Monday, October 31st, 2005 ~ HAPPY HALLOWEEN! ~ Tracy slept well last night! In fact, she slept most of the day too! Linda and Mom got Tracy dressed and ready for 9 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. After about an hour of stretching and ranging Tracy's joints, especially her ankles and feet, Jen and Mom got Tracy prone (flat on her tummy) on the geomat. Tracy's arms and head was hanging off the edge of the mat. Mom was supporting her head and neck, but she was totally relaxed in this position. Jen strapped a 10 pound ankle weight aroung her left ankle to help stretch Tracy's hamstring. Periodically, Mom and Jen would prop Tracy up on her elbows to get some weight bearing through her shoulders. Jen worked on massaging her shoulders and moving her scapulas around while Tracy was prone. Tracy really appeared to enjoy this position and tolerated it for 35 minutes! After PT, Tracy rested on her side while wearing her purple neoprene wrist splints. Around 1 PM, Mom and Linda got Tracy ready for Speech Therapy at 2 PM at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic in Foggy Bottom. Tracy was pretty relaxed and sleepy through most of the session with Jen and Melissa. She did answer some of their questions, such as: "Is my name Melissa?" asked by Jen. Tracy shook her head No. She had her eyes closed a lot throughout the session which makes it difficult to communicate since she has to blink twice for Yes and shake her head for No. We think she was worn out from the long road trip yesterday. When we returned from Speech Therapy, we let Tracy rest on the mat on her side while we gave her a facial. Tracy looked so comfortable. She slept right through the pumpkin carving contest we had! Tiffany, Dad and Rick carved pumpkins while Mom and Sasha toasted pumpkin seeds. They even made Cajun spicy ones! They were good. Everyone did a good job carving their pumpkins! Then everyone watched Scream 2! What a scary movie! We hope someone is able to sleep tonight, namely Tracy! She needs to rest up so that she is awake and alert for her last Vital Stim session tomorrow. Wednesday, Tracy will have another Modified Barium Swallow test. Please say a prayer that it shows improvement and that she will be eligible for more Vital Stim sessions and that Mom can begin feeding Tracy again at home. 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: Clear Horizons: Blue Skies On A Cloudy Day!

Sunday, October 30th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another great night's sleep last night. She seems to be acclimated to her new accomodations, just in time to go home. Mom and Dad bathed Tracy and got her ready for the LONG ride home. They packed the van and took off around 10:30 AM. They were very thankful for an extra hour of sleep last night, even though it will be getting dark earlier in the evening. The traffic was not bad until we reached the DC area and it flowed pretty well with only a few stop and go's. We made it home by around 7 PM. Tracy tolerated the trip very well. We are very happy that the many firsts for Tracy and our family worked out well: long van trips, overnight in a hotel, staying up late at a wedding and a reception, dressing up in a very pretty formal outfit... and the list goes on! We look forward to many more wonderful trips for happy occasions! Tomorrow Tracy has Physical Therapy with Jen at 9 AM. Then she will have Speech Therapy at 2 PM at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic in Foggy Bottom. We hope that her mini vacation gave her new motivation to work even harder in therapy this week. Tuesday will be her last Vital Stim session and then Wednesday, Tracy will have another Modified Barium Swallow test. Please say a prayer that it shows improvement and that she will be eligible for more Vital Stim sessions and that Mom can begin feeding Tracy again at home. Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! Her hair cut looks really pretty. 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: It Begins With You: Learning To Love Yourself!

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 gor 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 Charelston 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 website 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: Fallng 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 shanpooed 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 Charelston, 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!

Wednesday, October 26th, 2005 ~ Happy Birthday Aunt Candy and Tracy's massage therapist and good friend Tania! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Dad woke up twice during the night when something fell in the shower and scared them to death! It was the shower brush. Mom went in to hang it back up and guess what? It fell again, right when everyone was dosing back to sleep! This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 11 AM Vital Stim at Georgetown Hospital Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic. Today is Tracy's 11th session! She has one more and then will have the repeat Modified Barium Swallow test on November 2nd. Pray for more swallowing and a good test result, please. Today she swallowed twice before her therapist turned on the Vital Stim. Then she only swallowed three times throughout her session. She was the most awake and alert we have seen her during Vital Stim. She also seemed pretty upset and was really getting frustrated. Tracy is trying so hard to swallow. After Vital Stim, Tracy spit up. She was holding her up well throughout her session. She must have gotten dizzy and nauseous throughout her session. After Vital Stim, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen. Jen spent about an hour ranging and stretching Tracy and then stretched out her right leg and placed a weight on her thigh over her right knee. This is an exercise to stretch out her right hamstring. Tracy tolerated this stretch very well. The plan is to get Tracy right hamstring ready for her botox and alcohol injections and then serial casting of her feet. Gloria came over to visit Tracy today. It is always so much fun when she visits. She is a great friend, a guardian angel always taking care of a friend in need. She has had quite a few lately. Please say a prayer for one of her good friends, Heather, who gave birth to twins today! She needs our prayers. This evening, Sasha read Tracy's guest book to her. It had been a long time since we read her emails from all of her friends and relatives. She really seemed to enjoy hearing from everyone. She blinked twice when Sasha asked Trace is she wanted her to continue reading to her. That means YES! Monday evening, Mom began packing for our trip to Charleston, South Carolina tomorrow. We are planning to leave tomrrow to attend Kate and David's wedding. Kate was Tracy's Occupational Therapist at NRH and our very good friend. We are really looking forward to going to Charleston with Tracy and Tiffany, staying in a hotel, and sharing in their special day. Our good friends Liz and Stephen are also going, so it should be a fun weekend. Tiffany is planning on meeting us there after her thesis defense on Thursday! Mom heard from Nana and Uncle Johnny who rode Hurricane Wilma out in Boca Raton. They survived but said they could feel the building rocking on the 11th floor. Pretty scary. Thank God everyone is safe. They went today to assess the damage in Palm Beach and they have no power to pump gas so no one can get any gas. They still have no power in Boca Raton and Uncle Johnny's church is without water or power. They have a 7 o'clock curfew. Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! She sent us a picture and it really looks cute. What a wonderful thing to do for a child suffering from disease-related hair loss! We love you Tiffany! Way to go! Last Friday, Tracy was seen by a pediatric neurologist in Bethesda. Dr. Latimer examined Tracy and validated the direction that we are heading with Tracy's therapy plan and the botox and alcohol blocks. She also recommended that we look into a surgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, used mostly for people with Parkinson's Disease. Mom will continue to research this procedure. 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: Incredible Coincidences : Synchronicity!

