Friday, March 31st, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She wore her resting hand splints all night long. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed in her bikini and they took her to the pool. It was another beautiful day in southern Florida! Tracy acclimated pretty well to the water. It was warm but with the air (78 degrees) Tracy still got a few goosebumps! Mom and Linda rocked Tracy side to side in the shallow end of the pool. She did well with the motion for a while and then had a little reflux. All in all, Tracy tolerated about 15 to 20 minutes in the pool. This was good for the first time in the pool for a while. After the pool, Linda and Mom got Tracy on the balcony on the therapy mat for some Physical Therapy. Mom and Linda positioned Tracy prone (on her tummy) on the mat. Tracy really relaxed and enjoyed being on her tummy, with the sun shining on her back. She tolerated 50 minutes in this position. Mom and Linda were able to stretch Tracy's shoulders and hip in this position. Then they rolled her on her left side and Mom stretched her right hip. This requires every ounce of strength that Mom has and then some. Tracy is pretty tight in her hip flexor and hamstring. This afternoon, Mark Selleck came to make some molds of Tracy's feet and ankles for AFO (ankle foot orthotics). These braces will have straps that will put pressure on her feet to dorsiflex them into a neutral position. He is also ordering an Empi dynamic brace for her right knee that will stretch her right hamstring for 16 hours per day. We will need to work up to this with a wearing schedule, gradually increasing her exposure time to 16 hours per day! Once we get her feet plantar, we will be able to get her on a tilt table. This will make Mom ecstatic! Today was Linda's last day working with Tracy as her personal assistant. We are really going to miss her a lot. She is moving to Charleston, South Carolina to spend some time with her dad. We wish you many blessings and lots of luck in her new home. Tracy has been making more sounds each day and really trying to talk to us. She has also been laughing more frequently. Although it seems sporadic, Tracy appears to be laughing when she is relaxed and day dreaming in her bed. This happens more frequently when she is waking up in the morning or falling asleep at night. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. Mom is working on getting Tracy enrolled in Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee. We'll keep you posted on this process. Thank you cousin Sophia for the adorable hot pink and purple hearts outfit for Tracy. Hot pink and purple are Tracy's favorite colors! She loves it! Thank you Mamaw and Papaw for all of the adorable hair accessories for Tracy! Wilmene will have a lot of little clips and hair bands with which to braid Tracy's hair! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who cotinue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the crown lotus, the seventh chakra which connects each one of us to the power of the universe. It is through the seventh chakra that we find synchronicity or interconnectedness with the universe, giving us inspiration to find our life's purpose. Lesson of the Day: Crown Lotus : The Seventh Chakra!

Thursday, March 30th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another great night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints all night. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. We got Tracy in the jogger and went for a long walk to the Ritz Carlton. It is about 5.75 miles round trip. Tracy relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Mom and Linda got a great work out. The wind cooperated this time. It was a beautiful day in the low 80's with plenty of sunshine. Tracy's tanning factor is now off the scale. She is looking more like the southern-most Tracy we all know and love: SOLAR-POWERED! When we returned, Linda gave Tracy about 11 ozs of DannActive vanilla yogurt drink. She did a really good job moving her tongue and exhibited visible swallows. We will continue to practice every day. Mom ordered some new sensory stimulation materials from the catalogue that Emily, Tracy's Speech Therapist gave her for Tracy. We hope they get here in time for Sunday's Speech Therapy session with Emily at 2 PM. This afternoon, Mom and Linda got Tracy on the therapy mat on the balcony. Linda stretched and ranged Tracy's extremities, especially her feet and ankles. They positioned Tracy on her knees over the peanut ball so that they could weight bear through her knees. This position is also good to stretch her back and to get some sun on her back and the back of her legs. Tracy tolerated 30 minutes in this position. This evening, Tracy rested in her bed while Mom rode her Spin bike for an hour! Then we had a birthday cake for Dad! This is his third birthday cake. He had another cake in Dallas with his colleagues from American Airlines while at the business meeting. Tracy has been making more sounds each day and really trying to talk to us. She has also been laughing more frequently. Although it seems sporadic, Tracy appears to be laughing when she is relaxed and day dreaming in her bed. This happens more frequently when she is waking up in the morning or falling asleep at night. Tomorrow, Tracy will be re-evaluated for casting to straighten her feet by Mark Selleck, orthotist at 2:30 pm. We'll let you know how that goes. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. Mom is working on getting Tracy enrolled in Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee. We'll keep you posted on this process. Thank you cousin Sophia for the adorable hot pink and purple hearts outfit for Tracy. Hot pink and purple are Tracy's favorite colors! She loves it! Thank you Mamaw and Papaw for all of the adorable hair accessories for Tracy! Wilmene will have a lot of little clips and hair bands with which to braid Tracy's hair! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who cotinue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to stay flexible and go with the flow of the universe, when we are tempted to put up a fight when we are not happy with the direction our lives are going in. By working with the universe rather than against it, we find a more harmonious path and thus our purpose in life. Lesson of the Day: Staying Afloat : Riding The Wave Of Life!

Wedesday, March 29th, 2006: Happy Birthday Dad: 50 years old today! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. Mom gave her a break from wearing her night resting hand splints. Today is Dad's 50th Birthday! We plan to celebrate on Sunday with family at Luna Pazza Italian Ristorante! Mom is glad because now he is as old as she is! He has been in Dallas since Monday at a Medical Director's meeting with American Airlines and returns this evening. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. We brought Tracy out on the balcony where Linda gave Tracy about 10 ccs of DannActiv Vanilla yogurt drink. She did a good job swallowing with minimal coughing. Then Mom and Linda got Tracy on the mat on the balcony where Linda performed her stretching and range of motion exercises. It was another beautiful day with plenty of sunshine. This afternoon, Mario came and gave Tracy a Cranial Sacral Therapy session. He worked with Tracy for one hour on the mat on the balcony. When he was finished, Tracy looked very alert and was really making some strong sounds. She mimicked Linda with an ah-haa! She even made some whimpering sounds and expressed frustration when trying to talk to us. She is still laughing sporadically, all good things! This evening, Tracy rested in her bed while Mom rode her Spin bike for an hour! Dad made it home safely around 10:00 PM. We missed him and are glad that he is back. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. Mom is working on getting Tracy enrolled in Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee. We'll keep you posted on this process. Thank you cousin Sophia for the adorable hot pink and purple hearts outfit for Tracy. Hot pink and purple are Tracy's favorite colors! She loves it! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who cotinue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need for us to stay grounded in a fast-paced world which can be overwhelming to our senses. Lesson of the Day: Keeping Conscious : Staying Grounded In A Busy World!

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. Dad is in Dallas for a medical director's meeting. Dallas is the headquarters for American Airlines. He will be back Wednesday evening, which is his 50th birthday. We plan to celebrate it with the family this Sunday. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. We brought Tracy out on the balcony where Linda gave Tracy about 10 ccs of DannActiv Blueberry yogurt drink. She did a good job swallowing with minimal coughing. Then, Mom, Linda and Tracy went grocery shopping at Publix in Palm Beach. This is Tracy's second outing to the grocery store. She seems to like participating in the grocery shopping experience. There is a guy named Justin who is around Tracy's age who is a grocery bagger. He was in a bad car accident several years ago and suffered a closed head injury. He said that he has spent two years in a wheel chair and now he is doing well. He plays hockey and is a goalie on the team. He told us that their team won last night! He told Tracy to keep working hard and not to give up. It was very inspiring for all of us. This afternoon, Linda and Mom did Tracy's range of motion and stretching exercises on the mat outside on the balcony. Today we got Tracy seated on the peanut ball in a straddled position. Linda sat behind her and stretched her arms over her head so she could get a good stretch in her spine. She tends to round her shoulders and this position really stretches her shoulders back. Tracy really seemed to enjoy this position and tolerated almost 40 minutes. This evening, Tracy rested in her bed while Mom rode her Spin bike for an hour! We all miss Dad. He will be back from Dallas tomorrow night. Tomorrow, Tracy has a cranial sacral therapy session with Mario at 2 PM. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. Mom is working on getting Tracy enrolled in Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee. We'll keep you posted on this process. Thank you cousin Sophia for the adorable hot pink and purple hearts outfit for Tracy. Hot pink and purple are Tracy's favorite colors! She loves it! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who cotinue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses how we can handle a negative person in our lives and minimize their effect on our encounter. Lesson of the Day: Sweetening A Sour Fruit : When A Bad Apple Spoils The Bunch!

