Monday, June 25th, 2004 ~Tracy had a relaxing weekend at home. Tracy's close friend Liz arrived Friday night from Gulf Breeze, Florida. She was such a huge help and we were so happy she came to visit. Saturday we hung out at the apartment. Liz kept Tracy company in her room and Saturday night, Emil came over to massage Trace. Sunday evening, Cousins Gene and Terri Anzalone, from Louisiana, visited with us. They brought Tracy some adorable aromatherapy socks and treated us to a lovely take-out dinner from Legal Seafood. It's so nice to have company, especially since we can't take Tracy out and about. Jenny, our nursing aide, arrived this morning and helped Mom get Tracy ready for the day. Thanks Virginia Ann for thinking about Tracy! She loves the Alaskan pup! Tracy had a doctor's appointment at NNMC on Friday. The doctor still wants Tracy to avoid putting any pressure on her bottom and continue to stay on bedrest.

To recap: Tracy had a doctor's appointment last Monday at National Naval Medical Center. We were told that she must remain in bed until the sore, which occurred while she was in the ICU in Miami, has healed. She is not supposed to be in her wheelchair at all. It may take two months for this to heal and we can only take her out of the apartment for doctor's appointments. If not taken care of, this could turn into something serious. On top of all that, we were looking forward to taking Tracy out and about in DC this summer. Hopefully, if we nurse her well she will still be able to enjoy summertime. Tracy's therapists at Mt. Vernon were notified about Tracy's sore and agreed that she shouldn't be going back and forth to therapy for now. Tracy will hopefully have home therapy soon. We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Friday, June 25, 2004~We apologize for the lack of updates this week. Tiffany and Mom took Tracy back to National Naval Medical Center today to let the plastic surgeon recheck Tracy's sore on her bottom. The doctor was pleased with Tracy's progress in the wound healing process. She still wants Tracy to avoid putting any pressure on it and continue to stay on bedrest. We then met with the Gastroenterologist (tummy doctor) who adjusted Tracy's medications to help with her reflux. Liz, Tracy's close friend from Gulf Breeze High School is visiting Tracy this weekend. We are so glad that she could come. Yesterday, Tracy's visiting nurses Donna and Jo Ann came by to do an assessment. They will be monitoring her wound and performing periodic dressing changes. Jenny, Tracy's nursing assistant, brought us some delicious corn bread. She is a wonderful person and we really appreciate her help.

To recap: Tracy had a doctor's appointment Monday at National Naval Medical Center. We were told that she must remain in bed until the sore that appeared on her bottom heals itself. She is not supposed to be in her wheelchair at all. It may take two months for this to heal and we can only take her out of the apartment for doctor's appointments. If not taken care of, this could turn into something serious. On top of all that, we were looking forward to taking Tracy out and about in DC this summer. Hopefully, if we nurse her well she will still be able to enjoy summertime. Monday, Gloria accompanied us to NNMC and then Liz brought us lunch over to the apartment. They are both angels and we don't know what we would do with out them! Tuesday, Liz and Gloria went with Mom, Tracy and me to Mt. Vernon for Tracy's therapy. Her therapists were notified about Tracy's sore and agreed that she shouldn't be going back and forth to therapy for now. Tracy will hopefully have home therapy soon. Wednesday, Tracy slept a lot in bed and watched some of the early tennis matches at Wimbledon. She seems to sleep well every other night. This weekend, Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze, Florida is coming to visit. We are really looking forward to seeing her! Next week, Cousins Gene, Terri and Brittany are also plannig to visit us from Louisiana! We are looking forward to seeing them too! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Thursday, June 24th, 2004~ Happy Birthday Aunt Cheryl!