Tuesday, October 25th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. Mom slept well too. She went to bed at 10 PM, a first in quite a long time. She slept right through the 6 AM alarm and skipped her morning work out. Boy did she feel guilty. She'll make it up tomorrow. This morning, Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 2 PM Physical Therapy at Georgetown Hospital Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center. Today is her last day of physical therapy at Georgetown. Even though Tracy is making progress, Medicare will not authorize any more visits. We will continue our alternative plan as we have been, it is working. The students are doing a great job! During Physical Therapy, the therapist and the visiting intern positioned Tracy on the edge of the mat. Tracy seemed a lot more relaxed and her therapist was very pleased with her tone. Tracy is doing a good job getting her right leg down on the floor. Then her therapist and the visiting intern laid Tracy back on the mat and stretched her right hip and knee. They showed Mom and Linda several home therapy stretches to do during the day and even took a Polaroid so that Mom can show Duncan and Jen. The stretches include using an ankle weight on Tracy's thigh to help stretch her right hamstring and hip flexor. The therapist wants Mom to make an appointment two weeks after Tracy gets the alcohol and botox injections for a follow-up visit. We hope her wheel chair components that were ordered are in and ready to install. After PT, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. Liz came by to see Tracy and we had some tea and visited while Duncan did Physical Therapy with Tracy. He spent some time stretching Tracy and performing joint mobilization on her feet and ankles, then Mom, Dad and Duncan got Tracy prone (on her tummy) on the mat. Tracy really relaxed into this position and was trying hard to lift her head to look in the mirror. Mom was able to stretch her arms out in front of her while Dad and Duncan worked on getting her legs and hips straight. They used a 10 lb ankle weight to stretch her hamstring. She tolerated 30 minutes in this position! This evening, Tania came over to give Mom a massage. She really was long overdue. She feels much better after a massage. Then everyone watched the World Series while Tracy napped on the mat. Thanks Cousins Caroline and Teresa for the adorable cards! Monday evening, Mom began packing for our trip to Charlston, South Carolina next week. We are planning to leave on Thursday to attend Kate and David's wedding. Kate was Tracy's Occupational Therapist at NRH and our very good friend. We are really looking forward to going to Charlston with Tracy and Tiffany, staying in a hotel, and sharing in their special day. Our good friends Liz and Stephen are also going, so it should be a fun weekend. Tiffany is planning on meeting us there after her thesis defense on Thursday! Mom heard from Nana and Uncle Johnny who rode Hurrican Wilma out in Boca Raton. They survived but said they could feel the building rocking on the 11th floor. Pretty scary. Thank God everyone is safe. They have not left their condo to assess the damage yet. They have no power in Boca Raton and Uncle Johnny's church is without water or power. Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! She sent us a picture and it really looks cute. What a wonderful thing to do for a child suffering from disease-related hair loss! We love you Tiffany! Way to go! Last Friday, Tracy was seen by a pediatric neurologist in Bethesda. Dr. Latimer examined Tracy and validated the direction that we are heading with Tracy's therapy plan and the botox and alcohol blocks. She also recommended that we look into a surgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, used mostly for people with Parkinson's Disease. Mom will continue to research this procedure. 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 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. 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: Checking Your Emotions : Why We Lash Out!

Monday, October 24th, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 9 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. After spending almost an hour stretching and ranging Tracy, Mom, Jen and Linda got Tracy positioned on her tummy (prone) over the peanut ball. This allows Tracy to weight bear through her knees. Tracy really did a good job keeping her spine straight and made every effort to pick up her head in this position. It reminds me of a cobra yoga position! She tolerated 20 minutes and would have gone longer if Jen didn't have neuroanatomy class to get to! After PT, Tracy took a cat nap on the mat. She rested for about an hour or so, and then it was time to go to Speech Therapy at George Washington University in Foggy Bottom. Jen and Melissa, the two master's students in the Speech/Communications program, are really pleased with Tracy's progress. They are doing a great job at motivating Tracy to communicate. Today, they continued their multisensory approach, using all five senses. They are using various textures and asking Tracy questions about them. For example, they will rub a cotton ball on Tracy's face or hand and ask her if it feels soft to her. Tracy will blink twice for yes or shake her head for no. She is also starting to nod yes, which is excellent. Then they have her smell different scents and ask her if it smells like grape, or if she likes the smell, or if she can smell it. She is really getting more consistent and more accurate with her answers. They are trying different lighting in the room as well, because the fluorescent lighting tends to make Tracy sleepy. It make Mom and Linda sleepy too. They are working with a switch that they recorded a brief greeting of Mom's voice saying: "Hi Tracy, you look beautiful today. You look like you just got back from Jamaica." They are working on Tracy pushing the button to hear Mom's voice. She did not want to push the button today when Melissa asked her to. Mom and Linda can observe Tracy along with the speech supervisor in a one way observation room. It is an excellent program and Tracy is really making progress, although it is baby steps. Last evening, Mom began packing for our trip to Charleston, South Carolina next week. We are planning to leave on Thursday to attend Kate and David's wedding. Kate was Tracy's Occupational Therapist at NRH and our very good friend. We are really looking forward to going to Charlston with Tracy and Tiffany, staying in a hotel, and sharing in their special day. Our good friends Liz and Stephen are also going, so it should be a fun weekend. Tiffany is planning on meeting us there after her thesis defense on Thursday! Mom heard from Nana and Uncle Johnny who rode Hurrican Wilma out in Boca Raton. They survived but said they could feel the building rocking on the 11th floor. Pretty scary. Thank God everyone is safe. They have not left their condo to assess the damage yet. Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! She sent us a picture and it really looks cute. What a wonderful thing to do for a child suffering from disease-related hair loss! We love you Tiffany! Way to go! Last Friday, Tracy was seen by a pediatric neurologist in Bethesda. Dr. Latimer examined Tracy and validated the direction that we are heading with Tracy's therapy plan and the botox and alcohol blocks. She also recommended that we look into a surgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, used mostly for people with Parkinson's Disease. Mom will continue to research this procedure. 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 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. 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: Answering The Call : Taking Responsibility For Your Destiny!

Sunday, October 23rd, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep. This morning, Mom and Janneth showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on 23rd Street. After Mass, Mom, Dad, Sasha and Tracy took a LONG walk on the Mt. Vernon Trail all the way to the Marina near Alexandria. It was a very crisp Fall day and the sun was shining. Some of the trees were changing colors, however, a lot of them were still green! Must be because of the very dry summer and fall. This evening, Mom began packing for our trip to Charleston, South Carolina next week. We are planning to leave on Thursday to attend Kate and David's wedding. Kate was Tracy's Occupational Therapist at NRH and our very good friend. We are really looking forward to going to Charlston with Tracy and Tiffany, staying in a hotel, and sharing in their special day. Our good friends Liz and Stephen are also going, so it should be a fun weekend. Tiffany is planning on meeting us there after her thesis defense on Thursday! This evening, we are going to have Thai food and watch Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy. Rick is coming over to join us. Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy at 9:00 AM with Jen and then Speech Therapy at 2 PM at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Tiffany cut 10 inches off her hair today and is planning on donating her hair to Locks of Love! She sent us a picture and it really looks cute. What a wonderful thing to do for a child suffering from disease-related hair loss! We love you Tiffany! Way to go! Last Friday, Tracy was seen by a pediatric neurologist in Bethesda. Dr. Latimer examined Tracy and validated the direction that we are heading with Tracy's therapy plan and the botox and alcohol blocks. She also recommended that we look into a surgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, used mostly for people with Parkinson's Disease. Mom will continue to research this procedure. 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 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. 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: Living Exploration : Discovering What You Want Through Experience!

