The New Knee

As you know if you have read this blog in the past six months, Tru has been hospitalized twice for wheezing. He had started it again along with a congested cough that would not seem to go away so I took him to the pediatrician last Monday (not his usual doctor). She instantly heard the wheezing and just by looking at the rise and fall of his chest she could tell his lungs were working overtime. After discussing his history with wheezing and the hospital visits I told her that I had self-diagnosed Tru as having asthma. She quickly confirm my diagnosis and was disturbed that no other doctor had done so earlier and started him on the appropriate medications. Finally! So Tru left with an oral steroid as a quick start to recovery as well as an inhaler he will need to take twice a day for the next year. He is sounding much better now but is still congested. Little by little...

Last Thursday Tru had his follow-up at the Limb Deficiency Clinic at Kennedy Krieger Institute. That was the clinic is which Tru was seen (in January) and it was decided that it was in his best interest to have an amputation. This team of doctors includes the orthopedic surgeon, physical therapist, occupational therapist and prosthesis just to name a few. It is a really great concept to have all of these medical professionals in the room together. It just makes sense! This visit was a follow-up to see how Tru was progressing. It did not take long to see that he was doing wonderfully. He was walking, sitting down and standing up without assistance, chattering away, pushing around a shopping cart throughout the nurses' station, etc. Basically everyone just stood around and watched him with a smile on their face. What else could we do?!

Here are some of the doctors that Tru saw at the Limb Deficiency Clinic. There were many toys there for Tru to play with so they could see him move around in a normal, play-like situation. After he discovered the electric, lighted drums he was not looking at the camera. So the doctors said "cheese" instead.

Also in attendance was Tru's pal, Jonathan. Jonathan is the photo journalist I spoke about previously. With his visit to the Limb Deficiency Clinic he has wrapped up the photo portion of his project. He is now writing the story.

The first time we met Jonathan he allowed Tru to push the button on his camera. From that point forward Tru and Jonathan were friends. Every time Tru made eye contact with Jonathan he would tell him "Hi!"

Another busy weekend. Saturday the kids had gymnastics and then after a breakfast snack we tackled a new adventure - swimming lessons. Lin-Ley was at one end of the pool with her class while Tru and I were at the deep end with the other parents and young children. Tru loves the water but once I put his face in the water the first time - he was done. He popped his head out of the water, screamed, wiped his face, looked around, and started yelling, "Bye-Bye!" Unfortunately there was still 26 minutes left of the 30 minute class.

Later that evening flowers were delivered to our house. The card read, "Happy Mother's Day! Love, Tru and Lin-Ley". Obviously the kids had some help with this surprise. Dallas later told me that Tru had given him a call earlier in the week to ask his dad to spot him some cash so they could buy me some flowers.On Sunday morning Dallas called and he and Lin-Ley spoke for a long while. Dallas asked Lin-Ley how I liked the flowers that she and Tru had given me. She told him, "We did not give Mommy those flowers. Some lady came here in a van and knocked on the door and she gave Mommy the flowers!"

My Mother's Day gifts.

Somebody is moody!

Tru received his new (totally functioning) knee yesterday. Up until this point Tru's prosthesis had a knee component that was locked. He has had a totally stiff leg. Obviously he has adapted very well so I was (and still am) anxious about challenging him with yet another change. It only took about 15 minutes for them to change the locked knee component for the functioning knee. Afterward, when Tru took the leg for a test walk the knee was not bending. I looked at Angie, the Prosthesis, and she said that he was so used to walking with a stiff leg that he was still swinging his leg out to the side rather than walking with his leg underneath his body. Eventually he will get the hang of it and he will become accustomed to the way his body movement will make the knee bend. The first time his knee bent was in the parking lot as we were leaving. Thank goodness I was holding his hand because he went down fast. I took him to school from there. Before I left his classroom he had wiped out again and had a busted lip. Poor little guy - he had the hang of it and we changed the game on him again!

With the new knee it was time to go back to physical therapy today. Tru is not into that scene anymore since he has become so independent with his walking. He does not want the therapist to try to help him in any way. Eventually Lisa was able to make an adjustment to Tru's knee so that it had more resistance.