Monday, March 27th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. Dad leaves this afternoon for Dallas for a medical director's meeting. Dallas is the headquarters for American Airlines. He will be back Wednesday evening, which is his 50th birthday. We plan to celebrate it with the family this Sunday. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. We brought Tracy out on the balcony where Linda gave Tracy about 10 ccs of nectar consistency Hydrolyte lemon flavored water. She did a good job swallowing with minimal coughing. Then, Linda and Mom did Tracy's morning stretching and Physical Therapy. Today we got Tracy prone over the peanut ball on her knees so she could weight bear through her knees and hips. She was able to get some sunshine on her back to even up her tan. She really relaxed and enjoyed this position for forty minutes. This afternoon, Uncle Johnny and Nana came over to spend the day with us. Tracy relaxed on the mat and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. Mom and Uncle Johnny went for a bike ride while Nana and Linda visited with Tracy. Then Tracy and Nana watched the Nasdaq Open Tennis Tournament on television. They watched Andy Roddick play Haas. Roddick won which made Nana (and Tracy) happy. The Nasdaq is played in Key Biscayne in Miami. We are hoping that next year Mom and Dad can take Tracy and Nana to watch it in Miami. This evening, Tracy rested in her bed while Mom, Nana and Uncle Johnny had eggplant, black olive, and gorgonzola pizza for dinner. We miss our chef, Chef Anzalone! Tomorrow, Mom, Tracy and Linda plan to go grocery shopping. Wednesday, Mario, Tracy's cranial sacral therapist, will be back to work with Tracy at 2 PM. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. Thank you cousin Sophia for the adorable hot pink and purple hearts outfit for Tracy. Hot pink and purple are Tracy's favorite colors! She loves it! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who cotinue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses our need to rediscover our passion to reignite the fire within. It is in doing what we truly love that brings us closer to our true purpose in this life. Lesson of the Day: A Life Of Passion : Getting Back To What You Love!

Sunday, March 26th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another great night's sleep last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. This morning, Mom and Wilmene showered Tracy and got her dressed and ready for the day. Nana and Aunt Diane came over to spend the day with us. It was a little cool out after the cold front came through, but nice and warm in the sunshine. We brought Tracy out on the balcony where Wilmene did her stretching and range of motion exercises. This afternoon, Emily, Tracy's Speech Therapist who has worked with Tracy during our visits to south Florida, came to do Speech Therapy with Tracy. It was the first time she has seen Tracy in over a year. She spent some time catching up with Tracy while she performed some of the Beckman facial exercises. Then Emily spent some time using the nuk brush and some honey to get Tracy's tongue tip to stretch to the roof of her mouth. This portion of her tongue in weak and need strengthening. This exercise is a bit of a challenge since Tracy does not particularly like anyone working in her mouth. Emily will continue to work on this when she comes on Sundays. Our good friends Debbie and Marty came to see Tracy. It was their first time seeing Tracy in a little over a year. They both thought that Tracy looked a lot better since their last visit. They thought that her tone had especially improved. Both Debbie and Marty are speech therapists, although neither are practicing at present. It was great to see them. This evening, Mom rode her Spin bike on the balcony while the sun was setting! It was a beautiful cool evening with low humidity. Dad cooked his famous tuna steaks, salmon, and spaghetti with baby scallops for dinner and Aunt Diane, Nana and Uncle Johnny joined us. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. He leaves for Dallas, American Airlines headquarters, this afternoon and will be there until late Wednesday evening for a medical director's meeting. He will celebrate the BIG 50 Wednesday, March 29th! Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses our need for achieving balance in our lives when all important aspects are working together in harmony. Lesson of the Day: Personal Harmony : Balance!

Saturday, March 25th, 2006: Tracy had another great night's sleep last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. This morning, Mom and Wilmene got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. Then Mom, Dad and Tracy brought Tracy out on the balcony to do her Physical Therapy. We stretched and ranged Tracy's extremities and then got her on her stomach (prone) with the wedge under her upper trunk. This allows Tracy to put weight through her elbows and shoulders. Tracy tolerated 20 minutes in this position and then we rolled her into sidelying so Dad could stretch her right hip. This afternoon, Wilmene stayed with Tracy while she relaxed and rested. Mom and Dad took off to the Palm Beach Boat Show for an hour or so. It was the first time that Mom and Dad went anywhere alone for a very LONG time. There were some AMAZING boats! It was a beautiful day with low humidity and temperatures ranging in the low 70s. A cold front had come through last night and everyone had their sweaters on. How funny is that! This afternoon, Mom rode her Spin bike on the balcony while Dad and Tracy watched the LSU Tigers beat the Texas Longhorns during the March Madness basketball playoffs. GEAUX Tigers! This evening, Linda treated Mom, Dad, and Tracy to an evening at Spectacular Spectactular, a musical performed by the Acting Chiefs Theater Arts Deparment of Santaluces High School. Linda's niece, Maggie, was one of the performers. Tracy LOVED it! She stayed awake and watched the entire two-hour show. Everyone had a great time. We are very excited that Emily, Tracy's Speech Therapist in Palm Beach of two years, is coming to work with Tracy tomorrow at 2 PM. We can't wait to see her! Our good friends Debbie and Marty who are also Speech Therapists are coming to see Tracy on Sunday too. Nana, Aunt Diane, and Uncle Johnny are coming for dinner. Dad is planning on making his famous tuna steaks, sword fish, steamed corn on the cob, and spaghetti with baby scallops. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Last Thursday, the staff surprised Dad with a birthday cake to celebrate his 50th birthday next week. He will travel to Dallas, American Airlines headquarters next Monday through Wednesday for a medical director's meeting, and will return on his birthday, March 29th! Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It discusses energy in our universe and the impact it has on each and everyone of us. Lesson of the Day: The Power Within : Energy 101!

Friday, March 24th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. Linda fed Tracy some DannActive blueberry yogurt drink. She seemed to like it and tolerated about 9 ccs this morning. Next Mom and Linda took Tracy in her jogger and went for a long walk to the beach. It was very windy and they found themselves walking into the wind. When they turned around to go the other way, the wind shifted and they were once again, walking into the wind. All in all, we walked a little over five and a half miles! Tracy seemed to enjoy being outside and in the sunshine and fresh air. She was a little sleepy though, and very relaxed. After our walk, we put Tracy in her bed to let her rest a while. After an hour or so, Linda and Mom transferred Tracy to the mat on the balcony to do her stretching and range of motion exercises. She was very relaxed. This evening, Tracy rested in her bed while Mom and Dad had dinner and watched BC lose to Villanova in basketball (argh) and also caught up on Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy episodes from last week. We are very excited that Emily, Tracy's Speech Therapist in Palm Beach of two years, is coming to work with Tracy this Sunday at 2 PM. We can't wait to see her! Our good friends Debbie and Marty who are also Speech Therapists are coming to see Tracy on Sunday too. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Yesterday, the staff surprised Dad with a birthday cake to celebrate his 50th birthday next week. He will travel to Dallas, American Airlines headquarters next Monday through Wednesday for a medical director's meeting, and will return on his birthday, March 29th! Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to think positive thoughts in everything we do and our ability to achieve our life's dreams when we approach our lives in a positive way and honest way. Lesson of the Day: Good Thinking : The Power Of Staying Positive!

Thursday, March 23rd, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another good night's sleep last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. Linda fed Tracy some DannActive blueberry yogurt drink. She seemed to like it and tolerated about 6 to 8 ccs. Next Mom and Linda took Tracy out on the mat on the balcony for some morning stretching. It was a little cloudy and looked a little like rain. Linda and Mom stretched and ranged Tracy. Her scar on her right thigh which was from the car accident three years ago is beginning to change, shedding the layer of scar tissue like a snake sheds its skin. Linda and Mom have been massaging it to increase circulation and healing. It seems to be working. Tracy's complexion has also improved and she looks so much more healthy here in south Florida. The sunshine and fresh air are agreeing with her. Mom left around noon for an appointment. Linda and Tracy hung out on the mat until it started raining. This afternoon, Mario came and did some Cranial Sacral Therapy with Tracy. She relaxed and seemed to enjoy it. We are very excited that Emily, Tracy's Speech Therapist in Palm Beach of two years, is coming to work with Tracy this Sunday at 2 PM. We can't wait to see her! This evening, Tracy relaxed and watched LSU basketball vs. Duke with Mom and Dad. Linda worked on her painting. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Today, the staff surprised Dad with a birthday cake to celebrate his 50th birthday next week. He will travel to Dallas, American Airlines headquarters next Monday through Wednesday for a medical director's meeting, and will return on his birthday, March 29th! Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia.Tomorrow, we plan to continue Tracy's therapy regimen and take Tracy for a walk in her jogger. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to think positive thoughts in everything we do and our ability to achieve our life's dreams when we approach our lives in a positive way and honest way. Lesson of the Day: Good Thinking : The Power Of Staying Positive!

