Wednesday, August 31st, 2005 : ~ Word of the day: MORE HOPE!!!!! ~ Today we have a lot of HOPE for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf coast who were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The Navy is sending assistance, medical support, and humanitarian efforts to the refugees in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf coast. The 25,000 refugees in the Superdome are being bussed out of the underwater city to the Houston Astrodome. We pray that everyone is safe and sound and that their power and housing will be restored as soon as possible. The victims desperately need your prayers and also your donations. You can click on Make a Donation to do your share. Last evening, we had a leak in our apartment which progressed to a minor flood. The management pulled up all of the carpet and replaced the padding and the plywood under the padding. We definitely were having sympathetic flooding with the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Our problem was miniscule, compared to what the victims on the Gulf coast are experiencing. Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Because of the flood in our apartment last evening, we are keeping Tracy in her bed so she can rest. The contractor came and began replacing the damaged plywood under the carpet in the family room. They also replaced the kitchen flooring, the carpet padding, all four convectors (HVAC) and possibly the carpet in the family room. Tracy slept well again last night, except for a bout with nausea and vomiting at about 3:30 AM. We think it has to do with the adjustments Dr. Tornatore made to her Baclofen pump dosage. He reduced the amount that Tracy gets each hour during the night because she is sleeping and does not need the higher doses. Tracy had a second bout of nausea and vomiting this evening, after her PT session with Duncan. She did a good job relaxing while he ranged her stretched her extremities. He really spent a lot of time stretching Tracy's hips too. Tracy seems to respond to Duncan. After an hour of stretching, Dad, Mom and Duncan got Tracy prone on the peanut ball for twenty minutes (5 minutes more than last Saturday). Then Mom sat Tracy on the edge of the mat for about 20 minutes. She was a little tired but did a good job relaxing her right knee down. This evening, Mom and Dad met with Susan and Michelle from Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia. They discussed other options available to meet Tracy's therapy needs. They learned a lot and have several options to explore. Yesterday, Tracy had a 12 noon appointment with Dr. Tornatore to get her Baclofen pump refilled. Dr. Tornatore made some minor adjustments to her complex bolus schedule, however, left the overall dose the same at about 1473 micrograms per day. After her appointment, Tracy had an hour break and then she had Physical Therapy at 2 PM. During PT, her therapist got Tracy supine on the mat and worked on stretching her neck. She was very pleased with how relaxed Tracy was today. She commented that she thinks cutting the Zelnorm dose in half to 1 mg twice a day really made a difference. Tracy really participated in her therapy today. When her PT got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat, she did a good job with head and neck control. She tried real hard to turn her head to the right and was able to get her head in that direction several times. She worked very hard for close to an hour. The goal is to get Tracy to sit up so that she can sit on a horse for therapeutic riding. We will go to Lift Me Up, the riding program in Great Falls next Tuesday to meet Mary Jo, the hippotherapist. She will evaluate Tracy to see if she is ready for the program. Tracy's Modified Barium Swallow has been rescheduled to Monday, August 12th at 2 PM due to a flood we experienced in our apartment last night. The pipes burst and all of the HVAC convectors flooded in all of the bedrooms and family room. We had maintenance in our apartment until 1 AM cutting up the carpets, removing the soaked padding, and trying to stop the leak. It was a small problem compared to the devastation in New Orleans and the Gulf coast. Mom has been busy working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on developing a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. Network seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outings to the many nature parks in the area. Yesterday afternoon, another student came by to meet Tracy. She is a first year physical therapy student at Marymount and just completed her bachelors in athletic training from George Mason University. We are looking forward to her working with Tracy too. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany started her six week internship with the USO this week. She will work three days a week and work on her focus groups and masters project the other two days a week. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS web site for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. She recently conducted the Focus Group with the survivors at the ADAPT program in Alexandria. She has one more Focus Group to conduct. This one will be with the caregivers of the survivors of acquired brain injury. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS web site.http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above. Thanks cousins Guy, Dawn and Sophia Lillian for the cute shirt and book. We love them! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Several weeks ago was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Tuesday, August 30th, 2005 : ~ Word of the day: HOPE!!!!! ~ Today we have a lot of HOPE for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf coast who were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. We pray that everyone is safe and sound and that their power and housing will be restored soon. The victims desperately need your prayers and also your donations. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Tracy had a 12 noon appointment with Dr. Tornatore to get her Baclofen pump refilled. Dr. Tornatore made some minor adjustments to her complex bolus schedule, however, left the overall dose the same at about 1473 micrograms per day. After her appointment, Tracy had an hour break and then she had Physical Therapy at 2 PM. During PT, her therapist got Tracy supine on the mat and worked on stretching her neck. She was very pleased with how relaxed Tracy was today. She commented that she thinks cutting the Zelnorm dose in half to 1 mg twice a day really made a difference. Tracy really participated in her therapy today. When her PT got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat, she did a good job with head and neck control. She tried real hard to turn her head to the right and was able to get her head in that direction several times. She worked very hard for close to an hour. The goal is to get Tracy to sit up so that she can sit on a horse for therapeutic riding. We will go to Lift Me Up, the riding program in Great Falls next Tuesday to meet Mary Jo, the hippotherapist. She will evaluate Tracy to see if she is ready for the program. Wednesday, Tracy has a repeat Modified Barium Swallow test. We hope she has improved significantly from the 12 sessions of Vital Stim, and will be ready for the next phase of Speech Therapy. Please say a prayer that she is ready. Mom has been busy working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on developing a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. Network seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outings to the many nature parks in the area. Yesterday afternoon, another student came by to meet Tracy. She is a first year physical therapy student at Marymount and just completed her bachelors in athletic training from George Mason University. We are looking forward to her working with Tracy too. This evening, we had a leak in our apartment which progressed to a minor flood. The management had to pull up all of the carpet and will have to replace the padding and the plywood under the padding. We definitely were having sympathetic flooding with the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Our problem was miniscule, compared to what the victims on the Gulf coast are experiencing. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany started her six week internship with the USO this week. She will work three days a week and work on her focus groups and masters project the other two days a week. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS web site for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. She recently conducted the Focus Group with the survivors at the ADAPT program in Alexandria. She has one more Focus Group to conduct. This one will be with the caregivers of the survivors of acquired brain injury. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS web site.http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above. Thanks cousins Guy, Dawn and Sophia Lillian for the cute shirt and book. We love them! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Several weeks ago was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Monday, August 29th, 2005 : ~ Word of the day: GRATITUDE!!!!! ~ Today we show our sincere GRATITUDE for the safety of all those who were in the path of Hurricane Katrina. We pray that everyone is safe and sound and that their power and housing will be restored soon. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Jenny showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. She had no official therapy today, but Mom and Jenny got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat for thirty minutes. She is getting much better at turning her head to the right on command. Her head and trunk control is also improving. Jenny stretched Tracy and put her purple neoprene splints on her hands and wrists for two hours. Then Mom changed them to the wrist cock up splints. She has been wearing these for three hours per day. Today, she only got about an hour of wear time because Emil came over to give Tracy a massage. Tracy really seemed to relax and enjoy her massage. This evening, Dad worked with Tracy and he got her on the edge of the mat once again in a seated position for about thirty minutes. The goal is to get Tracy to sit up so that she can sit on a horse for therapeutic riding. We will go to Lift Me Up, the riding program in Great Falls next Tuesday to meet Mary Jo, the hippotherapist. She will evaluate Tracy to see if she is ready for the program. Tomorrow, Tracy has a noon appointment with Dr. Tornatore to get her Baclofen pump refilled. Then she will have a 2 PM appointment with her Physical Therapist. Wednesday, Tracy has a repeat Modified Barium Swallow test. We hope she has improved significantly from the 12 sessions of Vital Stim, and will be ready for the next phase of Speech Therapy. Please say a prayer that she is ready. Mom has been busy working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on developing a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. Network seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outtings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outtings to the many nature parks in the area. Yesterday afternoon, another student came by to meet Tracy. She is a first year physical therapy student at Marymount and just completed her bachelors in athletic training from George Mason University. We are looking forward to her working with Tracy too. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany started her six week internship with the USO today. She will work three days a week and work on her focus groups and masters project the other two days a week. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. She recently conducted the Focus Group with the survivors at the ADAPT program in Alexandria. She has one more Focus Group to conduct. This one will be with the caregivers of the survivors of acquired brain injury. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's website on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above. Thanks cousins Guy, Dawn and Sophia Lillian for the cute shirt and book. We love them! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Several weeks ago was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Sunday, August 28th, 2005 : ~ Word of the day: LIBERATE!!!!! ~ Mom decided that LIBERATE is the word of the day because she finally got rid of her clip in pedal system on her road bike! How LIBERATED she felt on the Mt. Vernon Trail. During her ride, she realized that sometimes you have to let go to gain control at another level. It parallels to Tracy's therapy: sometimes you have to let go of the familiar (outpatient therapy) to gain control of another way of doing things (creative therapy with a hand picked team of therapists and students). Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Janneth bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. After Mass, Mom hit the Mt. Vernon Trail on her bike and headed towards Alexandria. It was a great day for a ride and there were a lot of riders on the trail. She is training for the Tour of Hope on October 8th. If you would like to donate, please see the above link. Yesterday afternoon, Duncan, the third year Physical Therapy student from Marymount, came by around 1 PM to work with Tracy. Tracy seems to really respond to him; they seemed to have bonded. He is really good, and we are all looking forward to working together to help Tracy get over this speed bump. Speaking of speed bumps, Mom recalls when we were in Jamaica, the Jamaicans call speed bumps "sleeping policemen!" Dad showed Duncan the various stretches that he does with Tracy every day. Duncan and Dad got Tracy prone on the peanut and Tracy did an excellent job weight bearing through her knees. BALANCE! She tolerated about 15 minutes in this position. She also was able to weight bear through her shoulders. Mom and Duncan got Tracy on the edge of the mat in a seated positon. Duncan was able to get Tracy to relax her arms down on the mat. She really tunes in to him. The original plan was to get Tracy in the pool today but it was raining so we went to plan B. BALANCE! Mom has been busy working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on developing a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. Network seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outtings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outtings to the many nature parks in the area. Yesterday afternoon, another student came by to meet Tracy. She is a first year physical therapy student at Marymount and just completed her bachelors in athletic training from George Mason University. We are looking forward to her working with Tracy too. Last Friday afternoon, Dad and Mom took Tracy to an appointment with an Endocrinologist at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda. Dr. Girtz is concerned with Tracy's bone density especially since she is not able to stand and bear weight. She recommended that we do some blood tests to evaluate Tracy's calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D levels to make sure that she is not showing signs of osteoporosis. She also wants to do a bone density test and a urinalysis to make sure that Tracy's bone health is good. She recommended calcium and Vitamin D supplements. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Tiffany starts her six week internship with the USO tomorrow. She will work three days a week and work on her focus groups and masters project the other two days a week. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. She recently conducted the Focus Group with the survivors at the ADAPT program in Alexandria. She has one more Focus Group to conduct. This one will be with the caregivers of the survivors of acquired brain injury. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's website on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Several weeks ago was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Saturday, August 27th, 2005 : ~ Word of the day: Balance !!!!! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Janneth showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Dad hit the commisary and did some grocery shopping while Mom and Janneth got things organized around home. Duncan, the third year Physical Therapy student from Marymount, came by around 1 PM to work with Tracy. Tracy seems to really respond to him; they seemed to have bonded. He is really good, and we are all looking forward to working together to help Tracy get over this speed bump. Speaking of speed bumps, Mom recalls when we were in Jamaica, the Jamaicans call speed bumps "sleeping policemen!" Dad showed Duncan the various stretches that he does with Tracy every day. Duncan and Dad got Tracy prone on the peanut and Tracy did an excellent job weight bearing through her knees. BALANCE! She tolerated about 15 minutes in this position. She also was able to weight bear through her shoulders. Mom and Duncan got Tracy on the edge of the mat in a seated positon. Duncan was able to get Tracy to relax her arms down on the mat. She really tunes in to him. The original plan was to get Tracy in the pool today but it was raining so we went to plan B. BALANCE! Mom has made a COMMITMENT to ride the 50 mile leg of the Tour of Hope to raise money for cancer research. Lance will be riding along with a team of 24 cancer survivors. The ride starts in San Diego and ends in DC on the ellipse. Mom's Dad died from lung cancer in 1990 as did many relatives. If you would like to donate to the Tour of Hope in honor of a loved one, please click on the link above. Thank you in advance for your support! Mom has been busy working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on developing a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. Network seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outtings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outtings to the many nature parks in the area. Yesterday afternoon, another student came by to meet Tracy. She is a first year physical therapy student at Marymount and just completed her bachelors in athletic training from George Mason University. We are looking forward to her working with Tracy too. Yesterday afternoon, Dad and Mom took Tracy to an appointment with an Endocrinologist at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda. Dr. Girtz is concerned with Tracy's bone density especially since she is not able to stand and bear weight. She recommended that we do some blood tests to evaluate Tracy's calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D levels to make sure that she is not showing signs of osteoporosis. She also wants to do a bone density test and a urinalysis to make sure that Tracy's bone health is good. She recommended calcium and Vitamin D supplements. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in Alexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Thank you Betty for the adorable NYC taxi teddy bear. It is so cute! Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's website on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury nearly one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Several weeks ago was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great weekend and God bless!

Friday, August 26th, 2005 : ~ Phrase for the day: SPIRIT GUIDES!!!!! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. She must have sensed that Dad was home and felt peaceful and safe. Jenny was home sick with a head cold, so Mom bathed Tracy this morning. We did not have any morning appointments, so Mom let Tracy rest. Mom felt like there were SPIRIT GUIDES helping her with Tracy's morning care. Our SPIRIT GUIDES are waiting in the wings to offer their assistance whenever we need it. Different from angels who watch over and protect us, spirit guides are just as their names imply, beings that guide us on our spiritual path. Mom has made a COMMITMENT to ride the 50 mile leg of the Tour of Hope to raise money for cancer research. Lance will be riding along with a team of 24 cancer survivors. The ride starts in San Diego and ends in DC on the ellipse. Mom's Dad died from lung cancer in 1990 as did many relatives. If you would like to donate to the Tour of Hope in honor of a loved one, please click on the link above. Thank you in advance for your support! Mom has been busy working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on developing a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. Network seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outtings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outtings to the many nature parks in the area. This afternoon, another student came by to meet Tracy. She is a first year physical therapy student at Marymount and just completed her bachelors in athletic training from George Mason University. We are looking forward to her working with Tracy. This afternoon, Dad and Mom took Tracy to an appointment with an Endocrinologist at National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda. Dr. Girtz is concerned with Tracy's bone density especially since she is not able to stand and bear weight. She recommended that we do some blood tests to evaluate Tracy's calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D levels to make sure that she is not showing signs of osteoporosis. She also wants to do a bone density test and a urinalysis to make sure that Tracy's bone health is good. She recommended calcium and Vitamin D supplements. This evening, Mom and Dad got Tracy prone on the peanut. Tracy did a good job weight bearing on her knees and also on her elbows. She tolerated about 30 minutes in this position. It had been several weeks since we got Tracy prone on the peanut. This evening, Dad stayed with Tracy while Mom went with her friends Liz and Steven to Gloria's to celebrate Dave's birthday. They had a lot of fun and it was good to meet some new friends. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in Alexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org.Thank you Betty for the adorable NYC taxi teddy bear. It is so cute! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Several weeks ago was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great weekend and God bless!