"Enough with this physical therapy non-sense. I'm out of here!"

The best news is that other than normal check-ups and prosthesis maintenance Tru is done. He is there - he is walking. Walking was our goal and after nine months - it has finally happened. Seeing his never-ending smile is the ultimate reward. (Seeing that little red leg flying by gives me the never-ending smiles too!)

The Unit

Some cast members of the television show "The Unit" visited Kuwait.
Of course there are photos....

Farm Animals and The Reptile

Last Saturday was a busy day. Tru began gymnastics class! I was able to schedule Lin-Ley and Tru's classes at the same time. Tru's class is a parent-and-child class so I was there to modify some of the activities. However, since he learned to walk independently last week he only has one agenda... walking! So it was a little hard to keep his attention on the instructor. But it was his first week so we will see how it goes. He did, however, learn to love the forward roll. Once he tried that move it was soon his new passion. He wanted to keep rolling and rolling.
Lin-Ley has been in gymnastics for two years now but this was the first week at the new gym. She now has a male instructor. Previously she had young girls (teenagers) as instructors. I think
this change will be a good one for her. She was much more active in this class and said she enjoyed it.
Change is good...

After gymnastics we hung out for a while and then met Lin-Ley's friend, Jordyn, at the petting farm. While Tru had been there once before he was in a stroller and could not move around freely. This time he was walking everywhere. And when I say he was walking... he showed little interest in the animals. He only wanted to walk. Walk anywhere - everywhere - with anybody - toward anything - and he was all smiles all of the time!


Tru was absolutely fascinated with the fact that food came out of this little contraption. He watched Lin-Ley and Jordyn get the food and feed the goats. He tried and tried to figure out where the food came from. At one point I tried to show him that you had to put a quarter in the machine and turn the handle. That was beside the point and pushed the quarter away. He just wanted the goat food!

You would think he was laughing at the goat. No, he's just laughing because he is happy... because he is walking!
















Lin-Ley had enough of the sticky goat food and went for the grass and flowers. The goats loved it. They are goats after all and will eat anything!
Lin-Ley would have stayed with this one goat for hours but we finally convinced her to move on to the other animals.





















Other animals? Apparently the only animals that interested our kids were the goats. But look at these babies! Can you blame them?
















Love this photo!





















Happy Girl!























Tru had his first horse ride. He really did not know what I was doing when I put him on top of this huge animal. But he enjoyed the bumpy ride!













Cinderella and her Prince.





















Two weekends ago I literally ran into this surprise. We were leaving the house and I had slid open both doors on our van by the remote control. Lin-Ley ran to the van, got in and closed her door. I was holding Tru and went around to his side of the van. As I approached the door I stopped just shy of stepping on this snake's head. His body was under the van and if I would have walked all the way to the open van door I would have stepped on his head! I froze immediately and then ran back to the other side of the van, closed his door with the remote and got into the driver's seat while still holding Tru. Lin-Ley looked at me like I was crazy and and asked what I was doing. After I backed up the van (over the snake) and put Tru in his seat, I slid open the door to show Lin-Ley the snake. She said, "Oh wow Mom! Take a picture! I wish Daddy was here to see it! I wish he wasn't still in Texas."
I still can not convince her that he is not in Texas.

Walking!

Tru's smiles say it all. (Two weeks after receiving his prosthesis!)

Another Update From Kuwait & Iraq

Dallas is doing well. He has been very, very busy and continues to travel between Kuwait and Iraq. We speak to him an average of once a week and he emails regularly. Here are some photos he has shared:

Looking good.


















Still looking good (with guns).

Dallas and his office posing in front of the Persian Gulf.

When Dallas visits Iraq he always brings toys and treats for the kids.



















We are sending Dallas much needed shoes and school supplies for the kids.

This is a photo of Abraham's house also known as Ur. Ur is said to be the birthplace of Abraham.
















In Genesis the name Ur is found in 11:28, 11:31 and 15:7. In Nehemiah 9:7, a single passage mentioning Ur is a paraphrase of Genesis.