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006: Tracy had a good night's sleep last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and she sat in her chair to catch some rays on the balcony. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 80's. The wind had finally died down. Linda stretched and ranged Tracy's upper extremities in her chair. She has been pretty sleepy since her week of Intensive Therapy at Upledger Institute last week. Linda fed Tracy about 6 ccs of nectar consistency Hydrolyte out on the balcony. We are very excited that Emily, Tracy's Speech Therapist in Palm Beach of two years, is coming to work with Tracy this Sunday at 2 PM. We can't wait to see her! Mom and Linda got Tracy on the mat straddled over the peanut and Linda worked on stretching her torso from behind. Tracy worked on holding her head up, which seemed more difficult for her due to fatigue. Tracy tolerated almost 40 minutes on the peanut in this position. Then Mom and Linda transferred Tracy to the mat (supine) and stretched and ranged her massaging scented lotion to help relax her. She really seemed to enjoy her massage in the sun. Next it was time to shower Tracy up on the roof in her tropical surroundings. Nature sure does provide the best aromatherapy...gardenias, hibiscus and bouganvillas! Tracy relaxed in her bed and listened to her meditation CD. This evening, she was mimicking Mom with some good sounds: ahhh, mmm... She was trying very hard to say maaa and baaa by watching Mom's mouth. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Mom is enjoying her job too as Tracy's lead therapist during our interim stay in Palm Beach. Once we get to Miami, she will organize a team of therapists similar to the team Tracy had in Virginia. Tomorrow, we plan to continue Tracy's therapy regimen and Mario is coming to do some Cranial Sacral Therapy with Tracy. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to trust the universe and to work in harmony with the laws of nature. Going with the flow and learning that there are some things in our lives that we can't control is a very powerful lesson, one we can all benefit from. Lesson of the Day: Letting The Universe Be : Trust!

Tuesday, March 21st, 2006: Tracy had a good night's sleep last night. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for some stretching on the mat. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 80's and some wind gusts. We decided to do her therapy inside since the wind was really whipping around on the balcony. We did not want to be launched off the side like a spinnaker on a sail boat! Mom and Linda got Tracy prone over the peanut on her knees so she could weight bear and stretch her back. Tracy did a really good job in this position and tolerated forty minutes. Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Lochner, physical medicine and rehab specialist who has managed her Baclofen pump over the past several years during our stay in Palm Beach. He refilled Tracy's pump but recommended we wait several more weeks until we adjust her dosages. He wanted to wait until Tracy settled in a little more in her new environment, before making any significant changes. When we returned, Tracy relaxed in her bed and listened to her new meditation CD that she got at the Upledger Institute last week. Limda went for a walk on the beach while Mom rode her Spin bike. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. She is learning a lot about the Red Cross and disaster response. Tomorrow, we plan to work on Tracy's swallowing and resume some of her Speech and Cognitive Therapy that Melissa was working on at the George Washington Speech and Hearing Clinic in DC. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to seek closure from one phase of our life before we can actively transition into the next one. This is an important step because it frees us to find meaning in the upcoming phase in our lives. Lesson of the Day: The Road To New Beginnings : Completion! Ongoing Events: Upledger Institute: March 13 to March 17th, 10 AM to 5 PM: Tracy completed the Intensive Program at the Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens. John Upledger, DO specializes in Cranio Sacral Therapy. For more information, please refer to the previous link. February 21st, 2006: During the consult with Dr. Sonies, a Speech Therapist and researcher from the National Institutes of Health, some very pertinent recommendations were made for Mom and Linda to incorporate in feeding Tracy. She is going to provide Mom and Linda with a feeding protocol to follow which will allow some variety in the types of food that Tracy can eat. She recommended only feeding Tracy 1 cc at a time, using a syringe, with a total of 10 ccs per day of a given food. The goal is to retrain Tracy's oral motor function, and not to focus on the quantity of intake. Mom and Linda will start this protocol right away. Next, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Pagan at Georgetown University Hospital to get BoTox injections to her lower extremities. He injected 600 units of BoTox into Tracy's right hamstrings, gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior. He also injected her plantar surface of her feet to help with dorsiflexion. On her left side, he injected everything but her hamstrings. The plan is to continue with serial casting in south Florida and to work towards AFOs so that Tracy can stand with the help of a tilt table. Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes.

Monday, March 20th, 2006: Tracy woke up early this morning grinding her teeth. We are not sure what the cause of her grinding was. Mom thinks that her body may have been trying to reset itself after her week of intensive cranial sacral therapy. Dad gave her some tylenol and she seemed to relax and fall back to sleep. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for some stretching on the mat on the balcony. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 70's and some wind gusts. It felt like we were on the bow of a big sailboat! Good thing we didn't blow right off the roof. Tracy relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine while Linda and Mom did her range of motion exercises. She is now about 10 shades darker since we arrived in Palm Beach a little over two weeks ago. Uncle Johnny and Nana came over to spend the day with us. Mom and Uncle Johnny went for a run on the beach. Linda fed Tracy 6 ccs of nectar consistency Hydrolyte. She did a good job with swallowing and moving her tongue. Tracy has been really relaxed and a bit sleepy over the past few days. Mom is going to talk to Dr. Lochner tomorrow, when we get her pump refilled. He is the physical medicine and rehab specialist who has worked with her over the past several years during our stay in Palm Beach. Linda gave Tracy a pedicure (sparkling red) and she really enjoyed it. Then Mom and Linda brought Tracy out on the balcony in her bikini and gave her a shower, facial and let her relax in a lounge chair with the aroma of gardenias and hibiscus surrounding her! She loved it! This evening, Linda's Mom, Chris, coworker Bogdan, and niece Maggie, joined Linda, Dad, Nana, Uncle Johnny, Mom, and Tracy for dinner at the Living Room. It was a really nice evening and everyone had a great time. Dad is enjoying his new job with American Airlines and loves playing doctor again. Tiffany is enjoying her new job as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. She is learning a lot about the Red Cross. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the cycle of life and our role in each phase we are in. How perfect is that since Tracy has touched so many close family and friends who love her! Lesson of the Day: Beginnings And Endings : Cycle Of Life!

Sunday, March 19th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She did something this morning which she has not done in months: she vomited! Mom thinks that her body may have been trying to detoxify itself after her week on intensive therapy. This happened again after lunch, We decided to skip the evening tube feeding so that her tummy can rest. This morning, Mom and Willlomene got her ready for the day. Willomene braided Tracy hair in little braids. She looked so cute, just like she came back from Jamaica. Nana and Aunt Diane came over and Tracy enjoyed the outdoors on the balcony with everyone. It was another beautiful day with temperatures ranging in the high 70's with scattered clouds. Linda had the day off and painted on the balcony. The surrounding beauty is so inspiring! Mom went for an early morning run to Lantana and back. There were so many people out walking, rollerblading, cycling and running! Dad finished up his errands around town. This afternoon, Uncle Johnny arrived and Mom and he went for a bike ride. There are so many beautiful sights to see. This evening, cousins Chip and Eileen came over for dinner to celebrate Chip's birthday. It is so good to spend some quality time with the family. Tiffany starts her new job tomorrow as Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. We wish her lots of luck, successes and blessngs. Dad is really enjoying his new job as Miami Medical Director for American Airlines. Tomorrow, Mom and Linda plan to get Tracy back to her therapies after her weekend rest. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to let our loved ones know how much we LOVE them. How perfect is that since Tracy has so many close family and friends who love her! Lesson of the Day: A Gift Of The Heart : Letting People Know You Love Them!