Thursday, August 25th, 2005 : ~ Word for the day: COMMITMENT!!!! ~ Tracy slept well again last night, until about 3:33 AM, when she woke up grinding her teeth. Dad is at a conference in Norfolk, so Mom and Tiffany are in charge. Mom stretched Tracy and gave her some Tylenol and she settled down after a while. Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy this morning and got her ready for 11:00 AM Physical Therapy at Georgetown Hospital Physical Medicine and Rehab Clinic. Mom has made a COMMITMENT to ride the 50 mile leg of the Tour of Hope to raise money for cancer research. Lance will be riding along with a team of 24 cancer survivors. The ride starts in San Diego and ends in DC on the ellipse. Mom's Dad died from lung cancer in 1990 as did many relatives. If you would like to donate to the Tour of Hope in honor of a loved one, please click on the link above. Thank you in advance for your support! Mom has made a COMMITMENT to Tracy's therapy. As the saying goes, when one door closes several more open! Mom is working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on creating a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. Network seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outtings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outtings to the many nature parks in the area. Tracy's PT got her on the edge of the mat and Tracy practiced head and trunk control. She tolerated about 30 minutes in this assisted seated position. Her PT was very pleased with Tracy's ability to relax. She also spent some time stretching Tracy's neck muscles which tend to be very tight. Mom thinks that cutting Tracy's Zelnorm dose in half has significantly reduced her tone. Duncan, a third year Physical Therapy student working on his doctorate in PT at Marymount, came by yesterday to work with Tracy. He has a wide variety of experiences including, life guarding and working with dolphin therapy in Marathon in the Keys. Tracy worked very hard for him today. Mom and Duncan got Tracy on the edge of the mat and she did a really good job relaxing her right leg and with trunk and head control. Then they got her on the peanut ball and did some trunk stretches to the left and right. Tracy did a good job finding Duncan with her eyes. She tolerated more than thirty minutes of sitting. Duncan will be back again on Saturday and if the weather cooperates, we plan to get Tracy in the pool. This evening, Mom sat Tracy on the edge of the mat and Tracy relaxed her legs and her upper extremities. Tracy is improving each time she sits on the edge of the mat. Dad made it home safely from Norfolk. Everyone really missed him and was very happy to see him, especially Tracy. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in Alexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Thank you Betty for the adorable NYC taxi teddy bear. It is so adorable!

Wednesday, August 24th, 2005 : ~ Word for the day: NETWORK!!!!! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Dad is at a conference in Norfolk, so Mom and Tiffany are in charge. Mom and Jenny showered Tracy this morning and got her ready for the day. Mom is keeping everything in PERSPECTIVE with Tracy's therapy. As the saying goes, when one door closes several more open! Mom is working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on creating a team of talented therapists and students from a variety of local universities to work with Tracy. NETWORK seems to be the key in building a talented team for Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outtings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outtings to the many nature parks in the area. Duncan, a third year Physical Therapy student working on his doctorate in PT at Marymount, came by today to work with Tracy. He has a wide variety of experiences including, life guarding and working with dolphin therapy in Marathon in the Keys. Tracy worked very hard for him today. Mom and Duncan got Tracy on the edge of the mat and she did a really good job relaxing her right leg and with trunk and head control. Then they got her on the peanut ball and did some trunk stretches to the left and right. Tracy did a good job finding Duncan with her eyes. She tolerated more than thirty minutes of sitting. Duncan will be back again on Saturday and if the weather cooperates, we plan to get Tracy in the pool. This afternoon, Emil came over and gave Tiffany and Mom a much overdue massage. It was just what the doctor ordered. This evening, Liz and her daughter Mary came over to visit us. Mom and Liz got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat again for almost 45 minutes. Tracy is doing much better with assisted sitting every time we get her in that position. It was great to visit with Liz and Mary and to catch up. If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in Alexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Last week was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2005 : ~ Word for the day: PERSPECTIVE!!!!! ~ Tracy slept well last night. Dad is at a conference in Norfolk, so Mom and Tiffany are in charge. Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy this morning and got her ready for Vital Stim at 11:00 at Georgetown Hospital Sports Medicine Clinic. Today was Tracy's last Vital Stim session (number 12). Tracy swallowed 27 times during the thirty minute session with a range between 2 and 4.5. Her Speech Therapist was pleased with Tracy's performance. She had to cut the session short 15 minutes, however, because Tracy became nauseous and vomited. Mom thinks it is the change in Tracy's Zelnorm dose that made her nauseous. (Please see explanation below). Next Wednesday, August 31st, Tracy will have a repeat Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) to see if she is ready to start oral trials. Today was Tracy's last Occupational Therapy session. During the session, Tracy's OT spent some time stretching Tracy's right hip and left shoulder. She then positioned Tracy on the edge of the mat and worked with trunk control. Tracy tolerated this position for about 15 minutes and then seemed uncomfortable. Dad cut Tracy's Zelnorm in half to 1 mg. This may be aggrivating her reflux. We will give it a few days and see if it improves. The Zelnorm also increases her tone, so it is a delicate balancing act. Because Tracy did not seem to feel well, Mom and the OT spent the rest of the session developing therapeutic activities which the students can implement with Tracy. Mom is keeping everything in PERSPECTIVE with Tracy's therapy. As the saying goes, when one door closes several more open! Mom is working on developing a creative approach to Tracy's therapy routine. She is working on creating a team of talented therapists and students to work with Tracy. Some ideas she is pursuing is Hippotherapy, pool therapy, hiking in her jogger, and fun outtings. With Fall on its way, it will be the perfect setting for outtings to the many nature parks in the area. This evening, Emil came over and gave Tracy a much needed massage. Tracy really seemed to relax and enjoy it. She should sleep well tonight! If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can participate more in her therapy and have a better quality of life. Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in Alexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Last week was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Monday, August 22nd, 2005 : ~ Word for the day: PERSISTANCE!!!!! ~ We need some inspiration to develop some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Tomorrow is Tracy's last Occupational Therapy session! Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day, she is ready for therapy. Mom finds strength facing adversity head on! She knows that these road blocks are just opportunities for new avenues! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. One of the students came by to meet Mom and Dad and get to know Tracy. We are very enthusiastic about developing a team of talented therapists and students to work with Tracy and get her to the next level. PERSISTANCE! If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any recommendations you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well until about 4 AM and then was up until 6 AM. Dad gave her some tylenol and that seemed to help. He also stretched and ranged her to help relieve her spasms. Mom and Jenny showered and shampooed Tracy this morning and got her ready for the day. While Mom was at her dentist appointment, Nichole, Tracy's volunteer came by to visit. They sat out on the balcony and Nichole read Tracy her Inner Peace Inspirational cards. They had a good visit. This afternoon, Gloria and her girls Sam and Kat came by to visit. Mom, Tiffany, Gloria and the girls went to the pool for a break while Tracy rested on the mat. Then everyone (including Tracy) went for a walk to Cold Stone Creamery for an ice cream. It was a nice day for an ice cream. This evening, Mom got Tracy on the edge of the mat for almost 30 minutes. Then Dad stretched and ranged Tracy's extremities, spending some extra time on her hips. Yesterday afternoon, Tracy's room mate from Gonzaga in Florence program, Nicole, her sister Stephanie, and their mom and dad, Lori and Tom came by to visit Tracy. It was so nice to see Nicole and finally meet her family. Nicole's mom made us her specialty: home made turkey jerkey and granola. Yum! Sunday evening, one of the Physical Therapy students from Marymount came by to meet Tracy. Mom is working on building a team of therapists and students to work with Tracy and get her to the next level. Emil, our good friend and Tracy's massage therapist came by to visit us. He showed us his beautiful pictures from his trip to Italy and Croatia. Emil's exploration of Italy and his family's home of Croatia has given him more inspiration for his art work. He also brought Tracy beautiful Rosary Beads and a bracelet with beads and a cross from Medjugore, where the Virgin Mary has appeared. It is great to have him back! Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in Alexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. Last week was the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Sunday, August 21st, 2005 : ~ Word for the day: INSPIRATION!!!!! ~ We need some INSPIRATION to develop some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Next week is Tracy's last Occupational Therapy session! Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day, she is ready for therapy. Mom finds strength facing adversity head on! She knows that these road blocks are just opportunities for new avenues! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. One of the students came by to meet Mom and Dad and get to know Tracy. We are very enthusiastic about developing a team of talented therapists and students to work with Tracy and get her to the next level. INSPIRATION! If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any INSPIRATION you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Janneth bathed Tracy this morning and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. After Mass, Mom and Dad brought Tracy to a picnic sponsored by the Northern Virginia Brain Injury Association. It was at Burke Lake State Park, a beautiful park with a lake over a mile long. We met a lot of survivors of acquired brain injury as well as staff and volunteers. It was a lot of fun! This afternoon, Tracy's room mate from Gonzaga in Florence program, Nicole, her sister Stephanie, and their mom and dad, Lori and Tom came by to visit Tracy. It was so nice to see Nicole and finally meet her family. Nicole's mom made us her specialty: home made turkey jerkey and granola. Yum! This evening, one of the Physical Therapy students from Marymount came by to meet Tracy. Mom is working on building a team of therapists and students to work with Tracy and get her to the next level. Emil, our good friend and Tracy's massage therapist came by to visit us. He showed us his beautiful pictures from his trip to Italy and Croatia. Emil's exploration of Italy and his family's home of Croatia has given him more INSPIRATION for his art work. He also brought Tracy beautiful Rosary Beads and a bracelet with beads and a cross from Medjugore, where the Virgin Mary has appeared. It is great to have him back! Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in Alexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Thank you cousin Elizabeth for the beautiful graduation and cheerleading pictures! They are posted on our refrigerator and are really cute! Uncle Johnny and Nana made if safely back to South Florida. They had a really great time! We miss them already and really enjoyed their visit. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. This week is the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Saturday, August 20th, 2005 : ~ Phrase for the day: Back in the saddle again! ~ We need some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Next week is Tracy's last Occupational Therapy session! Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day, she is ready for therapy. Mom finds strength facing adversity head on! She knows that these road blocks are just opportunities for new avenues! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. (She has received several emails from students who are interested in working with Tracy.) If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any creative solutions you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Dad showered and shampooed Tracy this morning while Janneth cleaned. Everything looks shiny and sparkling again! She does such a great job! After lunch, Mom, Tiffany and Rick went for a bike ride on the Mt. Vernon Trail. It was a beautiful day and the ride was great. It had been over five years since Mom rode her bike. Back in the saddle again! They all rode to Theodore Roosevelt Island and back. It was close to ten miles. They had a lot of fun. Tracy rested most of the morning. Dad and Mom got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat for about 30 minutes and then laid her on her right side. Dad stretched out her left side. Then Mom and Dad rolled Tracy prone (on her tummy) and really stretched her hip. They stretched her arms up over her head. This is such a good stretch for Tracy. She tolerated about 20 minutes in this position. Last Friday morning, Mom accompanied Tiffany to the ADAPT Club House in ALexandria to conduct a Focus Group. As part of Tiffany's master's project, she is conducting a focus group to explore ways to improve the NVBIS website for users, specifically survivors of acquired brain injury and their caregivers. This project will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. Yesterday afternoon, Emil visited us for the first time since he returned from Italy and Croatia. Tracy recognized him and showed her surprise and happiness in seeing her friend and massage therapist. Emil's exploration of Italy and his family's home of Croatia has given him more inspiration for his art work. He also brought Tracy beautiful Rosary Beads and a bracelet with beads and a cross from Medjugore, where the Virgin Mary has appeared. Thank you cousin Elizabeth for the beautiful graduation and cheerleading pictures! They are posted on our refrigerator and are really cute! Uncle Johnny and Nana made if safely back to South Florida. They had a really great time! We miss them already and really enjoyed their visit. We are really looking forward to seeing Nichole Huling and her family tomorrow when they come to visit Tracy! It has been a long time and we miss them! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. This week is the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great weekend and God bless!

Friday, August 19th, 2005 : ~ Word for the day: EXPLORATION!!! We need some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Next week is Tracy's last Occupational Therapy session! Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day, she is ready for therapy. Mom finds strength facing adversity head on! She knows that these road blocks are just opportunities for new avenues! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. (She has received several emails from students who are interested in working with Tracy.) If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any creative solutions you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy early this morning so Mom could accompany Tiffany to the Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to conduct a Focus Group. This EXPLORATION of the needs of people with Brain Injury will hopefully lead to a more efficient way for them to share and receive ideas on the NVBIS website. http://www.braininjurysvcs.org. This afternoon, Emil visited us for the first time since he returned from Italy and Croatia. Tracy recognized him and showed her surprise and happiness in seeing her friend and massage therapist. Emil's EXPLORATION of Italy and his family's home of Croatia has given him more inspiration for his art work. He also brought Tracy beautiful Rosary Beads and a bracelet with beads and a cross from Medjugore, where the Virgin Mary has appeared. Jenny stayed with Tracy this evening while Mom, Dad, Rick and Tiffany went to dinner at Filomena Ristorante in Georgetown for Tiffany's Birthday. This is the best Italian Ristorante we have found since returning from Napoli and highly recommend it. The only problem is it is not handicap accessible. Uncle Johnny and Nana made if safely back to South Florida. They had a really great time! We miss them already and really enjoyed their visit. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. This week is the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great weekend and God bless!

Thursday, August 18th, 2005 : ~ Word for the day: PATIENCE!!! We need some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Next week is Tracy's last Occupational Therapy session! Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day (and night), she is ready for therapy. Mom finds strength facing adversity head on! She knows that these road blocks are just opportunities for new avenues! A good friend once said that when things get tough, Mom always puts her head down and works even harder to get the job done! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. (She has received several emails from students who are interested in working with Tracy.) If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any creative solutions you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Jenny showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Today, Mom, Uncle Johnny, Nana and Jenny took Tracy to Great Falls State Park to see the falls. It was absolutely beautiful. Then they had lunch in a little Irish Pub, the Brogue, in Great Falls. It was really quaint. Tracy really seemed to enjoy being out and about this week. This evening, Tania came to give Tracy a much needed massage. Tracy seemed a little tighter than usual, however, she finally relaxed midway through her massage. Tania really does a good job with Tracy! She has a lot of PATIENCE! Tiffany is working on her focus groups with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia. She will implement two groups which will assess the current BISNV website. Tiffany will start an internship at the USO soon. She is really looking forward to working with them. We really enjoyed Uncle Johnny and Nana's visit and will be sad to see them leave. They leave Friday! We will miss them a lot! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. This week is the 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Wednesday, August 17th, 2005 : ~Phrase for the day: NEVER GIVE UP!!! We need some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Next week is Tracy's last Occupational Therapy session! Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day (and night), she is ready for therapy. Mom finds strength facing adversity head on! She wants to make sure that everyone knows that she will NEVER GIVE UP HER FIGHT FOR TRACY! She plans to stay focused on her goal of getting Tracy the therapy that she deserves. Mom knows that these road blocks are just opportunities for new avenues! A good friend once said that when things get tough, Mom always puts her head down and works even harder to get the job done! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. (She already received an email from a third year PT student and is eager to meet him and have him meet Tracy.) If anyone knows of any grants available that would apply to Tracy's needs, please email us at drdebanz@aol.com. We would appreciate any creative solutions you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well again last night. Dad took the day off from work and Jenny and he bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. She was so wiped out from her busy day yesterday that she rested most of the day. Jenny stayed with Tracy while Mom and Dad took Uncle Johnny and Nana to Hillwood Estate and Museum, the previous residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post (the heiress to Post Cereals). It was a beautiful estate with many Faberge eggs, Russian heirlooms, and breathtaking gardens, specializing in all sorts of roses. Mom wants to take Tracy back for a visit. It is completely accessible too. This evening, Mom, Dad, Uncle Johnny, and Tiffany took Tracy in the pool. She relaxed really well, and Dad was able to get a good stretch of her upper and lower extremities. She tolerated 30 minutes. She should sleep well tonight. Last evening, Mom, Dad, Uncle Johnny, Nana, Tracy, took Rick and Tiffany on the Spirit of Washington dinner cruise on the Potomac. Liz, Ashley, and Sasha joined us. It was a lot of fun! Tracy did really well with all of the singing and dancing and loud music. She seemed to have a nice time. It was a late night, and she tolerated sitting in her chair well. Thank you Nikki for the adorable hot pink teddy bear that you sent Tracy. It is really cute! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. This week is her 31 month milestone since Tracy's accident and injury, and we would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Tuesday, August 16th, 2005 : Happy Birthday Rick and Tiffany!~Word for the day: CELEBRATE!!! We need some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day (and night), she is ready for therapy. Mom finds STRENGTH in facing adversity head on! She plans to stay focused on her goal of getting Tracy the therapy that she deserves. Mom knows that these road blocks are just opportunities for new avenues! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. We would appreciate any creative solutions you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy and got her ready for therapy. She had 11:00 Vital Stim (#11 out of 12), 12 noon Baclofen Pump refill, 1:00 PM Occupational Therapy, and 2:00 PM Physical Therapy. It was a very long day! During Vital Stim, Tracy swallowed her usual 9 times, mostly at a low frequency. Today, Mom tried different aromatherapy scents: lemon, tangerine, eucalyptus and cinnamon. Tracy really seemed to like the lemon and tangerine scents! Mom also used tropical smoothie flavored lip balm to awaken Tracy's senses. She really liked the Tropical Smoothie and the Berry Explosion flavors. After Vital Stim, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Tornatore, the neurologist who manages Tracy's Baclofen pump. Erika, Dr, Tornatore's nurse practitioner, actually refilled her pump. Dr. Tornatore decided to keep Tracy's dosing schedule the same this month, and see how her tone does. During Occupational Therapy at 1:00 PM, Tracy was transferred on the mat and put supine (on her back) so that the OT and rehab tech could stretch Tracy's right hip and left shoulder. Tracy's tone takes her out of midline with her left shoulder pulling forward and her right hip flexing. This is why we spend so much time stretching Tracy twice a day. Then they got Tracy on the edge of the mat in a seated position. The rehab tech worked with Tracy knees and hips to keep them flexed and abducted while the OT worked with Tracy's head and trunk. By breaking the tone in the lower body, it helps Tracy to relax in her trunk, neck and shoulders. The OT also got Tracy prone (on her tummy) on a very large wedge, so that Tracy can weight bear through her shoulders. This position also helps to stretch Tracy's hip and to stretch and straighten her spine. Tracy's OT told Mom that next week is her last OT session at Georgetown. She does not meet the Medicare guidelines at this time to continue with Occupational Therapy. The OT said that when she is ready for more OT we can take her back for another evaluation. During Physical Therapy, Tracy was placed in various positions to help stretch her neck, shoulders and trunk. The PT also worked on sitting with Tracy. Then she got Tracy in sidelying and stretched her left side to elongate her trunk and stretch her neck to the right. The PT set up an appointment with a new Durable Medical Equipment company, Cheasapeake, to revamp Tracy's wheelchair and seating system. The current system is not working well to keep Tracy midline and to minimize her tone. This evening, Mom, Dad, Uncle Johnny, Nana, Tracy, took Rick and Tiffany on the Spirit of Washington dinner cruise on the Potomac. Liz, Ashley, and Sasha joined us. It was a lot of fun! Tracy did really well with all of the singing and dancing and loud music. She seemed to have a nice time. It was a late night, and she tolerated sitting in her chair well. Dad and Mom made sure they did the periodic pressure releases to prevent returning decubitus. Thank you Nikki for the adorable hot pink teddy bear that you sent Tracy. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Sunday, August 14th, 2005 : ~Word for the day: OPPORTUNITY!!! We need some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day (and night), she is ready for therapy. Mom plans to stay focused on her goal of getting Tracy the therapy that she deserves. Mom knows that these road blocks are just OPPORTUNITIES for new avenues! Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term solution! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. We would appreciate any creative solutions you may have. Mom is also working closely with Brain Injury Services of Northern Virginia to augment Tracy's therapy needs. The goal is to get her to the next level, so that she can go back to outpatient therapy three to five times per week. Tracy slept well again last night. Mom and Janneth bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass. Tracy seemed very alert in Mass. The sermon was another great one by Fr. Loftus. He always seems to hit the nail on the head. Today he talked about the mother who never gave up, who really was a testimony of faith. Mom saw it as a pep talk directed to her. It was very uncanny how it seemed to apply. Janneth did an awesome job cleaning and everything is shining for Nana and Uncle Johnny's visit. Liz came over and everyone got ready to take a swim in the pool. When they got outside, the pool was closed early due to a broken pipe. Imagine? Our good friends Betty from Naples and Glen from the south building came over and we all barbequed. It was so great to visit with Betty and Glen. Tiffany finished her last day of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. Mom got to meet the wonderful people that Tiffany worked with at lunch Friday at Georgia Brown's. They were all pleased with Tiffany's performance during her 10-week assignment. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We are very proud of her accomplishments both personal and professional. We know that Tracy would be very proud of her big sister too! We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana's visit from south Florida next week. We hope the weather stays nice so that we can enjoy the outdoors. Please keep your fingers crossed that Tropical Storm Irene doesn't bring a lot of bad weather our way during their visit. Thank you Nikki for the adorable hot pink teddy bear that you sent Tracy. She received it Friday in the mail! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great weekend and God bless!

Friday, August 12th, 2005: ~Word for the day: SOLUTION!!! We need some creative solutions to Tracy's current therapy regimen. She is only receiving one Occuptional and one Physical Therapy session per week. Mom has tried to get this increased and has run into major road blocks. Tracy needs more than one session per week. Now that we have her medical problems resolved and she is awake most of the day (and night), she is ready for therapy. Mom and Dad are trying to make up for the lack of therapy, but need a long term SOLUTION! Mom has contacted the chair of the Physical Therapy program at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is going to get the word out to the students via Tracy's webpage, in an effort to recruit PT aides to assist us with her daily range of motion and PT needs. We would appreciate any creative SOLUTIONS you may have. Tracy was awake from 3 AM to 7:30 AM this morning grinding her teeth. Dad was up with her, stretching and ranging her arms and legs, trying to make her comfortable. We are not sure what was bothering her. Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy and got her ready for her day. Then they transferred her to the mat. Tracy does not have any official therapy today. Jenny stretched and ranged Tracy and put her splints on her hands. It is important for Tracy to wear her splints as much as tolerated, especially since she received Botox in both wrist and finger flexors.Dad sat Tracy on the edge of the mat this evening and she tolerated 30 minutes. He then had her weight bear through her right arm. She did a good job controlling her head in this position. Mom asked her to turn and look at her and she turned and made eye contact for several seconds. Then Dad asked her to turn her head to the right and she did. It took her a few seconds and she got pretty frustrated, but she did it! Tiffany finished her last day of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. Mom got to meet the wonderful people that Tiffany worked with at lunch today at Georgia Brown's. They were all pleased with Tiffany's performance during her 10-week assignment. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We are very proud of her accomplishments both personal and professional. We know that Tracy would be very proud of her big sister too! We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana's visit from south Florida next week. We hope the weather stays nice so that we can enjoy the outdoors. Please keep your fingers crossed that Tropical Storm Irene doesn't bring a lot of bad weather our way during their visit. Thank you Nikki for the adorable pink teddy bear that you sent Tracy. She received it today in the mail! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great weekend and God bless!

