Wednesday, November 30th, 2005 ~ The last official day of Hurricane Season! Good ridden's! ~ Tracy slept well again last night, only waking up a few times coughing. This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for 10:30 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. During Physical Therapy, Jen stretched and ranged Tracy making sure all of her joints stay flexible. Then, Jen stretched Tracy's right hamstring and strapped a 10 pound weight around her thigh. Tracy really tolerated this well, a grand total of about 20 to 25 minutes. Then, Mom, Linda and Jen got Tracy prone (flat on her tummy) on the mat to stretch out her right hip, right hamstring, shoulders and spine. Tracy's spine looked really good, straight as an arrow! She really relaxed into this position, tolerating 30 to 40 minutes. While she was settling in, Tracy grinded her teeth. Linda asked her what was hurting, going through a series of questions to trouble-shoot where she might be experiencing some discomfort. Tracy blinked twice for Yes to Linda's question "Does you stomach hurt?" Then, Linda checked Tracy's G-tube and it was kinked! She readjusted it, and then asked Tracy if it was still hurting her. Tracy shook her head No! This is difficult to do in this position. We were all very pleased with Tracy's responses. After PT, Liz came by to visit and spent some time with Tracy while Mom did some much needed work on the computer. Tracy seemed very content, stretched out on the mat. Later, Mom and Liz took a walk to Caribou Coffee (not Starbucks) to get some lattes. They had a good visit. It's always great to see Liz and spend time with her! She is a lot of fun! This evening, everyone watched the Christmas tree lighting special from Rockefeller Center on TV while we put up our family tree. It was a lot of fun to decorate the tree. The challenge was to find a place for it. We picked out a spot right next to Tracy's mat where she can look at it all day long! This was Liz's idea of course! Perfect! Cousin Guy visited us last evening. It was great to spend some time with him. He is in town on business. We hope to see him and the girls in January when they come to visit us. Thank you to all our friends and family who sent us Thanksgiving cards and wishes. Tracy received beautiful hand-made cards from two of her best swimming students while in Naples: the Croziers from Bowden, Maine. Thank you! Cousin Theresa always remembers her cousin Tracy throughout the year! Thank you! Cousins Chip and Eileen send cards all the time to cheer Tracy on! Thank you! Aunt Diane always remembers us, especially during special times! We miss you all! Have a great week, stay safe and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Let Yourself Be Carried: The Flow Of The Universe!

Tuesday, November 29th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Linda and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Today, Tracy has 3:30 PM Vital Stim at Georgetown Hospital Sports Medicine and Rehab Clinic. After Vital Stim, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Duncan at 5:30 PM. It is a good thing that she has the morning to catch up on her beauty sleep. Linda stretched and ranged Tracy and spent some time massaging her facial muscles with a mini-massager. Tracy seemed to relax and enjoy her facial massage. This afternoon, Mom and Linda took Tracy to her Vital Stim appointment. Tracy was very awake and alert and seemed to be trying really hard to swallow. She was able to swallow 7 times during the session. This is less than previous sessions, but still showed progress and her Speech Therapist was pleased. Tracy's next appointment is on Thursday, December 1st at 10:00 AM. When we returned from Vital Stim, Duncan was waiting for us to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. He worked on range of motion and stretching and then positioned Tracy in side lying to stretch her shoulders. He was able to get full range of motion in Tracy's shoulders. This is an excellent position to stretch Tracy's side. She really enjoys this exercise and seems to relax when positioned in side lying. Duncan and Jen do a great job working with Tracy. After Duncan was finished with PT, Emil came over to give Tracy a massage. It has been almost two weeks since Tracy has had a massage. She really relaxed and enjoyed it. During her massage, we received a visit from a good friend of the family's from Independence, Susan. It was wonderful to finally meet her and to get a first hand report about MaMaw's progress since she returned from the hospital. It sounds like everyone is doing well in Independence. We are really looking forward to our visit to Independence for the Christmas holidays! We had another surprise visitor this evening: cousin Guy from Marietta, Georgia came to town on business and stopped by to see us. He hasn't seen Tracy since last March, almost a year. He asked Tracy if she loved him and she blinked twice for Yes! It was great to see Guy and to visit with him this evening. Thank you to all our friends and family who sent us Thanksgiving cards and wishes. Tracy received beautiful hand-made cards from two of her best swimming students while in Naples: the Croziers from Bowden, Maine. Thank you! Cousin Theresa always remembers her cousin Tracy throughout the year! Thank you! Cousins Chip and Eileen send cards all the time to cheer Tracy on! Thank you! Aunt Diane always remembers us, especially during special times! We miss you all! We really enjoyed having Aunt Candy, Tanya, Jon and Michael visiting us. They were a big help and we had a lot of fun! Have a great week, stay safe and God bless! Lesson of the Day: : Plunging Into The Deep: Life Can Be Scary! Ongoing Events: Monday, November 28, during Speech Therapy, Tracy was fighting to stay awake. Mom and Linda were also trying not to doze off. The room where Tracy's Speech Therapy is conducted is pretty dark and quiet. It can get a little stuffy in there, and Tracy gets really sleepy. Even with Jenn and Melissa tag teaming, making sure the pace is fast and stimulating, Tracy gets sleepy. It was that kind of day too, gray and overcast, with temperatures in the 60's. Jenn and Melissa continued with their multi-sensory approach. Tracy did a good job answering their questions with head shakes for No and two eye blinks for Yes. She looked at a few of the family photographs as well. When Melissa asked her if she could shake her head for No, Tracy responded with two eye blinks for Yes. This made everyone chuckle, because Melissa was looking for Tracy to shake her head! Tracy's attitude and personality is beginning to emerge. Sunday evening, November 27, everyone went to the Mt. Vernon by Candlelight Christmas Tour . It was a cool and clear night, so everyone bundled up. We were to imagine that we were friends and family of the Washington's visiting for the holidays. The grounds were decorated the way one would imagine back in 1787. We were escorted to the bonfire to stay warm until our escort arrived to take us to the mansion. Everyone enjoyed warm mulled cider and ginger snap cookies while waiting. When our escort arrived, Michael was assigned the task of courier, to bring the customary letter announcing our arrival to the Washington's home located at the head of the Potomac. The mansion was lit up with simple white candles and the path was lined with lanterns filled with white candles. We found Mrs. Washington in the kitchen where she was baking her famous Great Cake. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the tour. Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) Thursday, November 10th, during Speech Therapy, Jenn and Melissa continued their multi-sensory approach with Tracy. She has been responding accurately to their questions with two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. Occasionally, Tracy will nod her head for Yes. We are working on more frequency and spontaneity got her nodding Yes. She needs to develop more head control first. Jenn and Melissa are also working with Tracy on using her voice. She is trying real hard and occasionally we hear a sound. We need her to vocalize consistently and more often. Mom brought some large pictures of members of the family for Jenn and Melissa to hold up for Tracy to focus on. They held up the picture of Tiffany and asked Tracy if it was Mom. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they held up a picture of Mom and asked Tracy if it was Dad. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they asked Tracy is Tiffany was younger than her and Tracy shook her head NO. We will continue to practice this. Wednesday, November 9th, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. Wednesday, November 2nd, Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! Last Wednesday, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. e was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Mom is looking at a special bike for Tracy made by Bilenky Bikes that was used in the Ironman by Team Hoyt . (Be sure to click on the link to learn more). The bike is a tandem which would allow Tracy to ride up front so that Mom or Dad can keep an eye on Tracy and so she has the best view. It is Mom's dream come true. The bike is called the Viewpoint and can be made as a double or a triple tandem. It would be so amazing for Mom to be able to ride Tracy in the Tour of Hope next year! Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair is shoulder length and looks really pretty. Shelley did a great job! Last October, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Tosi, Orthopedic Surgeon at National Children's Medical Center in DC. Dr. Tosi was very pleased with Tracy's progress, especially her improvement in her tone. She recommended several things: get some blood tests to see what her Vitamin D levels are to determine bone health; start on Vitamin D supplements; get a bone density test; get alcohol blocks to her right hamstring and Botox to her bilateral heel cords and posterior tibialis; try serial casting again. The goal would be to finally get some braces (AFOs) on Tracy once her feet and knee are straightened. We will begin working on this plan with Dr. Pagan and Dr. Tornatore at Georgetown. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) Mom is waiting for Tiffany to show her how to make the link to the album! Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Alternative Therapy Plan Update: Jen, a first year Physical Therapy student in the doctorate of physical therapy program at Marymount, has been coming by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy two to three times per week, on alternate days from Duncan, a third year PT student in the same program. Tracy will be getting physical therapy six days a week! Mom is still working on Occupational Therapy. Tracy is going to George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic twice a week for cognitive/speech therapy. She is working with Melissa and Jen, graduate students in the Speech Language Pathology program. Additionally, Tracy is receiving her third round of 12 sessions of Vital Stim Therapy (twice per week) at Georgetown Sports Medicine Clinic. Once these sessions are completed, Tracy will have another swallowing test to see what progress has been made. Mom is still looking for an Occupational Therapist to work with Tracy once or twice per week. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany defended her thesis project and passed with flying colors! She is scheduled to graduate on December 19th. We are so proud of her! She returned to her internship with the USO for several more weeks. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above.