Saturday, March 18th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. We gave her a much needed break from her resting hand splints.This morning, Mom and Willlomene showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Willomene braided Tracy hair in little braids. She looked so cute, just like she came back from Jamaica. Willomene gave Tracy a manicure and a facial while she sat on the balcony. It was a beautiful day, with temperatures ranging in the high 70's and not a cloud in the sky. Mom and Liz sat out on the balcony with Tracy and enjoyed the beautiful day. Dad spent time catching up on errands. Linda had the day off. Liz left this evening and made it safely to DC/NOVA. We had a great week and miss her already. We are looking forward to her next trip back soon! This evening, Mom, Dad and Linda cooked dinner. They relaxed, caught up on their reading, and last week's Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Tomorrow, Mom and Dad are cooking dinner for the family in celebration of cousin Chip's birthday. We look forward to spending some quality time with the family. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! Tiffany had a great week in Palm Beach and will start her new job March 21st. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to let our loved ones know how much we LOVE them. How perfect is that since Tracy has so many close family and friends who love her! Lesson of the Day: A Gift Of The Heart : Letting People Know You Love Them!

Friday, March 17th, 2006: Tracy had another great night's sleep last night! She wore her resting hand splints for 8 hours last night,. This morning, Mom and Liz got Tracy dressed and ready for her last day of the Intensive Program at Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens. Linda has the day off today, and Tiffany flies back to DC/NOVA at noon. This morning started as each morning does with our group sharing their experiences and feelings. It was interesting to hear the different experiences related to therapy. Some were exhausted, some energized. The one common thread is that everyone's therapy experience is very unique and personal. Then, Lee led us in meditation to prepare everyone for their session in Cranial Sacral Therapy session. Today, Tracy's lead therapist was Mario accompanied by Kevin and Monique. Mario performed a post-evaluation to compare to the pre-evaluation that he completed on Monday. Tracy relaxed and really participated in her session. Both therapists talked to Tracy throughout her session. Tracy really listened and responded to them. Tracy spent most of the day on the traditional therapy table. She had to share the warm waterbed table with the other participants today!. At noon, everyone broke for lunch. Then it was time to get back to more Cranial Sacral Therapy. After an hour and a half, Tracy let Mario and Kevin know she was worn out and ready to go home. She was really exhausted from the week's cumulative effects, amd so Mom and Liz took her home to relax. This evening, we all were pretty tired from our busy and productive week. Liz made a delicious penne pasta with vodka sauce and Aunt Diane and Nana had dinner with us. Everyone relaxed on the balcony and watched the moon come up over the beach. We all went to bed early for a good night's sleep.Tomorrow we will catch up on our suntans on the balcony and may take Tracy into the pool. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! Tiffany is enjoying her spring break this week and she will start her new job March 21st. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to sometimes separate from the flow of the universe. How perfect is that since Tracy's last day at Upledger Institute was today! Lesson of the Day: A Separate Reality : Disconnecting From The Source

Thursday, March 16th, 2006: Happy Birthday Cousin Chip ~ Tracy had another great night's sleep last night. She has not been waking up coughing or grinding her teeth since she started going to the Upledger Intensive Program. Her face seems more relaxed and symmetrical too. She has been making eye contact and focusing her eyes better as well. She seems more empowered in her therapy sessions and is actively engaged and participating well. Tracy had a session with Lee, the psychotherapist on staff, who has met with Mom and Tiffany during the week. She spent some time getting to know Tracy and marveled at her spirituality and strength. This is the first time a professional has spoken to Tracy about her accident. All of the therapists are very spiritual, respectful and sensitive to Tracy's needs. Tracy had Mary Anne as a therapist today. She worked on Tracy's autonomic system and showed us some techniques to help with her reflux. Tracy has been lying flat all week and we have not seen seen any signs of reflux. This is amazing. Laura came by and gave Tracy another acupuncture treatment. When she asked Tracy is she wanted another treatment, Tracy shook her head no. Then Liz explained that Dad said it was okay, so she agreed to the treatment. Laura said that the acupuncture treatment even. Mom, Linda and Liz attended a ShareCare Workshop which is designed for caregivers and family members this afternoon taught by Nancy. It was very interesting and they learned a lot about Cranial Sacral Therapy and the body's innate ability to heal itself. This is known as the Inner Physician. Mom and Linda are looking forward to taking more classes in Cranial Sacral Therapy in the future. This evening, we all went to Chuck and Harolds for dinner while Linda stayed with Tracy. Tracy needed to rest up for her last day at the Upledger Institute tomorrow. We are very pleased with our experience and look forward to doing more with the Upledger Institute. Tomorrow is Tracy's last day of the Intensive Program. Tiffany goes back to NOVA/DC today. We really enjoyed her being here with us and will miss her. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the power of healing experienced when one opens their heart to another's pain and suffering. How perfect is that since we are all learning the art of healing this week! Lesson of the Day: Power Of Empathy : Being Afraid Of Opening Your Heart!

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006: Tracy slept very soundly again last night, She wore her resting hand splints 8 hours last night. This morning, Mom, Liz and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for her third day of the Intensive Program at Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens. Tracy had such a positive experience yesterday, that we were all excited to see what today would be like. Today, Tiffany and Dad joined Mom, Liz, Linda and Tracy at Upledger. This morning started with our group sharing their experiences and feelings after the first day of therapy. It was interesting to hear about everyone's experiences. Then, Chloe led us in meditation to prepare everyone for their session in Cranial Sacral Therapy session. Today, Tracy's lead therapist was Holly accompanied by Pam. Tracy relaxed and really participated in her session. Both therapists talked to Tracy throughout her session. Tracy really listened and responded to them. Tracy spent most of the day on the warm waterbed therapy table. Mom wants to get one of these when we move to Miami. At noon, everyone broke for lunch. Then it was time to get back to more Cranial Sacral Therapy. This time, Dr. John Upledger worked with each of the participants. When it was Tracy's turn, Dr. John worked with Tracy's cranium and neck. Tracy must have liked it because she started to laugh. Cranial Sacral Therapy sometimes provides a release which can elicit emotions, called Somatoemotional Release. This may be what we were seeing with Tracy. This evening, we all went to Uncle Johnny's church in Pahokee to pray the rosary and to visit the Icon (see above link). Cousin Chip met us there. The CCD seventh and eighth graders joined us. Josefa and a friend made us chicken enchiladas and a delicious soup. Then we had flan and fruit ambrosia for dessert. Tracy really seemed happy to be there. It was a beautiful evening. Tomorrow is Tracy's fourth day at Upledger. We are all looking forward to learning more new things. Dad starts his new job with American Airlines tomorrow. He is really looking forward to it. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! Tiffany is enjoying her spring break this week and she will start her new job March 21st. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to go with the flow in riding the wave of life. How perfect is that since Tracy found her peace on the waterbed today! Lesson of the Day: Staying Afloat : Riding The Wave Of Life!

Tuesday, March 14th, 2006: Tracy had a great night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints 8 hours last night. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy dressed and ready for her second day of the Intensive Program at Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens. Tracy had such a positive experience yesterday, that we were all excited to see what today would be like. Mom, Liz, Linda and Tracy took off for Upledger while Dad and Tiffany stayed home to get some work done. Tiffany worked on her suntan while Dad did the last bit of organizing and moving in. This morning started with our group sharing their experiences and feelings after the first day of therapy. It was interesting to hear about everyone's experiences. Then, there were several questions regarding Cranial Sacral Therapy. Then, Lee led us in meditation to prepare everyone for their session in Cranial Sacral Therapy session. Today, Tracy's lead therapist was Tom from yesterday afternoon accompanied by Pam. Tracy relaxed and really participated in her session. Tom talked to Tracy throughout her session. Tracy really listened and responded to him. He explained why Tracy seems to startle so easily when she hears a loud noise or when someone touches her without telling her. He used the example of an alarm system which is set so high that the slightest movement will set it off. He explained that Tracy has the power to reset her alarm system so that she would not startle with the slightest noise or sudden movement. Tracy really worked hard throughout her two hour session. Next, Laura, a nurse who is trained in acupuncture, worked with Tracy. She performed acupuncture on Tracy's wrists, ankles, and the top of her head. Tracy really seemed to relax during this treatment. All of the therapists are very gentle and intuitive and always ask Tracy permission before they work with her. Tracy really displayed a lot of emotion and facial expressions during her sessions. She even showed a little of the Tracy attitude that we all know and love. At noon, everyone broke for lunch. Then it was time to get back to more Cranial Sacral Therapy. This time we had Tom and Maya working with Tracy. Maya worked with Tracy during our first visit at the Upledger Institute almost two years ago. During the afternoon session, we put Tracy on a heated waterbed table. Tracy really relaxed and enjoyed being in this new medium. Mom, Linda and Liz tried this out yesterday and all three fell asleep within minutes. This evening, Tracy was laughing really hard at some of the things that Linda was telling her. She was telling Tracy about all of the fun things she is going to do as she gets better: visiting her friends in Key West, therapeutic horseback riding, swimming with the dolphins, etc. Tracy had the biggest smile on her face and was really chuckling. It was truly music to our ears. Tomorrow is Tracy's third day at Upledger. We are all looking forward to learning more new things. In the evening, we plan to visit Uncle Johnny's church in Pahokee and pray to the Icon with Tracy. Josefa is cooking us a Mexican meal. It should be a great experience. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! Tiffany is enjoying her spring break this week and she will start her new job March 21st. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses nine ways to help others awaken to consciousness. How perfect is that! Lesson of the Day: Expanding Their Vision : Nine Ways To Help Others Awaken To Consciousness!

