not to put any undo stress on the back. I do expect to be out of work from six to eight weeks from the date of the surgery. My biggest concern about going back to work is man handling my flight bag. I weightÕs in at almost 40 lbs, and must be stowed beside my seat in the cockpit. This requires a rather awkward back position, so I am in no hurry to put my back in that position again.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 26 June 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Julie had a very busy day today. The home care nurse arrived a 8:30 am. She took JulieÕs vitals, changed the dressing on the PIC line, and instructed us on the daily care for the PIC. This daily care involves flushing the PIC line with saline solution. This is done by attaching a quick connect hypodermic to the PIC fitting and forcing in about 10cc of saline solution. This will be part of my daily care routine for Julie. The other tasks to be preformed daily are to administer the proper meds at the appropriate times through out the day. Fortunately, most of the meds are given at a meal time, so the process is really straight forward and easy to understand. Even a pilot can do it!

From 11:00 on there were visits by a PT therapist, an OT therapist, and a personal care specialist. In PT, Julie spent some time walking around the house with her four pole cane. The OT session included stretching out of JulieÕs right arm and hand; and practice getting into and out of the bath tub. The session with the personal care specialist was the highlight, because Julie got to take a shower in our own shower for the first time since February 19.

The remainder of the afternoon saw several visitors stopping by. Sue Dorsey, and her daughter Celeste, stopped by with a treat of milk shakes. They tasted really good on such a hot sultry afternoon. I spent a good share of the day dragging hoses around the yard in an attempt to keep the grass alive.

Tomorrow will be a lot quieter for Julie. I will be heading off to Abbot Hospital early in the morning for my surgery. Jill will be coming to stay with Julie for the next few days, so all should be okay for JulieÕs continued rehab and safety. I will not be putting out an email tomorrow, but I will try and update you all on Thursday.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 25 June 25, 2007, 9:25 pm CDT

Julie and I continue to make adjustments to our new at home life. Things are improving daily. The biggest improvement today was that when we were getting Julie ready to get out of bed this morning, she stood up all on her own, before I could even get my hands on her safety belt. What a great step this is! For the rest of the day, she continued to make the transition from sitting to standing with minimal assistance from me.

JulieÕs great friend, Natalie, came by for lunch at to stay with Julie while I ran some errands. While I was gone the two of them cleaned up our spare bed room. This room had become a depository of all of the gifts, cards, and other stuff that we amassed while Julie was in the hospital. I did not want to start tossing things before Julie had a chance to review the cards and gifts. Many of them she does not remember, due to the poor health condition at the time she received them, so it was very important that Julie get a chance to see all of the generosity and caring that has come her way over the past four months. I just want to thank each and every one who sent a card or gift; it really has made a difference. You are all a big part of JulieÕs recovery; she could not have gotten this far with out your thoughts, prayers, and support.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 24 June 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

Sorry I forgot to put out an email yesterday. The day was very full and Julie and I went to bed early and very tired.

All is going pretty well. We are getting a lot of the kinks worked out in the routine of the day. Julie is doing much better at recognizing the need to get to the bathroom, and our technique of doing so is improving with every attempt. She is doing much better at the transfer part of the process, which take a great load off of my back. JulieÕs sister Jill will be coming to stay with Julie while I have my surgery on Wednesday, so that is a great help to us both.

The weather has been warm and pleasant, which allows Julie and I to spent the sunset hour out on the veranda enjoying the pleasant warm evening. It also has been great for having the neighbors stop by and say hello. This has been a great moral boost for Julie and for me.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 22 June 2007, 10:15 pm CDT

JulieÕs first full day a home was a busy one. She had visits from the home nurse, PT therapist, and OT therapist. The all made good suggestions as to how we can make improvements to the house to assist Julie in her continued recovery. These suggestions are relatively simple and easy to do, so I should be able to accomplish them this weekend.

Our first night found us both not getting a lot of sleep. Due to all of the IV fluids Julie had before she was discharged from Abbot, she needed to get up for the bathroom about every two hours. Also, she is required to take one of her chemo recovery drugs every six hours, so that meant setting the alarm for 2 am so we could get her the meds on schedule. The Cancer Society delivered a bedside commode this after noon. This will make it a lot easier for Julie and me, as we will not have to get her in the wheel chair and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. We are hoping that her frequent need for the toilet will be reduced because of the elimination of the IV fluids. I am confident that as we gain experience all these issues will be reduced to an easily accomplished routine.

Julie did spend quite a bit of time moving about the house in her chair. The exercise she is getting by doing this will help her gain strength and confidence. Julie is already planning on getting the house cleaned up and emptied of a lot of the stuff we just donÕt use or need. I am really looking forward to reducing the clutter that has accumulated over the past few months. Does anybody else have this clutter problem?

Julie will be getting home nursing and therapy care three days a week until her scheduled return to Abbot, on July 9, for round 7 of chemo. We also have had a great out pouring of people willing to come over and help out. Rest assured, we will be taking advantage of these offers. We try to have a telephone in JulieÕs passion at all times, so if you feel the urge to call, please do. Our home telephone is 952-470-6124; JulieÕs cell is 612-845-0617. Please be patient if you donÕt get an answer before the voice message cuts in. It may take time for Julie to get the phone and push the appropriate button to receive your call.

Stephen

HI, Thursday, 21 June 21, 2007, 9:45 pm CDT

Honey, IÕm home !

Yes, it is true, Julie is in fact home. She was discharged from Abbot Northwestern at 5:00 pm this evening. I drove her home and we spent the rest of the evening trying to get her settled back into the house. The ramps that Gary built worked to perfection. Our biggest problem so far is getting her moved from the wheel chair to the toilet and bed. These are not major issues and will just take practice. We also had calls from the home nurse that will be coming tomorrow in the early morning and for the physical therapist that will be coming later in the day. Julie is very happy to be out of the hospital environment for the first time in 123 days. I am thrilled to have her here. We have already had visits from a couple of the neighbors that have been so helpful over the past four months. I know that the assistance and comfort these great friends have given us can not be measured or repaid. Thanks so much to all of you!

The biggest dark spot on the horizon is my sciatic nerve issue. I will be having surgery next Wednesday to repair the herniated disk. The procedure is called a microdiskectomy. The procedure will take about an hour and a half, and will require me to be at Abbot Hospital for one night. We already have Jill coming over to stay with Julie while I have this procedure. The rehab will take 6-8 weeks, and requires me to do no heavy lifting or torso twisting. That means there will be no golf or hard labor for a while. I expect to be off flying status until late August at least.

What a four months this has been! It has been the emotional rollercoaster of my life. I am so grateful to be married to such an incredible person. She has shown more courage and determination than any person I have ever met. I am one lucky guy!!!!

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 20 June 2007, 8:30 pm CDT

The move home tomorrow seems to be more and more of a reality. Today, Julie received delivery of her own personal wheel chair and four prong cane. These will be coming home with us tomorrow. It was also decided that for the first two weeks or so, Julie will get at home nursing and therapy. The decision was made for several reasons. One, it will take some time for use to get acclimated to JulieÕs new condition at home. Having nursing and therapy specialists there to assist us just seems to make good sense. Also, Julie will be able to get a much more consistent therapy schedule at SKI if she waits and is scheduled two weeks or more out.

As far as I know, JulieÕs schedule for tomorrow will include an MRI. After that, I just donÕt know what she will be doing. What ever it is she does tomorrow, I know it will include a lot of tears of joy and gratitude. Julie has made some close connections with the nursing, therapy and medical staff at Abbot Northwestern. I know she will be emotional saying thank you and good by to all of these great people. I know that I am already feeling emotional at the prospect of finally getting Julie out of the hospital and home.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 19 June 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

The chemo treatments went well, as expected. Julie has been so fortunate to have had virtually no side affects from her chemo drug treatment. The next few days will be spent administering the rescue drug that reduces the Methotrexate levels. Julie will again be monitored every two hours until the Methotrexate level is down to the level Dr. Trusheim has determined to be safe. When that level is reached, the plan is to discharge Julie and she can come home. If all goes well, that day will be Thursday. Again, the Methotrexate level will determine when Julie will be discharged.