Monday, November 28th, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. She was totally exhausted after her Mt. Vernon by Candlelight tour Sunday evening. This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for 9 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. Aunt Candy and company left at 6:30 AM on their drive to New Hampshire. They made it safely around 6 PM this evening. We all hated to see them go and really will miss them. During PT, Jen stretched Tracy's extremities. Tracy seemed a little tight this morning, however, after a few minutes of stretching on the mat, she began to relax. Once Jen completed several rounds of stretching, Linda, Mom and Jen got Tracy straddled on the peanut ball. She tolerated about 35 minutes and did a good job relaxing her right leg and hip. Tracy seemed pretty tired this morning; too much sightseeing and visiting with her cousins! As a matter of fact, everyone was moving pretty slowly today. She rested while Linda gave her a facial! She really enjoys having a facial. After lunch, Mom and Linda got Tracy ready for the ride to Foggy Bottom for Speech Therapy. This is Tracy's last week in clinic with Jenn and Melissa. We are sure going to miss them. Thursday is Tracy's last Speech session until next semester, which starts around the end of January. At that time, Tracy will have two new students assigned to her. During Speech Therapy, Tracy was fighting to stay awake. Mom and Linda were also trying not to doze off. The room where Tracy's Speech Therapy is conducted is pretty dark and quiet. It can get a little stuffy in there, and Tracy gets really sleepy. Even with Jenn and Melissa tag teaming, making sure the pace is fast and stimulating, Tracy gets sleepy. It was that kind of day too, gray and overcast, with temperatures in the 60's. Jenn and Melissa continued with their multi-sensory approach. Tracy did a good job answering their questions with head shakes for No and two eye blinks for Yes. She looked at a few of the family photographs as well. When Melissa asked her if she could shake her head for No, Tracy responded with two eye blinks for Yes. This made everyone chuckle, because Melissa was looking for Tracy to shake her head! Tracy's attitude and personality is beginning to emerge. This evening, everyone decided to make it an early night. Tracy should sleep well tonight. Tomorrow, Tracy has Vital Stim at Georgetown Hospital at 3:30 PM, and then Duncan for Physical Therapy at 5:30 PM. Thank you to all our friends and family who sent us Thanksgiving cards and wishes. Tracy received beautiful hand-made cards from two of her best swimming students while in Naples: the Croziers from Bowden, Maine. Thank you! Cousin Theresa always remembers her cousin Tracy throughout the year! Thank you! Cousins Chip and Eileen send cards all the time to cheer Tracy on! Thank you! Aunt Diane always remembers us, especially during special times! We miss you all! We really enjoyed having Aunt Candy, Tanya, Jon and Michael visiting us. They were a big help and we had a lot of fun! Have a great week, stay safe and God bless! Lesson of the Day: : Opportunities To Grow: Life's Lessons!

Sunday, November 27th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. It warmed up a little today with a high in the mid-50's, however it felt colder with high humidity. This morning, Mom and Janneth showered and shampooed Tracy and got her dressed for the day. Tracy does not have any official therapy today, so Dad spent some time stretching and ranging her. Then, Dad took Aunt Candy and company for a tour of the Pentagon. They really enjoyed seeing where their uncle's office is. After the tour, Dad took them on a world wind car tour of DC, highlights included the Capital, the World War II Memorial, Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln Memorials, the White House, the National Mall, and the Vietnam Memorial. Then they headed for the National Museum of American History. Mom, Janneth and Tracy stayed home while Tracy rested a little and Mom and Janneth caught up on the housekeeping. Then Dad picked up Mom and Tracy and they joined the gang at Pentagon Row for a little shopping and some lattes at Starbucks. Everyone watched the little kids learning how to ice skate pushing rubber pails! Mom never remembered learning how to skate like that! After their tour, everyone rested until it was time to head out to Mt. Vernon for the Christmas Candlelight Tour of Mt. Vernon. It was a cool and clear night, so everyone bundled up. We were to imagine that we were friends and family of the Washington's visiting for the holidays. The grounds were decorated the way one would imagine back in 1787. We were escorted to the bonfire to stay warm until our escort arrived to take us to the mansion. Everyone enjoyed warm mulled cider and ginger snap cookies while waiting. When our escort arrived, Michael was assigned the task of courier, to bring the customary letter announcing our arrival to the Washington's home located at the head of the Potomac. The mansion was lit up with simple white candles and the path was lined with lanterns filled with white candles. We found Mrs. Washington in the kitchen where she was baking her famous Great Cake. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the tour. When we returned home, the boys played one more game of Mustang Monopoly with Tiffany and Rick. Everyone had dinner and watched Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. Aunt Candy, Tanya and the boys made us open their Christmas gifts to us. Everyone received many nice gifts. Then it was time to pack and get ready for the long car trip home to New Hampshire in the morning. Thank you to all our friends and family who sent us Thanksgiving cards and wishes. Tracy received beautiful hand-made cards from two of her best swimming students while in Naples: the Croziers from Bowden, Maine. Thank you! Cousin Theresa always remembers her cousin Tracy throughout the year! Thank you! Cousins Chip and Eileen send cards all the time to cheer Tracy on! Thank you! Aunt Diane always remembers us, especially during special times! We miss you all! We really enjoyed having Aunt Candy, Tanya, Jon and Michael visiting us. They were a big help and we had a lot of fun! Have a great week, stay safe and God bless! Lesson of the Day: : Burning Brightly: Allowing Your Soul To Shine!

Saturday, November 26th, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. She seems to be enjoying having her aunt and cousins here visiting for the holiday. It warmed up a little today with a high in the mid-40's. This morning, Dad and Mom bathed Tracy and got her dressed for a day of shopping and sightseeing in Georgetown! Tracy loves to shop, but what girl doesn't? Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan at 9:45 AM. Duncan spent about 25 minutes stretching and ranging Tracy in her bed since Mike and Jon were still fast asleep. He then positioned her on the edge of the bed to practice head and trunk control. After a bit, Dad and Duncan moved Tracy to a straddle position on the peanut ball. She did a good job sitting up with some assistance. After PT, we all headed out to Georgetown. It was a beautiful clear day with blue skies and no clouds. The shops were all decorated for Christmas, complete with Santa Claus. Everyone enjoyed shopping today with the "no tax" special on clothing purchases in DC. When we returned home, Tracy rested on the mat while Aunt Candy and Tanya made eggplant parmesan and braciollini. It was delicious! Tiffany, Tanya and Rick cleaned the kitchen and did all the dishes. Wow! That was great. Mike made his famous Chocolate Chip cookies. Yummy! After dinner, everyone watched FOOTBALL! U of Miami was playing Virginia and they won! Even though they missed their chance at going to a major BCS bowl this year, they have an awesome team and will have a great shot at a National Championship next year! LSU won their game against Arkansas Friday afternoon. Geaux Tigers! This evening, Jon and Mike played Mustang Monopoly with Tiffany and Rick while everyone watched football! Tiffany is enjoying spending time with her cousins too. Tomorrow, Tracy does not have any therapy. Dad is planning to give everyone a tour of the Pentagon, and then we are all going to go to the Museum of American History. This evening, we all have tickets to the Tour of Mt. Vernon by candlelight! It should be beautiful! Thank you to all our friends and family who sent us Thanksgiving cards and wishes. Tracy received beautiful hand-made cards from two of her best swimming students while in Naples: the Croziers from Bowden, Maine. Thank you! Cousin Theresa always remembers her cousin Tracy throughout the year! Thank you! Cousins Chip and Eileen send cards all the time to cheer Tracy on! Thank you! Aunt Diane always remembers us, especially during special times! We miss you all! We are really enjoying having Aunt Candy, Tanya, Jon and Michael visiting us. They have been a big help and we are having a lot of fun! Have a great weekend, stay safe and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Fresh And Unfixed: There Is Only Now!

Friday, November 25th, 2005 ~ Happy Thanksgiving! ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep. It is really cold outside! Today's high was 36 degrees! Brrr! This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her dressed warmly for our sightseeing trip to Great Falls, Virginia! Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen at 10 AM. Jen spent about 25 minutes stretching and ranging Tracy and then it was time to sit on the edge of the mat. Tracy is doing a good job with head and trunk control. She can sit with minimal assistance for about 30 minutes. Then Dad, Linda and Jen rolled Tracy over on her tummy (prone) and worked on stretching her right hip and hamstring. She seems to like this position, and tolerated close to 30 minutes. After PT, we all got dressed warmly and headed out to Great Falls. It was a beautiful drive up Georgetown Pike with all of the mansions decorated for Christmas and all of the horses out in the corals with their cold weather blankets on. The falls were beautiful, and there were many sightseers out walking their dogs in the park. There were even rock climbers scaling the ledge that overlooked the Potomac River. Everyone enjoyed the hike, and then it was time to warm up at Starbuck's with flavored lattes all around! When we returned home, Tracy rested on the mat while we visited with Dolores and Joanna and watched the LSU vs. Arkansas football game. Geaux Tigers! We were all excited that the Tigers won and will be playing Georgia next week in Atlanta! We will be pulling for the Miami Hurricanes tomorrow! Go Canes! This evening, Jon and Mike played Mustang Monopoly with Tiffany and Rick while Aunt Candy and Tanya window shopped in the underground shops of Crystal Plaza. Later, they are planning to check out the restaurants on 23rd Street! Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Duncan at 9:45 AM and then the gang plans to visit some of the sights in DC. They would like to visit the American and Natural History museums after a tour of the Pentagon. We are really enjoying having Aunt Candy, Tanya, Jon and Michael visiting us. They have been a big help and we are having a lot of fun! Have a great weekend, stay safe and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Microcosm Of The Universe: The Way Of Vastu!