This is the Ziggurat of Ur.

Here is some information on ziggurats courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Ziggurats (zĭg'ə-rāts') were important to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians of ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest examples of the ziggurat were simple raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period during the fourth millennium BC, and the latest date from the 6th century BC. The top of the ziggurat was flat, unlike many pyramids. The step pyramid style began near the end of the Early Dynastic Period. Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure. Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven, with a shrine or temple at the summit. Access to the shrine was provided by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit. Notable examples of this structure include the Great Ziggurat of Ur and Khorsabad in Mesopotamia.
The ziggurats had no internal chambers. they were almost always square or rectangular, where one side was upwards of 170 feet (50 meters) long.
The Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship or ceremonies. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods. Through the ziggurat, the gods could be close to mankind, and each city had its own patron god. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.
There are 32 ziggurats known at, and near, Mesopotamia. Twenty-eight of them are in Iraq, and four of them are in Iran. The most recent to be discovered was Sialk, in central Iran.

Piggy finally makes another appearance. Here he is with his friends. Apparently he is not the only family mascot who made the trip.



















We heard a rumor that Piggy has not always been very nice to his friends. There has been some mischief going on over there. I wonder who could be influencing Piggy. Hmmm.. who could it be? Let's hope these two can stay out of trouble for a few more months!

Learning As We Go

Today makes one week that Tru has had his prosthesis. What a difference a week makes! The first few days Tru would cry when he saw the leg and definitely did not want to put it on. The first two days (Thursday and Friday) Tru only wore the leg during physical therapy (PT) and practicing at home in the evenings.



















His first day after receiving the prosthesis he had PT. He did very well and was especially excited about finally being able to use the treadmill.

Lisa had him stretching to reach things, picking up things that were on the floor and other exercises to teach him how to balance.













He put on his leg Saturday morning and we took Lin-Ley to gymnastics. While we were at the gym he stood and balanced on it and eventually decided that all of the little girls were having lots of fun running around. He motioned for me to take his hand and he took off toward the girls. Since chasing the girls Tru has began to appreciate his leg and what it can do. On Sunday he finally reached for it and wanted to put it on!

Here is the big boy hanging out at gymnastics watching Charlie and Lola on my ipod.
















On Monday I had to drop off the prosthesis for some adjustments so unfortunately he could not practice that evening. But... Tuesday he wore it to school for the first time. He walked right into the classroom (holding my hand of course), ignored everyone praising his new walking skills, and started climbing the stairs to the small slide in the classroom. He needed help figuring out how to step up/down and stand up once he slid down it but he was determined to master the slide immediately. His physical therapist, Lisa, visited him at the school later that morning. She said he did fantastic and was trying to also master the outdoor, big kid slide. He was going up the stairs and down the slide as quickly as he could. If nothing else he is determined!

Today Tru went for PT and Lisa put a small walker in front of him. Without hesitation he grabbed the handles and took off across the room. Lisa and I just looked at each other in total shock. When he walked all the way to the end wall he simply picked up the walker, moved it in the direction he wanted to go next and took off. We just stared at each other again and laughed. He was off and there was no stopping him. So we took it outside where Tru walked up and down the sidewalk in front of the offices. Lisa and I just followed him. He did not want any help! While we were outside Lisa said, "Well, I can not believe how well he is doing. You can take this walker with you so he can use it at school and at home. Also, I can't believe it, but he is totally ready for a functioning knee. I will email Mark today and tell him."

Here is a clip of Tru with his walker about 3 minutes after he tried it for the first time. (I could have had a better clip but my camera battery died!)
Go Tru - Go Tru



By the time Tru was in school with his walker he was flying with it! He was walking so fast and furious that I would have to announce that he was coming so that everyone could move out of his way. He was not stopping or altering his path!
He loves his walker! When I had to put him into his car seat he had a fit because he thought I was taking his walker away. I had to put it next to him in the car and he held onto it all the way home.
Of course the walker is just temporary and only a means to allow him to learn to balance and become more confident. Next Lisa said she is going to try him with a cane/crutch.