My brother, Gary, has been working feverishly this past week end to install ramps that will allow Julie access to the house. The house is basically ready for Julie to come home. We still need to determine furniture and such for the living room, but I am not going to do a thing with out JulieÕs decisions.

Stephen

HI, Monday, 18 June 2007, 6:30 pm CDT

Julie moved back to station 30 this morning. She is now in room 3056.

Julie felt a bit stiff and uncomfortable today. I believe it is due to the slow pace of rehab over the weekend. Other than that, she feels great and is, as usual, taking the chemo very well. Dr. Trusheim did confirm today that they will do at least two more treatments after this one.

Julie continues to amaze the nursing staff. She has the same nurse that last discharged her to SKI. This nurse was very impressed with JulieÕs progress. LetÕs hope that these next three treatments will finally rid her of these tumors!

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 17 June 17, 2007, 7:15 pm, CDT

Sorry I did not remember to write an e-mail last night. I arrived home at mid afternoon to find my brother Gary building a ramp up the front side walk and steps.

I helped him until about 6:30. Ian was also here working on a friends auto air-conditioner. After we all quite work, I took Ian out for dinner. By the time I got home, I just went to bed.

Any way, JulieÕs day yesterday was very quiet, no therapies scheduled at all. We decided to do our own PT session, so Jill and I wheeled Julie to the deck area. Julie got up and I assisted her walking about 125 ft. Jill followed with the chair as a precaution. Julie did very well. She is really starting to get her right leg through consistently.

Today, I arrived at the hospital very early, as I had to deliver my brother Dave and sister-in-law Barb to the airport by 8:00 am. I was at Abbot by 8:30 am. Julie was still not dressed and was eating her breakfast. After breakfast, Julie got her self dressed, all I did to assist was to had her the cloths. I did help her with her shoes. Julie had a short ? hour PT session where she walked with a cane. She again did very well. Her ? hour OT session consisted mostly of stretching out her right shoulder and scapula areas. During this session, the therapist asked Julie to clench her right hand into a fist. Julie was able to do this. That is the most finger movement I have seen in JulieÕs right hand since this all began back in February. Since her right foot and right hand are the last areas that will be affected by this recovery, it is really gratifying to finally see some real improvements in JulieÕs right foot and hand.

Tomorrow she is scheduled to go back to station 30 for round six on chemo. That decision will all be dependent on a blood test to be taken early tomorrow morning. If the white blood cell count it high enough, Julie will be moved for the chemo. If not, she may stay at SKI for a few more days.

Stephen

HI, Friday, 15 June 2007, 5:45 pm CDT

Julie had a busy day today. I arrived at the hospital early to spend some time getting my own MRI reports sent off to my aero medical doctor. By the time I completed that, Julie was gone out of her room, so I set off to find her. Along the way I bumped into Dr. Rippe, the rehab doctor, and talked to him. He said that they are still planning on sending Julie home after her next chemo session starting on Monday. He also said that one of the main issues they have had with Julie in regards to the insurance company, is that she has made so much progress so quickly that it has been difficult to justify to Blue Cross. He was very emphatic that he never believed we would see so much progress and never so quickly. I also bumped into Libby, the social worker. We talked about getting things set up at home for JulieÕs return. In fact, I came home to day with the car trunk full of equipment for the bathroom. My job for tonight is to get these things assembled and installed.

During her PT and OT sessions, Julie again did great. She continues to really improve in her walking abilities. She walked again with a cane and minimal assistance. The therapist had me get involved as a spotter for her walking. I also started helping her stand up from her wheel chair. It really took no great effort on my part. All I had to do was be there to make sure she didnÕt fall. Julie stood right up with out assistance at least six times during the morning PT. In the morning OT, Julie and I practiced getting her on and off the toilet and in and out of the bath.

After the morning therapy sessions, Julie returned to her room and had her hair cut by a volunteer beautician that was once a patient at SKI. Julie has been talking for a long time about a hair cut, so she was very happy to finally get it cut.

On the way to afternoon PT, Julie needed to use the bathroom. I just took her into the facility near the gym and helped her do her thing. Again I really didnÕt do anything more that make sure she didnÕt fall. I know that in a few weeks, she will be able to do all of these things on her own. We are all amazed at the things Julie is improving on every day.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 14 June 2007, 5:00 pm CDT

Today Julie had a visit from her Aunt Audrey and Cousin Jane. Audrey was really impressed with the improvement she saw in Julie since her last visit more than a month ago. Jane, who lives in Georgia, paid her first visit to Julie. She also was impressed with JulieÕs much improved condition. Julie had her morning PT session with Kevin at 11:00. During this session, Julie walked with a 4 prong cane with no assistance from Kevin. He then had Julie walk without a cane, and Julie again needed no assistance. She then climbed up and down the five step stairs, with assistance. Julie was also able to stand up out of her wheel chair with out assistance several times today.

In the afternoon OT session, Kelly did a lot of stretching and range on motion work on JulieÕs right arm and shoulder. One of the new exercises they did was to have Julie sit on the edge of the mat and lean her torso to the right and rest it on her right elbow and forearm. This exercise is designed to help deal with the sublimation in JulieÕs right shoulder. Julie was then asked to push herself upright with her right arm. This exercise was repeated three times.

After OT, Julie went to see Kevin again. This session was spent on the treadmill and stationary bike. After the session was over, Kevin talked to us about the plan for Julie in the next week. She will return to station 30 on Monday, 18 June, for chemo. In the next few days, Kevin said he will try and get Julie on the list for out patient care, so that Julie may be able to come home after her chemo session is over. This means that Julie may be coming home on June 21 or June 22. What great news!!! If they are unable to get Julie into the out patient program, she will most likely go back to SKI until the following chemo treatment around July 2. All of this news really lifted Julie and my spirits.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 13 June 2007, 5:45 pm CDT

A decision has been made to keep Julie at SKI until next week and not do her sixth chemo until that time. This decision was based on two main factors. The first being JulieÕs low white blood cell count. Although Julie has always done extremely well on the chemo treatments, the low white cell count is an added risk for infection factor that need not be taken at this time. The second, a I believe even more significant factor, is that Julie has been doing so well in PT and OT that the doctorÕs did not want to stop her therapy progress when the chemo session had even a minimal risk. This tells me that they believe the chemo is really working well and that a few more days between sessions is safer and much more productive from a therapy standpoint. The PT went so well for Julie last night that she called me up and was very excited to tell me that she walked with a cane and that the therapist only stood by as a spotter. Julie was able to get her right knee high enough to pull her right foot through for a full step, all on her own!!! Way to go Julie!!!!!!!

Because of this change in schedule, Julie had a great deal of time off today. We took advantage of this time and went to visit with Gordie and Patty Erickson.

As you may recall, Gordie was part of the family trifecta I mentioned in yesterdays message. Gordie is doing great. He said he sat up with out any pain for the first time in who knows how long. He may be staying one more night at Abbot before heading home. This outing also gave Julie an opportunity to see parts of the hospital she has never had a chance to visit.

For lunch, I took a walk down to

Lake Street

and found a pair of Velcro tied New Balance shoes for Julie. A problem she had been having is that her right toes were getting cramped due to the additional mass of the leg brace she wares on that foot. The shoes I found are ? size larger and seem to work okay. She will get to test them out, as Julie gets a full day of therapy tomorrow.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 12 June 2007, 5:45 pm CDT

Our extended family hit the trifecta today at Abbot Northwestern Hospital and Sister Kenny Institute. Of course Julie was at station 23 awaiting therapy and her move to station 30 for chemo. JulieÕs sister KariÕs father in law had surgery on his lower back at Abbot this morning. He will be at station 70 over night and head home to Nisswa tomorrow. I spent a good part of the day at the ER in Abbot. My sciatic nerve situation became unbearable. I had to cancel out of my annual check ride this afternoon because of the pain. I called my brother Dave early this morning, and he drove me to Abbot to see Julie and get to the ER. They did and MRI and found a herniated disk pinching the sciatic nerve between L4-L5. I have been given some steroids to reduce the swelling and some pain meds to reduce the pain. It will be a couple of weeks, at least, before I will be able to get back to work. At least now I can look forward to some relief and the prospect of returning to health. Julie and I seem to be on parallel courses here.