Thursday, November 24th, 2005 ~ Happy Thanksgiving! Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Dad showered Tracy and got her ready for the day before Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and the boys got out of bed. We had a late night and they deserved to sleep in a little. Tracy did not have any therapy today however Dad stretched her once she was dressed for the day. Tracy joined all of us in front of the TV to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and really enjoyed the show and company. Around noon, Aunt Candy, Tanya, Tiffany, Rick and Dad went out to get all the food that we had ordered for our Thanksgiving meal. Once they returned, the kitchen turned into a very busy room and everyone added to the preparations. Liz and Steve Tomaszeski joined us and brought their famous sausage stuffing and mashed potatoes. We all enjoyed the feast and as usual, we will have leftovers for the next few days. During the afternoon, Tracy rested on her mat as we all watched the football games. Dalores and Joanna came over and everyone joined in playing several card games. Before we realized it, midnight was upon us. We had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving Day and we hope all of our family and friends that were not able to be with us had as good of a day as ours. Lesson of the Day: Savoring Ceremony : Tea Rituals!

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and the boys are due to arrive today. They are driving from New Hampshire for the Thanksgiving weekend. We can't wait for them to get here. Sasha left to visit her friend Lindsay in South Jersey. She made it there safely. We will miss her a lot! Tracy did not have any therapy today. Linda did her nails and gave her a facial. She had a low grade temperature, most likely from the flu shot she received yesterday. Her urine tests were all normal. That is good news. The blood results that were ready were also all normal. She rested a lot on the mat today and caught up for lost sleep. The weather is really cold and it has begun to snow this evening. There are huge flakes! Hopefully it will not accumulate to much. This afternoon, Linda stayed with Tracy while Mom and Tiffany ran some errands with Aunt Candy, Tanya and the boys. The stores were all decorated for the holidays. It was really festive!This evening, Dad cooked his specialty: rib eyes and salmon steaks. salad and baked potatoes. It was really, really good. Everyone sat around and watched Anger Management. It was really funny! We heard some really sad news this evening. Uncle Mike called to tell us that they had to put our cat, Polo, to sleep today. He had lost half his body weight and the vet said he had developed a stomach cancer. Polo was born on Tracy's birthday, February 26th, in 1993. We will really miss him! Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great Thanksgiving, be safe, stay warm, and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Burning Brightly : Allowing Your Soul To Shine!

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2005 ~ Happy Birthday Frank Erwin! ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. Mom was up a lot last night! Argh! This morning, Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 11 AM Vital Stim at Georgetown Hospital. Tracy has a full dance card today! She has appointments at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda after her Vital Stim appointment. During Vital Stim, Tracy swallowed 14 times and was really trying hard to move her tongue and her mouth. Her Speech Therapist was very pleased with her swallowing. This is a very slow process which is teaching us a lot of patience. After Vital Stim, Tracy had an appointment with Lydia, the wound care nurse at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda to have her scar checked out. She hasn't had it checked since May. Lydia was pleased with the way Tracy's scar had healed. She told Mom and Dad that it will always be vulnerable to further injury, so we have to be vigilant and make sure that we keep pressure off of it. Next, Tracy had blood drawn for some routine lab tests. Everyone got their Flu shot as well. Ouch! This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. First, Duncan went through his usual stretching and range of motion routine, then Mom and Duncan got Tracy prone (on her tummy) on the mat. Tracy tolerated about 15 to 20 minutes. Then Mom and Duncan sat Tracy on the edge of the mat so that she could practice head and trunk control. Tracy did a good job balancing her head. She was pretty wiped out after PT, and snoozed on the mat for remainder of the evening. We are all waiting for Aunt Candy, Tanya and the boys to arrive from New Hampshire. They left this evening and are driving to DC to spend Thanksgiving with us. Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see around the DC area! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great Thanksgiving, be safe, stay warm, and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Embracing Unpredictability : When Life Throws You A Curve Ball!

Monday, November 21st, 2005 ~ Happy Birthday Allison Rand! ~ Tracy slept well last night. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 9 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. Tracy seemed a lot better today. She has been coughing a little more, so Dad increased her Zelnorm a milligram to 2 mgs in the evening. We'll give it a week and see how she does. Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen at 9AM. Jen spent almost and hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then put her ten pound weight on her thigh over her knee to stretch her hamstring. Tracy's hamstring is still shortened and we are hopeful that physical therapy combined with the botox injections that she is going to get in the next several weeks will help to straighten her right leg. Say a prayer that this approach is successful and that she will not need surgery. Jen and Linda got Tracy prone over the peanut ball so that she can weight bear through her knees. This is really good for Tracy's spine and her bones. Since she in not able to stand, this is an alternative means for her to bear weight. Tracy tolerated 35 minutes in this position. Several times, Jen propped Tracy on her elbows so that she could weight bear through her shoulders. After PT, Tracy rested on the mat until it was time to go to Speech Therapy. During Speech, Jenn and Melissa continued working on Tracy's communication skills, using two blinks for yes and head shakes for no. Tracy is getting more consistent with her responses. They are working on getting Tracy to respond quicker and more accurately to their questions using a multi-sensory approach. They are also showing her pictures of her family which she seems to be able to see. We are really pleased with Jenn and Melissa's work and with Tracy's progress. She has two more sessions left and then will have a 6 week break. Tomorrow, Tracy has Vital Stim at Georgetown and then an appointment with Lydia, the wound care nurse at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda to have her scar checked out. She hasn't had it checked since May so keep your fingers crossed that it is OK. She will also get her FLU shot and some blood drawn for her periodic check up. Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see around the DC area! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week, stay warm, and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Personal Tales : Writing Your Story!

Sunday, November 20th, 2005 ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY FATHER, BROTHER, UNCLE JOHN! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY COUSINS GUY AND DAWN! ~ Tracy was up many times last night. Dad was up right along side Tracy. We don't know what is bothering her. This morning, Mom and Dad got Tracy showered and shampooed and ready for 12 noon Mass. Janneth stayed back at the apartment to catch up on chores and cleaning. We are getting ready for Candy, Tanya and the boys' visit for Thanksgiving. They arrive on Wednesday! Sasha made us all omelets this morning for breakfast. They were really yummy! She is the omelet queen! After Mass, Mom, Dad and Tracy stopped off at Pentagon Row for Starbucks lattes. They checked out the new styles in the The Loft, Mom and Tiffany's favorite store. This afternoon, Tracy rested and snoozed on the mat while Dad and Mom finished up some of their chores. Argh! It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the 60s! Dad sat Tracy up on the edge of the mat and she did a good job with head and trunk control. She tolerated 30 minutes in this position. This evening, Rick, Tiffany, Sasha, Tracy, Mom and Dad are going to watch Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy and have pizza! It should be a lot of fun! Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy bright and early with Jen, and Speech Therapy at 2 PM at George Washington University with Jenn and Melissa. Gloria and the girls are planning to come and see us! We are looking forward to their visit! Tuesday, Tracy has Vital Stim at Georgetown and then an appointment with Lydia, the wound care nurse at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda to have her scar checked out. She hasn't had it checked since May so keep your fingers crossed that it is OK. She will also get her FLU shot and some blood drawn for her periodic check up. Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see around the DC area!. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week, stay warm, and God bless! Lesson of the Day: A Tribute To Life : Celebrating Birthdays!

Saturday, November 19th, 2005 ~ TGIS! ~ Tracy slept well last night. It was really cold outside with the mercury dropping below freezing! Brrr! Mom and Dad bathed Tracy and got her ready for 10 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. During Physical Therapy, Jen stretched and ranged Tracy following her usual routine. Jen then stretched Tracy's right hamstring strapping a ten pound weight on her thigh above her knee. Tracy did a good job stretching out her hamstring and tolerating the weight for about 20 minutes. Then she and Mom rolled Tracy on her tummy and stretched her hip and hamstring. Tracy relaxed and stretched out in this position. She tolerated over 35 minutes on her tummy. Jen and Duncan are doing a great job working with Tracy. We are really blessed to have them on Tracy's team. This afternoon, Tracy rested and snoozed on the mat while Dad and Mom cleaned and organized the last of the closets! Yippee! It sure does feel good to be organized. Everyone hung out and watched, you guessed it COLLEGE FOOTBALL! GEAUX Tigers and CANES! Boston College beat Maryland 31- 16! Way to go Eagles! Tomorrow, the weatherman is predicting highs in the 60's. We are hoping to get a bike ride in before the weekend is over! Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see around the DC area! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great weekend, stay warm, and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Overcoming Obstacles : Nothing Is Insurmountable!