All smiles!






















Big Sis getting in on the action and showing off her "cool" shirt.












It has definitely been a learning experience this past week. All positive!

The Unidentified Woman And Child

I just happened upon this article and thought I would post it. When we returned home (we were living in upstate New York at the time) from China with Lin-Ley (in 2003) we flew to visit our family in Lousisiana. Lin-Ley and I (Jody) had some cold symptoms and during the flight Lin-Ley's developed a fever. We took her to the doctor as soon as we landed. Since we had just returned from China and news of SARS was just hitting the U.S. we were immediately whisked into hospital isolation for three days. The doctors and nurses dressed in what looked like hazmat suits before they entered our room. Everything that came into the room with us was thrown away including the hospital china.

The Center for Disease Control was contacted as well as the disease unit of the U.S. Army. Both organizations kept in close communications with us during the whole ordeal. The Army wanted to fly us back to New York for care. Everyone that we flew with from China to New York to Lousiana was contacted by the CDC to let them know they may have been exposed to SARS.

Long story short - once they treated Lin-Ley's cold we were released. But it did not end there. We arrived back in New York just in time to catch the local news and newspaper articles about a mysterious woman and her baby:

Deadly Illness Confirmed In Jefferson County Residents
Friday, March 28, 2003, 2:28pm
A mystery flu-like illness that has killed more than 50 people worldwide has surfaced in the North Country. A Jefferson County woman and her baby were diagnosed as having Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. Health officials said the unidentified woman and child contracted SARS when they traveled through Hong Kong. The pair returned to Jefferson County and then left for Louisiana. Officials said the baby and mother were hospitalized in Louisiana. The two are reportedly back in Jefferson County and are no longer contagious, according to health officials. Although officials said there's no risk of contracting the illness from the woman and baby, authorities urge North Country residents to be on the lookout for symptoms. "If they are experiencing any sort of upper respiratory infection and if they've traveled overseas...they should contact their physician immediately," said Stephen Jennings of Jefferson County Public Health. The main symptoms of SARS are high fever (greater than 38 C or 100.4 F), combined with a dry cough, shortness of breath, or breathing difficulties. Chest X-ray indicates changes compatible with pneumonia. Other possible symptoms include headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise, confusion, rash and diarrhea. The incubation period is reportedly two to ten days. SARS is believed to have infected some 1,500 people around the world. The number of deaths so far worldwide is 54. There have been no deaths in the U.S.

Lies - all lies!

Conversations With Lin-Ley

* A few weeks ago we spent an entire Saturday at home. I concentrated on cleaning the floors throughout the house. Lin-Ley was keeping a close watch on me and decided that we should play Cinderella…
“OK Mom. Let’s play Cinderella. You will be Cinderella and I will be the evil step-mother. Now Cinderella, scrub those floors! When you are done with that start on the laundry and then the windows!” Needless to say this went on for quite a while….

* A little later Tru was scooting over a freshly mopped floor. Lin-Ley stepped in, “Tru, don’t do that. Mommy is trying to get everything clean and fresh for when Daddy comes home in November!”

* We were on our way out the door for school one morning. Lin-Ley was the first to leave the house but the door was locked. I caught her yanking and pulling on the doorknob with all of her might. I told her to stop and then went over to unlock the door for her and the doorknob was very loose. I told her she could not pull on the doorknob like that because it might fall off and we could not get back into our house. She said, “Well that’s OK Mom. If that happens we will just buy a new house.”

* The kids were having breakfast on a Sunday morning before church. I fixed Lin-Ley and Tru chocolate milk. Lin-Ley’s was in a cup and Tru’s was in a sippy cup. Tru started getting upset because he wanted a big boy cup like Lin-Ley. Lin-Ley said, “Tru you are a baby and you get a sippy cup. I get a big cup because I am almost a teenager.”