Saturday, October 22nd, 2005 ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAWMAW! ~ Tracy slept well last night. She was probably exhausted from our late night at the Erwins. This morning, Mom and Nicole bathed Tracy and got her ready for 11:30 AM Physical Therapy with Duncan. He spent an hour ranging and stretching her and working with her feet and ankles. Tracy loves this part because it feels like a foot massage. What girl wouldn't like a good looking guy rubbing their feet! (She takes after MOM!) Seriously, Duncan spends a lot of time performing joint mobilization on Tracy ankles and feet. This keeps the joints flexible and hopefully will help in getting Tracy plantar (feet flat to stand on). After this, Duncan and Dad got Tracy seated straddled on the peanut ball. This was the most relaxed and flexible Tracy has been because she was able to get her legs down on either side of the peanut. Things are looking up for her to be able to sit on a horse soon to do therapeutic horseback riding. Please keep praying that she is able to support herself with enough pelvic stability to sit on a horse soon. Tracy tolerated a little more than 30 minutes on the peanut in this position. This afternoon, Nicole gave Tracy a facial using her Elizabeth Arden Red Door wine scented facial kit that she got last Christmas. Tracy really relaxed and enjoyed it. Then Nicole braided her hair. It looks really cute, like she just got back from Jamaica mon! Today is Mawmaw's birthday (a significant one!) We are so glad that Tiffany is able to be there to spend it with her. The family is all going to the LSU vs. Auburn football game this evening. We wish we could be there to share in the festivities! GEAUX TIGERS! Yesterday, Tracy was seen by a pediatric neurologist in Bethesda. Dr. Latimer examined Tracy and validated the direction that we are heading with Tracy's therapy plan and the botox and alcohol blocks. She also recommended that we look into a surgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, used mostly for people with Parkinson's Disease. Mom will continue to research this procedure. 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 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. 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: Pet Medicine: Animals As Healers!

Friday, October 21st, 2005 ~ Tracy woke up at around 3 AM and (there is no better way to say this than...) vomited! We are not sure why she got sick, but the last time this happened it was after her massage the evening before. We ususally wait to feed Tracy her dinner until after her massage, so she ends up eating late. This could be the culprit. This morning, Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 10 AM Vital Stim (#10) at Georgetwon Hospital. Tracy was again very awake and alert. She swallowed once or twice before her Speech Therapist turned on the electrical stimulation. Then Tracy swallowed at least 10 to 12 times with the Vital Stim ranging from 2 to 7.5. The key is that she is trying really, really hard to swallow, and that it wasn't just a reflex. She is working real hard to regain control of her tongue too. Her Speech Therapist gave her several teaspoons of watered down nectar consistency hydrolyte (lemon water). Tracy did a good job with lip closure, however, this is still inconsistent. When we returned from Vital Stim, it was out the door again, this time to a new pediatric neurologist in Bethesda. Dr. Latimer examined Tracy and validated the direction that we are heading with Tracy's therapy plan and the botox and alcohol blocks. She also recommended that we look into a surgical procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, used mostly for people with Parkinson's Disease. Mom will continue to research this procedure. This evening, Mom, Dad and Tracy went to our friends, the Erwins, for dinner. It was a wonderful evening, full of laughter, good Italian food and wine (raviolis with homemade Italian gravy), stuffed frozen lemons with sorbet (Tracy's favorite), and friendship. (See Lesson of the Day below). We were out 'til midnight! Tracy seemed to enjoy being out with the family. The only one missing was Tiffany! 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 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.. 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: Nourishment For The Soul: Breaking Bread Together!

Thursday, October 20th, 2005 ~ Tracy was up every hour all night but seemed to sleep well in between. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Tracy had her best speech therapy session yet. She was alert and awake the entire session. She was trying so hard to talk! She made some new sounds and it even looked like she mouthed YES! She also sounded like she said NO! Tracy is starting to nod her head yes as well as blink twice for yes. Her blinks are getting closer together and more consistent and she is answering questions more accurately. She also shook her head more today when answering NO. Honestly, Tracy's attitude (you know our Tracy can have an attitude) came through more today, for example, she gave Jen and Melissa a dirty look when they touched her face. When they asked her "Do you want me to stop touching your face, Tracy?" She answered with two blinks and a head nod. Please pray that Tracy starts talking soon. She is really trying to! When we returned from Speech Therapy, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. He worked on joint mobilization with her feet and ankles for a while and then stretched and ranged Tracy's extremities, especially her hips and torso. Then, Dad and Duncan got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat for thirty minutes. While in this position, Dad worked with Tracy's feet postioning, and Duncan leaned Tracy side to side, propping her on her elbows to get weight through her shoulders. Tracy did a good job with head control in this position. This evening, Emil came to give Tracy a well-deserved massage. Mom went to get her hair cut by Dario. It really looks cute! 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 has 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 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. 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: Letting Your Soul Be Heard: Being Witnessed

Wednesday, October 19th, 2005 ~ Happy Birthday Cousin Eileen and Duncan! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for her day. Today is Tracy's day off, and we planned to hit the Mt. Vernon Trail for a LONG walk. It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the 70s! We also had doctor's orders for Tracy to get her daily dose of Vitamin D. Gloria and Liz came over around 11 AM, and we all had lunch out on the balcony. Then we got Tracy in the jogger and hit the trail. Tiffany joined us for an invigorating walk. She just finished her thesis project and hit Kinkos for copying and bounding. She leaves tomorrow morning on a 6:50 AM flight to Baton Rouge. Her defense is scheduled for October 27th. When we returned from our walk, Jen came for Tracy's Physical Therapy. She ranged and stretched Tracy and then sat her on the edge of the mat. Tracy was nice and relaxed from her walk and sunshine break. Then, Mom, Linda and Jen got Tracy prone on the peanut ball so she could weight bear through her knees and hips. Tracy's spine and shoulders look really straight in this position. Mom took advantage of the position and brushed Tracy's hair which she seemed to enjoy. Then we got Tracy propped up on her elbows on the peanut and she was able to weight bear through her shoulders. Her shoulder blades demonstrated good symmetry in this position. Tracy tolerated over 30 minutes! This evening, our good friend and Tracy's volunteer, Nichole, came by to see Tracy. It had been several weeks since we saw her and we missed her a lot. Tracy had a good visit with Nichole. She read her the first chapter of the book: Hope For The Flowers. Tracy loves that story. Yesterday 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 has 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 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. This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. He worked with her feet and hips, performing joint mobilization in her feet and ankles. This definitely beats the alternative, which is orthopedic surgery. We are doing everything in our power to exhaust all noninvasive approaches before discussing surgical intervention. Duncan and Mom positioned Tracy on her left side to stretch her left torso. Tracy really seemed to relax and enjoy this stretch. She tolerated about 30 minutes and then Mom and Duncan turned Tracy on to her right side, placing a rolled up pillow at her waist to help increase her left trunk stretch. 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: Emptiness Becomes Openness: Sometimes A Loss Can Be A Gain!