Monday, March 13th, 2006: Papa John would have been 88 years old today! We miss him and think about him everyday! ~ Tracy enjoyed another great night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints 8 hours last night. This morning, Mom, Linda and Liz got Tracy ready for her first day of the Intensive Program at Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens. Tiffany stayed home and enjoyed the sunshine while Dad, Mom, Liz, Emil, Linda and Tracy headed to the Upledger Institute. When we arrived, we were escorted to a very large therapy room where we met the other participants, their families, and the team of therapists who were scheduled to work with us today. The first part of the day was spent introducing each other and learning about the various backgrounds of the participants and the therapists. The day began with a meditation break and then it was time for Tracy's Cranial Sacral Therapy session. Mario and Kevin began by completing an evaluation of Tracy's cranial sacral system. Tracy had Mario two years ago as a therapist when we were visiting Palm Beach. She immediately relaxed and rested well on the therapy table. They worked with Tracy nonstop for an hour and a half. Tracy was the most relaxed we have seen her in a long time. She really seemed to be enjoying her session. At noon, everyone broke for lunch. Then it was time to get back to more Cranial Sacral Therapy. This time we had Mario and Tom working with Tracy. The Upledger Institute has many different types of therapists on staff and visiting the Institute. Tomorrow, we will return for another day of therapy. We are looking forward to learning new techniques to work with Tracy. This evening, Mom, Dad, Tiffany and Liz went to dinner at The Living Room across the street. Linda stayed with Tracy while we were gone. Tracy was really tired after her busy day and had a great night's sleep. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! We are all very proud of you. You worked very hard and you deserve this great position! You go girl! Last Friday was Tiffany's last day as a temp and she will start her new job March 21st. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the possibilities of past life regression! Lesson of the Day: Memories Of The Soul: Past Life Regression!

Sunday, March 12th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another great night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints 8 hours last night. This morning, Mom and Willlomene got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. Willomene worked with Tracy in March, 2004 when we were in south Florida to get Tracy's Baclofen pump implanted. It is great to have her caring for Tracy again. Willomene spent some time ranging and stretching Tracy while Dad went to pick Liz up from the airport. It is so good to have Liz visiting us. Nana and Aunt Diane came over to spend the day with us. Mom and Liz made pita sandwiches for lunch. Everyone ate on the balcony. It was a beautiful day. Tiffany arrived around 2 PM from DC/NOVA. She is spending the week with us. Uncle Johnny arrived and said Mass for everyone on the balcony. Cousin Michelle came over and made everyone dinner. She made spaghetti with pesto siciliana, grilled italian sausage, and fresh corn on the cob. It was delicious. Aunt Diane's friend Tim joined us for dinner. Emil gave Tracy a much needed massage. She relaxed and really enjoyed it. Tomorrow, Tracy has her first day at the Upledger Institute. We are all looking forward to being a part of this program which focuses on Cranial Sacral Therapy. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! We are all very proud of you. You worked very hard and you deserve this great position! You go girl! Today was Tiffany's last day as a temp and she will start her new job March 21st. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the role of spirit guides in our lives! Lesson of the Day: Waiting In The Wings : Spirit Guides!

Saturday March 11th, 2006 ~ Dad, Emil and the Harley made it safely to Palm Beach around 1:00 AM! "Miracles From Mary" is a heartwarming story about Tracy's uncle, who is a simple priest at St. Mary's Church in Pahokee, Florida and the miracles that occur through faith, hard work and prayer to a 16th century Russian Icon of Mary created by a monk. (Please click on the link above to view.) To view the brief documentary "Miracles From Mary" aired recently on Boston's WGBH network click the preceding link. Dad is now Captain Fanancy L. Anzalone, Ret. He retired on Friday, March 3rd during a beautiful ceremony at the United States Navy Memorial in DC. Thank you everyone who participated in the ceremony! We greatly appreciate all of our friends and family who traveled far and wide to celebrate Dad's 29 years in the Navy! Dad will be starting his 2nd career as the Miami Medical Director for American Airlines and will have his new office at the Miami International Airport. Current Events: Saturday, March 11th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another great night's sleep last night. We gave Tracy a much needed break from her resting hand splints last night. This morning, Linda had the day off so Mom and Willlomene got Tracy dressed and ready for the day. Willomene worked with Tracy in March, 2004 when we were in south Florida to get Tracy's Baclofen pump implanted. It is great to have her caring for Tracy again. Mom and Dad spent the day getting things organized and put away in preparation for the upcoming week at Upledger Institute. Nana and Aunt Diane came over to spend the day with us. Tracy sat in her chair outside on the balcony under the awning. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 70s. Tracy really enjoys being outside on the balcony. Willomene stretched and ranged Tracy and then gave her a manicure. Tracy was pretty sleepy after being up for some time when Dad and Emil arrived at 1:00 AM. She relaxed and snoozed a little in her chair. This evening, Dad made his famous grilled telapia and sauteed mushrooms. It was delicious. Nana and Aunt Diane joined us for dinner. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! We are all very proud of you. You worked very hard and you deserve this great position! You go girl! Today was Tiffany's last day as a temp and she will start her new job March 21st. Tiffany is coming to visit us and will arrive on Sunday around 2 PM. We are so excited to see her and spend some time with her. Liz arrives Sunday at 11 AM and will spend next week with us and Tracy at the Upledger Institute. She will attend the Intensive Program as planned next week from 10 AM to 5 PM. We are really looking forward to learning some new healing techniques. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to spread happiness to everyone around you by smiling! Lesson of the Day: Spreading Happiness : Smiling!