Friday, November 18th, 2005 ~ TGIF! ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Tracy has a pretty quiet day today. She only has Physical Therapy with Jen at noon. During Physical Therapy, Jen stretched and ranged Tracy following her usual routine. Then she sat Tracy up on the edge of the mat. Tracy did a good job with head and trunk control. Then, Jen, Tiffany and Linda got Tracy straddled on the peanut ball. She is getting stronger and is able to balance with minimum assistance. She tolerated 35minutes in this position. Joyce, Tracy's new nurse case manager from Brain Injury Services came by to meet Tracy today and to discuss a new plan of care with Mom and Linda. It was great to meet her and we look forward to establishing new goals for Tracy to meet. This afternoon, Tiffany and Linda stayed with Tracy while Mom went to her hair appointment. Tracy was grinding her teeth. Linda gave her a facial and a manicure. She even worked with Tracy's breathing and tried a breathe-rite strip on her nose to give her some input to breathe more through her nose. It seemed to help. Linda is so creative and likes to try new things with Tracy. She is very attentive and is doing a great job! Tracy really loves her! This evening, the weatherman is predicting subfreezing temperatures again! It has really gotten cold, dropping forty degrees in less than 24 hours! I guess winter has really arrived! Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great weekend, stay warm, and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Winged Formation : Birds Fly In A V!

Thursday, November 17th, 2005 ~ 34 Months Since Tracy's Cardiac Arrest! ~ Tracy slept a lot better last night. Mom and Linda dressed Tracy and got her in her chair and into the van for 9 AM Vital Stim at Georgetown Hospital Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center. When we arrived for Vital Stim, Tracy looked a little nauseous. Unfortunately, she got sick to her stomach four times and therefore we decided to give her the day off from Vital Stim. We are not sure what made her sick. Mom thinks it was her driving! At any rate, we may have rushed her from a sound sleep this morning. No more 9 o'clock appointments if we can help it. Mom decided to cancel Tracy's 12 noon Speech Therapy with Jenn and Melissa. She looked too worn out from everything! We let her rest and relax on the mat until Duncan came this afternoon to stretch her. He was easy on her today. After stretching and ranging Trace, he had her sit on the edge of the mat for just 20 minutes today. She tolerated that well. This evening, we let Tracy rest and listen to her guided imagery CD. She looks a lot better! Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Jen at noon and Mom has an appointment with Tracy's new case manager, Joyce, from Brain Injury Services. Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Ask Yourself : The Answers Within Us!

Wednesday, November 16th, 2005 ~ Mamaw is still in the hospital and should go home Thursday! ~ Tracy was up a lot last night. She woke Dad up about every 15 minutes all night long! It must have been the full moon! Mom blames a lot on the full moon! Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Today, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen at 12 noon. During PT, Jen stretched and ranged Tracy's arms and legs paying close attention to her feet, ankles and wrists. After almost and hour, Jen sat Tracy on the edge of the mat to practice head and trunk control. Then Linda and Jen positioned Tracy on her tummy over the peanut ball, so that she could bear weight through her knees. Tracy tolerated 35 minutes in this position. Liz came over to visit and Mom had a chance to run some errands with her. It is so great to have Liz visit us, now that she is all moved into her townhouse. Her cleaning and organizing has motivated Mom to clean out the closets. Things are really shaping up. Tracy relaxed and slept most of the afternoon. Linda had her listening to a meditation/guided imagery CD which really helped her to relax. Linda massaged and stretched her arms, wrists, and fingers, and put on her purple neoprene splints. Tracy tolerated them for over two hours. Emil came over and gave Tracy a massage. She was very relaxed and seemed to enjoy her massage. This evening, everyone helped with cooking dinner and then watched this week's Desperate Housewives that Dad taped. It was a lot of fun. Tiffany's published article came out in the VAnguard Magazine, which goes out to all of the Veterans. Mom wants Tiffany to autograph her copy! (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Evolution Of The Soul : Life Lessons Through Reincarnation!

Tuesday, November 15th, 2005 ~ 34 Months Since Tracy Was Hit By The Car in Florence! Mamaw is still in the hospital and is due to be discharged in a couple more days. ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. Thank goodness! Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Today, Tracy's schedule is a little different: we have never had Vital Stim in the afternoon. Tracy had her Baclofen pump refilled at 2 PM with Dr. Tornatore at Georgetown Hospital. He was very pleased with her tone at this point. He decided to keep her dose schedule the same since it is working. After Tracy's pump refill, Tracy had Vital Stim. This is her second Vital Stim session out of the twelve session series. She had 20 swallows today, which made her Speech Therapist very happy. Her Speech Therapist does not want to give Tracy anything by mouth because her last Modified Barium Swallow showed that Tracy is an aspiration risk. The plan is to continue with Vital Stim and then to repeat her swallow test after the 12 sessions. Tracy's therapist wants to perform Tracy's MBS in her newly modified wheel chair so that her position will be optimal for the test. We are still waiting for her wheel chair components to come in. This afternoon, we received a call from Duncan that he is not able to come this evening to work with Tracy. We are sad to say that Duncan's grandmother has passed away. Please keep Duncan and his family in your prayers. This evening, Nichole, our good friend and Tracy's volunteer is having a pre-Thanksgiving party. We are all planning to attend. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She and Rick are visiting friends in New York City for the long weekend. Sasha has been in NYC since Wednesday. She is also visiting friends. We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Stepping Into Consciousness : Being Aware! Ongoing Events: Thursday, November 10th, during Speech Therapy, Jenn and Melissa continued their multi-sensory approach with Tracy. She has been responding accurately to their questions with two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. Occasionally, Tracy will nod her head for Yes. We are working on more frequency and spontaneity got her nodding Yes. She needs to develop more head control first. Jenn and Melissa are also working with Tracy on using her voice. She is trying real hard and occasionally we hear a sound. We need her to vocalize consistently and more often. Mom brought some large pictures of members of the family for Jenn and Melissa to hold up for Tracy to focus on. They held up the picture of Tiffany and asked Tracy if it was Mom. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they held up a picture of Mom and asked Tracy if it was Dad. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they asked Tracy is Tiffany was younger than her and Tracy shook her head NO. We will continue to practice this. Wednesday, November 9th, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) Wednesday, November 2nd, at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! Last Wednesday, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. e was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Mom is looking at a special bike for Tracy made by Bilenky Bikes that was used in the Ironman by Team Hoyt . (Be sure to click on the link to learn more). The bike is a tandem which would allow Tracy to ride up front so that Mom or Dad can keep an eye on Tracy and so she has the best view. It is Mom's dream come true. The bike is called the Viewpoint and can be made as a double or a triple tandem. It would be so amazing for Mom to be able to ride Tracy in the Tour of Hope next year! Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair is shoulder length and looks really pretty. Shelley did a great job! Last month, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Tosi, Orthopedic Surgeon at National Children's Medical Center in DC. Dr. Tosi was very pleased with Tracy's progress, especially her improvement in her tone. She recommended several things: get some blood tests to see what her Vitamin D levels are to determine bone health; start on Vitamin D supplements; get a bone density test; get alcohol blocks to her right hamstring and Botox to her bilateral heel cords and posterior tibialis; try serial casting again. The goal would be to finally get some braces on Tracy once her feet and knee are straightened. We will begin working on this plan with Dr. Pagan and Dr. Tornatore at Georgetown. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) Mom is waiting for Tiffany to show her how to make the link to the album! Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Alternative Therapy Plan Update: Jen, a first year Physical Therapy student in the doctorate of physical therapy program at Marymount, has been coming by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy two to three times per week, on alternate days from Duncan, a third year PT student in the same program. Tracy will be getting physical therapy six days a week! Mom is still working on Occupational Therapy. Tracy is going to George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic twice a week for cognitive/speech therapy. She is working with Melissa and Jen, graduate students in the Speech Language Pathology program. Additionally, Tracy is receiving her third round of 12 sessions of Vital Stim Therapy (twice per week) at Georgetown Sports Medicine Clinic. Once these sessions are completed, Tracy will have another swallowing test to see what progress has been made. Mom is still looking for an Occupational Therapist to work with Tracy once or twice per week. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany defended her thesis project and passed with flying colors! She is scheduled to graduate on December 19th. We are so proud of her! She returned to her internship with the USO for several more weeks. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above.

Monday, November 14th, 2005 ~ It looks like Mamaw will go home on Monday or Tuesday this week. She will then be readmitted in another week or so to have a total knee replacement. ~ Tracy slept well last night. Thank goodness! Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 9 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. During PT, Jen spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy's extremities, performing joint mobilization on her ankles and feet. Then it was time to sit up on the edge of the mat. Tracy is doing much better with trunk and head control. Mom, Jen and Linda transferred Tracy to a straddle position on the peanut ball. She is sitting so much better on the peanut, which will gradually get her ready to sit with good pelvic stability on the horse. We hope she will be ready for therapeutic horse back riding in the Spring. After PT, Tracy rested on the mat while Linda rubbed lotion on her feet and massaged them with the massager. Liz came over to visit. It was so good to have her back, now that she has finished moving into her new townhouse. We sure did miss her. Around 1:30, Mom, Liz and Linda got Tracy ready for Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic in Foggy Bottom. Jenn and Melissa are doing a great job with Tracy, using a multi-sensory approach. Tracy is responding more consistently and accurately to their questions with two blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. She made some very clear sounds which made Jenn and Melissa very happy. Jenn and Melissa have several tricks to keep Tracy engaged and awake throughout the session. They use very cold scented clay which Mom brings to stimulate her face and keep her awake and alert. They also use a facial massager to keep her engaged. Tracy does not like the facial massager, and several times today she pulled away from it and showed an attitude! Mom sure did recognize those facial expressions! Tracy cut her eyes and also pooched her lips to show that she was ready to meet the challenge. She is trying really hard! The key to her success is repetition, repetition, repetition. This evening, Tania came over to give Mom a massage. She is way overdue and in need! Tania has magic hands and does a great job! Tracy's turn will be later this week. Tiffany, Rick and Sasha made it home safely late last night from New York City. We are glad they had a good weekend. Tomorrow, Tracy has an appointment with Dr. Tornatore to get her pump refilled and then Vital Stim at 3:30 PM. This is the first time that Tracy will have Vital Stim this late in the day, and also after a doctor's appointment. We'll keep you posted. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She and Rick are visiting friends in New York City for the long weekend. Sasha has been in NYC since Wednesday. She is also visiting friends. We are really looking forward to Aunt Candy, her friend Tanya and cousins Jon and Mike's visit next week for Thanksgiving. It has been two years since they visited us. We are planning some fun things to do and see. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Stepping Into Consciousness : Being Aware!