Getting back to Julie, she stayed at SKI today, because the blood tests showed that her white blood cell count was just below the expectable level. They believe that by tomorrow her white cell count will be high enough to allow Julie to be transferred to station 30 for round six of chemo. Today I also found Julie wheeling herself down the hall to get some ice at the ice machine. It is really nice to see her taking an active role in fulfilling her own personal needs. Hopefully we will both be hitting our physical strides at the same time when Julie comes home.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 11 June 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

Julie had another good day at SKI. She was able to get in good PT and OT sessions. Her parents came to visit and were able to watch her walking with a cane in the morning PT session. In the afternoon PT, Kevin had Julie working on the treadmill and walking with a cane. She said that on the treadmill, Kevin made her work at getting her right leg through on her steps. She said it was difficult, but she managed to do it. Julie continues to amaze the staff at SKI with her daily progress.

Ruth Anderson, Dr. TrusheimÕs nurse practitioner, is also amazed at JulieÕs progress. Ruth did mention to Julie that there was something they did not like in a blood sample that was drawn from Julie early this morning. Julie did not know what the issue was, so I donÕt have any more info about that issue. Ruth did say that it might delay JulieÕs transfer to station 30 tomorrow. I guess weÕll just have to wait and see what this is all about. Ruth did say that it was nothing to worry about, still I worry.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, June 10, 2007, 8:30 pm CDT

Julie had a mostly quiet day. There were no therapy sessions. She got up in the morning and dressed herself before the nurse arrived. Her big adventure for the day was that she was moved to room 2304, bed 2. Apparently, there was a need for JulieÕs room for another patient that is in a more critical situation, so Julie was asked if she would mind moving out of the private room and into a double. As per Julie, she agreed, so now she will be staying in 2304/2 until she goes back to station 30 on Tuesday, 12 June. As of now, there is no other patient sharing JulieÕs room, so she is still by her self. Other than the move and a visit from a few people and Chip, Julie did have a quiet day. Tomorrow she will again have a full therapy schedule.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 10 June 9, 2007, 10:30 pm CDT

Again I stopped by SKI o my way to the airport this morning. I was there and helped Julie get dressed. This is the first time she dressed herself without an OT therapist present. She was able to do everything on her own, except the shoes. In just one week she has gone from needing assistance with all of her dressing to being able to dress herself. I call that real progress.

In her afternoon PT session, Julie told me that she walked with out a cane, and minimal assistance from the therapist. She was very pleased that she could bend her right knee enough to get her right foot past her left with out the help of the therapist. I call that real progress. I am so proud of the effort she is putting forth. That effort is showing real results.

Tomorrow, I am going to attempt a round of golf in the morning with some old high school and college buddies. I only hope the sciatic problem isnÕt going to put a big damper on things. After golf, I am going to take Chip to see Julie at SKI. I know she is looking forward to seeing him again.

Stephen

Hi, Friday, 8 June 2007, 10:45 pm CDT

I stopped by SKI this morning on my way to work. Julie had just completed an early morning PT session. She said it went well, but she seems to do better when the sessions are scheduled later in the morning. She started her session at 8:30 am, in the past she was doing the morning sessions starting at 10:00 am. Still, we all have to get up early some days to get the job done, so she went to work and did the treadmill and walked with a cane and without a cane. She does improve every day. I attended her morning OT session which consisted of her getting dressed then going to the gym to get her right shoulder stretched out. The right arm and shoulder are also improving day to day.

JulieÕs psychological condition also continues to improve daily. She is working hard towards the goal on coming home. It now is a reality to her and to me. She will be home before the end of June. Knowing this has given Julie renewed determination to get her body in the best possible condition in the shortest amount of time. She is determined to be able to walk around the house when she gets home. I believe she will accomplish this goal.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 7 June 2007, 7:30 pm CDT

What can I say; Julie had another day of very good improvement. I arrived at SKI at about 10:30 this morning. Julie was starting her morning PT session. She walked about 200 ft with a 4 prong cane. This is more than she did yesterday. After lunch, a recreational therapist took Julie to the SKI patio deck, where Julie planted seven flowers in a raised planter box. She did not even get to dirty. Imagine, she is gardening now!

In the afternoon OT, the therapist spent the entire 30 minutes stretching out JulieÕs right shoulder. Julie was laying on the mat on her back, the therapist gently raised her right arm from her side vertically to stretch out the shoulder. The last time they did this, Julie was only able to get the arm to a 90 degree position before it started to cause pain. Today, she was able to go to a 135 degree position. This again is a very good improvement, much more than the therapist expected.

PT followed the OT session. Kevin started Julie out walking with a regular cane. She walked about 100 ft in two sets. Next, Kevin had Julie walk to the practice stairs with out a cane. She did amazingly well. She then climbed and descended the stairs better than she has ever done. After that, we went to the practice car where Julie practiced getting out of the chair and into the front right seat of the car. She did it once with KevinÕs assistance and once with my assistance. These therapists are now really getting us both ready for JulieÕs return home. I will be doing more and more of the assisting in the next few weeks.

We also talked to the social worker today. As of now, they are planning to keep Julie at SKI until her next chemo treatment, which should be about Monday, the 11^th of June. She will return to station 30 for the chemo. She should stay at station 30 until about the 14^th of June, then return to SKI. The plan now is to keep her at SKI for about 5 or 6 days, then send her home. There will also be a short practice session for a day at home some time before she is discharged from SKI.

Julie is really excited at the prospect of coming home. She is working very hard in therapy to make sure she is able to safely make the transition from the hospital to home. I will be doing everything I can do to assist her in that transition.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 6 June 2007, 5:45 pm CDT

Julie continues to show daily improvement. Today started out with Julie doing a better job of getting dressed. There were fewer problems getting her work out pants on today. At her morning PT, Julie did a very good job of walking with the cane. She also went up and down the five step stairs in the rehab gym. She did this much easier than the last time she tried a week or so ago. In her afternoon PT Julie started out on the treadmill. After that, Kevin had her walk with out the use of bar or cane. All he did was to walk beside her to make sure Julie did not fall. This was a really great improvement; it even awed Kevin a bit.

After morning PT and before lunch, I took Julie down to

Kenny Square

, a lounge area just down the hall. That is where I uploaded JulieÕs thank you message to all of you on the Caringbridge web site. Julie navigated back to her room all on her own. She is getting pretty good at maneuvering her wheel chair. It also is another step towards independence.

Stephen

PS: Anika, Julie did eat her rhubarb dessert at lunch today. Thanks she loved it.

Hi to all,

Julie and I are sittinh at the computer in the Kenny Square lounge. She just read some of the updated notes you have been sending her.

Julie wants to express her thanks to everyone who has logged on to this site. Your support and caring have helped imesurably in the progress that she has made. She hopes to see you all soon and thank you personaly.

Love to all,

Julie and Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 5 June 2007, 7:30 pm CDT

I arrived at SKI early today so that I would be there when the results of the doctorÕs meeting would be relayed to us. The result of the meeting is that they would like to keep Julie in rehab for another 2-3 weeks. I believe this is a very good decision. There will be further evaluations of JulieÕs progress over the next few days. The decision on how much longer Julie will stay at SKI for rehab will be made later in the week.

I was at the hospital early enough to watch Julie get dressed. She is very able to dress herself from the waist up, but still has problems on the waist down clothing. This mainly is because of her difficulty in moving her right leg.

