Happy Spring

Well, almost spring--the calendar says it is, but the temperatures surely don't. Things continue to progress slowly. Jer is now practicing to walk with one crutch--he does pretty good, but has biffed it a couple of times! Oh well, just get up and keep going! He has been doing a lot of "paperwork" for the fire department--seems he can go and sit to do it, so why not?? The membership voted to give him his 2nd assistant chief position again, which made him feel that they have confidence in him and his ability to walk again.
His attention has turned to spring planting and field work lately. He is determined to be in the tractor helping his dad just as soon as the fields are ready--and with what we have seen already of his determination, I have no doubts that he will be out there!!
As for Ron, things are still going okay for him. He has some testing to go to this coming week in Syracuse, but that is just preliminary tests and don't seem to be a big deal. He still feels good and is back to work full time driving bus and milking cows, so that is a good step.
For now that is about it--take care and don't pull too many pranks on people on Tuesday!!
Carm

Happy Easter

Thought I'd update today before I forget again (like I did last week). Things have been going good for Jeremy and Ron this past two weeks. Jeremy is progressing well--to us anyway. He's walking more and using the wheelchair less. He got the chair-stair installed on Thursday, so now he can "ride" to his room and bathroom instead of having to "bump" up the stairs. He has also gotten used to the hand controls on his truck and is enjoying the freedom of having his own vehicle back again. In Therapy on Thursday, he said they had him walking with one crutch!! That is fabulous. Hopefully being on his feet more will strengthen his legs and muscles more and make those nerves respond to him more. He has also started swimming at OMCS with the women's aqua arobics class. The swimming is good for him, but the first day after tells him which muscles weren't being used!!
As for Ron, he has returned to "full duty". He went back to milking cows on Thursday, so he had one day of doing both jobs before he got 3 days off driving bus (holiday). Other than being tired, he feels good and I think he's glad to be back to milking his cows. His blood work continues to come back good so we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will continue to improve. We don't go back to the Doctor in Elmira until June. On April 4th we will go to Syracuse for some "preliminary testing" JUST IN CASE they have to do invasive procedures down the road--they want to be ahead of the game. It is only precautionary at this point.
Thanks again and still for the prayers and thoughts.
I'll be in touch again soon. Carm

Sunday 3/10/08

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! What more can we say!!! The support was tremendous DESPITE the weather. We would like to thank all the fire departments who help out at the benefit, and still were able to provide needed service to their own community during the storm. It was wonderful to see everyone and if we didn't get to talk to you, we apologize! The support of the merchants, and members of the community and the Class of 1970 OMCS (yeah, Ron & Carm are that old)was tremendous. As you saw, if you came early in either session, Jeremy was up and walking (with his crutches) for quite a while. It tires him out though and he had to resort to the wheelchair about 30 minutes into it. BUT, it's wonderful to see him up and moving, and each week he gets more strength and ability to do more.
It was also wonderful to get to meet Dana Carr in person! Dana and Jeremy share a similar situation--Dana also has a spinal cord injury and is in a wheelchair. Hopefully these two determined young men can become good friends and companions! Dana has only been home a week, and his family braved the weather to come up from Horseheads to be with us! Thanks Carr family it was GREAT to see you again!

Jeremy and Ron both have Doctor's appointments this week, so hopefully we can give you some more info on them both next week.

Oh, have you seen him driving??? Yes, Jeremy has been able to get hand controls on his truck and he can drive by himself. It sure gave him back the independence that he once had and missed so much! Now he doesn't have to "ask" Mom or Dad to take him someplace, he just ambles to the truck and goes!! PROGRESS!

Love to you all, and THANKS AGAIN!!
Carm and Family

March has arrived

Hi all:
Just thought I'd take a quick moment and update you this week. Jeremy continues to amaze me with his progress. He is now using the "walking sticks" more than the wheelchair (although we keep it close in case). He got the hand controls on his truck yesterday and now has to practice to get used to them. It's neat how they work!! He continues therapy and has started to pick up some of the equipment to use at home as well. His goal is still to be able to help on the farm this spring, so he's pushing!!
We hope to see a lot of you at the benefit in Watkins this Saturday. If you are coming in from out of town, we have made arrangements at the Long House on St. Rt. 14 to give a discount--just mention that you are here for the benefit and they will discount the room.
Thanks STILL for the prayers and thoughts as we continue to maneuver through this life altering event. Carm