~We apologize for the lack of updates this week. Tracy had a doctor's appointment Monday at National Naval Medical Center. We were told that she must remain in bed until the sore that appeared on her bottom heals itself. She is not supposed to be in her wheelchair at all. It may take two months for this to heal and we can only take her out of the apartment for doctor's appointments. If not taken care of, this could turn into something serious. On top of all that, we were looking forward to taking Tracy out and about in DC this summer. Hopefully, if we nurse her well she will still be able to enjoy summertime. Monday, Gloria accompanied us to NNMC and then Liz brought us lunch over to the apartment. They are both angels and we don't know what we would do with out them! Tuesday, Liz and Gloria went with Mom, Tracy and me to Mt. Vernon for Tracy's therapy. Her therapists were notified about Tracy's sore and agreed that she shouldn't be going back and forth to therapy for now. Tracy will hopefully have home therapy soon. Wednesday, Tracy slept a lot in bed and watched some of the early tennis matches at Wimbledon. She seems to sleep well every other night. This weekend, Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze, Florida is coming to visit. We are really looking forward to seeing her! Next week, Cousins Gene, Terri and Brittany are also plannig to visit us from Louisiana! We are looking forward to seeing them too! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Monday, June 21st, 2004~Tracy slept well last night after not sleeping well all weekend. She has a Doctor's appointment at National Naval Medical Center this morning. Our new nursing aide, Jenny, started this morning. Tracy doesn't have therapy today, but will resume therapy tomorrow at Mt. Vernon. It seems the antibiotics for her UTI are just beginning to kick in and her low grade fever has subsided. She started to feel better Sunday morning and went to Mass with Dad and Mom. Sunday afternoon, Tiffany, Mom, Dad and Tracy went for a very long walk on the Mt. Vernon Trail. This time, we walked towards Mt. Vernon and Alexandria. It was a beautiful day. We stopped at a marina and sat on the deck where we watched the sail boats. Sunday evening, Mom broiled rib eyes and steamed some fresh broccoli just for Father's Day. It's been so long since she cooked a meal that we all thought that she forgot how to cook! It was really good! Saturday evening, we watched LSU get beat by the UM Canes in the College World Series (baseball). Go Canes! Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We are really looking forward to Liz Wilkes' visit. She is Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze High School. She is coming to see us this weekend. We can't wait. Cousins Gene, Terri and Brittany are also plannig to visit us at the end of the month! We are looking forward to seeing them too! We have really enjoyed Michelle's visit and are sorry to see her go. She was a HUGE help! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Sunday, June 20th, 2004~Happy Father's Day! Tracy had another rough night last night. It seems the antibiotics for her UTI are just beginning to kick in and her low grade fever has subsided. She started to feel better Sunday morning and went to Mass with Dad and Mom.This afternoon, Tiffany, Mom, Dad and Tracy went for a very long walk on the Mt. Vernon Trail. This time, we walked towards Mt. Vernon and Alexandria. It was a beautiful day. We stopped at a marina and sat on the deck where we watched the sail boats. This evening, Mom broiled rib eyes and steamed some fresh broccoli just for Father's Day. It's been so long since she cooked a meal that we all thought that she forgot how to cook! It was really good! Last evening, we watched LSU get beat by the UM Canes in the College World Series (baseball). Go Canes! Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We are really looking forward to Liz Wilkes' visit. She is Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze High School. She is coming to see us this weekend. We can't wait. Cousins Gene, Terri and Brittany are also plannig to visit us at the end of the month! We are looking forward to seeing them too! We have really enjoyed Michelle's visit and are sorry to see her go. She was a HUGE help! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Saturday, June 19th, 2004~Tracy had a rough night last night. She had a low grade fever and it seems as though she has a UTI. Her doctor was right on top of it and we started her on antibiotics this morning. Thank God for antibiotics! Today, Tiffany had to work at the "Taste of the Town" at the Washington's 104.1 booth in Reston and Dad, Charles, Tracy and Mom (me) met her later this afternoon. The food and music was great and even the weather cooperated. Tracy seemed to enjoy herself too. This evening, we are hanging out at home watching LSU vs. UM (University of Miami) in the College World Series (baseball). Go Canes! Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We are really looking forward to Liz Wilkes' visit. She is Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze High School. She is coming to see us this weekend. We can't wait. Cousins Gene, Terri and Brittany are also plannig to visit us at the end of the month! We are looking forward to seeing them too! We have really enjoyed Michelle's visit and are sorry to see her go. She was a HUGE help! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Friday, June 18th, 2004~Tracy slept until noon today. She was wiped out from her long day yesterday; leaving the house for therapy by 8 AM and arriving back home at close to 8 PM. Yesterday afternoon, Tracy had a doctor's appointment with her primary care doctor, Dr. Chandler. He spent a lot of time with her and was pleased with her progress. Yesterday morning, Tracy had another great day at therapy. She had Physical Therapy with Jill at 9:00 AM and was wide awake. It seems that the Amantadine is working. When we left Virginia in February, Tracy used to be sleepy until about 2:00 PM. Now, our girl is becoming a morning girl just like in her sophomore crew days! During PT, Jill, Mom and Tiffany got Tracy into a kneeling position using a large hexagonal shaped bolster for support. Tracy leaned facing the bolster and we positioned her arms up on the bolster. She did a great job holding her head up in this position. She acclimated right away, a definite improvement from past times when it would take her several minutes to adjust to the change in position in high kneeling. Tracy is able to put weight through her knees in this position, which gets her ready to gradually stand with the help of a tilt table. Then, Jill positioned Tracy on the mat and sat on a balance ball behind Tracy. Jill had Tracy stretch her arms back over Jill's knees. Tracy got a great stretch, was wide awake and alert, and did a good job with her head control. Next, Jill helped Tracy put her arms on a table in front of her and she was able to put weight through her arms and hold her head up. Next, Tracy had Linda for Occupational Therapy. Linda, Mom and Tiffany positioned Tracy prone (on her tummy) on a large balance ball on the floor. Tracy loved being in this position because she was able to really stretch her arms, shoulders and back. She relaxed into this position in no time! Next, Tracy had Speech Therapy with Adrienne. She was pretty fatigued by then. Adrienne tried to get Tracy to wake up for the session. She tried different sounds, arometherapy scents, and even took Tracy outside to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Tracy smelled and felt the pine needles on the trees and listened to the sound of the water fountain. Next week, we will try Co-treating with OT or PT. Tuesday evening, Tania, a new massage therapist came by to give Tracy a massage. Tracy really enjoyed it and slept very well that night! We are looking forward to her coming back! Emil, Tracy's regular massage therapist is in England this week. We hope he is having a good time. Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We are really looking forward to Liz Wilkes' visit. She is Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze High School. She is coming to see us this weekend. We can't wait. We have really enjoyed Michelle's visit and are sorry to see her go. She was a HUGE help! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Thursday, June 17th, 2004~Tracy had another great day at therapy. She had Physical Therapy with Jill at 9:00 AM and was wide awake. It seems that the Amantadine is working. When we left Virginia in February, Tracy used to be sleepy until about 2:00 PM. Now, our girl is becoming a morning girl just like in her sophomore crew days! During PT, Jill, Mom and Tiffany got Tracy into a kneeling position using a large hexagonal shaped bolster for support. Tracy leaned facing the bolster and we positioned her arms up on the bolster. She did a great job holding her head up in this position. She acclimated right away, a definite improvement from past times when it would take her several minutes to adjust to the change in position in high kneeling. Tracy is able to put weight through her knees in this position, which gets her ready to gradually stand with the help of a tilt table. Then, Jill positioned Tracy on the mat and sat on a balance ball behind Tracy. Jill had Tracy stretch her arms back over Jill's knees. Tracy got a great stretch, was wide awake and alert, and did a good job with her head control. Next, Jill helped Tracy put her arms on a table in front of her and she was able to put weight through her arms and hold her head up. Next, Tracy had Linda for Occupational Therapy. Linda, Mom and Tiffany positioned Tracy prone (on her tummy) on a large balance ball on the floor. Tracy loved being in this position because she was able to really stretch her arms, shoulders and back. She relaxed into this position in no time! Next, Tracy had Speech Therapy with Adrienne. She was pretty fatigued by then. Adrienne tried to get Tracy to wake up for the session. She tried different sounds, arometherapy scents, and even took Tracy outside to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Tracy smelled and felt the pine needles on the trees and listened to the sound of the water fountain. Next week, we will try Co-treating with OT or PT. Tuesday evening, Tania, a new massage therapist came by to give Tracy a massage. Tracy really enjoyed it and slept very well that night! We are looking forward to her coming back! Emil, Tracy's regular massage therapist is in England this week. We hope he is having a good time. Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We are really looking forward to Liz Wilkes' visit. She is Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze High School. She is coming to see us this weekend. We can't wait. We have really enjoyed Michelle's visit and are sorry to see her go. She was a HUGE help! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Wednesday, June 16, 2004 ~Tracy had a great day at therapy Tuesday. She had Physical Therapy with Jill at 9:45 AM and was wide awake. It seems that the Amantadine is working. When we left Virginia in February, Tracy used to be sleepy until about 2:00 PM. Now, our girl is becoming a morning girl just like in her sophomore crew days! During PT, Jill had Tracy sitting on the mat with her legs on the floor. Jill sat on a balance ball behind Tracy and had her stretch her arms back over Jill's knees. Tracy got a great stretch, was wide awake and alert, and did a good job with her head control. Next, Jill gave Tracy a break and let her lie on the mat while she stretched her legs and feet. At the end of the PT session, Jill told Tracy that she would be finished when she looked at Jill. Tracy turned her head right a way and looked right at Jill. She did a great job! Tracy had Gloria for Occupational Therapy next. Gloria did some more sitting with Tracy on the mat and had her feel different textures and look at bright colored items such as a hot pink pool noodle, a bright purple ball, and a stick with a red ball at the end. Tracy did some focusing and tracked the purple ball. Go figure! Purple is her favorite color! Tracy did not have Speech Therapy Tuesday because her therapist, Adrienne, was out sick. After therapy, Tiffany, Michelle (Tiffany's best friend from Key West), Mom and Tracy went to Alexandria and had lunch at the Chart House on the Potomac River. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day. After lunch, we all went to see the new World War II memorial downtown and also toured the Lincoln, Korean and Viet Nam memorials. Wednesday, Tiffany, Michelle, Mom and Tracy went for a long walk along the Mt. Vernon Trail. We pushed Tracy in her jogger. She loved it! This evening, Tanya, a new massage therapist recommended by Tracy's regular massage therapist, Emil, is coming to give Tracy a massage. Emil is in England this week. We hope he is having a good time. Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We are really looking forward to Liz Wilkes' visit. She is Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze High School. She is coming to see us this weekend. We can't wait. We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Monday, June 14th, 2004~Tracy had a relaxing weekend. After Friday's busy day at rehab, Tracy rested well Friday night. Saturday, Dad and Mom took Tracy for a long walk in her jogger on the Mt. Vernon Trail. The weather was beautiful and she really enjoyed being outside in the sun. Sunday, Mom and Dad took Tracy to Mass and then we joined Tiffany and Ashley at the Celebrate Fairfax festival. We saw the Charlie Daniel's Band perform and they played one of Tracy's favorite songs "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." This week, Tracy has therapy on Tuesday and Thursday. We are looking forward to a new therapy regime at Inova Rehabilitation Center. With the botox on board, we hope that she will be ready for serial casting of her feet and new casts made for her right knee and arm. Tracy's rehab team will develop a new comprehensive therapy plan for Tracy. Emil, Tracy's massage therapist, gave Tracy a massage last Wednesday. He is in England this week and will return Sunday. Monday morning, Dario, our good friend and Tracy's hair stylist, came over and gave Tracy a trim. He does such great work. It looks really cute! We really appreciate it! Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We are really looking forward to Liz Wilkes' visit. She is Tracy's good friend from Gulf Breeze High School. She is coming to see us this weekend. We can't wait. We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Friday, June 11th, 2004~Welcome to Tracy's website! We update this site daily in hopes to keep you all posted on Tracy's continued progress. Please let me know if you find an error. Thank you for visiting us and feel free to write Tracy a note in her Guest Book! Tiff got back late last night, so the only one who rested well was Tracy! Tiff got back late last night, so the only one who rested well was Tracy! It was a late night for everyone else!