I was also present at JulieÕs morning PT session. This went very well. She was able to walk around the bar set up with no assistance from the therapist, one time. When Julie did this circuit, she was moving her right leg on her own. However, she was only able to get her right leg half way through a step. She could only get the right foot even with her left. On the next circuit around the bar, the therapist helped Julie push her right foot in front of her left. Still, Julie was able to make a full circuit. The next effort was to walk the length of the bar one way using a 4 prong cane. Julie did this with assistance to get her right foot in front of her left. All in all it was a very good effort by Juli

Stephen

Hi, Monday, June 04, 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

I stopped by SKI to see Julie on my way home from the airport this evening. She said that she had a good day in PT. She walked about 100 feet, with the aid of the therapist. This is a good sign that she is gaining strength. In OT, Kelly worked on JulieÕs right shoulder, doing stretches and strengthening exercises. Julie said that the shoulder feels better. She has been having some soreness in the right shoulder for some time, so this improvement is also a good sign.

Tomorrow there will be a meeting with all of doctorÕs on the team that is treating Julie. We are anxious to hear what type of plan they will be offering to us. As much as I want Julie to come home, I donÕt want her to come home before she is ready. Julie and I have discussed this issue before, and Julie wants to come home only when she is really ready, and can really help in her own care.

She dressed herself again today, so she is showing real progress towards self sufficiency. Her biggest concern is being able to get to the bathroom when she needs to. This is a big concern for us all, but we mostly take it for granted that we can get to the bathroom when we need to, right now it is a multi person effort for Julie.

I will certainly let you all know what the doctorÕs plan is for Julie.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 3 June 2007

Julie was able to dress herself this morning. She only needed help getting her shoes on and tied. Also, Julie is very proud of the fact that she is wearing her own panties! All of these seemingly little things add up to more and more independence and self reliance. These are all steps on the road to Julie coming home.

In PT today, Julie walk 75 feet and was able to maintain her balance very well. In fact, she was able to stand on her own, with out any assistance and give the therapist a high five!

Monday starts Julie back on the regular two a day therapy schedule. She is looking forward to making more improvements this week. I know she will be working very hard, as she always dose.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 2 June 2007, 6:15 pm CDT

The weekends at any hospital are much quieter than during the week. This is the case with Julie as well. Today she did have therapies in the morning and the afternoon, but they were shorter and less intensive as during the week. Julie did okay in her therapies, but the weakness that developed from the six day lay off did cause her to not perform to the level Julie was expecting. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for her. She desperately wants to improve every day, but today she was playing catch up. She had trouble standing up, but her legs have not been utilized that much in the last week. I am confident that she will make good gains this week, but she has to regain the strength she lost over the past week in minimal activity.

On the positive side, she did have the catheter removed this morning. When Julie went back to Abbot for the chemo, the put in a catheter so that it would be easier to monitor the Methotrexate level in her. They required a urine sample every two hours, so is was much easier for Julie and the nursing staff to take the samples out of the Foley bag. Julie is very concerned about the bladder and bowl functions, as they are an important factor in when she can come home. Despite her concern, she was able to completely empty her bladder today. This resulted in a resounding ÒYAHOOÓ from Julie. It continues to amaze me at how we all take for granted the normal every day things that we do. It is not until you lose the ability to do them that you realize who critical they are to just getting by!

Stephen

HI, Friday, 1 June 2007, 6:45 pm CDT

It was moving day again for Julie. She is back at Sister Kenny (SKI), in room 2319. She really had a good day as well. In fact, Julie actually signed the discharge papers from Abbot Hospital before she moved to SKI. She had to use her left hand, so her signature was a bit scratchy, but this is the first time she has been able to sign anything since February. Also, she was upgraded to a regular diet. She can now eat all normal food and drink all normal drinks.

After she settled into her new room, a physical therapist came to the room to give Julie and evaluation. This was great timing, as JulieÕs parents had just arrived for a visit. Julie showed some good improvement in her right arm and leg. She is able to move them better than she has in a long long time. After the evaluation, the therapist took Julie to the rehab gym. Tom and Georgene came along to watch. This was the first time that they have been able to see Julie do any rehab activities. Julie walked about 25 feet with the aid of the therapist. Julie is a bit weaker than she was before she went for the chemo treatment, but I believe that is do to almost 6 days with out any strenuous therapy. This long interval of easy days is due to the holiday weekend followed by the chemo treatment. She is very anxious to get to work full time on rehab, so the next week will be interesting to see her progress.

After the therapy session, the feeding tube in JulieÕs stomach was removed. It proved to be a quick procedure, but Julie felt some discomfort and was really glad that the tube is finally gone. The tube had been causing her some irritation during her therapies and when she was transferring from bed to chair. Hopefully in a few days all the irritation will be gone, and Julie will be able to really go hard in the therapy sessions.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 31 May 2007, 6:45 pm CDT

Julie had another quiet day today. Dr. Trusheim stopped by early in the morning before I got there, but he again told Julie that he is very pleased with her progress. He also said that when Julie is returned to SKI, they will take out the feeding tube in her stomach. That is good, as it sometime interferes with her rehab activities. Also, the tube has not been used in weeks, so it will be good to get rid of it.

It will be very interesting over these next few days to see if there is any more improvement in JulieÕs right side. LetÕs hope that this round of chemo will attack that persistent tumor in her upper cervical spine. It is my uneducated guess that as the entire tumor area decreases, the chemo will attack the remaining more persistent tumors more vigorously and give Julie a better chance at recovering the right side.

As for me, it was such a beautiful day that I attempted a round of golf. My sciatic nerve is still a bit sore and dose inhibit my swing, but I shot 88, which is 2 strokes better than the last time I played in April. I guess that means that Julie and I are both improving bit by bit.

Stephen

Hi, Wednesday, 30 May 2007, 5:45 pm CDT

Julie had a quiet relaxed day. Once again she is exhibiting no side affects from the chemo.

Dr. Trusheim is very pleased with her progress. He stated that the MRI results from last FridayÕs MRI show good improvement in reduction of the tumor areas in both her cervical spine and brain stem areas. These areas are also showing diminished activity. There is still an area in the upper part of JulieÕs cervical spine that is active. This is the area that is causing the problems that Julie is having with her right side. Hopefully, the next few chemo sessions will eliminate that tumor area and Julie will regain function on her right side.

For now, Julie keeps on getting stronger and stronger. Her weight is back to normal. She continues to have a great attitude and is very committed to getting back to work at the rehab gym. Considering what Julie has been through, she is in the best state, both physically and psychologically, since this ordeal began. Her future looks bright, and thatÕs about all we can ask for.

Stephen

Hi, Tuesday, 29 May 2007, 6:30 pm CDT

Julie started her fifth chemo session at 1:25 this afternoon. As before, it will take until late this evening for all of the drugs to be administered.

Julie moved back to station 30 before lunch today. She is now in room 3051. When she got to her room, the first thing that happened is that Julie was weighed. She now is up to 120 lbs. That is about her normal weight, so all are very pleased. The doctorÕs and nursing staff are all confident that Julie will again have minimal side affects from the chemo. The only uncomfortable thing going on now is that JulieÕs stomach muscles are sore. It is assumed that the sore muscles are a result of all of the hard work at the therapy sessions and the increased number of times that she moves from bed to wheel chair to bathroom and back. All these activities are causing her to use these muscles more than she has been able to in months. These next few days there will be less strain on her stomach, so hopefully the soreness will abate.

She still continues to have a great attitude. Several of the nurses at station 30 that have worked with Julie over the past 5 weeks have stopped by to see her. They all tell her how much improvement they see in Julie. This make Julie feel good and gives her more incentive to get back to rehab quickly. I am looking forward to JulieÕs return to SKI and watching her gain function and strength every day.