Ongoing Events:

Thursday, November 10th, during Speech Therapy, Jenn and Melissa continued their multi-sensory approach with Tracy. She has been responding accurately to their questions with two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. Occasionally, Tracy will nod her head for Yes. We are working on more frequency and spontaneity got her nodding Yes. She needs to develop more head control first. Jenn and Melissa are also working with Tracy on using her voice. She is trying real hard and occasionally we hear a sound. We need her to vocalize consistently and more often. Mom brought some large pictures of members of the family for Jenn and Melissa to hold up for Tracy to focus on. They held up the picture of Tiffany and asked Tracy if it was Mom. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they held up a picture of Mom and asked Tracy if it was Dad. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they asked Tracy is Tiffany was younger than her and Tracy shook her head NO. We will continue to practice this.

Wednesday, November 9th, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot.

Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) Wednesday, November 2nd, at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! Last Wednesday, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. e was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted.

Mom is looking at a special bike for Tracy made by Bilenky Bikes that was used in the Ironman by Team Hoyt . (Be sure to click on the link to learn more). The bike is a tandem which would allow Tracy to ride up front so that Mom or Dad can keep an eye on Tracy and so she has the best view. It is Mom's dream come true. The bike is called the Viewpoint and can be made as a double or a triple tandem. It would be so amazing for Mom to be able to ride Tracy in the Tour of Hope next year!

Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair is shoulder length and looks really pretty. Shelley did a great job!

Last month, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Tosi, Orthopedic Surgeon at National Children's Medical Center in DC. Dr. Tosi was very pleased with Tracy's progress, especially her improvement in her tone. She recommended several things: get some blood tests to see what her Vitamin D levels are to determine bone health; start on Vitamin D supplements; get a bone density test; get alcohol blocks to her right hamstring and Botox to her bilateral heel cords and posterior tibialis; try serial casting again. The goal would be to finally get some braces on Tracy once her feet and knee are straightened. We will begin working on this plan with Dr. Pagan and Dr. Tornatore at Georgetown.

To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) Mom is waiting for Tiffany to show her how to make the link to the album!

Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint.

Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession".

We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes.

Alternative Therapy Plan Update: Jen, a first year Physical Therapy student in the doctorate of physical therapy program at Marymount, has been coming by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy two to three times per week, on alternate days from Duncan, a third year PT student in the same program. Tracy will be getting physical therapy six days a week! Mom is still working on Occupational Therapy. Tracy is going to George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic twice a week for cognitive/speech therapy. She is working with Melissa and Jen, graduate students in the Speech Language Pathology program. Additionally, Tracy is receiving her third round of 12 sessions of Vital Stim Therapy (twice per week) at Georgetown Sports Medicine Clinic. Once these sessions are completed, Tracy will have another swallowing test to see what progress has been made. Mom is still looking for an Occupational Therapist to work with Tracy once or twice per week.

If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life.

Tiffany defended her thesis project and passed with flying colors! She is scheduled to graduate on December 19th. We are so proud of her! She returned to her internship with the USO for several more weeks.

Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above.

Sunday, November 13th, 2005 ~ It looks like Mamaw will go home on Monday or Tuesday this week. She will then be readmitted in another week or so to have a total knee replacement. ~ Tracy did not sleep well last night. No, she did not. Dad did not sleep well either. Mom had weird dreams about trying to solve a murder mystery. She must be watching too much CSI! It was a very weird dream! She would have rather been up with Tracy and Dad. Mom and Janneth bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on 23rd Street. The wonderful parishioners are still praying for Tracy at every Mass since Christmas of 2003! We all really appreciate their continuous prayers! After Mass, Mom and Dad took Tracy for a ride on the Skyline Drive, a ninety mile drive through the Shenandoah Valley. We did 30 of the 90 miles which encompasses a beautiful drive through the Shenandoah State Park. We made several stops along this scenic drive an actually saw the original Appalachian Trail. There was a sign that said if we hiked 3,000 steps to the North we would end up in Maine and 2,000 steps to the South, we would end up in Georgia! Maybe next time! This evening, we are waiting Tiffany, Rick and Sasha's return from NYC on the Chinatown Bus. We hope they had a nice weekend. Tomorrow, Tracy has 9 AM Physical Therapy with Jen and 2 PM Speech Therapy with Jenn and Melissa at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Tracy only has a couple of weeks left with Jenn and Melissa. We are definitely going to miss them! They have done a wonderful job with Tracy. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She and Rick are visiting friends in New York City for the long weekend. Sasha has been in NYC since Wednesday. She is also visiting friends. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: A Measure of Success : Emotional vs. Intellectual Intelligence!

Saturday, November 12th, 2005 ~ Mamaw is still in North Oaks Hospital in Hammond, LA. Her angiogram came back negative which is good news, she will not need to go through a cardiac procedure. She will need a total knee replacement in a few weeks.~ Tracy slept well again last night. The apartment sure is quiet with Tiffany and Sasha in New York City. We miss them! Mom and Dad got Tracy in her bathing suit and ready for pool therapy with Duncan at noon. Mom, Dad, Duncan and Tracy went to the Sport and Health Club located in the next building behind our apartment. After a ten minute warm up in her chair, Mom, Dad and Duncan transferred Tracy to the edge of the pool. The board recorded a pool temp of 80 degrees, but it felt more like 71 degrees! Brrr! This time, Mom put Tracy wet suit on her to insulate her from the cold. It seemed to help a lot. Mom put on her vest too. Tracy tolerated about 30 minutes. After pool therapy, Tracy took a well-deserved nap. Then Mom and Dad got Tracy into her chair and in front of the television in time for the LSU vs. Alabama game. Geaux Tigers! The University of Miami is also killing Wake Forest! A win could put Miami in second place in the polls! Go Canes! Nana Lilly signed Tracy's Guest Book for the first time by herself last evening. She was visiting her good friend Anita when Anita sat her down and showed Nana Tracy's web site. Nana said she really liked it and she signed Tracy's Guest Book. Maybe Santa should bring Nana a computer for Christmas! Tomorrow, Tracy does not have an "official" therapy. Mom and Dad are planning to take Tracy for a ride on Skyline Highway to see the mountains and the last little bit of the foliage. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She and Rick are visiting friends in New York City for the long weekend. Sasha has been in NYC since Wednesday. She is also visiting friends. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great Veteran's Day weekend and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Cherishing You : Falling In Love With Yourself!

Friday, November 11th, 2005 ~ Happy fifth anniversary Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Mike! Mamaw is still in North Oaks Hospital in Hammond, LA. Her angiogram came back negative which is good news, she will not need to go through a cardiac procedure. She will need a total knee replacement in a few weeks. ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 10:30 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. During PT, Jen stretched and ranged Tracy for about an hour and then Mom, Dad, Jen and Linda got Tracy prone (on her tummy) flat on the mat with her arms and head free to dangle off the edge of the mat. Tracy really seemed to relax and enjoy this position. Jen and Dad were able to get her hip in a neutral position while working on her feet and stretching her hamstring. Tracy tolerated 35 minutes in this position. After PT, Linda gave Tracy a facial and a pedicure while she listened to a meditation CD on her walkman. Oh, how she likes her spa days! Tracy relaxed and rested most of the afternoon with Linda while Mom and Dad got some errands done. Thursday, during Speech Therapy, Jenn and Melissa continued their multi-sensory approach with Tracy. She has been responding accurately to their questions with two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. Occasionally, Tracy will nod her head for Yes. We are working on more frequency and spontaneity got her nodding Yes. She needs to develop more head control first. Jenn and Melissa are also working with Tracy on using her voice. She is trying real hard and occasionally we hear a sound. We need her to vocalize consistently and more often. Mom brought some large pictures of members of the family for Jenn and Melissa to hold up for Tracy to focus on. They held up the picture of Tiffany and asked Tracy if it was Mom. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they held up a picture of Mom and asked Tracy if it was Dad. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they asked Tracy is Tiffany was younger than her and Tracy shook her head NO. We will continue to practice this. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She and Rick are visiting friends in New York City for the long weekend. Sasha has been in NYC since Wednesday. She is also visiting friends. All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great Veteran's Day weekend and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Beyond Words : Body Language! Ongoing Events: Wednesday, November 9th, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) Wednesday, November 2nd, at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! Last Wednesday, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. e was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Mom is looking at a special bike for Tracy made by Bilenky Bikes that was used in the Ironman by Team Hoyt . (Be sure to click on the link to learn more). The bike is a tandem which would allow Tracy to ride up front so that Mom or Dad can keep an eye on Tracy and so she has the best view. It is Mom's dream come true. The bike is called the Viewpoint and can be made as a double or a triple tandem. It would be so amazing for Mom to be able to ride Tracy in the Tour of Hope next year! Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair is shoulder length and looks really pretty. Shelley did a great job! Last month, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Tosi, Orthopedic Surgeon at National Children's Medical Center in DC. Dr. Tosi was very pleased with Tracy's progress, especially her improvement in her tone. She recommended several things: get some blood tests to see what her Vitamin D levels are to determine bone health; start on Vitamin D supplements; get a bone density test; get alcohol blocks to her right hamstring and Botox to her bilateral heel cords and posterior tibialis; try serial casting again. The goal would be to finally get some braces on Tracy once her feet and knee are straightened. We will begin working on this plan with Dr. Pagan and Dr. Tornatore at Georgetown. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) Mom is waiting for Tiffany to show her how to make the link to the album! Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Alternative Therapy Plan Update: Jen, a first year Physical Therapy student in the doctorate of physical therapy program at Marymount, has been coming by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy two to three times per week, on alternate days from Duncan, a third year PT student in the same program. Tracy will be getting physical therapy six days a week! Mom is still working on Occupational Therapy. Tracy is going to George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic twice a week for cognitive/speech therapy. She is working with Melissa and Jen, graduate students in the Speech Language Pathology program. Additionally, Tracy is receiving her third round of 12 sessions of Vital Stim Therapy (twice per week) at Georgetown Sports Medicine Clinic. Once these sessions are completed, Tracy will have another swallowing test to see what progress has been made. Mom is still looking for an Occupational Therapist to work with Tracy once or twice per week. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany defended her thesis project and passed with flying colors! She is scheduled to graduate on December 19th. We are so proud of her! She returned to her internship with the USO for several more weeks. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above.