Friday, March 10th, 2006 ~ Dad and Emil are heading towards Palm Beach with the Harley in tow! "Miracles From Mary" is a heartwarming story about Tracy's uncle, who is a simple priest at St. Mary's Church in Pahokee, Florida and the miracles that occur through faith, hard work and prayer to a 16th century Russian Icon of Mary created by a monk. (Please click on the link above to view.) To view the brief documentary "Miracles From Mary" aired recently on Boston's WGBH network click the preceding link. Dad is now Captain Fanancy L. Anzalone, Ret. He retired on Friday, March 3rd during a beautiful ceremony at the United States Navy Memorial in DC. Thank you everyone who participated in the ceremony! We greatly appreciate all of our friends and family who traveled far and wide to celebrate Dad's 29 years in the Navy! Dad will be starting his 2nd career as the Miami Medical Director for American Airlines and will have his new office at the Miami International Airport. Welcome to Tracy's web site! We update this site as frequently as possible in hopes to keep you all posted on Tracy's continued progress. Please let me know if you find an error. Thank you for visiting us and feel free to write Tracy a note in her Guest Book! Your emails mean so much to Tracy and the entire Anzalone family. Current Events: Friday, March 10th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another great night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints all night. This morning, Linda and Mom got Tracy dressed in her bikini that Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Mike got her for her birthday and they all hit the balcony for some fun in the sun. Tracy is now 7 shades darker. She tans so well. Mom and Linda are close behind her. Then Linda gave Tracy a few spoonsful of Gerber Vanilla Custard. She moved her tongue a little and swallowed some. We have to practice this every day. This afternoon, Mom and Linda got Tracy on the mat on her tummy (prone) to stretch her hip and get some sunshine on her back. Tracy tolerated almost an hour in this position. She really relaxed and enjoyed lying on her tummy. Then Mom and Linda rolled Tracy on her left side and stretched her arms and scapula. Tracy really enjoyed being in side lying too and tolerated 20 minutes in this position. This afternoon, Uncle Johnny came by and Mom and he went for a walk to the beach. The wind was still huffing and puffing. The water had white caps! It was beautiful. Mom found a five dollar bill in the sand! Hope that means lots of good luck is on the way! Cousin Michelle came by to visit us this afternoon. It was great to see her and spend some time catching up with her! Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! We are all very proud of you. You worked very hard and you deserve this great position! You go girl! Today was Tiffany's last day as a temp and she will start her new job March 21st. Tiffany is coming to visit us and will arrive on Sunday around 2 PM. We are so excited to see her and spend some time with her.Liz arrives Sunday at 11 AM and will spend next week with us and Tracy at the Upledger Institute. She will attend the Intensive Program as planned next week from 10 AM to 5 PM. We are really looking forward to learning some new healing techniques. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to let go of negative emotions when you are having a bad day and not feel sorry for yourself., asking "Why Me?" Lesson of the Day: Why Me? : Pity Party! Ongoing Events: February 21st, 2006: During the consult with Dr. Sonies, a Speech Therapist and researcher from the National Institutes of Health, some very pertinent recommendations were made for Mom and Linda to incorporate in feeding Tracy. She is going to provide Mom and Linda with a feeding protocol to follow which will allow some variety in the types of food that Tracy can eat. She recommended only feeding Tracy 1 cc at a time, using a syringe, with a total of 10 ccs per day of a given food. The goal is to retrain Tracy's oral motor function, and not to focus on the quantity of intake. Mom and Linda will start this protocol right away. Next, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Pagan at Georgetown University Hospital to get BoTox injections to her lower extremities. He injected 600 units of BoTox into Tracy's right hamstrings, gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior. He also injected her plantar surface of her feet to help with dorsiflexion. On her left side, he injected everything but her hamstrings. The plan is to continue with serial casting in south Florida and to work towards AFOs so that Tracy can stand with the help of a tilt table. February 16th, 2006: During Speech, Nikki tried some game ideas with Tracy by pairing the written words with the pictures. For example, she held up the word Mom and asked Tracy if the picture matched the word. Tracy did a really good job with this game. She closed her eyes and appeared sleepy during the initial part of the session, but she was not asleep. The Speech supervisor went in and tried different lighting settings, which Tracy responded to. It appeared that she did not like the fluorescent lights, and opened her eyes once they were turned off. Our girl tries so hard and gets A for effort! February 14th, 2006: This evening, Dad and Mom removed Tracy's serial casts. She had several pressure sores on her right big toe joint and her left ankle. The skin was broken on her left ankle and there is a large blackened blistered area over her right big toe. The pressure sore on her right ankle appears to have healed. The blister on the medial side of her left big toe is still intact. Dad took pictures and we emailed them to Marisa at Children's National Medical Center to save Tracy from having to make the trip. February 13th, 2006: During Speech Therapy, Tracy did a good job staying awake and responding to Melissa's questions with two quick eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. She also seemed to be focusing on the pictures, shapes, and colors that Melissa held up for Tracy to see. She was trying very hard to look at the various items, and answered most of the questions correctly. For example, when asked if the shape which Melissa was holding up was a heart (and it was), Tracy blinked twice for Yes. When Melissa asked Tracy if the heart was orange (it was red), Tracy blinked Yes. She seemed to get many of the pictures correct when Melissa asked questions about them. Tracy also made a very audible "aha" when Melissa asked her a question. Melissa and Nikki were very pleased with Tracy's participation. Nikki plans to incorporate some short games such as Memory or Matching on Thursday. February 8th, 2006: Around 10:30 AM, we left for Tracy's appointment to get her casts back on at Children's National Medical Center in DC. Marisa and Katherine looked at Tracy's big toes, and thought that it would be OK to cast her again. This time, they left her toes out! Tracy did a good job in prone position while they casted her. It seems as though the casts are working, because they were able to get her feet a little closer to neutral this time. We are not sure how many more times they will cast her. Please continue to pray for no skin breakdown so that we can get through the casting quickly and on to AFOs. January 25th, 2006: Marisa was all ready to cast Tracy until she saw her pressure sores near her ankle which Tracy sustained during her first week of serial casting. Although they are healing well, Marisa and Katie decided against casting her today. We will return next week for another try at serial casting, once her wounds are completely healed. Erin, Tracy's Occupational Therapist who made her purple neoprene wrist splints, checked out all three pairs of Tracy's splints and the plan is to make some new ones next Wednesday after her casting. January 23rd, 2006: Mom got the green light to begin feeding Tracy at home, after her Speech Therapist at Georgetown Hospital reviewed Tracy's Modified Barium Swallow test results from Friday. It appeared that although Tracy is still at risk for aspirating, she did not show any signs of aspiration during the study. Whenever Tracy has a bolus of liquid in her mouth (such as nectar consistency juices or lemon water), it is difficult for her to get it to the back of her mouth. Therefore, Tracy's Speech Therapist is planning on working with Tracy's tongue to get it stronger to move the bolus back. Once it is moved back to the middle of her tongue, she is able to swallow it. Sometimes it takes two swallows to clear it, but she is able to clear the bolus without showing signs of aspiration (going down into her lungs instead of or in addition to her esophagus). This is good news. The key is to help Tracy get the bolus by placing the spoon in the middle of her tongue so that she can feel it and swallow it down. Mom and Linda will continue to work on this every day! January 20th, 2006: Tracy had her Modified Barium Swallow study in Radiology. This is the fourth MBS Tracy has had since July, 2005. Unfortunately, we were not able to keep Tracy in her wheel chair for the study as we had hoped. Instead, we had to transfer Tracy to the radiology procedure chair for her test. Tracy did a really good job holding her head up with Dad's help. During the study, her Speech Therapist used an oral syringe to give Tracy a large enough bolus of barium mixed with lemon water (nectar consistency) for her to swallow. This allowed for the therapist to get the liquid in the middle of Tracy's tongue to assist with getting it back so that she could swallow. It appeared that Tracy had about 7 or 8 good swallows during the study. The therapists will spend some time reviewing the videotape and get back with us next week with the results. Keep your fingers crossed and those prayers coming! January 17th, 2006: Tracy swallowed 12 times during her Vital Stim session. Her Physical Therapist was also present to adjust her head rest in order to make certain that Tracy is in the best position to optimize her swallowing. This will be very important for her Modified Barium Swallow test on Friday at 2:30 PM. January 16th, 2006: Dad spent some time reviewing the muscles with Linda as they stretched and ranged Tracy this morning. Mom printed some educational information from an excellent web site on motion disorders: We Move . This morning, around 6 AM, Tracy woke up Mom and Dad laughing very loudly! She was wide awake and very alert and it seemed as though she was day dreaming. It was music to their ears! She has a beautiful huge smile, and it was wonderful to see her smiling again! Tracy had her last Vital Stim session on January 17th, resulting in 12 swallows. Her repeat Modified Barium Swallow is scheduled for January 20th at 2:30 PM. Please pray for a successful test. Wednesday, January 11th, 2006: This afternoon, Mom, Linda and Liz took Tracy to her 2:00 PM appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. Tracy's PT and OT at Georgetown and the wheel chair technician from Chesapeake durable medical equipment company spent four hours putting together Tracy's new seating system. With a few minor adjustments to work out the bugs, we are hoping that Tracy will be able to sit up better with her new seating system. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. So far, we are pleased with the modifications. It will take a few weeks for Tracy to get used to all the changes and to work out all of the kinks. Tuesday, January 10th, 2006: Melissa came by at noon to work on Speech Therapy with Tracy. She seemed very alert and eager to work with Melissa, Tracy's aide. Melissa held up short words such as DOG and CAT for Tracy to see. She first held up DOG and asked Tracy if she could see it. Tracy responded with a head nod for YES, which was really good. Then Melissa asked Tracy to read the word and that she was going to ask questions about the word. Tracy looked at the word Melissa was holding up. Then Melissa asked Tracy if Snow (Tracy's dog) was one of these. Tracy again nodded Yes. Melissa then asked Tracy if Polo (Tracy's cat) was one of these and Tracy shook her head No. Mom, Liz and Linda cheered! Melissa then held up the word CAT for Tracy to see. She asked Tracy is Polo was one of these and Tracy nodded her head Yes. She asked Tracy if Snow was one of these and Tracy shook her head No. Tracy did such a good job recognizing the words and answering the questions. She seemed to really enjoy this exercise. Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to look at numbers. Tracy nodded her head Yes. She seemed to recognize the numbers that Melissa held up. One time she seemed to confuse the 9 for the 6 but then she got it correct when Melissa asked her again. There were several times when Tracy got dizzy when she nodded Yes. Melissa asked Tracy if she rather blink her eyes twice instead of nodding but Tracy insisted on nodding. We are all very proud of her effort and perseverance. At one point, Tracy seemed uncomfortable. Melissa asked Tracy if she was uncomfortable. Tracy nodded Yes. After several questions to assess the cause of her discomfort, Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to get out of her wheel chair. Tracy nodded Yes. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to get on the mat. Tracy shook her head No. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to sit in the massage chair, Tracy nodded Yes. She seemed very comfortable when we moved her to the massage chair. Thursday, January 5th: Tracy had Speech Therapy today with Melissa, her ST Aide. She was very awake and alert and had her best session yet. She did a great job answering Melissa's questions about the various scents she had her smell: cinnamon, peppermint, orange, lavender, etc. Tracy shook her head pretty consistently for No and blinked her eyes twice or nodded her head at times for Yes. She did a good job identifying various colors and shakes too. She even made some sounds on command. Bottom line: she was trying really hard. Her eyes seemed to focus better today too. Melissa asked Tracy to look at her and Tracy looked right at her. When Melissa asked Tracy if she could see her, Tracy blinked twice for yes. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she was wearing glasses (Melissa), and Tracy blinked twice No, which was correct. Melissa was very pleased with Tracy's participation today. Wednesday, January 4th, 2006: Tracy had an appointment at 10 AM with Katie and Marissa at Children's National Medical Center Department of Physical Therapy Department for her first serial casting. It has a year since Tracy was last casted. A lot has changed since then. She does not have the aggravating and painful wound on her right hip any more which caused her much discomfort last time and her spasticity has improved due to better Baclofen management. She also has a very large dose of Botox and Alcohol Block on board which is helping to minimize Tracy's spasticity. Bottom line: she is in much better shape this time around for a successful serial casting experience. Tracy will return next Wednesday at 11:00 AM for a cast change. Tuesday, January 3rd at 2 PM: Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi, Tracy's physiatrist at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital. Dr. Gisolfi reevaluated Tracy to see if she needed another alcohol block to her obturator nerves which helps to relax her adductors. This is important to optimize the success of Tracy's serial casting which begins tomorrow at Children's National Medical Center. The Botox seems to be having some effect on Tracy's tone in her lower extremities, and with the additional assistance of the alcohol blocks, Tracy should be in optimal form for serial casting. The plan is for Tracy to get serial casted from right above her toes to her mid calf on both feet. The cast is well padded to minimize pressure sores and skin breakdown under the cast. The casts are left on for about 5 or 6 days, and then removed. Tracy is then able to shower and get a massage which will help her skin to rest and get ready for the next set of casts. This is repeated until the desired effect is reached, which is straight feet on which she can stand and bear weight via the tilt table. Please say a prayer that this process is effective and that Tracy does not need surgical intervention. Tuesday, December 13th: Tracy had a 1 PM appointment at Georgetown Hospital for Vital Stim. During Vital Stim, Tracy swallowed fifteen times. Mom brought a bottle of Starbucks frappacino to let Tracy smell and she started swallowing immediately. This is definitely more in line with her average swallows, which range between 9 and 12 swallows per session. We really think Tracy is averse to the subfreezing temperatures we are experiencing. There is a reason why Tracy chose to go to college in Miami for heaven's sake. She does not do well in cold weather. We will continue to practice swallowing over the holidays and resume her Vital Stim in the New Year! There are lots of good aromas in Mamaw's kitchen and plenty of motivation to SWALLOW! Friday, December 9th: Tracy had a 1 PM appointment with Dr. Pagan at Georgetown Hospital. Dr. Pagan injected a total of 600 units of Botox into Tracy's right medial and lateral hamstring, both her right and left anterior and posterior tibialis, soleus, and gastrocnemius muscles. Tracy was so relaxed and tolerated the injections very well. We are hopeful that in two or so weeks, we will see a significant improvement in Tracy's lower body tone. The plan is to begin serial casting once the Botox has taken effect. Tracy has an appointment at Children's National Medical Center on Wednesday, January 4th at 10:00 AM. This will include casting Tracy's feet each week, correcting her positioning incrementally until Tracy is able to put her foot in a plantar position. This will enable us to finally get Tracy into some AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics) to hold her feet in a normal position. This is a long-term goal which will take time and patience to attain. If the combination of Botox, serial casting, Baclofen adjustment, and physical therapy (tilt table) does not prove to be successful, the option of surgical intervention is still a possibility. Tuesday, December 6th: Tracy, Tiffany, Mom, Linda and Liz went to tour the White House. The theme for this year's tour: All Things Bright & Beautiful, was chosen to highlight the beauty to be found in nature. The White House Residence staff and floral designers from across the country did a magnificent job incorporating the natural beauty found in the many plants, trees, fruit and flowers created by our Designer In Chief: God! Tracy really seemed to enjoy the outing, especially the areas that are typically off limits to most guests (but on the way to the elevator) such as the kitchen, the President's doctor's office, and the private reception room. She seemed very interested in all the hustle and bustle going on in the kitchen with the many White House chefs preparing for a special party. Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes.