* Lin-Ley has been very excited about Tru’s new leg. The day before he was to get it she told me, “I’m going to tell everyone about Tru’s new leg. I want to call all of our relatives and tell them. Can you help me with the phone numbers?” By the way, she does tell everyone about Tru’s leg: friends, classmates and strangers. Her teacher emailed me and told me that she has overheard several conversations in the classroom about Lin-Ley’s brother’s leg. The children are all very curious about it so when Tru is up and balanced I think he will be making a visit to Kindergarten for a Q&A.

* The following morning I was talking to Lin-Ley about Tru’s new leg and the fact that he can take it on and off. When I told her about this the look on her face was priceless. She could not imagine how it was possible to take off your leg. But we started talking about the fact that Tru would now have two legs just like everyone else. Lin-Ley thought about it and said, “So Tru won’t be like a flamingo anymore?” I asked her what she meant. “You know, with one long leg and one short leg.” Hmmmm, pretty clever.

* Lin-Ley's first comment upon seeing Tru's leg, "Ahhh, it's cute."

Tru’s First Steps

Here You Go!


Tru did well today although he did not totally enjoy the experience.

When we arrived at Dankmeyer today the staff had Tru’s prosthesis ready to go. As soon as I started rolling the liner onto his leg he started giving his sad little cry of “Mommy”. We put the prosthesis on and put him on the ramp for his first attempt at walking. I would have to say he did very well!!

Lisa, Tru’s physical therapist, attended today and was kind enough to work with Tru as he took his first steps. As usual, Tru impressed everyone. He understood what he was supposed to do but he could not figure out exactly how to get his right leg moving.
The knee joint of the prosthesis is locked for now. If he had a functioning knee at this point it would possibly give way when he took a step and make him fall. For now he will learn to walk with a stiff leg. Then, as he becomes accustomed to walking this way, he will transition to a functioning knee. There will be no functioning ankle for now. He is so little (and short) that there is no room to fit in a socket, knee, foot and ankle. As he grows taller he will have a functioning ankle.

The prosthesis had to have one adjustment today because it needed to be shortened slightly. After that adjustment Tru took another test drive. This time I held his hands and as we walked around the room Tru noticed that the door was open. He walked out the door, down the hallway and started making his way toward the exit. When I tried to direct him back to the exam room he got very upset. He was ready to go!

Before we left we were given a bag of supplies we might need as well as some final tips and instructions. I took the prosthesis off of Tru and he instantly said, “All done. Bye-Bye” and tried to hand the prosthesis back to Mark. Then Tru and Mark had a little chat:
Mark - “Don’t you want to bring your new leg home with you?”
Tru – “No.”
Mark - “How about if I put it in your bag?”
Tru – “No.”
Mark – “Do you want me to keep it?”
Tru just stared at him….

So I walked to the car carrying Tru is one arm and his new leg in the other.

Then Tru went to school. He will not be wearing the prosthesis at school quite yet so I drove around with it on the front seat of our van. I’m very proud of it and could not help taking it into my office to show everyone there!

He is definitely going to need some practice. He has physical therapy 2-3 times a week for the next few weeks. We also practiced some more at home tonight. When Tru saw me coming toward him with his new leg he instantly started crying (with real tears). He wanted nothing to do with it. Lin-Ley and I took him outside to kick a ball around. I thought he would really enjoy that but he wanted no part of it.

Back inside I racked my brain to think of what activity he would enjoy. Of course – snacks! I put snacks all over the kitchen and I helped him walk over to each one. He seemed to enjoy that and began to gain more confidence as we went along. Then Lin-Ley started jumping around and Tru started imitating her. He was smiling and enjoying himself. Lin-Ley is going to be a big help!

We will practice and post an update in a few days.

The Big Slide

I have been trying to capture a video of Tru on the big slide on his school's playground. He has always loved this slide and attacks it at full force. It's just fun to watch him when he is so proud of himself.

Dance Fever

Lin-Ley is all about ballet lately. Saturday, during "rest time", Lin-Ley decided that she did not have time for a nap. Instead, she destroyed her room by moving everything, including her rug, out of her way in order to have a proper dance floor. Upon further inspection there were shoes and dress-up clothes and tiaras everywhere. She had been trying on every combination until she found the perfect ensemble for her dance. In the end she chose a green Tinkerbell gown, blue Ariel shoes and a purple tiara. Perfection!