Tuesday, October 18th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 1 PM Vital Stim Therapy at Georgetown Hospital Sports Medicine and Rehab Clinic. After Linda and Mom got Tracy ready for the day and transferred her to the mat, Linda set out for the Arlington County Health Department to get her PPD test. This is a requirement of the state of Virginia, who oversees the Personal Assistance program that Tracy receives. When Linda returned, they were off to Vital Stim therapy. Linda did Tracy's facial exercises while they waited in the Lobby for her Speech Therapist. Tracy was already doing some great swallowing, even before her therapist put on the Vital Stim electrodes. She swallowed around 10 to 12 times during the abbreviated thirty minute session. Her Speech Therapist was very pleased with Tracy's performance. She swallowed almost immediately when her therapist gave her some of the watered down nectar consistency lemon flavored water (Hydrolyte). This is a good sign. Today was Tracy's 9th session. She has three more sessions left and then we will do a repeat Modified Barium Swallow on Wednesday, November 9th at 2:30 PM. Tracy had Physical Therapy at 2 PM. Mom and Tracy's PT transferred Tracy on to the therapy table and then Tracy was ranged and stretched. Her PT was very pleased with Tracy's improved tone. She sat her up on the edge of the table and Tracy lowered her head on command. She was sitting a lot better than she did when she first started going to Georgetown in July. 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. Yesterday, Tracy has 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 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..This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. He worked with her feet and hips, performing joint mobilization in her feet and ankles. This definitely beats the alternative, which is orthopedic surgery. We are doing everything in our power to exhaust all noninvasive approaches before discussing surgical intervention. Duncan and Mom positioned Tracy on her left side to stretch her left torso. Tracy really seemed to relax and enjoy this stretch. She tolerated about 30 minutes and then Mom and Duncan turned Tracy on to her right side, placing a rolled up pillow at her waist to help increase her left trunk stretch. 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: Avoiding Negative Vibrations: Taking On The Energy Of Others!

Monday, October 17th, 2005 ~ 33 Months Since Tracy's Cardiac Arrest! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 9 AM Physical Therapy with Jen. After an hour of ranging and stretching, Jen and Mom got Tracy on the edge of the mat to practice sitting. She demonstrated good head and trunk control and tolerated a little over 30 minutes. Tracy has been turning her head more spontaneously to the right which is a HUGE improvement, especially since she was always favoring turning her head to the left. She has also been displaying the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (a fancy name for a fencing posture which would start with Tracy turning her head to the left in spasm and then extend her left side and flex her right side of her body). Tracy still has a slight amount of nystagmus (eye movement) when we lay her back down on the mat and her head is positioned on the pillow, however, we are able to talk her through it where she can focus her eyes or blink to counteract it. Way to go Tracy! Linda and Mom brought Tracy to her 2 PM appointment at the George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic at Foggybottom. Tracy really likes being in a university campus setting. Jen and Melissa worked with Tracy using a multisensory approach. They spent some time asking Tracy Yes/No questions where 2 blinks meant Yes and head shakes meant No. Tracy did not seem to want to shake her head for No today. She was a little sleepy but was trying very hard to stay awake. Mom and Linda also were sleepy. The lighting seems to be a bit surreal, so Mom suggested using a pole lamp in place of the fluorescent lights. They never are very flattering to a girl anyway! Tracy made some new sounds with her voice and also had some excellent coughs and swallows. After Speech, Mom and Linda brought Tracy to her 4 PM 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 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. This evening, Tracy was pretty exhausted from her LONG day. We did not get home from her appointment until around 7:30 PM! Tomorrow Tracy has a busy day with Vital Stim at 1 PM and Physical Therapy at 2 PM at Georgetown. Lesson of the Day: Borrowed Vision: Somebody Believes In You!

Sunday, October 16th, 2005 ~ Tracy had a good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom and Janneth bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on 23rd Street. Tracy has a great team of Personal Care Assistants: Linda, Nicole, and Janneth. Dad went to Starbuck's to get us lattes and scones this morning, our regular weekend ritual. After Mass, Mom and Dad joined our friend Glenn for a bike ride to Rock Creek Park. It was a beautiful fall day, temperatures in the 60s with the sun shining. It was a new trail for us and proved to be challenging with the wind blowing in gusts up to 25 mph. This was especially challenging for Dad who is taller than the others. The bridges were even more challenging. Tiffany, Rick, Sasha and Janneth stayed with Tracy. She rested on the mat while everyone watched Fever Pitch. It was a cute movie with Drew Barrymore about the Red Sox, if you haven't seen it. This evening, Mom sat Tracy on the edge of the mat for about 30 minutes to practice head and trunk control. She tries so hard! Then Tiffany, Rick, and Sasha stayed with Tracy while Mom and Dad went out for a quick dinner. They brought burgers back for everyone. We can't wait until Tracy can eat a burger with us! Please control to pray that she does well with Vital Stim swallowing therapy. She has about 4 or 5 more sessions left to complete. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic and then she has an appointment with Dr. Tosi at Children's Hospital. Dr. Tosi is the Orthopedic Surgeon who saw Tracy in May and recommended surgery to straighten her feet and to release her right hamstring. We will get an update from her tomorrow. Lesson of the Day: Nurturing Growth : Spiritual Parenting!

Saturday, October 15th, 2005 ~ 33 Months Since Tracy Was Hit By The Car in Florence! ~ Tracy slept well last night all but about an hour. Dad gave her some Tylenol and she went back to sleep. This morning, Mom and Nicole showered Tracy and got her ready for 11:30 AM Physical Therapy with Duncan. Nicole is Tracy's new Personal Care Assitant who will helping out on Saturdays. Dad went to Starbuck's to get us lattes and also stopped by the Sport and Health Club to discuss membership options so that we can bring Tracy in the pool on weekends. The Sport and Health Club is located behind our apartment so we could walk over to the pool. We hope to start next weekend. During Physical Therapy, Duncan stretched and ranged Tracy and then got her on the edge of the mat to practice head and trunk control. Then Dad, Duncan and Mom positioned Tracy prone (on her tummy) on the peanut. Tracy bears weight through her knees and hips in this position. She tolerated almost 30 minutes on her knees and alternating leaning on her elbows. She tried real hard to pick her head up in this position. This afternoon, Tracy rested on the mat while Nicole and Mom massaged her fingers, hands and wrists with Gardenia scented lotion. It is very important to keep Tracy's fingers and wrists flexible and to prevent contractures. Then Mom demonstrated facial exercises to Nicole, but Tracy did not like her doing this and started to grind her teeth. Mom asked her if she wanted her to stop and Tracy blinked twice for YES so they stopped. This evening, Mom, Dad, Tiffany and Rick watched LSU beat Florida while Tracy rested on the mat. GEAUX Tigers! They were also very happy that the University of Miami beat Temple and that Boston College beat Wake Forest. Sasha was able to go to Philadelphia to watch the UM game. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, after 8 days of solid rain. We hope tomorrow will also be sunny and warm. Lesson of the Day: A Twisting Path : There Are No Straight Lines in Nature Or In Life!