Tracy rested well once she finally fell asleep at about 2 AM. She must have been excited about Tiffany coming home! Tiff made it home after midnight from Louisiana. Yesterday afternoon, Liz and her daughter Mary came over and we took Tracy for a walk to explore the neighborhood. It was really hot and humid. Nothing like being in the city! Yesterday morning, Dad and Mom took Tracy to see Dr. Howe, Tracy's neurosurgeon in Alexandria. He increased Tracy's Baclofen dose to 625 micrograms per day. Wednesday, we increased her Amantadine to 150 mg per day. Tracy's doctors are still trying to balance her Baclofen Pump doses and the stimulant, Amantadine. It takes some time for the brain to reorganize and adjust to these medications. Now that Tracy has recovered from her surgery, we are looking forward to a new therapy regime. This morning, Dad and Mom took Tracy for therapy evaluations at Inova Rehabilitation Center. She met Jill, her Physical Therapist who did a lot of measurements on Tracy's current range of motion and assessed her for serial casting. With the botox on board, we hope that she will be ready for serial casting of her feet and new casts made for her right knee and arm. Tracy's Occupational Therapist is Gloria. She checked out Tracy's arms, wrists and hands. After that, Tracy met her new Speech Therapist, Adrienne. Tracy was pretty sleepy by the time she got to speech. She is usually sleepy the day after her Baclofen is increased. Tracy's rehab team will develop a new comprehensive therapy plan for Tracy and we will get her new schedule soon. Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Nana is recovering from her knee replacement surgery and is receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. She is such a trooper! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Thursday, June 10th, 2004~Welcome to Tracy's website! We update this site daily in hopes to keep you all posted on Tracy's continued progress. Please let me know if you find an error. Thank you for visiting us and feel free to write Tracy a note in her Guest Book! Oh, if you couldn't tell, Tiffany is away in Louisiana and Mom is back at the keyboard, maintaining Tracy's webpage! We miss her!

Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She definitely is happy being back home with both Dad and Mom. I know that she misses Tiffany. Tiff will be back late Thursday night from Louisiana. Today, Dad and Mom took Tracy to see a new neurosurgeon, Dr. James Howe, in Alexandria. He increased Tracy's Baclofen dose to 625 micrograms per day. Wednesday, we increased her Amantadine to 150 mg per day. Tracy's doctors are still trying to balance her Baclofen Pump doses and the stimulant, Amantadine. It takes some time for the brain to reorganize and adjust to these medications. Now that Tracy has recovered from her surgery, we are looking forward to a new therapy regime. Friday, Tracy will be evaluated at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital for outpatient therapy. With the botox on board, we hope that she will be ready for serial casting of her feet and new casts made for her right knee and arm. She is scheduled on Friday morning for PT, OT and Speech therapy evaluations and she will meet three new therapists. They will help us develop a comprehensive therapy plan for Tracy and we will get her new schedule. Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Tiffany is still in Louisiana. Congratulations! She was accepted to Louisiana State University's Master's program in Mass Communications! She is going to visit LSU this week and if she decides to attend she will leave in late August. We are all so very proud of her accomplishments! She was also accepted to Boston Unversity Masters of Communications Internship program in London this summer. She chose to defer her acceptance in the program until next summer, to be with Tracy. She is a great daughter and a wonderful sister. We thank her for being there for Tracy and putting her life plans on hold for her sister. There is no greater love! Nana is home from the hospital and receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. We are so glad that she is home! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Wednesday, June 9th, 2004~Happy Birthday Kathryn Jean (18 years old!) Welcome to Tracy's website! We update this site daily in hopes to keep you all posted on Tracy's continued progress. Please let me know if you find an error. Thank you for visiting us and feel free to write Tracy a note in her Guest Book! Oh, if you couldn't tell, Tiffany is away in Louisiana and Mom is back at the keyboard, maintaining Tracy's webpage!

Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She definitely is happy being back home with both Dad and Mom. I know that she misses Tiffany. Tiff will be back late Thursday night from Louisiana. Yesterday, Mom and Roxanne got Tracy ready for the day. Dad, Mom and our good (great) friend Liz took Tracy to see Dr. Gisolfi at Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital. He spent some time getting to know Tracy and is helping us put together Tracy's new rehab plan. He increased Tracy's Amanradine to 150 mg per day. Thursday, we will visit Dr. Howe, a neurosurgeon who will manage Tracy's baclofen pump. Friiday morning, we will take Tracy for her therapy evaluations where she will meet three new therapists. They will help us develop a comprehensive therapy plan for Tracy and we will get her new schedule. Today, Liz is coming over and we will meet with Susan Rudolph, one of the directors of the Northern Virginia Brain Injury Association and a recreational therapist to help us create some fun things for Tracy to do in the DC/Virginia area this summer. We are going to do some really fun things this summer! Tiffany surprised us all with tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in July. It will be Tracy's first concert in a long time. She LOVES Dave! (So do I!) Tiffany is still in Louisiana. Congratulations! She was accepted to Louisiana State University's Master's program in Mass Communications! She is going to visit LSU this week and if she decides to attend she will leave in late August. We are all so very proud of her accomplishments! She was also accepted to Boston Unversity Masters of Communications Internship program in London this summer. She chose to defer her acceptance in the program until next summer, to be with Tracy. She is a great daughter and a wonderful sister. We thank her for being there for Tracy and putting her life plans on hold for her sister. There is no greater love! Thank you Uncle Johnny for letting us stay in Palm Beach. We really miss it there! We had a wonderful time and can't wait to come back next winter. Thank you to all of our family and friends who visited us and helped in many ways to make our visit less stressful. We really are blessed to have such great family and friends. We are really going to miss Tracy's great therapists! Thank you Donna, Rose, and Emily for all that you have done! We are looking forward to being home, however, we will miss all of our friends and family in Florida. This week, Tracy will be evaluated at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital for outpatient therapy. With the botox on board, she will be ready for serial casting of her feet and new casts made for her right knee and arm. Now that Tracy has recovered from her surgery, we are looking forward to a new therapy regime. Tracy's doctors are still trying to balance her Baclofen Pump doses and the stimulant, Amantadine. It takes some time for the brain to reorganize and adjust to these medications. Nana is home from the hospital and receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. We are so glad that she is home! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Monday, June 7th, 2004~Tracy had a good night's sleep last night. It seems that she is very happy being back home and in her own room. This morning, Roxanne came back to help Mom with Tracy. It was really great to see her again. Mom and Roxanne showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. We took Tracy out on the balcony to get some sun. It was a lot cooler than Palm Beach and the view was different. Instead of looking out to the ocean, our view is a large green cherry tree. Pretty appropriate for Virginia. Looks like we missed the blossoms and went right to the cherries! Our good friend Gloria came over to see us. It was great spending the day with her. Tracy did not have therapy today, so Roxanne helped Mom range and stretch her. Tracy rested in her chair for a while. Tomorrow, Dad and Mom take Tracy to Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital to see Dr. Gangei, Physical Medicine and Rehab Specialist. Tiffany is still in Louisiana. Congratulations! She was accepted to Louisiana State University's Master's program in Mass Communications! She is going to visit LSU this week and if she decides to attend she will leave in late August. We are all so very proud of her accomplishments! She was also accepted to Boston Unversity Masters of Communications Internship program in London this summer. She chose to defer her acceptance in the program until next summer, to be with Tracy. She is a great daughter and a wonderful sister. We thank her for being there for Tracy and putting her life plans on hold for her sister. There is no greater love! Thank you Uncle Johnny for letting us stay in Palm Beach. We really miss it there! We had a wonderful time and can't wait to come back next winter. Thank you to all of our family and friends who visited us and helped in many ways to make our visit less stressful. We really are blessed to have such great family and friends. We are really going to miss Tracy's great therapists! Thank you Donna, Rose, and Emily for all that you have done! We are looking forward to being home, however, we will miss all of our friends and family in Florida. This week, Tracy will be evaluated at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital for outpatient therapy. With the botox on board, she will be ready for serial casting of her feet and new casts made for her right knee and arm. Now that Tracy has recovered from her surgery, we are looking forward to a new therapy regime. Tracy's doctors are still trying to balance her Baclofen Pump doses and the stimulant, Amantadine. It takes some time for the brain to reorganize and adjust to these medications. Nana is home from the hospital and receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. We are so glad that she is home! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Sunday, June 6th, 2004~ We finally made it back to DC/Virginia late Friday evening after spending three plus hours at the Palm Beach International Airport in the US Airways Club lounge. Thank you Uncle Johnny for staying with us while we waited for the airplane to arrive. Dad arrived three hours later with all of our stuff. He almost beat us there. Friday evening, Emil came by and gave us all a massage. His wife, Kathryn, made us a spaghetti dinner. Thank you Emil and Kathryn. Saturday, we spent the day getting settled and unpacked. We really miss Palm Beach, but it is good to be home. Tiffany left Saturday morning for Louisiana. Congratulations! She was accepted to Louisiana State University's Master's program in Mass Communications! She is going to visit LSU this week and if she decides to attend she will leave in late August. We are all so very proud of her accomplishments! She was also accepted to Boston Unversity Masters of Communications Internship program in London this summer. She chose to defer her acceptance in the program until next summer, to be with Tracy. She is a great daughter and a wonderful sister. We thank her for being there for Tracy and putting her life plans on hold for her sister. There is no greater love! Thank you Uncle Johnny for letting us stay in Palm Beach. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to come back next winter. Thank you to all of our family and friends who visited us and helped in many ways to make our visit less stressful. We really are blessed to have such great family and friends. We are really going to miss Tracy's great therapists! Thank you Donna, Rose, and Emily for all that you have done! We are looking forward to being home, however, we will miss all of our friends and family in Florida. This week, Tracy will be evaluated at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital for outpatient therapy. With the botox on board, she will be ready for serial casting of her feet and new casts made for her right knee and arm. Now that Tracy has recovered from her surgery, we are looking forward to a new therapy regime. Tracy's doctors are still trying to balance her Baclofen Pump doses and the stimulant, Amantadine. It takes some time for the brain to reorganize and adjust to these medications. Nana is home from the hospital and receiving in-home physical therapy and wound care. We are so glad that she is home! We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Thursday, June 3rd, 2004~Dad arrived Wednesday evening and Tracy slept on and off throughout the night. Tracy had her last day of therapy at the RCCA today. Donna, Tracy's OT, helped Tracy sit at the edge of the therapy mat. She stretched Tracy's arms, shoulders and hands really well. Tracy moved her thumb and pointer finger on both hands today! Dad videotaped Tracy's session so her future therapists can see all the great things she can do! Emily, Tracy's speech therapist, came by the condo this afternoon to work with Tracy. She did oral exercises with Trace, showed her pictures, and used a peppermint stick to stimulate Tracy's tongue. Tracy was pretty sleepy during Emily's session, but she continues to improve. This evening Mom, Dad, Tracy, and I went to visit Nana in the hospital. Cousins Chip and Eileen, Aunt Diane, and Uncle Johnny also visited with Nana. It was great to see all of the family before we head out tomorrow. Thank you Uncle Johnny for letting us stay in Palm Beach. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to come back next winter. Thank you to all of our family and friends who visited us and helped in many ways to make our visit less stressful. We really are blessed to have such great family and friends. We are really going to miss Tracy's great therapists! Thank you Donna, Rose, and Emily for all that you have done! Tomorrow, Mom, Tracy and I will fly back to DC while Dad drives our van. Emil is supposed to come over Friday evening to give Tracy a massage. We are looking forward to being home, however, we will miss all of our friends and family in Florida. Tracy's doctors are still trying to balance her Baclofen Pump doses and the stimulant, Amantadine. It takes some time for the brain to reorganize and adjust to these medications. It's so nice having family nearby and it really helps having visitors. We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2004~Monday evening Tracy didn't sleep well. Perhaps because she misses Dad. He is in DC and is coming back this evening. Tracy didn't have therapy Monday. We went to visit Nana in the hospital and then Mom, Tracy and I went to dinner at Testa's in Palm Beach. Tuesday, Tracy had OT with Donna at the RCCA. She did such a great job! Donna got Tracy prone on the mat and really stretched her arms and shoulders. Tracy worked hard to keep her head up and kept her eyes open as well. She was also moving her right thumb and pointer finger. Donna thought the movements were isolated and we were all really excited to see Tracy moving her hand! I got it on videotape so we can show Dad! Tracy also had speech therapy Tuesday afternoon with Emily. Emily worked on orally stimulating Tracy with ultrasound. She also used a peppermint stick to stimulate Tracy's tongue. Lisa came over Tuesday evening and gave Tracy a much-needed massage. She was so relaxed afterwards and slept well last night. Today, Tracy has therapy again at the RCCA with Donna and then she will have speech with Emily here at the condo. Friday we fly back to DC. It will be nice to be home, but we are going to miss all of our family and friends in Florida. Tracy's doctors are still trying to balance her Baclofen Pump doses and the stimulant, Amantadine. It takes some time for the brain to reorganize and adjust to these medications. It's so nice having family nearby and it really helps having visitors. We really appreciate your prayers and generosity. Please check out the following links. One includes information about spasticity and the other explains how the Baclofen Pump works.