Thursday, August 11th, 2005: ~Word for the day: BREATH!!!!! ~ Maybe it should be swallow, but Mom chose BREATH! (She had to remind herself to take a few breaths today if you know what I mean.) She picked this word because it reminded her of the beautiful quote from the birthday card that Tiffany and Tracy gave her: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away! ~ anonymous! Tracy slept well again last night after her massage. She really seemed to enjoy her massage that Tonia gave her. She woke up at 2 AM, vocalizing and Dad removed her right knee cast and night resting hand splints. Then she went back to sleep. Guess our girl wanted those restricting things OFF! Mom and Jenny bathed Tracy and got her out the door for an early Vital Stim session at Georgetown at 10 AM. This was her tenth session. She has two more Vital Stim sessions over the next two weeks, and then a repeat Modified Barium Swallow on Wednesday, August 31st at 2 PM. Say all your prayers that this test shows significant improvement and that she will be able to go another round of Vital Stim with oral trials! Mom really wants to get this G-tube (feeding tube) out. Tracy's Speech Therapist hooked her up to the electrodes and set Tracy at level 3 to start. She went as high as 7.5 during today's session. The goal is for Tracy to swallow consistently throughout the 45 minute session. Tracy swallowed about 9 times, with two of those being attempted swallows. Mom and the Speech Therapist used different aromatherapy scents. The theme was flavored drops for coffee: Irish Cream. Amaretto, Chocolate Mint, French Vanilla, etc. Tracy loves coffee, so this was right up her alley. Tracy rested most of the afternoon after her Speech Therapy. This evening, Dad got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat for about 20 minutes. Tracy seemed a little uncomfortable, she was grinding her teeth. Then Dad moved Tracy on to the therapy ball. She sat with support for about 10 minutes. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) Tiffany is wrapping up her last week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We are very proud of her accomplishments both personal and professional. We know that Tracy would be very proud of her big sister too! We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana's visit from south Florida next week. We hope the weather stays nice so that we can enjoy the outdoors. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Wednesday, August 10th, 2005: ~Word for the day: THANK YOU!!!!! ~ Mom would like to say THANK YOU for all of the wonderful cards, presents, and special wishes for her birthday! Tiffany and Dad did a great job planning the surprise party and everyone did a wonderful job keeping it a secret! It sure made getting another year older a lot of fun! It was also great to have Tracy there to celebrate with everyone! Tracy slept well last night. She is making up for lost time. Mom and Jenny showered and shampooed Tracy this morning. There was no official therapy today, so Tracy got to rest. Jenny gave Tracy a manicure this afternoon, and she chilled on the mat. Mom and Jenny got Tracy seated on the edge of the mat and she did a really good job with head and trunk control. Mom asked Tracy to turn her head and find various objects in the room with her eyes. For example, Mom asked Tracy to look for the big yellow therapy ball. Tracy turned and scanned the room until she located the big yellow therapy ball. She also found the kitchen, the door to the balcony, and Mom's spin bike. She appears to be a lot more alert these days. She also seems more emotional and has been more vocal. Last night, she teared up when she met Sasha's boyfriend Duffy. These are all good signs and show that Tracy is becoming more aware of her surroundings. This evening, Mom and Dad took Tracy out to the pool. The air and water were a little cooler. Mom and Dad were even cold! Tracy tolerated about 25 minutes and then began to grind her teeth. We got her out and wrapped her in warm blankets (microwaves come in handy) and also put some warmed aromatherapy booties on her feet. She seemed to relax just in time for her massage with Tonia. We hope she enjoys her massage. Tomorrow, Tracy has her ninth Vital Stim session at 10 AM at Georgetown. We hope she continues to improve with her swallowing. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain. Tiffany is into her tenth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. This is her last week. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. She finished her summary of her data analysis from surveys and participated in a conference call to discuss the information. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana's visit from south Florida next week. We hope the weather stays nice so that we can enjoy the outdoors. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Tuesday, August 9th, 2005: ~Word for the day: SURPRISE!!!! ~ We were able to have Mom think it was only going to be us for dinner, but, we SURPRISED her at Oyamel with a party of 20. Tiffany reserved their party room and we had a great time. Tracy enjoyed being in the middle of everything. Tracy slept through the night last night. So did Mom and Dad! Mom bathed Tracy this morning and had her ready by 8:30. Jenny and Mom brought Tracy to Georgetown for another session of Vital Stim at 11:00. Tracy continues to improve her swallowing and the Therapist is adding another 2 sessions before the MBS. At 1:00, she had Occupational Therapy which included aggressive stretching of her shoulders and hips as well as sitting on the edge of the mat for 25 to 30 minutes.They also got Tracy sitting straddled on the peanut ball to help with balance and trunk strengthening. At 2 PM, Tracy had a Physical Therapy session. The Therapist worked on improving Tracy's positioning in her wheelchair. This included changing her head rest, adding a larger abductor pommel, adjusting her trunk harness, and adjusting her seat cushion. She is much more comfortable with the changes. We were pleasantly SURPRISED at how much better her chair fits her now. The PT is also working on bringing a new vendor out to look at some other wheel chair components. We never realized how important positioning is for minimizing Tracy's tone and improving her alignment. This afternoon, Dad and Tiffany were able to keep Mom busy while everyone arrived at Oyamel. Tiffany told Mom she was going to get us a table and Mom and Dad got Tracy ready for our night out. On arriving at Oyamel, as we entered the private dinning room, everyone SURPRISED Mom. The food was outstanding, the conversation lively and Mom received many beautiful gifts. We all really enjoyed getting out and celebrating the #1 Mom in the world's birthday. Thanks to all our friends and family that shared this evening. Last Friday, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi at Inova Mt. Vernon Outpatient Rehab Center. He injected Botox into Tracy's left wrist and finger flexors. He also injected some into her right medial and later hamstring which is always so tight. Please pray that this helps Tracy open her hands and straighten her right leg so she can wear her knee cast. Dr. Gisolfi injected Botox into her right wrist and hand last time. It takes about 8 to 10 days to see the effects. Tomorrow, Tracy has the day off from therapy. We hope to do some fun things with her. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain. Tiffany started her tenth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. This is her last week. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. She finished her summary of her data analysis from surveys and participated in a conference call to discuss the information. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We continue to take advantage of evenings in the pool for Tracy. It really helps to decrease her tone and to relax her extremities. She seems to sleep a lot better at night too. We will be sad to see the pool close on Labor Day, and will take every opportunity while the weather and water is still hot! Then we will have to switch to the indoor pool at the Sport and Health Club! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Monday, August 8th, 2005: ~Word for the day: STAFFING ISSUES!!!!! ~ Tracy slept through the night last night. So did Mom and Dad! Everyone was thinking a lot clearer today! Please click on the Prayer for John Paul II's Intercessions above and say the prayer which is for sainthood. We are saying it with Tracy every night at bedtime, praying for her to be one of Pope John Paul II's MIRACLES. Jenny and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy this morning and got her ready for a 1 PM Occupational Therapy evaluation/second opinion at Inova Mt. Vernon Outpatient Rehab Center. Ivey, the Occupational Therapist conducted a thorough evaluation of Tracy, including her ability to assist in rolling, active relaxation of her upper extremities, head and trunk control, eye tracking and focusing, and ability to follow simple verbal commands. Tracy tried very hard to focus her eyes and follow Ivey when she moved to various locations around the room. She did find Ivey with her eyes, however, it took her a little time and a lot of effort. She did initiate some shoulder movement when trying to roll. Also, when Ivey asked Tracy to look down at her knee she did lower her eyes and looked at her knee. Tracy tries so hard and gets very frustrated at times. Ivey also checked out Tracy's three sets of splints and commented on how nicely made they were and how well they fit. At 2 PM, Tracy had a Physical Therapy evaluation/second opinion with Jill, Tracy's PT last summer when she was an outpatient at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Center. This was prior to Tracy's decubitus which forced Tracy to become home-bound and receive home therapy for a little more than a year. Jill evaluated Tracy's right knee cast and also checked her ankles and feet. Mom and Jill discussed any plans for Tracy to have foot and heel cord surgery to help with getting Tracy into a standing position. The major issues at play here have to do with STAFFING ISSUES, our word of the day. It seems that there is a large turnover problem among therapists at many of the local rehab centers in the DC/Northern Virginia area. Mom, Liz and Jenny are considering going back to school to be therapists. (Just kidding, but the thought did occur to me!) If there is one thing that has been constant in Tracy's therapy regimen, it is the lack of continuity. Mom does not know if it is specific to this area or a generalized problem among rehab therapists all over. This afternoon, Mom Tracy on the edge of the mat for almost an hour. She did a good job with turning her head to the right and looked Mom right in the eyes when she asked her to. Then, Dad and Mom rolled Tracy on to her tummy (prone) and stretched her arms up over her head. Tracy tolerated this position for about five minutes, and then vocalized that she was not comfortable. This was the third time that Mom and Dad put Tracy prone without any wedge or pillow for support. That may have been why Tracy was not comfortable in this position. Last Friday, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi at Inova Mt. Vernon Outpatient Rehab Center. He injected Botox into Tracy's left wrist and finger flexors. He also injected some into her right medial and later hamstring which is always so tight. Please pray that this helps Tracy open her hands and straighten her right leg so she can wear her knee cast. Dr. Gisolfi injected Botox into her right wrist and hand last time. It takes about 8 to 10 days to see the effects. Tomorrow, Tracy has Vital Stim, Occupational and Physical Therapies. She has a break at noon for lunch. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain. Tiffany started her tenth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. This is her last week. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. She finished her summary of her data analysis from surveys and participated in a conference call to discuss the information. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We continue to take advantage of evenings in the pool for Tracy. It really helps to decrease her tone and to relax her extremities. She seems to sleep a lot better at night too. We will be sad to see the pool close on Labor Day, and will take every opportunity while the weather and water is still hot! Then we will have to switch to the indoor pool at the Sport and Health Club! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Sunday, August 7th, 2005: ~Word for the day: RELAXATION!!!!! ~ Tracy slept much better last night. So did Mom and Dad! Everyone was thinking a lot clearer today! Please click on the Prayer for John Paul II's Intercessions above and say the prayer which is for sainthood. We are saying it with Tracy every night at bedtime, praying for her to be one of Pope John Paul II's MIRACLES. Janneth and Mom bathed Tracy this morning and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. We have been getting to church on time, now that Janneth is helping us on the weekends. Fr. Loftus said the Mass and his sermon was about never losing sight of your life's purpose: to become closer to Christ! After Mass, Tracy RELAXED on the mat and Mom and Dad went to the pool for an hour. Janneth stayed with Tracy. It was nice to RELAX and recharge. This afternoon, Dad sat Tracy on the edge of the mat for twenty minutes. She did a good job with head and trunk control. Then, Dad stretched and ranged Tracy's arms and legs. The Botox seems to be working in her right wrist and fingers. It should take about a week to see the effect in her left wrist and fingers. Dad spent some time working on Tracy's wheelchair. He readjusted her lateral supports, while Mom did some cleaning. It is amazing how dusty and dirty a wheelchair can get, especially since it is black. Oh, that's why we never had a black car! Shows all the dust! This evening, Tonia came over and gave Mom and Dad a massage. They were way overdue! It has been about 3 weeks since Emil left for Europe. We hope he is having a good time and learned a lot in his scultpting program in Italy. He should be back in 10 more days. Friday, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi at Inova Mt. Vernon Outpatient Rehab Center. He injected Botox into Tracy's left wrist and finger flexors. He also injected some into her right medial and later hamstring which is always so tight. Please pray that this helps Tracy open her hands and straighten her right leg so she can wear her knee cast. Dr. Gisolfi injected Botox into her right wrist and hand last time. It takes about 8 to 10 days to see the effects. Mom and Jenny wish they could have some of Tracy's botox! (Just kidding of course!) To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain. Tiffany finished her ninth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She has one more week left. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. She finished her summary of her data analysis from surveys and participated in a conference call to discuss the information. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We continue to take advantage of evenings in the pool for Tracy. It really helps to decrease her tone and to relax her extremities. She seems to sleep a lot better at night too. We will be sad to see the pool close on Labor Day, and will take every opportunity while the weather and water is still hot! Then we will have to switch to the indoor pool at the Sport and Health Club! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Saturday, August 6th, 2005: ~Word for the day: TEAMWORK!!!!! ~ Tracy was awake again from 3 to 6 AM. Dad was up too. Mom tells him to wake her up but he never does. Please click on the Prayer for John Paul II's Intercessions above and say the prayer which is for sainthood. We are saying it with Tracy every night at bedtime, praying for her to be one of Pope John Paul II's MIRACLES. Janneth and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy this morning and got her ready for the day. This takes TEAMWORK every day and Tracy has an excellent team of caretakers and volunteers. Janneth stretched Tracy while Mom got her mat set up in the Rehab Corner. Then they transferred Tracy to her chair and she hung out in the family room with Janneth and Rick and watched television. This afternoon, Dad and Mom took Tracy for a walk in her jogger on the Mt. Vernon Trail. They walked to the Washington Potomack Marina and sat on the deck to watch the planes land. It is right across from the airport, with a great view of the monuments and the Capitol in the distance. It was pretty hot and humid, and there was a haze hanging over the Potomack. The route is about four miles roundtrip! Tracy seems to really enjoy her walks in the jogger. Dad sat Tracy up on the edge of the mat for about 30 minutes. She still has trouble focusing her eyes. Dad is working on getting Tracy to focus on various objects such as the television. Friday, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi at Inova Mt. Vernon Outpatient Rehab Center. He injected Botox into Tracy's left wrist and finger flexors. He also injected some into her right medial and later hamstring which is always so tight. Please pray that this helps Tracy open her hands and straighten her right leg so she can wear her knee cast. Dr. Gisolfi injected Botox into her right wrist and hand last time. It takes about 8 to 10 days to see the effects. Mom and Jenny wish they could have some of Tracy's botox! (Just kidding of course!) Friday night, Tiffany and Rick stayed with Tracy while Mom and Dad went out to Zintanya's for dinner. Tiffany gave Mom and Dad a gift card to the restaurant. It was the first time in about three months that Mom and Dad went out to dinner. They had a good time. Once again, TEAMWORK pays off. Thanks Tiffany and Rick! During the evening, Tonia came over and gave Tracy a massage. She was so relaxed and seemed to enjoy it a lot! To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain. Tiffany finished her ninth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She has one more week left. I know she will miss everyone and learned a lot from her experiences at the DVA. She finished her summary of her data analysis from surveys and participated in a conference call to discuss the information. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate with her masters in mass communication from LSU in December. We continue to take advantage of evenings in the pool for Tracy. It really helps to decrease her tone and to relax her extremities. She seems to sleep a lot better at night too. We will be sad to see the pool close on Labor Day, and will take every opportunity while the weather and water is still hot! Then we will have to switch to the indoor pool at the Sport and Health Club! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great weekend and God bless!