Friday, October 14th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 11:00 AM Vital Stim Therapy at Georgetown Hospital Sports Medicine Clinic. They dressed her in her new green shirt with sequins and khaki gauchos. She looked really adorable. During Vital Stim Therapy, Tracy swallowed around 8 times. We are not sure why she only had 8 swallows. She was trying so hard! She has been averaging any where between 29 to 39 swallows per day. Maybe today was an off day! She seemed tired and with the weather so dreary (8 rainy days), it is a perfect sleepy day! When we returned from Vital Stim, Tracy took a long nap while Linda gave her a facial and stretched and ranged her arms, hands and wrists. She put heated buckeys (the rice packs you warm in the mircrowave) on her hips and shoulders. It really helped her relax! Linda put heated mits on Tracy after rubbing hand cream on her fingers. Tracy really loves Linda! Linda loves Tracy too! This evening, Mom sat Tracy on the edge of the mat for around 30 minutes. She did a good job with trunk and head support. Practice, practice, practice. She was pretty sleepy this evening and rested well on the mat. Lesson of the Day: Small Wonders : Little Things That Make You Happy

Thursday, October 13th, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well last night until around 2:30 AM, when she woke up and threw up. (Sorry, this is not pleasant!). We think she has the same allergy/chronic cough that Mom and Tiffany have. It makes you cough until you almost gag! (I told you this would not be pleasant.) We hope that whatever the little culprit is will either blow away or wither away and DIE soon!. This morning, Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 12:00 Noon Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Liz arrived at about 11-ish and we were off to Foggy Bottom and GWU. We think Tracy really enjoyes the urban campus atmosphere, and she seemed to take it all in. It was a very Seattle-type day, misty and clear and Mom thought she smelled a fireplace (is she hallucinating?) Liz and Linda thought it was the cedar wood chips around the trees! Liz dropped off Mom, Linda and Tracy and parked the van since all of the handicapped accessible spaces were taken in the parking garage. Linda ran into Starbucks to get Mom, Liz and herself a latte and a maple walnut scone to share. It was that kind of day, when caffeine was in great need. Then they were off to Speech Therapy. Jen and Melissa were waiting for Tracy and took her into the therapy room. Mom, Linda and Liz went into the adjoining observation room, complete with one way mirror. This facility is so state of the art! Jen and Melissa are doing an awesome job with Tracy. They are really dynamic and keep things exciting and moving fast for Tracy. Their supervisor, Irene, is very receptive to all and any ideas to improve Tracy's success. The team is constantly making changes and trying new things each session. Jen and Melissa decided to hold off on the music to later in the session and offer music as a reward for Tracy's effort and performance throughout the session. During the session, Jen and Melissa repeated a lot of the same multi-sensory activities, such as using aromatherapy and cold sensation with the chilled scented clay (Lavender today). Tracy seems to respond well to touch and scent. She has more difficulty with visual perception. We are working on this. Tracy is very auditorily sensitive. Jen and Melissa frequently use a large buddy button which has a brief greeting that they recorded with Mom saying: "Hi Tracy, it's MOM. You look bee-u-ti-ful today. You look like you just got back from Jamaica!" Tracy seems to respond to Mom's voice, and was looking around for Mom today when she heard her voice. One of the goals is to get Tracy to push the large red buddy button to hear Mom's voice, to teach cause and effect and switch training. Tracy made some different sounds today on command from Jen and Melissa. She made a high pitched sound which really pleased her therapists, demonstrating that she has a voice and also can access it on command. This should improve and become more consistent with more practice. After Speech Therapy, the girls stopped off at one of their favorite stores: Expressions. They found some cute things for Tracy to wear to Kate's wedding. Kate was Tracy's Occupational Therapist from NRH. She is getting married in Charlston, South Carolina at the end of the month! This will be Tracy's first time staying in a hotel. We are really looking forward to sharing in Kate and David's special day! When Tracy returned home, it was time for a brief rest on the mat before Duncan came over to do PT. When he arrived, he spent about an hour ranging and stretching Tracy from head to toe. Tracy was really relaxed. Then it was time to sit Tracy on the edge of the mat. Tracy did a great job getting her right hip and knee down. She was still very relaxed, especially her arms. Duncan leaned Tracy from side to side, allowing her to bear weight through her elbows and shoulders. Tracy did a good job with head and trunk control. She tolerated about 35 to 45 minutes in this position. Thanks Christine for the adorable Halloween pumpkin teddybear and cute card! As you know, Tracy loves Halloween! (Mom had a few candy corns! Yummy!) Lesson of the Day: Breaking The Wave : The Tipping Point

Wednesday, October 12th, 2005 ~ Mom rode her Spin bike for THREE HOURS at 16 mph (50 miles) Monday evening in honor of Tracy! Since the Lance Armstrong Tour of Hope was cancelled, she made her own Tour of Hope to thank all of you who donated to support cancer research! LIVESTRONG! ~ Tracy slept well last night. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 1:00 PM Physical Therapy with Jen. Nicole, Tracy's Saturday Personal Assistant, came by for another three hours of training. She starts this Saturday. Linda did a really good job training Nicole. After her bath, Linda showed Nicole how to perform Tracy's facial exercises. Gloria came over and she and Mom went downstairs for some coffee and lunch at Au Bon Pain. It was great to spend some time with Gloria and also good to take a break and get out of the apartment. At 1 PM, Jen came and did Physical Therapy with Tracy. She spent about an hour or so ranging and stretching Tracy on the mat. She concentrates a lot on Tracy's feet and ankles. Then she and Linda got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat. Tracy relaxed in this position and Mom, Jen and Linda transferred Tracy to the peanut ball in a straddled position. Tracy did a good job supporting herself with assistance, tolerating a little over 30 minutes! We are really working hard to get Tracy's trunk stability ready for therapeutic horse back riding. She is improving every day in her trunk strength and stability. This afternoon, Mom and Linda worked on sensory integration activities with Tracy. They used chilled scented clay and also the scented buckeys that they warmed in the microwave. Tracy really enjoyed all of the attention. Linda painted Tracy's nails a nude color. She also gave Tracy a clay facial using Sasha's Clinique Emergency masque. It really works! Linda is doing a great job taking care of Tracy! Tracy really likes her too! This evening, Emil came by and gave Tracy a much needed massage. She really relaxed this time and seemed to enjoy it. Mom and Dad are getting in line for one real soon! Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Liz is planning on going with us, and we hope to hit the cute shops at 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are really looking forward to seeing Liz tomorrow. Thanks Christine for the adorable Halloween pumpkin teddybear and cute card! As you know, Tracy loves Halloween! (Mom had a few candy corns! Yummy!) Lesson of the Day: Giving of Herself : Mother