Thursday, March 9th, 2006 ~ Dad and Emil are packing up the last of the stuff and plan to take off early tomorrow morning for Palm Beach, with the Harley in tow! "Miracles From Mary" is a heartwarming story about Tracy's uncle, who is a simple priest at St. Mary's Church in Pahokee, Florida and the miracles that occur through faith, hard work and prayer to a 16th century Russian Icon of Mary created by a monk. (Please click on the link above to view.) To view the brief documentary "Miracles From Mary" aired recently on Boston's WGBH network click the preceding link. Dad is now Captain Fanancy L. Anzalone, Ret. He retired on Friday, March 3rd during a beautiful ceremony at the United States Navy Memorial in DC. Thank you everyone who participated in the ceremony! We greatly appreciate all of our friends and family who traveled far and wide to celebrate Dad's 29 years in the Navy! Dad will be starting his 2nd career as the Miami Medical Director for American Airlines and will have his new office at the Miami International Airport. 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, March 9th, 2006: Tracy woke up several times last night. She must be missing Dad and Tiff! Dad and Emil plan to leave early tomorrow morning for Palm Beach trailing the Harley behind them. This morning, the wind was blowing so hard wuth gusts up to 35 mph, so Mom and Linda decided to forego the balcony for fear they may be blown off! They decided to catch up on their chores around the house while Tracy rested in her bed, especially since she didn't get much sleep last night. This afternoon, Linda went for a walk on the beach while Mom rode her Spin bike on the balcony. The sunset was incredible! Then Linda gave Tracy about three teaspoons of Gerber Vanilla Custard. Tracy did a good job moving her tongue and swallowing. We will contiue to practice every day until Tracy is able to swallow more readily with minimal stimulation. This evening, Mom and Linda got Tracy prone over the peanut ball on her knees on the mat. Tracy did a good job weight bearing on her knees, tolerating 30 minutes. Then Mom and Linda lifted Tracy into a straight back chair. She did a really good job sitting with Mom and Linda assisting with support. Her feet were on the floor and she was trying to hold her head up. She still needs more practice with head control. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! We are all very proud of you. You worked very hard and you deserve this great position! You go girl! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need for each of us to share our unique "song" to make the world a better place to live. How timely for Tracy! Lesson of the Day: The Spirit Of The Sea : Whale Medicine!