By the way, this is day 100 since Julie has been home.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 26 May 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

I stopped by to see Julie on my way home from the airport this evening. She had a more relaxed day today. In her PT she walked with a cane, worked on the shuttle machine, and climbed the stairs. She said all went well, except for the stairs which she found more difficult today. She is very confident that she will be improving on the stairs in the next week, I am confident that she will as well.

Our neighbors, Deb, Phil, Elise, and Cara Hanson, stopped by while I was there. They brought Chip with them. This really made Julie happy. Deb said that when they pulled into the hospital parking ramp Chip got very excited, as if he knew where he was and who he was going to see. When he got to JulieÕs room he ran to her bed and jumped up at the bed. I had to pick him up to get him on the bed, as it is much higher that ours at home, but he was really glad to see Julie.

Tomorrow, Julie has another light day of therapy, just on session in the morning and one in the afternoon. She is in such good spirits these past few days. What a treat to see her smile and laugh again. She is very confident that she will continue to improve, and that is critical for her future success.

Stephen

HI, Friday, 25 May 25, 2007, 7:15 pm CDT

Julie had another really good day. She is doing very well in her PT efforts. Today she worked on a stationary bike, and spent some time peddling with just her right leg. She also used the shuttle machine. This is the machine where she lays on her back on a sled and pushes off with her legs. She was able to do two sets of 20 reps with each leg. Again, this is a significant improvement over the last time she used this machine. Julie also use the treadmill again. Today, she also walked about 14 minutes and did a really good job of keeping her balance and making proper strides.

One of JulieÕs biggest challenges is to relearn all of the techniques to do the every day simple things like standing up, standing still, walking, and all of the other things we all take for granted in out every day lives. Fortunately, the therapists at Sister Kenny are all very familiar with all of the basic techniques the person needs to know, and are very good and patient at teaching these simple tasks.

Just after dinner this evening, Julie had the MRI that was scheduled at 4:30 this afternoon. I may be losing track, but I believe that this is her 9

th

MRI. She does not like them, but they are a very necessary diagnostic tool.

I will be flying all weekend, SNA on Saturday, SJC on Sunday, SAN on Monday. I will be stopping by to see Julie on my way home from the airport, so I will get an update on her activities through out the day, I just will not be there with her until after dinner.

Hope you all have a great and safe Memorial Day weekend.

Stephen

Hi, Thursday, 24 May 2007, 5:30 pm CDT

Julie had a few new mile stones today. She is still getting better and better at walking. Today she was able, with therapist assistance, to climb and descend five steps on a practice stairway. Julie has not been able to do that since February 20. She also spent some time on a treadmill today. This machine is similar to a machine Julie worked on at Methodist. The way this machine works is that Julie is suspended in a harness over the treadmill so that she can not fall. The height can be adjusted to reduce the weight load on her legs. The machine is started at a slow pace, in this case .8 mph, and the therapist helps her move her right leg while she is walking. Today, Julie walked for a total of 14 minutes, in three different sets, at a total distance of .26 miles. Her top pace was at 1.2 mph. This was much better than the therapist thought Julie could do. This is a big mile stone!

Tomorrow, Julie is scheduled for another MRI. Hopefully this will show another significant decrease in the tumors in her cervical spine and brain stem. I have to believe that there is reduction in the tumors, given the significant increase in mobility in JulieÕs right side. The next chemo session is scheduled for Tuesday, due to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.

Stephen

HI, Wednesday, 23 May 2007, 6:30 pm CDT

Julie continues to make significant strides each day. She is enjoying her upgraded diet. For lunch she had a plate full of fresh fruit, cottage cheese, and banana bread. It makes a big difference in being able to choose what you eat.

In PT this morning, Julie spent walked along side the bar and did very well. She is able to maintain her balance much better. Also, Kevin was doing minimal assist in getting JulieÕs right leg through on each step. In the afternoon PT session, Kevin was working on transfers from the wheel chair to the mat and back, when we all were interrupted by a tornado warning. This warning forced all of us in the rehab gym to leave for the center of the building. Kevin took us to an isolated area away from all windows, and had Julie walking using a four-prong cane. Julie did very well; she was able to maintain her balance and again needed minimal assistance to get her right leg through on each step.

The highlight of this afternoons PT session was that Julie had a map of her butt made. A technician from the wheel chair department came by with a thin mat that she put on the seat of JulieÕs wheel chair seat cushion. This mat was electronically connected to a digital viewing device. When Julie sat on the mat, a digital image appeared on the viewer that showed the hot spots on JulieÕs rear end. They did all of this because Julie has been complaining of a sore butt. All it took to get rid of the hot spot was to inflate her cushion more. IÕm sure she will be thrilled that I have shared this very interesting process with all of you.

I also had a chance to take Julie on a short tour of the hospital today. I took her to McDonaldÕs for an ice cream cone. I also took her to a lounge near her room that has internet access. I showed Julie the Caring Bridge wed site. That was the first time she had ever seen it. She seemed really touched that so many of you have taken the time to visit the site and to send Julie messages. Thanks to you all for your support!!!

Stephen

HI, Tuesday, 22 May 2007, 5:15 pm CDT

Julie had another pretty good day. Her morning PT session had her walking again. She said that she did a good job and was able to maintain her balance much better. Her afternoon OT consisted of some mat exercises. She lay on her back and did bench presses holding on to what looks like a steering wheel. Her right hand was secured to the wheel with an ace bandage, as she is unable to grip hard enough with that hand. She was able to push the wheel up and hold it for about 5 seconds, then slowly let it down to her chest. It took a lot of effort from the right arm, but Julie did 5 reps before tiring. That is more big time improvements.

Julie met with the speech therapist today too. Her diet has been upgraded to level 3, which means that the food is still softer or more cut up that normal. The big advantage is that Julie can now select meals from a menu. That makes her happy.

Julie also met with the social worker again today. The possibility of Julie coming home was raised. The plan they discussed is for Julie to return to station 30 for her 5^th chemo treatment on Tuesday, May 29. She will spend 3-4 days there, and then be transferred back to SKI for more rehab. Her 6^th chemo session should be on June 11. Julie would spend another 3-4 days at station 30, and then come home. So, there is a possibility that Julie will be back home by mid June. All these plans are subject to change, depending on the results of the chemo and rehab. Still, it is very nice to hear that the medical people are looking forward to Julie actually coming home. I certainly am looking forward to that day.

Stephen

HI, Monday, 21 May 2007

I spent the morning getting some computer lessons out of the way for my annual check ride coming up in June. I also finished off trimming out the living room and hall to complete the flooring job. By the time I got to the hospital to see Julie it was 3:00 in the afternoon. Since I knew Julie would be done with all of her therapies by that time, I brought Chip along to visit with Julie. You should have seen her face light up when she saw Chip walk into her room. I brought tears to both of our eyes. Chip jumped up on her bed and licked her face while his tail was wagging wildly. What a nice reunion.

Julie had a really good day in, especially in PT. She said that she did a really good job of walking today. The therapist, Kevin, had to help, but her balance was much better. Kevin also had her use two different machines. One is a stationary bike that Julie was able to peddle on her own, using both her left and right legs. The other machine is the one she used about two weeks ago. She lies on her back while lying on a sled, and pushes off with each of her legs individually. She was able to push off with her right legs and well as her left. This indicates that Julie is starting to gain more movement and strength in her right side. This is a really significant improvement. Julie is really looking forward to each dayÕs therapies; because she can see her improvements from day to day. That is a huge motivational tool, and she is using it every day. Her spirits continue to remain high. All of the improvements she has made continue to fuel the drive in her to get better each day. What a championship effort she is displaying, I am so proud of her.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 20 May 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

When I stopped by SKI so see Julie on my way home from work this evening, I found her in the best spirits I have seen her in since early February. She was showing off her great smile, laughing and joking with me and the nurse, and generally more energetic than she has been in at least 14 weeks. What a great feeling it is to see her so up beat.