Tuesday, October 11th, 2005 ~ Mom rode her Spin bike for THREE HOURS at 16 mph (50 miles) last evening in honor of Tracy! She made her own Tour of Hope to thank all of you who donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support cancer research! LIVESTRONG! Welcome to Tracy's web site! We update this site as frequently as possible in hopes to keep you all posted on Tracy's continued progress. Please let me know if you find an error. Thank you for visiting us and feel free to write Tracy a note in her Guest Book! Your emails mean so much to Tracy and the entire Anzalone family.Current Events: Tracy woke up at 6:00 AM and was grinding her teeth. Mom gave her some Tylenol and that seemed to help. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for 1:00 PM Vital Stim at Georgetown. This is her 7th out of 12 planned sessions, and then she will have another Modified Barium Swallow. During Vital Stim, Tracy swallowed around 18 to 20 times. She is doing a good job protecting her airway, and coughs very strongly. After Vital Stim, Tracy had Physical Therapy. Her PT spent some time stretching Tracy on the mat and getting her into a neutral position on her back (supine). The PT intern assisted with flexing Tracy's hips and knees. Then they sat Tracy on the edge of the mat and she did a good job maintaining good head and trunk control. When we returned home, Tracy had more Physical Therapy with Duncan, her PT Aide. He spent another hour or so ranging and stretching Tracy on the mat. He spends a lot of time stretching Tracy's hips and trunk. Then he got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat. Tracy relaxed in this position and Mom and Duncan transferred Tracy to the peanut ball in a straddled position. Tracy did a good job supporting herself with assistance, tolerating 45 minutes! Tomorrow Tracy has a day off from official therapy and we are planning to do something fun. She has Jen at 1 PM for Physical Therapy. We hope the weather cooperates. Thanks Christine for the adorable Halloween pumpkin teddybear and cute card! As you know, Tracy loves Halloween! (Mom had a few candy corns! Yummy!)Lesson of the Day: Overcoming Obstacles: Nothing Is Insurmountable

Monday, October 10th, 2005 ~ Happy Columbus Day! ~ Tracy was awake several times last night grinding her teeth. Dad gave her some Tylenol and that seemed to help. This morning, Mom gave Dad the morning off and he got to sleep in! He definitely needed it. Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 10:30 AM Physical Therapy with her PT Aide, Jen. Jen stretched and ranged Tracy from head to toe and back again and then it was time to sit up on the edge of the mat. Tracy seemed very relaxed, especially in her hips. Dad, Linda and Jen positioned Tracy on her tummy (prone) over the peanut ball so that she could bear weight through her knees and hips. Dad got her hips square and her back straight in this position. Linda was working with Tracy to get her to lift her head. Then they got her propped up on her elbows on the peanut. Tracy did a great job in this position and tolerated 30 minutes. After PT, Tracy rested up for a bit before it was time to go to her Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Jen and Melissa, the two master's students, worked with Tracy using many different types of sensory stimulation. They played some of her favorite music: Bare Naked Ladies, and asked her questions such as: "Is this a slow song?" and "Is this the Bare Naked Ladies?" and "Do you have autographed drum sticks from the Bare Naked Ladies?" and "Did you mother get them for you?" Tiffany actually got them for Tracy when she was working with Washington 104.1 radio. Tracy seemed a little sleepy. Mom was afraid that we wore her out during PT. When the therapists turned off the music to work with Tracy, she seemed to perk up a lot. It seems that the music makes Tracy sleepy, which makes sense, because Mom puts Tracy's IPod on her when she wants her to relax. Jen and Melissa worked with some aromatherapy clay that Mom brought. It was cold because Mom puts it in the freezer. It smells like eucalyptus, and Tracy tried to sniff it on command, several times. Then Melissa and Jen put different items in Tracy's hand for her to feel. They put a key in Tracy's hand, and asked her if it was a tooth brush. Tracy shook her head No appropriately. Then, they worked with grape flavored gloves and had Tracy try to close her lips. She tried really hard. They used a whistle to see if Tracy could close her lips around the whistle and blow. It had been several months since Tracy blew the whistle with Karman. We will keep working on this. This evening, everyone relaxed and we ordered pizza. Tracy rested on her mat. Tomorrow, it will be back to work! Hope everyone had a nice long Columbus Day weekend. Lesson of the Day: Overcoming Obstacles: Nothing Is Insurmountable

Sunday, October 9th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another great night's sleep. Mom slept really well too. This morning, Dad gave Mom the morning off and he and Janneth bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 Noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Mom and Sasha went to Starbucks for lattes and scones, the usual Sunday breakfast menu. The rain had finally let up and the cold front had moved in. It would have been a "not so bad" day for the 50-mile Tour of Hope. Oh well, better luck next year! Mom got on her Spin bike last night and rode for an hour so she felt a lot better this morning. Dad and Mom took Tracy to Mass and Janneth finished up the laundry. Where does it all come from? Tracy is gettting a lot better at sitting in her chair and was relaxed during Mass. It was one of Mom's favorite sermons: "Many are called but few are chosen." She could really relate to that theme. (HaHa). Dad spent some time stretching Tracy and sitting her on the edge on the mat for 45 minutes. She practiced head and trunk control. She also caught up on her rest today and is ready for another week of therapy. Mom, Tiffany and Sasha went to see "In Her Shoes" at the movies. It was really a good movie if you haven't seen it, you should. Bring a box of tissues. It is a real tear jerker. (The Lesson of the Day should have more meaning if you saw the movie.) This evening, we all hung out and watched television. We are so glad to have tomorrow off. Have a great Columbus Day! Lesson of the day: Steps In The Right Direction: 8 Ways To Make A Difference In the World