Tru is alway up for dancing. But he is more into the break-dance style. And who said you needed two good legs to dance - you just have to have the music in you!



And now we present the Nutcracker Duet:























The Easter Bunny left Lin-Ley a hula-hoop this year. There has not been much hip action but she and Tru have had a ball with it. They play circus. Lin-Ley holds the hoop out, Tru scoots through it and then they both look at me and yell "Ta-Da". Then Lin-Ley holds it out, Tru grabs the other side and she slides him all over the floor. This is also a big hit and it can keep them busy for a good 20 minutes at a time.

Well, Wednesday is Tru's BIG day. His prosthesis will be ready and Tru will be walking! I'm sure he will not want to wear it at first. But once he realizes what it will allow him to do.... watch out!

A Good Week

Last Saturday we were invited to some friends’ home to make Chinese dumplings. Lin-Ley and Mercy are in the same Sunday School class. Mercy’s parents are from Taiwan and Mercy is adopted from China. We made the dumplings and then we cooked and ate them along with many other traditional Chinese dishes. The girls had fun and Tru was in luck because as soon as we walked into their home he spotted Mercy’s play kitchen! He wanted to get down right away to play. He did not even take time to eat – he was busy!

Monday - Lin-Ley headed back to school after a long Spring Break. Tru was also going back to school for the first time since February 21st! I was afraid that he was going to cry because he had been home for so long and he had total one-on-one attention the whole time.

After Lin-Ley caught the school bus I tried to convince Tru to try on Daddy’s soldier hat. He pushed it away and said “No!” Then he saw me get out my camera. He instantly threw the hat on his head and started saying “cheese” over and over. (I wonder where he gets that from?!)

Soldier or Rapper??

When we finally walked into Tru’s classroom he held on tight. I think that was because everyone was walking over to tell him how much they had missed him. He looked around and saw many new toys that were not there when he left. He started leaning over and wanted to get down. He began playing with the toys and forgot I was there. Well that was easy! Before I left he gave me a kiss and told me good bye. He waved me out the door from atop a new bright red scooter.

Also on Monday I received a call from Dankmeyer. They said Tru’s test socket was ready for a fitting. Unfortunately they could not see him until Friday….

Tuesday – We met with a photojournalist, Jonathan, who is writing a story about Tru. He will follow Tru through his future doctor visits, physical therapy, etc. and end with Tru independently walking. At least I think that is the plan.

Thursday – Tru had his follow up with the surgeon’s office. All is well and his leg has healed very nicely. From there we went directly to physical therapy. This was his 3rd PT visit. The main thing the therapist is working on now is to encourage Tru to place weight on the end of his leg. Tru avoids any contact with his leg – who can blame him? But it definitely does not hurt. He will let me massage it, stretch it, tickle it, etc. He never flinches. We have some “rough play” at least once a day. He enjoys it and it allows me to stretch his leg while he thinks it is all play. Jonathan accompanied us to both appointments.

Also, when I picked up Lin-Ley after school she had brought me some flowers…. in a plastic container… with water. I guess she wanted to make sure they were fresh! But where did she get the container?? And how did she get away with taking this on the school bus? I was especially appreciative as I walked to the car holding Tru, an umbrella and the flowers while holding Lin-Ley’s hand in the parking lot!

She is so proud of them and comments on them everytime she passes them.

Friday – Tru had his test socket fitting. The socket is the part of the prosthesis that his leg will fit into. I am just beginning to learn the lingo myself. The Prosthetists (another new word) took several different measurements and would adjust the test socket in between measurements. Tru did not enjoy any of this! He just kept saying “Mommy, Mommy!” in a very sad little voice. But the moment they would remove the test socket he would say, “All done. Bye-Bye.” and began waving at the staff. This would always get a laugh – but he was quite serious. Jonathan was there to document the whole visit.

At this point they are expecting to have Tru’s completed prosthesis prepared by April 16th. If it is ready sooner they will give me a call. My original prediction was that Tru would be walking by April 1st. I was not too far off!