We spent some time talking about where she was when she moved from the Courage Center back to Methodist Hospital at the end on March. She does not even remember Kari and I taking her from Courage Center to Methodist. She does not remember that she was virtually unable to move any arm or leg, or that she had so much trouble breathing. I explained all of these things to her. She, and I, are amazed and grateful for the progress that she has made so far. I can only imagine the progress that is yet to come. Julie is determined to work hard at rehab and to get herself walking again. None of these are guaranteed outcomes, but to have her rehab potential upgraded from poor, in March, to good this week is very encouraging. I am feeling better about JulieÕs future than I have in months.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 19 May 2007, 5:30 pm CDT

Julie made more progress today in her therapies. I was there for the PT and OT sessions this afternoon. In PT they spent a half hour stretching out JulieÕs legs. The big progress came in OT. The therapist spent some time stretching out JulieÕs right shoulder. After that she had Julie start moving the right arm. Julie was able to move the arm significantly more today than she has since last March. She also was able to make her fingers grip my hand! This has not happened since mid-March. I call that progress. Julie was very happy to be able to grip her fingers, in fact she shouted for joy!!! JulieÕs sister Jill and cousin Ann were there to witness these events. We all were fighting back tears. I am anxiously waiting for the next week of therapy, just to see the progress that Julie will make.

Stephen

HI, Thursday, 17 May 17, 2007, 5:45 pm CDT

Julie moved back to Sister Kenny this afternoon at 1:30 pm. She is now in room 2317, west wing, station 23. This is the nicest room she has had so far. It is designed as a single room, so it is spacious, sunny, and has a large bathroom with a roll in shower. IÕm sure she will feel comfortable there.

Julie will start her heavy duty rehab again tomorrow. She is looking forward to getting to work, and is determined to get stronger and start walking on her own. I know it will take time, but I feel that she has a good probability of achieving that goal.

I talked with Ruth Anderson, Dr. TrusheimÕs nurse practitioner, this morning. She said that Julie is now off of the steroid regimen. This should help Julie sleep well, which is very important for her to gain strength and recover. Ruth and Dr. Trusheim are still very pleased with the progress Julie has made. It is really good to hear that from them, as they were very pessimistic when they first started working with Julie.

Stephen

HI, Wednesday, 16 May 16, 2007, 6:00 pm CDT

All goes well with Julie. She had a pretty good nights rest, ate well at breakfast and lunch, had a good OT session this morning, and was transferred to a bed that has a scale built into it. All of that before 1:00 pm. When I left her she was resting and napping. The doctors are still planning on moving Julie back to SKI tomorrow. Once there Julie will resume a more robust rehab schedule. We all hope that this chemo treatment will start to work on the cervical spine area more aggressively, so that she can start to regain more right side function. Time will tell. It seems that it takes four or five days after the chemo treatment to see any positive results, at least that is what has happened in the past. In the mean time she will continue to work hard at rehab. She is doing better at keeping a positive attitude. IÕm sure that the improvements she has already seen are contributing to this positive attitude, I know that it has helped mine.

Stephen

HI, Tuesday, 15 May 2007, 6:00 pm CDT

Julie completed her fourth chemo treatment last night. All went well, she has had very little side affects from the chemo treatments in the past. LetÕs hope that trend continues.

Julie was weighed this afternoon. She weighed in at 115 lbs, which was her weight when she first entered the hospital back in February.

Julie had OT and PT in her room today. They worked on range of motion, strength and balance. The PT therapist had Julie transfer from the bed to the wheel chair without the use of a mechanical lift. They used a slide board, and Julie had to help the therapist with the transfer. She has not been able to do that since she was at the Courage Center in March. I can tell that Julie is getting stronger every day.

On a side note, Gary and I, (mostly Gary), completed the installation of the new flooring in the living room this weekend. It really looks great. I still have some trim out to do, but that should not take long. My thanks to Gary for all his help.

Stephen

HI, Monday, 14 May 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

Julie was moved to station 30 at about 10:30 this morning. She is now in room 3048, in the east wing. Her chemo started at 1:00 this afternoon. It will take most of the day for her to get the four drugs they are using. Those drugs are Rituxan, Vincristine, Procarbazine, and Methotrexate. Starting tomorrow, she will be given Leucovorin to neutralize the chemo drugs. The Leucovorin will take a few days, so the plan now is to get Julie back to SKI on Thursday.

Julie continues to have better days. They are reducing the steroid level daily, and should get her off of them this week. The reduction in the steroid level has had a positive affect in that Julie is sleeping better. There is also talk of getting the PEG, feeding tube, removed when this chemo cycle is complete. If that happens, Julie will only have the PIC in her arm and a catheter remaining.

Stephen

Hi, Sunday, 13 May 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

Julie had a nice relaxing day. She did not have any therapies, ate well, and had a steady stream of visitors from breakfast through dinner. Her spirits are steadily improving as is her sense of humor.

She will be moving back to station 30, the oncology station, early tomorrow morning. She will start her 4^th chemo therapy session shortly after she gets there. As of now, she is expected to stay there until Friday, at which time she will be moved back to SKI. LetÕs hope this session of chemo will start to attack the tumors in her cervical spine more aggressively, so that Julie can start to recover more of her right side.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 12 May 2007, 9:30 pm CDT

I stopped by to see Julie on my way home from work this evening. Julie said she had a good day. Because it is the weekend, she only had therapies in the morning. She said they went well.

Julie had several visitors today, including her parents and several other friends. Because she is so much more alert and pretty much back to normal in speech and cognitive skills, she enjoys the visits much more.

Tomorrow will be an off day for therapies, so she will get more rest. There will be several more visitors tomorrow for sure. Julie has been enjoying the ipod that her cousins Ann, Ted, Ben and Rachael gave her. She is listening to the music they installed on it when she goes to bed. Julie says that it really helps her to relax. It must be doing some good, as she is sleeping better the past few days.

Stephen

HI, Friday, 11 May 11 2007, 8:00 pm CDT

Julie continues to improve and get good news from the doctors. Today, Dr. Trusheim told us that the MRI results of yesterdays test showed a significant reduction of the size and activity of the tumors in JulieÕs brain stem. There were also reductions in the tumors in her cervical spine, but these were less than in the brain stem. This explains the more rapid improvement in JulieÕs speech and cognitive skills, and the slower improvements in JulieÕs right side. Hopefully the chemo that Julie will undergo next Monday will start to attack the cervical spine area more aggressively.

Today in OT, Julie worked very hard on getting some movement in her right arm. The therapist had her sitting on the edge of the mat and move her arm back and forth in a sawing motion. The therapist had to hold JulieÕs forearm and wrist up, but Julie was able to move the arm back and forth on her own. Julie was also able to raise her right arm, in a chicken wing fashion, up to almost parallel with her shoulder. They also worked on more strengthening of the back and stomach. All in all, Julie did a great job and can feel the improvements too.

Julie also is eating much better. I saw her eat about 90% on her lunch today. She said that she also ate a big breakfast. Getting this much good nourishment can only help her gain strength and stamina. Now, if only she could find a way to sleep through the night she will have all the requirements to really speed up her recovery.

Stephen

HI, Thursday, 10 May 2007, 9:15 pm CDT

I went to the hospital early today, so I had a chance to see Julie in her morning therapies. She did very well again today, In her OT session, Julie sat on the edge of the mat by herself. The therapist spent most to the session stretching back and shoulder muscles. She also worked Julie on strengthening her back and stomach muscles. The physical therapy also went well. Julie walked 75 feet with the assistance of the therapist. This is a big improvement over yesterday when she walked 25 feet. The physical therapist also spent time working on JulieÕs balance. He had her standing by the bar and working on balance.

I misunderstood the change in JulieÕs diet that was upgraded yesterday. She is okay to drink thin liquids. Her food is still chopped up quite a bit, but at least there is some texture. What this means, is that Julie is cleared to drink milk shakes and malts! I know that some of you have brought them to Julie in the past and Julie really has enjoyed them.