Saturday, October 8th, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Mom, on the other hand, slept about three and a half hours and then was up to get ready for the Tour of Hope. One very strange bit of information, when Mom picked up her packet for the Tour, she looked inside for her number (thinking to herself: I hope there are no 15s or 17s in my number, the day Tracy was hit by the car and had her cardiac arrest). Her number for the Tour: 1517! Go figure! Dad drove her and the bike to the JW Marriott where the shuttles were to leave for the start of the 50-mile ride. It was raining really hard, so hard that you could not see about 5 feet in front of you. Mom checked the official Tour of Hope web site and discovered that the ride was scheduled to go on, rain or shine. It was pretty exciting at the hotel, where volunteers were waiting to load the bikes and the riders to shuttle them to the start of the 50-mile ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was so dark and dreary and many of the roads were flooded. The spirits were high on Bus #2, as the riders chit chatted and got themselves mentally ready to ride in the rain. After what seemed like and eternity, the bus reached the start location. Everyone sat on the bus for directions from one of the Bristol Myers Squibb team members. Then the news was delivered: the local law enforcement had decided to cancel the Tour! Many of the roads on the route were under water. It would not be safe to ride. You could sense the disappointment on the bus! Mom said she now knew what a football player felt like who trained to get in the game, but found himself on the bench. But let's not lose sight of the purpose of the Tour! While it is a 50-mile ride that Mom trained for, the real ride was the contributions that everyone made for cancer research! That was what we were all there for, whether we rode or not! On our way back to the hotel, our bus broke down, complete with smoke and the smell of burning rubber! We were stranded on the side of the busy interstate in a broken down bus! A little more than an hour later, another bus came to rescue us. Our bikes were already back at the hotel in a large rental truck! We later learned that all of the events planned on the Ellipse in front of the White House had also been cancelled. We were told that all registered riders were invited to the Finale in the Grand Ballroom of the JW Marriott Hotel at 1 PM to cheer in the Tour of Hope National Team and Lance Armstrong. Mom returned home to help Dad and Linda get Tracy showered and ready for the day. Then, around 12:00 noon, Mom and Tania braved the heavy rain and metroed to the Finale. Another disappointment awaited them, when they arrived at 12:30 PM and were told that the ballroom was filled to capacity, and no more riders were allowed to enter. It appeared that others in addition to the registered riders were allowed entrance into the Finale. Mom realized that she is being taught the true meaning of the word: PATIENCE! Since Duncan is out of town this weekend, Dad spent some time ranging and stretching Tracy. He sat her up on the edge of the mat so she could practice head and trunk control. Everyone settled in on this long rainy weekend to watch football. Boston College won big! Miami is just getting started. Tracy, Mom and Dad are taking it easy and catching up on some much needed rest. We hope the rain stops soon! Lesson of the day: Making History Everyday :Your Personal Legacy

Friday, October 7th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She seemed happy to have Dad back home. This morning, Linda and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. She has an open day with only Physical Therapy with Jen at home at 11:00 AM. Mom wanted to go to the Journey to Independence annual conference sponsored by the Northern Virginia Brain Injury Association but decided to stay home and rest up for the Tour of Hope 50 mile ride Saturday. Mom and Linda are spending today training Nicole, a new Personal Assistant, to help out on weekends. During Physical Therapy, Jen spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy before sitting her up on the edge of the mat. Jen spends a lot of time working with Tracy's ankles performing joint mobilization to help keep her ankles loose. After stretching, Mom, Jen, and Linda got Tracy straddled on the peanut ball. Tracy relaxed her right leg down to the floor and was sitting up with some support. We are moving towards Tracy's goal of achieving pelvic stability so that she can sit on a horse. Tracy tolerated 30 minutes in this position. We will keep practicing until she is strong enough to start therapeutic horseback riding. This evening, our good friends Joanna and Dolores came over for Mamaw's spaghetti and meatballs and to wish Mom well on her ride. They brought her some goodies for the road, Gu Gel and other quick energy snacks! Dad took Mom to the JW Marriott to pick up her packet! Reality has set in. Mom is psyched to ride! Lesson of the day: Mystery of Transformation :The Butterfly Chrysalis

Thursday, October 6th, 2005 ~ Tracy slept well until 6 AM and then our luck ran out. She started grinding her teeth and seemed very uncomfortable. Mom gave her some pyridium and she seemed to relax and go back to sleep. Dad returned just in time to take Mamaw to the airport made it home safely this evening from Bahrain and brought a stuffed camel for Tracy. She has always loved camels. This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Tracy had Speech Therapy at George Washington University (the other George!). Mom and Linda brought Tracy to her 12 noon appointment with Melissa and Jen. They played another CD mix and asked Tracy if she liked certain songs. They asked Tracy if she likes country music and Tracy blinked twice for YES. They also asked Tracy if she likes Mom's Italian spaghetti sauce. Tracy shook her head NO. She was right because the therapists meant to ask if Tracy liked Mamaw's spaghetti sauce, which Tracy blinked twice for YES! Tracy did a good job staying awake and responding to the questions with two blinks for YES and head shakes for NO! This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. He spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat her up on the edge of the mat. He leaned her from side to side (laterally) and had Tracy weight bear through her elbows. He then leaned Tracy back to work on her vestibular control. Tracy seems to get nystagmus when we lean her back. This is due to her inner ear being stronger than her vision. She gets dizzy when her head goes back, almost as if she were falling. We will work on redeveloping her vestibular control. Then, Duncan positioned Tracy on her left side to stretch her. She really seemed to enjoy this position. Next, Duncan positioned Tracy on her right side on a towel roll. He worked on stretching her left side in this position. Dad returned just in time to take Mamaw to the airport. She left this evening to return to Independence, Louisiana. She made it home safely. We really enjoyed her visit and miss her already. Emil came over and gave Tracy a massage. She really needed it, especially after her rough time last night. She really relaxed and should sleep well tonight. Lesson of the day: Elegant Blessings : Living A Life of Grace

Wednesday, October 5th, 2005 ~ Tracy had another great night sleep last night. She seemed a little uncomfortable today, however. Mom thinks Tracy may have overdid it yesterday. She gave her some Tylenol and it seemed to help. This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Tracy had Vital Stim at 11:00 AM at Georgetown. The plan is if Tracy swallows as well today as she has been doing over the past three sessions, her Speech Therapist is going to let Mom feed Tracy at home. Linda is doing such a good job as Tracy's personal assistant. She does Tracy's make up and puts on all of her favorite jewelry. Tracy loves jewelry and really looks adorable with her new hair cut. Dario cut her hair in layers and it is really curling. She looks beautiful. Tracy had Vital Stim at 11 AM today. She tried really hard and even swallowed when her Speech Therapist had the Vital Stim turned off! Although she only swallowed about 5 to 7 times today, she gets an A for Effort! She did a lot of grinding. Mom thinks her right hip may be giving her some pain. She contacted Children's Hospital and made an appointment with Dr. Tosi Tracy's orthopedic surgeon for a reevaluation. She is scheduled for an appointment on October 17th. After Vital Stim, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen She spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat her up on the edge of the mat. Tracy seemed to relax a lot easier and adjust to changing positions more readily. Then Mom, Jen and Liz (yes Liz came to visit Tracy today!) got Tracy seated in a straddle position on the peanut ball. Tracy did a much better job sitting up on the peanut ball with support. She did a great job with head control too. She tolerated about 30 minutes and then showed signs of fatigue. Who wouldn't? Mom was feeling fatigue herself at the end of the 30 minutes. This evening, Mamaw is making her famous spaghetti and meatballs. Tiffany wanted her to make her delicious tuna fish for lunch tomorrow. Mamaw leaves tomorrow evening for Louisiana. We hate to see her go. We have all really enjoyed her visit. Dad is still in Bahrain at a conference and will be back on Thursday around noon. We miss him so much and can't wait for him to return. Please keep his safety in your prayers! Lesson of the day: The Power Within : Energy 101