Thursday, November 10th, 2005 ~ Happy B'Day Aunt Kathy Sue! Dad and Mom met 27 years ago today! Mamaw is still in North Oaks Hospital in Hammond, LA. She is having tests. More information later ~ Tracy slept well last night. Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Tracy has about three more weeks of therapy and then Jenn and Melissa will be busy studying for final exams. Tracy will have new master's students next semester. She is really going to miss Jenn and Melissa. They are working really hard and making a lot of progress. The new semester starts mid-January, so Tracy will have about a six week break. Don't worry, Mom is working on a plan for the break. More later. During Speech Therapy, Jenn and Melissa continued their multi-sensory approach with Tracy. She has been responding accurately to their questions with two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. Occasionally, Tracy will nod her head for Yes. We are working on more frequency and spontaneity got her nodding Yes. She needs to develop more head control first. Jenn and Melissa are also working with Tracy on using her voice. She is trying real hard and occasionally we hear a sound. We need her to vocalize consistently and more often. Mom brought some large pictures of members of the family for Jenn and Melissa to hold up for Tracy to focus on. They held up the picture of Tiffany and asked Tracy if it was Mom. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they held up a picture of Mom and asked Tracy if it was Dad. Tracy shook her head NO. Then they asked Tracy is Tiffany was younger than her and Tracy shook her head NO. We will continue to practice this. After Speech, Duncan came by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. He spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then positioned her in side lying, left side first, to stretch her trunk. Then he rolled Tracy top her right side and stretched her. Tracy really likes this stretch. He then sat Tracy on the edge of the mat so that she could practice head and trunk control. She did a good job and tolerated about 35 minutes. This evening, Tiffany and Rick stayed with Tracy while Mom and Dad went to work out and to get a bite to eat. It was nice to get in the hot tub and sauna and chill out! Tomorrow, Tracy does not have any outpatient therapy. She has Physical Therapy with Jen at noon. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great Veteran's Day and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Smoothing Transitions : 10 Steps To Making Change Easier! Ongoing Events: Wednesday, November 9th, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) Wednesday, November 2nd, at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! ShLast Wednesday, Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. e was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Mom is looking at a special bike made by Bilenky Bikes that was used in the Ironman by Team Hoyt . (Be sure to click on the link to learn more). The bike is a tandem which would allow Tracy to ride up front so that Mom or Dad can keep an eye on Tracy and so she has the best view. It is Mom's dream come true. The bike is called the Viewpoint and can be made as a double or a triple tandem. It would be so amazing for Mom to be able to ride Tracy in the Tour of Hope next year! Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair is shoulder length and looks really pretty. Shelley did a great job! Last Tuesday while at Georgetown, Mom made an appointment for Tracy to be evaluated by Dr. Pagan. He is a neurologist who works with Dr. Tornatore. She has an appointment in the Spasticity Clinic on Wednesday, November 9th. We'll keep you posted. Last Monday, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Tosi, Orthopedic Surgeon at National Children's Medical Center in DC. Dr. Tosi was very pleased with Tracy's progress, especially her improvement in her tone. She recommended several things: get some blood tests to see what her Vitamin D levels are to determine bone health; start on Vitamin D supplements; get a bone density test; get alcohol blocks to her right hamstring and Botox to her bilateral heel cords and posterior tibialis; try serial casting again. The goal would be to finally get some braces on Tracy once her feet and knee are straightened. We will begin working on this plan with Dr. Pagan and Dr. Tornatore at Georgetown. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) Mom is waiting for Tiffany to show her how to make the link to the album! Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Alternative Therapy Plan Update: Jen, a first year Physical Therapy student in the doctorate of physical therapy program at Marymount, has been coming by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy two to three times per week, on alternate days from Duncan, a third year PT student in the same program. Tracy will be getting physical therapy six days a week! Mom is still working on Occupational Therapy. Tracy is going to George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic twice a week for cognitive/speech therapy. She is working with Melissa and Jen, graduate students in the Speech Language Pathology program. Additionally, Tracy is receiving 12 more sessions of Vital Stim Therapy (twice per week) at Georgetown Sports Medicine Clinic. Once these sessions are completed, Tracy will have another swallowing test to see what progress has been made. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany defended her thesis project and passed with flying colors! We are so proud of her! She returned to her internship with the USO for several more weeks. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above.

Wednesday, November 9th, 2005 ~ Mamaw is in North Oaks Hospital in Hammond, LA. She is having tests. More information later. ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. Dad made it home safely last evening from Newport, Rhode Island where he was attending a conference. Mom and Linda got Tracy bathed this morning and off they went to a 9:10 AM appointment with Dr. Fernando Pagan, neurologist who directs the Movement Disorder Clinic at Georgetown Hospital. He and a team of residents evaluated Tracy and we are waiting on authorization from Medicare before she will be able to get Botox injections to the large muscles in her lower extremities. The average time to receive authorization from Medicare is three weeks. The goal of the Botox is to help with relaxing her feet and right hamstring so that the Physical Therapists at Children's Hospital can serial cast her feet to get them straight. After a series of serial casting (similar to braces on your teeth), the orthotist will make Tracy a pair of AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) (similar to a retainer once braces are removed from your teeth). These will help keep Tracy's feet in a plantar position for standing and weight bearing. Unfortunately it is not always as easy as it sounds. Straightening Tracy's feet may require surgical intervention. We are giving noninvasive techniques our best shot. After her appointment, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen at 1 PM. Jen spent about an hour stretching and ranging all of Tracy's extremities and then sat her on the edge of the mat. After about 20 minutes of sitting, Mom, Linda and Jen got Tracy prone over the peanut ball. Tracy weight beared in this positron, tolerating about 30 minutes. At times, they propped Tracy up on her elbows while still on her knees to get some weight bearing through her shoulders. Tracy did a really good job with this exercise. After PT, Tracy had a break before her massage with Emil. She rested on the mat while Linda put on her neoprene wrist splints. Tracy tolerating wearing her splints for about two hours. Then Emil came and gave Tracy a much needed massage. Tracy really relaxed and seemed to enjoy it. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Mom and Dad printed out some 8 x 10 size pictures of our family for Jen and Melissa to show Tracy during her session. We'll keep you posted. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Spoken Imprint : The Human Voice!

Tuesday, November 8th, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Dad returns this evening from Newport, Rhode Island where he is attending a conference. Mom and Linda got Tracy showered and shampooed and ready for her day. Duncan is sick and wasn't able to come to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. He successfully defended his thesis last Friday! Way to go Duncan! Congratulations! Tracy did not have any outpatient therapy today, so it was a perfect time to go for a walk in the jogger. The weather was beautiful for about half the day and then it clouded up. The temperatures are still very moderate for November. Gloria and the girls came over and we all took Tracy for a walk in her jogger on the Mt. Vernon Trail. When we returned, Mom and Linda cleaned and organized Tracy's Therapy Corner. It looks really uncluttered now. Mom is so happy to have some more storage space in the closet. They will continue their crusade throughout the rest of the closets this week. Mom and Linda gave Tracy some hydrolyte today. She tolerated several sips and swallowed well. She did not appear to aspirate any as well. We will continue to practice swallowing every day. We will not give up! Tomorrow, Tracy has an appointment at Georgetown at 9 AM with Dt. Pagan for alcohol injections to her hamstrings and botox injections to her heel chords and posterior tibialis to help straighten her right leg and feet. We will let you know how that goes. At 1 PM, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Jen and then a massage with Emil in the evening. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Lotus of Love : The Fourth Chakra!