Julie also had her eight MRI this afternoon. Hopefully tomorrow we will hear from the doctors that her tumors have shrunk.

Each day Julie continues to show improvement. It is most notable is her demeanor. She is much more the up beat caring person we all remember. I believe that Julie is much more comfortable with her situation, and can see that there are real gains being made. This alone should make her more upbeat, but I also feel that she is much more in control of her thoughts and can express what she feels. These are good things, and good things beget good attitudes.

Stephen

HI, Wednesday, 9 May 2007, 9:20 pm CDT

I arrived at the hospital just before lunch time today. I spent the morning at my chiropractor seeking relief from a chronic sciatic nerve problem that has kicked up I the past few weeks. Julie had a good morning; she had the x-ray swallow test. Her diet has now been upgraded to a dysphagia diet level 2. Basically her food will now have some texture, although it is chopped up pretty well. Her liquids are still thickened, just not as much. This is another step in the right direction.

At her afternoon therapies, I watched Julie walk, with assistance, about 25 feet. This is the most she has walked since mid March, before the physical relapse. She is better able to control her balance; she is working on strengthening exercises on both her left and right sides. She is really making some progress; even Julie can see it now.

After the therapies, Julie was visited by the acupuncturist. Julie really enjoys these visits, as the acupuncture really relaxes her. I mentioned to Jennifer, the acupuncturist that I was having these sciatic nerve problems. The next thing I know, she is putting tiny titanium balls in my ears. She says that if I rub them occasionally over the next few days, I should get some relief from the pain in my hip and leg. So far I have not seen any dramatic improvements, but that could be because I spent from 4:00 to 8:00 this evening installing the new flooring in the living room. I am lucky that I have a brother who is a very good carpenter. He came over and really helped with the initial layout and the nitpicking work of getting the flooring into the closet. The flooring looks great, IÕm sure Julie will be pleased.

Stephen

HI, Tuesday, 8 May 2007. 6:50 pm CDT

Julie had a very good day at all of her therapies today. I went to her afternoon sessions and saw her do things that she has been unable to do for months. She was able to sit unaided for about five minutes without losing her balance. Julie also took a few steps with the aid of the therapist and a balance bar. She was able to catch herself when she started to loose balance and correct her posture. That is a very good improvement. The therapist also put Julie on a leg strengthening machine. This device had Julie laying on her back on a platform that is on a track. At the end of the machine is a vertical board that Julie placed one of her feet, in such a manner that thigh and chin formed a right angle. The resistance is provided by rubber bands attached to the platform. Julie was able to push off with her leg and extend the leg until the knee locked strait. To the pleasant surprise of the therapist and me, Julie was also able to push off with her right leg and extend it fully. The therapist said that he was not expecting Julie to be able to do that, what a terrific accomplishment for Julie!

After the therapy sessions were over, Julie returned to her room and received an acupuncture treatment. She really enjoys these sessions, as they really relax her and calm her down.

In the next few days, Julie will have another x-ray swallow test. This test will show if she is able to move on to a more conventional diet and drink thin liquids again. LetÕs hope that all goes well with this test, so that Julie can drink water again.

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 7 May 2007, 7:30 pm CDT

I did not get to the SKI until about 2:30 this afternoon. When I arrived, Julie was in her last PT session of the day. They had her standing in a support apparatus that allowed her to stand and exercise both her left and right legs. They only did a few isometric type exercises, but these tired her out. She also had PT and OT in the morning and afternoon, so Julie had a full day of therapy. She is making slow steady progress. The therapists could feel that the muscles in the right leg were beginning to fire a bit. Because that side has been debilitated for so long, it will take more time for those nerves and muscles to be trained to function properly.

Tomorrow, the PT therapist said he would like to try a new machine they have. This device is a treadmill with a harness arraignment to support the patient. It also has some robotic arms that assist the legs in moving on the treadmill. This should be a very useful tool to help Julie recover her legs. I am very impressed with the personnel and facilities at SKI. Julie was well treated at the Courage Center, but the level of nursing care at SKI is far superior, also the food is better.

Stephen

HI, Sunday, 6 May 2007, 8:15 pm CDT

I stopped by to see Julie on my way home from the airport again this evening. She was doing very well. She had a surprise visit from he parents this afternoon. Julie was very happy to see them again so soon after their last visit. I called Tom and Georgene on my way home from the hospital; they said they were very happy to see the progress Julie has made since their last visit a week ago. I too can see daily progress and this always make me feel good. I am not so sure that Julie appreciates the progress as it is too slow for her. I know she is growing impatient and wants things to move along faster, but she can only improve as quickly as the meds and her body will allow.

When I left the Sister Kenny this evening, the nurses were getting Julie ready to take a shower. This will be her first shower since she was at the Courage Center. That is about five weeks ago. I imagine it will feel great for her to feel that warm water splashing all over her, and to feel really clean again. How we take such simple things for granted.

This week begins the process of converting our living room from a sewing work space into a real living room. Julie and I have selected some Pergo flooring that will cover the painted plywood flooring that is now in that space. My brother, Gary, will be helping me with that project. Gary and I have also talked about building a ramp system that will allow access to the house for Julie in a wheel chair. That should not be too difficult a thing to do. There are a few neighbors who will be more that willing to help us get these things done. I canÕt say enough about all of the support I have received from my brothers, friends, and neighbors over the past ten weeks. Thanks to all of you.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 5 May 2007, 9:15 pm CDT

I stopped by to see Julie on my way home from the airport this evening. I arrived at the hospital just before 7:00 pm. Julie was sitting comfortably in her wheel chair watching the Twins game on TV. She said that she coughed a lot while lying in bed, but she did not cough once while I was there and she was sitting in her wheel chair, so it is good that she spends time sitting up. Julie was talking very well without the tracheal tube in her throat. She sounds like the Julie of old. She is also able to control her head and neck much better. She looked and acted much more relaxed than I have seen her in weeks. She said that she felt more relaxed too.

On the weekends there are only therapies once per day; today they were in the morning. Julie will be doing the therapies in the afternoon tomorrow, so she can try and relax all morning. Today the therapies went okay; she did more stretching of arms and legs. Julie also said that she tried standing for a while, with assistance. All these exercises are helping her gain strength in her left side, and some mobility in her right side. Each day has shown some progress. She is wearing real clothing again, which has to make her feel good. She also had the catheter removed today. She now gets to use a real toilet again, what progress!!!

Tomorrow I am off the San Diego. I will again stop by and see Julie on my way home. I do not fly again until next Saturday, so I will spend a lot of time with Julie next week. I am anxious to see the progress that she will be making. Every day she gets a little better, and that is progress!

Stephen

HI, Friday, 4 May 2007, 11:45 pm CDT

As you can tell from the late time stamp, I just returned from my trip to LAX. I was able to get to the hospital this morning on my way to the airport. When I arrived, Julie was just starting her first physical therapy session at SKI. They worked on getting her transferred from her wheel chair to the therapy mat. She also worked on sitting at the edge of the mat, trying to keep her balance. She did pretty good, but is unable to sit unassisted for very long. Julie then had a session with the occupational therapist. Here the therapist spent most of the time stretching JulieÕs arms and legs. With all of the time Julie has spent in bed recently, she has become pretty stiff. Her hamstrings are particularly tight. When I left to go to the airport, Julie was with the speech therapist. The therapist wanted to see how well Julie was eating, so they had lunch in the cafeteria.

I called Julie when I got out to LAX; it was about 6:30 pm in Minneapolis when I called. Julie said that they took out her tracheal tube in the afternoon. She also said that she was very tired. That is not surprising, as she really worked hard while I was there. I hope she sleeps well tonight.

I am off to bed for a quick sleep. I must be back at the airport at 8:00 am for a flight to Santa Anna. I will be back at about 5:30 pm and will stop by to see Julie on my way home.