Tuesday, October 4th, 2005 (New Format) ~ Tracy is sleeping like a baby these nights! I think we are wearing her out during therapy and she is wiped out! Whatever the reason, she is getting her rest! Mom and the rest of the gang are also getting some sleep at night. We hope Dad is sleeping well in Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. He returns on Thursday. This morning, Linda and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Linda is doing such a good job as Tracy's personal assistant. She does Tracy's make up and puts on all of her favorite jewelry. Tracy loves jewelry and really looks adorable with her new hair cut. Dario cut her hair in layers and it is really curling. She looks beautiful. Tuesdays are Tracy's L-O-N-G therapy days. She has an appointment with her neurologist, Dr. Tornatore at noon to get her pump refilled, Vital Stim at 1 PM (session #5/12), Physical Therapy at 2 PM, and Duncan at 5 PM for more stretching and PT. She seems to be thriving on all of this therapy, so the alternative plan is working. Mom is really looking forward to getting Tracy in the pool on Saturdays (it's heated) and on the horse at Lift Me Up! Dr. Tornatore refilled Tracy's baclofen pump today at noon. After some discussion, Mom and Dr. T decided to keep Tracy's baclofen bolus schedule where it is for another 3 weeks. Mom did not want to change anything since Tracy seems to be doing well on this dosing protocol. Dr. T was very pleased with Tracy's tone, and thinks that we are getting close to her ideal baclofen dosing protocol. The goal is to get Tracy's tone under control and then reconsider doing Achilles' tendon and hamstring releases (orthopedic surgery) so that we can get her right leg straight and her feet plantar to stand and weight bear on the tilt table. Next, Tracy had Vital Stim at 1 PM. She had her work cut out for her! During her last session last Friday, Tracy swallowed 39 times! Today, the pressure was on! She swallowed 35 times and continued to swallow more after the speech therapist turned off the vital stim. She is really doing well. If she has another banner day tomorrow, her speech therapist is going to let Mom start feeding her at home. Mom keeps reminding Tracy that Thanksgiving is coming and that she needs to be able to eat pumpkin pie and eggnog, Tracy's favorites! Mamaw really was pleased with Tracy's progress and is planning to make her famous spaghetti and meat balls tomorrow so that Tracy can have good Italian aromas in the kitchen! Whatever it takes to get our girl eating again and the G-tube out! After Vital Stim, Tracy had Physical Therapy. Her PT spent some time stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat her up on the edge of the mat. Tracy seemed to relax a lot easier and adjust to changing positions more readily. Her PT also replaced the straps on her resting hand splints that Tracy wears at night. This evening, Duncan came to work with Tracy. He spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat her up on the edge of the mat. He leaned her from side to side and had her weight bear on her elbows. Then Mom, Tiffany and Duncan got Tracy prone (on her tummy) on the peanut ball so that she can weight bear on her knees. Tracy did a great job in this position, and tolerated 30 minutes. She was wiped out after her long day of therapy, and went right to sleep. She should sleep well again tonight. This evening, Tiffany made a delicious dinner of rib eyes, salad and garlic bread. She did a great job. She used olive oil and Emeril's steak rub on the rib eyes. It was fantastic! Dad is still in Bahrain at a conference and will be back on Thursday. We miss him so much and can't wait for him to return. Please keep his safety in your prayers! Lesson of the day: Stillness In Motion: Doing Things Slowly

Monday, October 3rd, 2005 (New Format) ~ This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mondays are always a little manic because Jen comes at 9:00 AM to stretch and range Tracy. We got everything done in record time and Tracy was ready for her Physical Therapy. Jen spent an hour stretching and ranging Tracy, really focusing on her ankles and feet, hips, wrists, arms, and shoulders. Tracy was tight to start off and then began to relax. After her stretch routine, Jen, Mom and Linda positioned Tracy on the edge of the mat. Tracy was able to relax her arms down on the mat. She was supporting herself well, with minimal assistance. Tracy also did a good job holding up her head and turning both right and left. She is focusing her eyes and following commands a lot better these days. Tracy tolerated over 30 minutes of supported sitting on the edge of the mat. This afternoon, Mom, Linda and Mamaw took Tracy to her Speech Therapy session at George Washington University. Jen and Melissa are doing a really good job keeping Tracy engaged and awake during her sessions. Today, they listened to some more music and asked Tracy a lot of questions, ranging from whether she liked the Redskins (she shook her head no) and if she liked the Hurricanes (she blinked twice for yes, go figure)! The communication plan they are working on is two eye blinks for yes and head shake for no. Tracy is doing a really good job with this exercise. The speech students also work on other modalities such as tactile/touch, smell, and hearing. Tracy seems to enjoy this multi sensory approach. After speech, Mamaw, Linda, Mom and Tracy stopped off at Starbucks for a latte. Tracy had a little taste of mom's and got to enjoy all of the wonderful aromas and chatter in the cafe. We are all really enjoying having Mamaw visiting this week. She seems to be having a good time too. Dad is still in Bahrain at a conference and will be back on Thursday. We miss him so much and can't wait for him to return. Please keep his safety in your prayers! Lesson of the day: Emotional Freedom: Denying Your Feelings

Sunday, October 2nd, 2005 (New Format) ~ Tracy had another great night's sleep. This morning, Janneth and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Everyone took it easy this morning, visiting with Mamaw and Nick, Tracy's good friend from the Gonzaga in Florence abroad program. He was with Tracy, Tiffany, Christine and Shelly when Tracy was hit by the car over two and a half years ago. It was great to see him, and Tracy seemed happy to have him visit her. He leaves this afternoon on the Chinatown bus to go back to New York City. Sasha made everyone cheddar cheese omelets; they were really good! We all really are happy that Sasha is living with us for a while. Tracy seems happy to have Sasha, her best friend, nearby too. This afternoon, Tracy rested on the mat in preparation for her busy week of therapy. This evening, Mom sat Tracy on the edge of the mat so she could practice head and trunk control. She tolerated over 30 minutes in this position. Dad returns next Thursday from his trip to Bahrain and Kuwait. We all miss him and can't wait for him to return. Please say a prayer that he stays safe. Lesson of the day: Transforming Negative Into Positive: Tonglen Meditation

Saturday, October 1st, 2005 (New Format) ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Janneth and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mamaw and Nick are arriving today. Mom did Tracy's make up while Janneth put some hair gel in her hair. It is so curly since Dario cut three inches off and layered her hair. It looks really cute. Tracy's has on her Miami Hurricanes shorts and t-shirt in honor of the Canes, her alma mater. She is ready to watch some college football today. We are rooting for the usual: LSU, Tulane, Miami, and BC! Oh, yeah, almost forgot Navy! Duncan came around noon to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. He spent an hour ranging and stretching Tracy and then got her on the edge of the mat to practice head and trunk control. He then leaned Tracy from side to side to bear weight on her elbows and through her shoulders. Tracy did a good job with this and did not show any signs of dizziness or nausea. Then Duncan got Tracy side lying on her right side to stretch. She really looked comfortable in this position. This evening, Nick arrived on the Chinatown bus from New York City. It had been a year since Tracy saw him. Nick thought that Tracy looked really good and he saw a lot of improvement. This evening, Mamaw, Tracy and Mom hung out and watched more sports and visited. Lesson of the day: Intersection of Energy and Spirit : Chakra Energy Centers