And today, Saturday, was a quiet day. We did not have any school, appointments, lessons, shopping or other time managed activities. We were free. A good day.

Insurance Update

I just received a call from Tru's case manager. They received the letter from Tru's surgeon urging them to allow Tru to be treated at Dankmeyer. They also verified that Dankmeyer is eagerly pursuing approval to treat Tru. Also noted in Tru's file is the fact that Dankmeyer has offered to treat Tru free of charge.
Low and Behold... now the insurance company has agreed to cover all expenses for Tru to "go out of network" and be seen exclusively at Dankmeyer.

I think Tru must have an extra special place in God's heart!
Oh the tears of joy!

Tru's Good Fortune

The day that Tru had his cast removed he was fitted for his first prosthesis at a company named Dankmeyer. The director of Dankmeyer, Mark, was also kind enough to see Tru back in November, 2007 well before his surgery. Both of these visits have been free of charge. Dankmeyer is considered “out of network” with our insurance company.

Since his surgery last month, Tru has a case worker to handle any needs he might have. She advised me against visiting Dankmeyer for Tru’s prosthesis fitting because it would not be covered by our insurance. Dankmeyer informed me that they have worked with our insurance company in the past without problem. I knew that I wanted to work with Dankmeyer so we moved forward with them.

I received a call last Friday that our insurance company would not cover Tru if he continued treatment at Dankmeyer. They gave me the name and number of another company that could handle Tru’s needs. I dropped everything and took Tru there yesterday. The man we met with was very nice but the visit started going downhill quickly. First of all they did not have the supplies there that were needed to cast a child Tru’s age. They had never dealt with a child this young. Red flag! Then he proceeded to tell me that he does not work at that office and the person taking over the office does not start working for the company until April 1st. Then the new person would need to be trained for several weeks before they could start on Tru’s case. What?! I instantly told him, “That is not going to work and Tru is not waiting for anyone. Tru is ready to walk now.”

On the way home from our wasted trip I called the case manager and explained that we would not be working with that company. She was very surprised to hear my comments and said she would look into it. I told her to please speak with her supervisors again. Dankmeyer was ready, willing and able to make Tru’s prosthesis now. I also contacted Tru’s surgeon’s office to tell them of the hard time I was having and asked for their assistance by writing a letter to the insurance company on Tru’s behalf.

This morning the case manager called to offer me two other companies to contact about Tru’s needs. She reiterated that we were not going to be able to use Dankmeyer. I called the first location and they wanted Tru to come in for a consultation, then a fitting, then measurements, then they would have to order the supplies for his casting, etc. I told them to forget it. Then I called the second location. They seemed to have the supplies needed to care for pediatric patients but the problem was that the guy Tru would need to see is only there once a week. I made an appointment with them but the earliest they come see him was 8 days from now. Wasted time!!

I called the case manager again to tell her of my conversations and how incredibly unhappy I was with Tru’s options. I told her that I felt Tru was not getting the care he deserved. He could be one week away from walking and the insurance company is insisting on sending us from one place to the next for inferior care and at the same time wasting precious time. Of course I realize the case manager is only doing her job and I can appreciate that. At the same time I seemed to be the only one who knew what was best for Tru.

OK… Here’s the good part……

This afternoon, after the disheartening morning on the phone, I received a call from Mark at Dankmeyer. He said they do work with my insurance company but apparently Tru is being treated under a special part of the insurance plan for which they have never worked. As of today, our insurance company is starting the paperwork process to approve Dankmeyer for that particular part. However, the paperwork could take weeks or months to be completed.
Mark said, “I know you have been having a hard time with your insurance company and we are trying everything we can to work with them. I also know that Tru saw another prosthesis company yesterday and I would never recommend you take Tru to them. I have spoken with Mr. Dankmeyer, the owner of our company, and he would like you to bring Tru in right away so we can begin making his leg. We will bill your insurance company once the paperwork is all done. If they choose not to pay the costs we want you to know that we will not bill you for anything. We just want to make Tru’s leg and get him up and walking. I will be speaking with our lab today to see how fast we can make this happen. Stand by.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Needless to say I was speechless. All I could say was “thank you” and do my best to hold back the tears. I could not wait to call Dallas. I woke him up but it was worth it.
Then… I got to call the case manager. She was also speechless. I told her, “I told you Tru deserved the best and that Dankmeyer was the right place for him.” She said, “Apparently you were right. Someone must really be looking out for little Tru.”