Stephen

HI, Thursday, 3 May 2007, 9:00 pm CDT

I arrived at the hospital at about 9:00 am and bumped into Dr. Trusheim just leaving JulieÕs room. He said that he was very pleased with JulieÕs progress and considered it a victory that she was moving to Sister Kenny. He was concerned about JulieÕs continued problem with stomach cramps. He decided to get a CT scan of JulieÕs GI track. This, of course, delayed the move to Sister Kenny. Julie went to the CT scan at 11:30 and was taken immediately to her new room at Sister Kenny. She is now in the west wing, station 23, room 2301.

The CT scan showed no abnormalities at all, so this is good news. She is still suffering from constipation. Apparently, this is a somewhat common side affect of the chemo. Also, her lengthy inactivity and the combination of other drugs she is taking are adding to the problem. I hope they get things moving for her soon, as these cramps are the only really uncomfortable issue she has right now. Julie is no longer on any IV fluids or drugs, in fact there are no IV machines in her room. That makes for a quieter environment. She will be having her tracheal tube removed at any time. That leaves only the PIC line in her arm and the PEG tube in her stomach. The PIC will still be used to administer IV drugs and draw blood, but the PEG is not being used right now at all.

Tomorrow, Julie starts on the therapy schedule. She will have occupational therapy first. They will be teaching Julie to dress herself, get herself cleaned up and out of bed. These tasks may take a few tried to master, but Julie is ready to get going. The physical therapy will be designed to increase her strength, flexibility, and get more function in both her left and right sides.

If you are planning of coming to the hospital to visit Julie or to call Julie, please call the nursing station 23 first. They will be able to tell you if Julie is able to have visitors and when would be a good time, relative to her rehab schedule. She will be working very hard for an hour and a half in the morning and another hour and a half in the afternoon. I suspect that these sessions will take most of her energy, so she may just need to rest. The nurses will know if she is able to see anyone.

Stephen

HI, Wednesday, 2 May 2007, 8:00 pm CDT

Julie had on of her better days today. The big news is that she was approved for transfer to the Sister Kenny Institute. She is scheduled to move there tomorrow morning at 10:00. She will undergo two weeks of intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy. This is a big relief for me and Julie, as there was some concern that she may not be strong enough to under go the therapy that she will receive. Dr. Hutchinson, the doctor from Sister Kenny, gave Julie and evaluation and decided that Julie can handle the therapy. If Julie had not been strong enough, she would have had to be moved to a nursing home or adult foster care facility. I believe that a move like that would have bee a big psychological blow to Julie. I am very pleased at Dr. HutchinsonÕs decision.

Julie had a visit from her Uncle Owen, Aunt Roxie, and Cousin Sue today. This was a great surprise for Julie, as Sue lives in Portsmouth, England. Sue came home to Rice Lake, Wisconsin for a short visit with her parents. It was really great that they took the time to drive to Minneapolis to see Julie. I know that Julie was very touched and excited to see Sue again. I really enjoyed the visit also. Julie has such a great close knit family. It never ceases to impress me how far that family will go to support one another. I am very lucky to be a part of such a great group of people.

Stephen

HI, Tuesday, 1May 1, 2007, 7:15 pm CDT

JulieÕs third chemo session ended about 9:00 pm last night. Julie got to sleep by about 10:00 pm and slept soundly until about 4:00 am today. She was awakened by stomach cramps. These cramps continued all day. She had an x-ray of her stomach and GI track to see what was going on. The x-ray showed that Julie was constipated. They gave her some meds to help get the bowels moving, but by the time I left at 5:30 pm, there was no success. JulieÕs nurse assured Julie that there would have a bowel movement before she went off duty at 11:00 pm to night.

The pulmonary doctor stopped by before lunch to take out JulieÕs tracheal tube, but decided to wait another day so Julie could talk about her stomach discomfort.

Julie had a visit from four co-workers from Calico Corners just before lunch. They brought Julie a beautiful throw blanket that they made at the store. It has a large checker board pattern in black and white on one side, and the most beautiful soft cuddly cloth on the back. All of the ladies at the store signed there names on the white squares. This visit and gift really gave Julie a lift. She was in the highest spirits I have seen her at in a long time. It warmed my heart enormously too. Thanks ladies!!!

Stephen

Hi, Monday, 30 April 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

Julie had another good day, although it did not start out so good. Julie said that she could not sleep at all last night. I know this is a major frustration for her. She complains about lack of sleep a lot, but who wouldnÕt. I asked her what she was thinking about at night, but she just said, ÒI donÕt know.Ó Julie says those words a lot. IÕm not quite sure what she is trying to say, so I ask her, ÒWhat is wrong.Ó This apparently ticks her off. I guess IÕll just stop asking that question so often.

Before Julie started her chemo session, the nurse came in and took away the pump for JulieÕs tube feeding. She is now getting all of her nourishment from food eaten normally. The feeding tube will stay in place for awhile, just in case it is needed.

The chemo started at about 10:30 am. The first drug she received was Rituxan. This drug was administered though IV. One of the risks of this drug is a reduction of blood pressure. To make sure that JulieÕs blood pressure stayed normal, the Rituxan was given to her at a very slow rate. It took almost 5 hours to give her the full dosage. The next drug she received is Procarbazine. This drug is administered orally. The next drug is Vincristine, given through IV in about 15 minutes. Lastly, the mainstay is Methotrexate, which takes about 2 hours. Hopefully, Julie will get an even greater response from these four drugs that she did from the two she last received.

Late this afternoon, the pulmonary doctor came to see Julie. He said that he would be taking the tracheal tube out of JulieÕs throat tomorrow. He said that the hole in her throat will heal up quickly on its own, maybe in a day or two. So, once that tube is removed, and before the hole is closed up, Julie will have to cover the hole with her finger in order to speak. I hope this does not present a problem for Julie. On the one hand it is a good coordination exercise for her, on the other it may be quite frustrating.

The social worker stopped by today also. The move to the Sister Kinney Institute is scheduled for Thursday or Friday.

All these events are really positive and bode well for the future. It is still a challenge to get Julie to understand the magnitude of her progress. She, quite rightly, wants things to move faster. IÕm just grateful that things are moving in a positive direction.

Stephen

HI, Sunday, 29 April 2007, 6:30 pm CDT

Julie had another pretty good day. She had her best night sleep in a long while last night. She continues to show slight improvements in her left arm and leg. She also is also starting to get some slight motion in her right thumb and finger tips. All good things. Julie had a few emotional moments today, but who can blame her.

The highlight of the day was a visit by Chip. Our neighbors, Deb and Phil Hanson and their daughters, brought Chip to the hospital. We took Julie and the crew up to the roof top garden so Julie could see Chip. Julie was very happy to see him, but Chip was a bit nervous at the strange surroundings and didnÕt show a lot of recognition of Julie. It did not help that Julie was in a wheel chair that did not allow Chip to sit in her lap. The chair keeps Julie quite high off the ground, so Chip had trouble seeing Julie. I imagine that JulieÕs scent is a bit different also, after spending so much time in hospitals. All in all it was a good time for Julie, and that is the most important thing.

Tomorrow is the round three of the chemo therapy. We are all hoping that after this session of chemo, Julie will show more improvements, especially on her right side. Time will tell, but she has shown significant improvement after each previous treatment so one can optimistically assume that she will show improvements again.

Stephen

Hi, Saturday, 28 April 2007, 7:00 pm CDT

Julie continues to make daily progress. TodayÕs biggest new development is that the doctorÕs have taken her off IV drugs. She is now getting all her meds orally, crushed up and in thickened liquid or pureed foods. This is a very good thing, as some of the chemo meds they want to use on Monday are oral drugs.

She sat up in the wheel chair again for a couple of hours. She ate her lunch in the chair, watched the Twins on TV in the chair, and entertained her parents in the chair. We did not take Julie to the roof top garden today, as it would was easier to talk to her parents in her room. She was in good spirits and displayed a good sense of humor.

Stephen