Thursday, August 4th, 2005: ~ Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. It is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". Check out Flat Stanley's Photo Album of his DC trip! We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. 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.Thursday, Word for the day: COINCIDENCE!!!!!! ~ Tracy was up again several times last night. There is a famous saying: "A coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain silent." - Author Unknown. Please click on the Prayer for John Paul II's Intercessions above and say the prayer which is for sainthood. We are saying it with Tracy every night at bedtime. This morning, while Mom and Sasha were on their morning run (at 6:00 AM), Mom saw a sail boat anchored out in the Potomac. It was very surreal in the calm of the morning with the sun just rising in the east. It reminded her of the sail boat they used to have a long time ago in Puerto Rico when the girls were one and a half and three. She checked out the name of the boat on the stern,: TNT! Tiffany n' Tracy! It just goes to show you once again: There are no COINCIDENCES, and everything happens for a reason! (We are still trying to figure this one out!) Jenny and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. Today, since Tracy has NO APPOINTMENTS, is a day of beauty! Jenny gave Tracy a facial this morning, and Tracy really seemed to enjoy it. She used an Elizabeth Arden facial kit that smells like different types of wines! No wonder Tracy enjoyed it! This was no COINCIDENCE! Mom and Jenny sat Tracy on the edge of the mat for more than 30 minutes. Tracy did a good job with head and trunk control. Tomorrow, Tracy has an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi to get Botox in her left wrist flexors and arm. We'll let you know how that goes.This evening, Mom and Dad took Tracy into the pool for a swim. The air and water was really warm, and Tracy did a good job relaxing her legs and hips. She seemed to enjoy being in the pool. She tolerated about 25 minutes! To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain.Tiffany is wrapping up her ninth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She has been summarizing survey data and is in the process of wrapping up her coursework for the summer. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project to implement and defend. She hopes to graduate in December. We are looking forward to getting Tracy into the pool more often during this month. The pool closes on Labor Day, so we have to take every opportunity while the weather and water is still hot! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Thank you Nicole, Tracy's room mate from the Gonzaga in Florence program, for the adorable candle holders from Napoli! We really love them! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2005: ~Word for the day: CONTINUITY!!!!!! ~ Tracy was up a little more last night than the night before. Dad was up with Tracy from 5 AM to 6 AM. Needless to say he is pretty tired. Jenny and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for her 9:30 AM appointment at Gerorgetown, this time with a communication technology specialist/Speech Language Pathologist named Pat Ourand. She showed us some basic communication switches similar to the ones we have. We discussed getting Tracy back on track with switch training. She is going to loan us a piece of equipment called a Powerlink, which is a special box that interfaces with various household appliances and components. We can then plug in such things as the stereo, the television, the blender, etc. and Tracy could use the switch to turn it on and off. This would provide some feedback for Tracy to learn how to use the switch and also give her some control over her environment. Eventually, we can progress to a computerized communication system which would enable Tracy to tell us her needs and wants. This is a long way down the road to recovery, which will come with CONTINUITY! After her communications assessment, Tracy had Vital Stim session #7 with Karen. She was a little sleepy, and swallowed nine times during the 45 minute session. Karen started Tracy at about level 3 and then progressed her to about level 7. She did not come near the 22 swallows she had demonstrated om Monday, but I guess we all have our bad days. This afternoon, Dad and Mom met with the healthcare benefits advisors at Bethesda to learn more about the recent changes in Tracy's healthcare insurance. Tracy is now Medicare eligible, which requires two doctorates and a masters degree to understand. Since Mom only has one doctorate, she may need to return to school to get another one in Medicare! Mom and Dad continue to learn new things each day about healthcare, Medicare, and Tricare. Does anybody really Care! (HAHA)! They need to consider our word for the day: CONTINUITY, when designing these healthcare programs. Argh! To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain. Tiffany is well into her ninth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She has been summarizing survey data and is in the process of wrapping up her coursework for the summer. Classes will be starting soon at LSU. Tiffany has one more class to finish and her professional thesis project implement and defend. She hopes to graduate in December. We are looking forward to getting Tracy into the pool more often during August. The pool closes on Labor Day, so we have to take every opportunity while the weather and water is still hot! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Thank you Nicole, Tracy's room mate from the Gonzaga in Florence program, for the adorable candle holders from Napoli! We really love them! Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2005: ~Word for the day: COURAGE!!!!!! ~ Tracy slept much better last night, only waking up twice. We hope she has an even better night tonight. Jenny and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for 1 PM Occupational Therapy and 2 PM Physical Therapy. During OT, Jen worked on stretching Tracy's right hip and getting her into a better position to alleviate her increased tone. Francis, the therapy technician, helped Jen with stretching and positioning Tracy's legs. Then, Jen sat Tracy on the edge of the mat and they worked on head and trunk control. Jen concentrated on helping Tracy to break her spasm. Tracy worked really hard and demonstrated such COURAGE. We know she must get tired some days, but her COURAGE is truly a testimony to her will to survive. Tracy tolerated about 30 minutes of sitting on the edge of the mat with assistance. Next, Amanda, Tracy's Physical Therapist, worked on stretching her hips, neck and spine on the mat. Then she worked on Tracy's feet, using soft tissue massage and joint mobilization. Amanda was able to get Tracy's feet to midline, however, her calcaneous needs more work. Amanda discussed serial casting again, for Tracy's feet. She also talked about the possibility for surgical tendon releases for Tracy's heel cords. We'll keep you posted. Lastly, Amanda worked on Tracy's wheel chair, making some fine tuning and adjustments to her head rest and her arm rests. This afternoon, our good friends Susan and Tony met us in the Uncommon Ground, a cute coffee shop in the University Inn on the Medical campus at Georgetown University Hospital. We have known them both from Naples, and it has been over two years since we have seen them. It was nice to visit with them both. This evening, Nichole, Tracy's volunteer, came by to see Tracy. It had been several weeks since she visited Tracy, and it was so good to see her. She brushed Tracy's hair, massaged pear scented lotion on Tracy's arms and legs, and read to Tracy from her guestbook. We couldn't remember the last time she was able to read Tracy's her guestbook entries. Tracy relaxed and seemed to enjoy the many messages in her guestbook. Tomorrow, Tracy has a Communication Assessment at Georgetown in the Neurology Department. Karen, Tracy's Speech Therapist, is planning on meeting us there. After her assessment, Tracy has her seventh session of Vital Stim with Karen. Please pray that she continues to progress with swallowing frequency. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that Tracy receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain. Tiffany is well into her ninth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She has been summarizing survey data and is in the process of wrapping up her coursework for the summer. We are looking forward to getting Tracy into the pool more often during August. The pool closes on Labor Day, so we have to take every opportunity while the weather and water is still hot! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!

Monday, August 1st, 2005: ~Word for the day: PROGRESS!!!!!! ~ . Tracy was up so many times last night that Dad lost count! Guess she was in no mood to sleep! Jenny and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for 11 AM Vital Stim Therapy with Karen at Georgetown University Hospital. Tracy started off swallowing right away, at level 3 and kept going until she swallowed 22 times during the session. Talk about PROGRESS! Karen was so pleased with Tracy's participation. She almost doubled her last session with 13! We are half way through her ten sessions, and the plan is to do another Modified Barium Swallow at the end of the ten sessions. If she is not having any signs of aspiration on the MBS, Karen will begin oral trials in conjunction with another round of Vital Stim. Keep praying that Tracy continues to make PROGRESS in her swallowing therapy. This afternoon, Liz came by and met us at Georgetown. We missed seeing her last week. We visited a little and had some chai tea lattes. Tracy really seemed to enjoy being out and about.This evening, Tonia, Tracy's back-up massage therapist (Emil is still in Europe), came by to give Tracy a massage. Unlike last time,Tracy was so relaxed and really seemed to enjoy her massage. PROGRESS! Tomorrow, Tracy has Occupational Therapy at 1 PM with Jen and Physical Therapy at 2 PM with Amanda. She is still only getting one session of each per week. Mom is workimg on expanding her frequency of therapy. PROGRESS!Yesterday afternoon, Mom, Dad and Tracy went for a hike on the Capital Crescent Trail. It was the first time they took the jogger in the van to a remote trail. It was time to do some exploring. The only trail they have been on in the jogger is the Mt. Vernon Trail and it was time for something a little more interesting! They started out at Fletcher's Boathouse. It is a very quaint spot where you can rent kayaks, canoes, and bikes. They had several 1910 vintage train tunnels left over from the B&O railroad days. The trail goes as far as Rock Creek Park and Bethesda. There were a lot of interesting people on the trail. Many on rollerblades, bikes, and on foot like us. We hiked about three and a half miles on the trail. It was all up hill on the way out and straight down hill on the way back. Mom was glad that she has a hand brake on Tracy jogger. It came in handy on the return trip. To make therapy more interesting for Tracy, we are showing her pictures of her friends, and would really appreciate some updated pictures from everyone! Please take a digital picture of your family and send it to drdebanz@aol.com. We will post them in a special album on Tracy's web site and show Tracy how many supporters she has out there! You may include a short message to cheer Tracy along in her therapy! (PS. This was Gloria's idea! She is going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and greetings that she receives.) This web site, created by Tiffany on February 8th, 2003, and updated daily by Mom, Dad, and Tiffany, has reached so many people, even people who we have yet to meet. One of the latest Guest Book entries is from a spouse of a man who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury January 8th, 2004 (please see Guest book). It is such a miracle to see the many people who have gained something, each in their own way, from this web site. Many have learned about such therapies as Vital Stim, oral-facial stimulation such as the Beckman exercises (Debra Beckman), etc. What started as a labor of love by Tiffany, Tracy's big sister, has grown to be a collection of resources, both educational, spiritual and emotional. We welcome all and any recommendations and comments to make this web site the best it can be to help others who are battling acquired brain injury. There is still so much that is not known about the brain.Tiffany started her ninth week of her internship at the Department of Veteran Affairs. She has been summarizing survey data and is in the process of wrapping up her coursework for the summer. We are looking forward to getting Tracy into the pool more often during August. The pool closes on Labor Day, so we have to take every opportunity while the weather is still hot! We can't wait for Uncle Johnny and Nana to visit us in mid August. We are really looking forward to seeing them. Important: Please send Tracy an email in her guest book. We recently reached the two and a half year mark since Tracy's accident and injury, and would really appreciate your emails and prayers. Have a great week and God bless!