Monday, November 7th, 2005 ~ UM Canes Derailed Virginia Tech's Chance at a National Title or Bowl Game! Way to Go CANES! ~ Tracy had a good night's sleep last night, even with Dad gone to Newport to attend a conference. Mom and Linda had to work double time this morning to get Tracy to her 9 AM Vital Stim appointment at Georgetown Physical Medicine and Rehab Clinic. The traffic was pretty bad and we ended up 10 minutes late. Nine o'clock was the last appointment of the week, so Mom had no choice! Tracy's Speech Therapist decided to forego feeding Tracy the hydrolyte (lemon water) since Tracy showed signs of aspiration during the last Modified Barium Swallow. So, we are back to making Tracy swallow with nothing in her mouth. Go figure. Who can swallow nothing????? Mom suggested that the Speech Therapist use some lemon and glycerin swabs to give Tracy some oral stim. She swallowed four times during the session. That is a long way from the forty times she swallowed last session! Mom can't figure it out, nor can the Speech Therapist. The plan is to have 12 more sessions and then do another MBS. If there is no improvement we will stop Vital Stim and try other approaches for swallowing therapy. We will not give up. After Vital Stim, Linda gave Tracy a facial. We are still trying to clear up her complexion. Must be a change in the weather because the same thing happened last October! Tracy had Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic at 2 PM. She stayed awake the entire session. She has been doing better with two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. She is trying really hard to nod for Yes. She also made some good ahhh! sounds today on demand and tried to make an MMMM sound. Tracy tries harder than anyone and it shows. She gets very frustrated at times, but that is what keeps her going. It is a good sign to see a little attitude come through. Our good friends Tammy and Mitchell Abuan from Bainbridge Island, Washington came to visit us this evening. We had a great visit and some good Chinese food. We really miss seeing them. It has been way too long. They brought us some beautiful candles and a butterfly Christmas ornament for Tracy and a snowflake for Tiffany . Thank you! Dad made it safely to Newport, Rhode Island last night where he is attending a meeting . He will be back on Tuesday night. Tracy does not have any Physical Therapy today. She will have PT tomorrow evening with Duncan. Tomorrow is her day off from outpatient therapy and we plan to do something fun! Hope the nice weather holds out! Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Fresh And Unfixed:There Is Only Now!

Sunday, November 6th, 2005 ~ UM Canes Derailed Virginia Tech's Chance at a National Title or Bowl Game! Way to Go CANES! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Janneth showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. They skipped Mass today, and headed for Great Falls Park to see the fall foliage. Everyone and their brother also had the same idea, because it took 30 minutes to get inside the park! Tracy has a Golden Access card which provides her free entry to all state parks in the United States so it was free. It was 78 degrees here today and a beautiful day to enjoy the fall colors. Tracy enjoyed the hike up to the dam in Great Falls. We were able to hike over a rocky wooded trail with Tracy's jogger. We would have never made it through with the wheel chair. Mom is looking at a special bike made by Bilenky bikes that was used in the Ironman by Team Hoyt . (Be sure to click on the link to learn more). The bike is a tandem which would allow Tracy to ride up front so that Mom or Dad can keep an eye on Tracy and so she has the best view. It is Mom's dream come true. The bike is called the Viewpoint and can be made as a double or a triple tandem. It would be so amazing for Mom to be able to ride Tracy in the Tour of Hope next year! Dad left this afternoon to attend a meeting in Newport, Rhode Island. He will be back on Tuesday night. This evening, Rick and Tiffany cooked dinner for everyone. Later, Mom, Tiffany, Rick and Sasha hung out and watched Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy with Tracy. It was a lot of fun! Tomorrow, Tracy has a 9 AM Vital Stim at Georgetown and a 2 PM Speech Therapy session at George Washington University. We hope the weather stays pretty and the rain stays away! Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) last Wednesday afternoon at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! She was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great week and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Beyond The Small Self :Being A Good Global Citizen!

Saturday, November 5th, 2005 ~ Go UM Canes, Beat Virginia Tech Hokies! ~ Tracy had another great night's sleep last night. Mom and Dad skipped the shower this morning because today was the day that Duncan was going to work with Tracy in the swimming pool. Around 11:30 AM, the four of them went to the Sport and Health Club across the street and took Tracy in the pool. It is heated, and they advertised 81 degrees but it felt a lot colder than that. The temperature in Crystal City hit 75 degrees today! It was a perfect Indian Summer Day! Duncan, Mom and Dad spent a little over 40 minutes working with Tracy in the pool. As long as they kept Tracy moving, she did not grind her teeth. Mom thinks that the water may have been a bit of a shock for our girl. She seemed to relax a little once she got acclimated. We plan to make every Saturday workout pool therapy day as long as Tracy likes it. This afternoon, Tracy rested on the mat while Mom and Dad did some fall cleaning and organizing. Mom was cracking her whip and they moved quickly throughout the apartment. Dad put up the little white lights that Tiffany and Rick picked up at Target last night. They looks really pretty and brighten things up on the balcony. Mom wanted the balcony to look festive for the holidays, when Aunt Candy and her family comes for Thanksgiving. Mom has been motivated and in cleaning mode since Linda decided to decorate the tilt table to make it look like a love seat. It is one of those things that you would have to be there to see. It looks really cute. Linda is very talented and has a great eye for color, texture, and decorating. Way to go Linda! Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) last Wednesday afternoon at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! She was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Have a great weekend and God bless! Lesson of the Day: Spiritual Diversification: Expanding Your Sources of Growth!

Friday, November 4th, 2005 ~ Thank God It's Friday! ~ Tracy slept well last night. Her massage with Emil really helped her relax. Linda and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her dressed for the day! Linda helped Tracy select her outfit for the day. Linda really has an eye for colors! She is a true artist at heart! Well, when Mom saw Tracy's outfit she almost screamed! Linda (we think with Tracy's help) picked out a very pretty striped maroon and white pair of pants. What was really funny was that she picked out a maroon shirt that matched her pants perfectly! What did not match was the logo on the shirt! Virginia Tech! UM (University of Miami, Tracy's alma mater) is playing Virginia Tech (the Hokies) in Blacksburg, Virginia tomorrow evening! It is a very big game! Ouch! So, Linda got out the tape and starting writing "NO" above the Virginia Tech and "Go Canes" all over Tracy's shirt. It was truly funny! We hope this brings the CANES good luck for the big game tomorrow evening. GO CANES! Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen at 12:30 PM today. Jen spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then Mom, Linda, and Jen got Tracy straddled seated on the peanut ball. She is doing a really good job relaxing her legs and getting both feet on the floor. Tracy sat up much better with minimum assistance. She tolerated almost 40 minutes sitting straddled on the peanut ball. She is getting closer to being able to support herself on a horse. We will keep practicing and stretching and Tracy should be ready for therapeutic riding in the spring. Mom wants to take Tracy next week to Lift Me Up to sit Tracy on the barrel and see if she is ready to ride. We'll let you know how that goes. This afternoon, Mom and Linda were planning on taking Tracy for a jog in her jogger when the sun went in and it suddenly got a lot cooler. Linda and Mom decided to decorate the tilt table to make it look like a love seat. It is one of those things that you would have to be there to see. It looks really cute. Linda is very talented and has a great eye for color, texture, and decorating. Way to go Linda. Tracy got a phone call from her good friend Allison Rand who is in her last year at UM Medical School! Tracy really recognized her voice and was trying to talk to her! It is so good to hear from Tracy's friends. We sure would appreciate more calls like that! This evening, our good friend Betty came over to visit us. She is here on business from Naples, Italy. We are really enjoying her visit! Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) last Wednesday afternoon at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! She was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Lesson of the Day: Bathing In Hospitality: Foot Cleansing Rituals!

Thursday, November 3rd, 2005 ~ Tracy was up throughout the night grinding her teeth. Needless to say, Dad was up all night too. We aren't sure what was making her grind. Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Speech Therapy at the George Washington Speech and Hearing Clinic in Foggy Bottom. Tiffany came along too. This was the first time that Tiffany saw Tracy during Speech Therapy. She was very surprised and impressed with Tracy's participation. Tracy did an outstanding job with eye blinking appropriately to the questions Jen and Melissa asked her. She is getting a lot quicker and deliberate with her two eye blinks for YES! She is turning her head more spontaneously to the right, especially when there is some one talking to her from the right side. Jen and Melissa have been standing more often on Tracy's right side. Jen and Melissa began placing the colored pole lights on Tracy's right side too and she has been looking at them more too. One exciting thing that happened today is that Melissa tracked a bright balloon in front of Tracy's face and she followed it which means that she is able to see. This is very good news! They are going to work more on visual tracking and recognition using big pictures. Tracy did not have Physical Therapy today. She is getting a massage this evening by Emil. It has been almost two weeks since her last massage. Tiffany is getting a much deserved massage too! Dad will have to wait until next week. Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) yesterday afternoon at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! She was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Tiffany got her article published in theVAnguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Lesson of the Day: A Liberating Goodbye: Cutting Cords!