Yes He is and He has once again blessed us all!

Oh Happy Day!

Happy Easter

This was Tru's first Easter. He was not impressed....

We made the traditional trip to the mall yesterday to see the Easter Bunny. Waiting in lines is not Tru's thing! During the wait he was very anxious to go to the Easter Bunny and insisted on having a direct view of him. Once it was finally our turn for a photo Tru started crying. The photography staff was very patient and worked with him and he finally agreed to sit in the bunny's lap. But he was not going to smile!

Lin-Ley of course... well she struck a pose as usual.

While waiting in line, Ma-Ma Shirley held our place while I walked the kids around.

We had drinks, snacks and snapped a few extra photos.

Surprise, surprise - the Easter Bunny came to our house last night.

After prying the candy out of Lin-Ley's little hands, she and I went to Easter services this morning. Tru has not been feeling well so he stayed home with Ma-Ma Shirley.

Lin-Ley participated with the children's choir this morning. You can count on her to always be looking at the camera.

After the service and lunch there was a big Easter egg hunt on the grounds. The younger kids all gathered in the sanctuary while the youth hid the eggs. There really is no way to hide the eggs so they basically evenly distributed them all over the grounds. The kids were split up into three age groups and each group had their own area to hunt eggs.

While waiting the kids watched a short movie and then put their names in a box for door prizes. The second name drawn.... Lin-Ley.

The anticipation was unbearable!

Can you guess who was the first one to the field? They "hid" over 700 eggs.
Each child was limited to 15 eggs. Of course each egg contained candy. We made it home with 25 eggs!

Week In Review:

Last Sunday Tru began feeling ill and started running a fever. I was able to control it with Tylenol but it kept returning. After three days of a on again - off again fever I decided to have him checked out. I called his primary care doctor and of course she could not see him. What a shocker! The triage nurse called me and told me to have him seen to make sure that the fever was not associated with his most recent surgery. She referred me to a local urgent care clinic. I called the clinic and they said they would not see Tru due to his amputation. They wanted him to see his surgeon. By this time it was around 3PM. Although I felt it was unnecessary, I called the surgeon's office. They asked about his leg and I told them that the wound looked great and I really did not feel that the fever had anything to do with his leg. The surgeon's office agreed that they did not need to see Tru. I called the urgent care clinic back to tell them of my conversation with Tru's surgeon. Still, they told me that they would not see or treat Tru. I could not believe it!

So, I had to make a decision. Did I want to give Tru more time or have him seen now? I just had to have him seen to make sure he did not have an infection of any sort due to his leg. His fever had just spiked to 104.3 and I could not take any chances.

We picked up Lin-Ley from the school bus and headed to the emergency room of the hospital where Tru had surgery. Luckily he was seen quickly and it was determined that his leg looked great and that he must have an upper respiratory infection. No medicine. But... we were in and out of the ER in under 2 hours!

This all transpired on Tuesday. Fast forward to Friday.

Tru was still running a fever. Tylenol would bring it down but it was not staying down. After work on Friday I picked up Tru while Lin-Ley stayed home with Ma-Ma Shirley. Tru and I headed to Walter Reed. By that time he had been running a fever for 6 days. Tru was seen by a young resident and she thought he might have an ear infection. Then the senior doctor came in and decided that he did not have an infection and was prepared to send Tru home with more Tylenol. I said, "Please, won't you consider giving him an antibiotic. I drove all the way here in the hopes that you would." The doctor looked and me and said, "Well.... I guess I could convince myself that he has an ear infection." Score! Tru got the Amoxicillin that he needed. He is on the mend.

So two more trips to the emergency room! But the unbelievable part is that both visits were only a combined duration of 3.5 hours!

Night, night Easter Bunny!