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well last night. Linda and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 11:15 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. She spent almost an hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then Jen stretched Tracy's hamstring by placing a ten pound weight above her knee while she was lying supine (on her back) on the mat. She tolerated 30 minutes in this position. Mom and Jen sat Tracy up on the edge of the mat so that Tracy could practice head and trunk control. Tracy seemed relaxed and did a good job sitting with minimal support. She tolerated 30 minutes. Tracy had her repeat MBS (Modified Barium Swallow Test) this afternoon at Georgetown University Hospital Radiology Department. Tracy's Speech Therapist was there to administer the various consistencies of Hydrolyte (lemon water) mixed with barium (Yuck). Mom, Dad and Linda positioned Tracy in the high, hard back x-ray chair. This is not a comfortable chair for Tracy and we had to velcro her in. Then Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy small sips of the barium concoction. Tracy did not appear to enjoy this stuff that makes pepto bismol taste good! She was trying very hard to swallow and also moved her mouth and tongue to get the chalky stuff back. The radiologist took pictures as Tracy struggled to move the liquid from the front of her mouth where it likes to pool behind her bottom teeth. She had several good swallows, however, she did have some liquid get down on the puriforms (down the wrong pipe) at the beginning of the trachea. When she felt the liquid trickle down on the puriforms, she was able to clear it. The danger is that Tracy is still at risk for aspiration. Her Speech Therapist recommended 12 more sessions of Vital Stim and is also going to consult her colleagues who are Vital Stim certified to see what other techniques we can incorporate to help Tracy's swallowing. We'll keep you posted. Tiffany got her article published in the Vanguard Magazine which goes out to all of the Veterans. (Click on the hyperlink to view her story: Straight From The Source.) She continues to amaze us with her talents, and we are very proud of her! This evening, our good friends Betty and Glenn came by and we all went to dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. We had a great visit. Betty brought Tracy a beautiful crystal butterfly pin and Tiffany a pretty crystal necklace. She is always thinking of our girls. We love you Betty! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Lesson of the Day: Getting On Track: Trains Are Like People! Catching Up on our Trip to Charleston: Saturday, October 29th, 2005 ~ Tracy woke up once or twice last night and Dad did too. Mom and Dad bathed Tracy and got ready to head to the beach. The Brown's came by to visit us. It was good to see them. Mom and Dad got Tracy in the van and went to Isle of Palms and then to Sullivan's Island. They drove around and saw all of the beautiful Victorian homes, one prettier than the other. Then they got out and walked Tracy down to the beach on a wheelchair accessible boardwalk. The air was cool but the sun was warm. The beach was beautiful and they saw a lot of butterflies. After the beach, they headed back to the hotel to take a break before dinner. Ashley Brown, Liz and Stephen, joined us for dinner at a great Italian restaurant named Sette's. The food was as good as we remembered from Naples. Everyone had a great time. Lesson of the Day: Being Who You Are: Living Your Truth! Friday, October 28th, 2005 ~Tracy had a good night's sleep last night in the hotel bed with the geomat. She really must like being on vacation. Dad and Mom gave Tracy a bath and got her dressed and ready for the day. After a brief stretch, Mom and Dad got Tracy into her chair and off they went to explore downtown Charleston. Mom and Dad had not been to Charleston since 1981, before Tracy's was even born! It was as beautiful as they remembered it with the old antebellum homes nestled along the bay. It was a cool, crisp fall day with the sun shining brightly. Mom, Dad and Tracy stopped for a late lunch before heading to the airport to pick up Tiffany. Everyone was so happy to see her. Her hair looks great, with her new style 10 inches shorter! After Tiffany arrived, everyone went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. Tracy and Tiffany looked so beautiful. So did Mom and Liz for that matter. They all drove to the church which is out on Sullivan's Island. It was a beautiful church with cyprus wood interior. Everyone looked so pretty, especially Katie. She looked beautiful. The ceremony was very touching, with the bride and groom reading letters to each other about how they met and why they love each other. After the ceremony, it was off to the reception at the Cotton House at the Boone Hall Plantation. It was the setting for "Gone With The Wind," "The Notebook," and "North And South." The Cotton House is an old barn where cotton was stored during the pre-Civil War era. It was decorated beautifully with candles, little white lights, and a fireplace. The food was typical southern food, shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, etc. The cake was beautiful. Everyone had been on this web site and knew of Tracy. They were so happy to have her there sharing in this special occasion. We all had a great time. Lesson of the Day: Cherishing You: Falling In Love With Yourself! Thursday, October 27th, 2005 ~ Tiff passed her thesis defense with flying colors! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Linda and Mom got Tracy showered and shampooed and ready for the 8 and a half hour car ride to Charleston, South Carolina to Kate and David's wedding. Dad packed the car while Mom and Linda did some last minute packing. Tracy seemed excited to be going away and staying in a hotel for the first time since her accident. In fact, this is going to be the first for many things: Tracy's first wedding, first night's sleep in a real bed, first 8 plus hour van ride, first time wearing a skirt.. The trip went well, Tracy was a trooper and tolerated her wheel chair with frequent stretch breaks. When we arrived in Mt. Pleasant near Charleston, Tracy was very happy to stretch out on her geomat on the queen sized bed in the hotel room. Liz and Stephen came over with pizza and we all relaxed and watched the BC vs. Virginia Tech game. Too bad BC was beaten so badly! We got the call from Tiffany that she passed her thesis defense with flying colors. We were all very proud of her and happy for her success. She has three more books and short papers to write, a final exam, and a presentation and one page paper to complete and she will be finished with her master's program. Graduation is on December 19th at LSU in Baton Rouge. We are all looking forward to her graduating and getting a full time job! Lesson of the Day: Composing Bliss: Poetry As Meditation! Ongoing Events: Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair is shoulder length and looks really pretty. Shelley did a great job! Last Tuesday while at Georgetown, Mom made an appointment for Tracy to be evaluated by Dr. Pagan. He is a neurologist who works with Dr. Tornatore. She has an appointment in the Spasticity Clinic on Wednesday, November 9th. We'll keep you posted. Last Monday, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Tosi, Orthopedic Surgeon at National Children's Medical Center in DC. Dr. Tosi was very pleased with Tracy's progress, especially her improvement in her tone. She recommended several things: get some blood tests to see what her Vitamin D levels are to determine bone health; start on Vitamin D supplements; get a bone density test; get alcohol blocks to her right hamstring and Botox to her bilateral heel cords and posterior tibialis; try serial casting again. The goal would be to finally get some braces on Tracy once her feet and knee are straightened. We will begin working on this plan with Dr. Pagan and Dr. Tornatore at Georgetown. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) Mom is waiting for Tiffany to show her how to make the link to the album! Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Alternative Therapy Plan Update: Jen, a first year Physical Therapy student in the doctorate of physical therapy program at Marymount, has been coming by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy two to three times per week, on alternate days from Duncan, a third year PT student in the same program. Tracy will be getting physical therapy six days a week! Mom is still working on Occupational Therapy. Tracy is going to George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic twice a week for cognitive/speech therapy. She is working with Melissa and Jen, graduate students in the Speech Language Pathology program. Additionally, Tracy is receiving 12 more sessions of Vital Stim Therapy (twice per week) at Georgetown Sports Medicine Clinic. Once these sessions are completed, Tracy will have another swallowing test to see what progress has been made. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany defended her thesis project and passed with flying colors! We are so proud of her! She returned to her internship with the USO Monday. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above. Have a great week and God bless! Please pray for the people in the path of Hurricane Wilma, especially all of our family and friends in Florida!

Tuesday, November 1st, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep. She was less sleepy today. Linda and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 11 AM Vital Stim, her last of the 12 sessions. Tomorrow, Tracy will have her repeat Modified Barium Swallow. We hope she shows significant improvement and readiness for home feeding. Mom can't wait to reinstitute Tracy's feeding. She has been very patient and obedient, making sure that Tracy is ready for the next step. Today was a fantastic Vital Stim session! Tracy swallowed 40 times during her session (this is not a type-O. Yes FORTY!) She swallowed three more times on her own without the Vital Stim. She did an awesome job! We are all very proud of her. Please say a huge prayer that Tracy does AWESOME during her test. After Vital Stim, Mom and Linda took Tracy for a LONG walk in her jogger. It was a beautiful fall day, with the sun shining brightly and the trees showing their true colors! We walked all the way to the power plant in Alexandria, which is about a four mile round trip. Tracy loved being outside in the beautiful sunshine. A lady bug even hitched a ride on Tracy's jogger. That's a sign of good luck! When we returned from our walk, Duncan came over to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. He spent about an hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat her on the edge of the mat. She is definitely improving in her head and trunk control. Then he leaned Tracy laterally and had her weight bear on her elbows. She is doing a much better job with head control in this position as well. Then, Duncan positioned Tracy in side lying, left side first and worked with stretching her scapulas. Tracy really likes being on her side. When he laid her on her right side, he put a rolled pillow under her right waist to help stretch out her left side even more. That is the side that Tracy needs to elongate. This evening, Mom took Sasha and Tiffany to the Sport and Health Club to check out their facility. Dad signed Tracy up and we are all set to take her swimming this Saturday! They have a heated olympic sized pool, temp = 82 degrees! Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair is shoulder length and looks really pretty. Shelley did a great job! All of the activities performed by the various team members seems to be helping Tracy. She is responding more each day and is beginning to vocalize more and more. Lesson of the Day: Sharing Your Genius: Your Special Gift!