Wednesday, March 8th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another good night's sleep last night, after an evening in the fresh cool Florida aiir. This morning, Linda and Mom got Tracy ready and they all went to Publix to do some grocery shopping. Tracy enjoyed the whole grocery shopping experience. This was the first time Tracy was in the grocery store since her accident. Coincidence or not, Justin, the bagger at check out had been hit by a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was an inspiration to the three of us, especially Tracy. When we returned home, Mom and Linda put Tracy out on the balcony in the shade while Linda stretched and ranged her. Then Linda gave Tracy some Gerber vanilla custard. Tracy had a few swallows, but she is not swallowing as well as she has in the past. We will continue to practice every day. Practice, Practice, Practice! This evening, Mom pruned the flowers out on the balcony while Linda stretched Tracy on the mat. The cable guy came and hooked up broad band so now Mom can update the webpage every day in no time! Thank goodness for broadband! Dad updated Mom on the pack out. The movers loaded the truck today until 9 PM this evening! Dad's motorcycle was vandalized and the ingnition system was damaged. Dad will have to take the bike in to get a new ignition system installed. This is the fourth incident that we have experienced at Crystal Plaza apartments in the parking garage. Too bad they got rid of their security team, raised the rent and the parking! Go figure! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to live a purposeful life by setting goals to achieve your dreams! How timely for Tracy! Lesson of the Day: A Concrete Dream : Goals!

Tuesday, March 7th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night after her evening out for dinner at the Four Seasona with Nana, Uncle Johnny, Mom, and Linda. This morning, Linda and Mom dressed Tracy in her new bathing suit that Uncle Mike and Aunt Cheryl gave her for her birthday! She is now about 5 shades darker and recharging her solar powered batteries! Today was a great day for Tracy! The weather was perfect, 76 and lots of sunshine. Linda and Mom got Tracy in her chair and brought her out on the balcony. Of course, we slathered on the sunscreen SPF 45. Tracy enjoyed the sunshine while Linda stretched and ranged her. Then Linda gave Tracy about 5 ccs of lemon flavored water. She swallowed several times, and needs a lot of practice every day. Linda is doing a great job with keeping Tracy up to date with her therapy until we get to the Upledger Institute next week. This afternoon, Linda and Mom got Tracy on the peanut in a straddle position. She did a good job sitting and Mom and Linda got a workout too, stretching Tracy's spine, shoulders, and arms. Tracy really enjoyed this stretch and tolerated 30 minutes. Then Mom and Linda got Tracy supine (on her back) flat on the mat. This is such a good position for Tracy, since she seldom lies flat. She did a really good job tolerating lying flat while Mom and Linda stretched her. This evening, Mom, Aunt Diane, and Linda took Tracy to Il Bilaggio at City Place, in West Palm Beach. Tracy really enjoyed sitting outside by the fountains. It was a little cool, and we were all happy that there were gas heaters! Everyone had a great evening. Tiffany's new job is official! She is the new Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. Congratulations Tiffany! We are all very proud of you. You worked very hard and you deserve this great position! You go girl! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the things that annoy us. I'm sure there are many things that annoy Tracy! She gets strength from these annoyances! We could all learn alot from Tracy! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: The Upside Of Irritation : Things That Annoy Us!

Monday, March 6th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She is really much more relaxed in Palm Beach! In fact, everyone is a lot more laid back here! Nana and Uncle Johnny came over and we all (you guessed it) enjoyed the beautiful weather on the balcony. Linda fed Tracy some nectar consistency lemon water and Tracy swallowed about 5 ccs. It is such a beautiful environment for stretching on the balcony surrounded by flowers and seagulls! Mom, Linda and Uncle Johnny got Tracy on the new gymnastics mat that Mom ordered and they positioned her prone (on her tummy). It was great to let the sunshine warm Tracy's back! She loved it and tolerated 45 minutes on her tummy! Then Mom and Linda rolled Tracy on her side and stretched her hip. She is so comfortable here in Palm Beach! This evening, while Mom and Linda got Tracy ready to go out to dinner with Nana and Uncle Johnny at the Living Room, she started LAUGHING! It was the first time Nana heard Tracy laugh. She was really chuckling. We were talking about our plans to take Tracy to the Unviersity of Miami where she was studying prior to her accident. She smiled really big and started laughing really hard. We can't wait to bring her back to HURRICANE TERRITORY! GO CANES! Good news: Tiffany got her new job at the American Red Cross' National Headquarters! Her new position is: Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to live a purposeful life by setting goals to achieve your dreams! How timely for Tracy! Lesson of the Day: A Concrete Dream : Goals!

Sunday, March 6th, 2006: Tracy slept well last night after the trip to south Florida from DC. She did very well on the airplane, and is very happy to be back home in Florida! Mom and Linda blew up a large air mattress for her to sleep on until Dad and Uncle Mike arrived at 2 AM with her bed and a packed van full of stuff. We spent most of the day unpacking and getting settled. Uncle Mike flew back to Louisiana this afternoon. He was a HUGE help and we really appreciate him! Nana and Aunt Diane came over and we spent the day on the balcony catching up on our tans. Tracy is about three shades darker already. This evenng, Uncle Brother Father John came and said Mass on the balcony. It was really nice. We had our favorite white pizza for dinner and watched the Oscars! Dad leaves for DC tomorrow morning to pack out our apartment on Tuesday! Good news: Tiffany got her new job at the American Red Cross' National Headquarters! Her new position is: Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the need to live a purposeful life by setting goals to achieve your dreams! How timely for Tracy! Lesson of the Day: A Concrete Dream : Goals!

Saturday, March 4th , 2006: Dad and Uncle Mike are somewhere along I-95 heading South and Mom, Linda and Tracy fly out at 2pm. Papaw flew out today as well as Cousins Phyllis and Jeff. We are excited about our new home in South Florida, but will miss our dear friends in our Nation's Capitol. Good news: Tiffany got her new job at the American Red Cross' National Headquarters! Her new position is: Communications and Marketing Associate for Response, Preparedness and International Services at the American Red Cross NHQ.We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the beauty of solitude, which Mom is really looking forward to when they arrive in Palm Beach! Lesson of the Day: Gift Of Solitude : When Isolation Is OK!

Friday, March 3rd, 2006: Dad's retirement ceremony was wonderful and we would like to thank everyone who joined us in celebrating his 29 years in the Navy. Uncle Johnny said the blessing to start of the ceremony and had everyone in tears. Click here to read his prayer. Admiral Woofter and Admiral Tomaszeski gave amazing speeches that captured Dad's passion and pride and summarized his impressive Navy flight surgeon career. Please feel free to look at the retirement program as well. The reception was wonderful and we brought the party back to our apartment and many friends stopped by throughout the evening to say goodbye. Lesson of the Day: Gift Of Solitude : When Isolation Is OK!

Thursday, March 2nd, 2006: Many family and friends arrived today to celebrate Dad's retirement. Cousins Phyllis and Jeff arrived from Houston and Dad went to pick up Uncle Mike at the airport and had a BIG surprise! Papaw! Papaw surprised Dad and joined us for the retirement while Aunt Cheryl and Aunt Kathy took care of Mamaw (she is still recovering from her knee replacement surgery). We had a great dinner at Murali's Italian Restaurant in Pentagon Row. Everyone from Dad's office, N931, came as well as family and friends. The dinner concluded with a video of Dad's colleagues telling him thank you and "Fair winds and following seas!" Then they played a slide show of pictures of Dad's career and pictures of our family throughout the years. Thank you to everyone who made the dinner possible, including Jason and Lisa Spencer! Lesson of the Day: Gift Of Solitude : When Isolation Is OK!

Wednesday, March 1st, 2006 ~ Ash Wednesday! ~ Two more days! Uncle Johnny arrives this evening! Coming into the final stretch... then retirement... and then Palm Beach! "Miracles From Mary" is a heartwarming story about Tracy's uncle, who is a simple priest at St. Mary's Church in Pahokee, Florida and the miracles that occur through faith, hard work and prayer to a 16th century Russian Icon of Mary created by a monk. (Please click on the link above to view.) We are moving to South Florida in March!!! Dad is retiring from the US Navy after 25 years of service and his ceremony will be at 10 AM, Friday, March 3rd at the United States Navy Memorial in DC. If you are in the area and would like to attend the retirement ceremony, RSVP at drdebanz@aol.com. Please email Deb for directions or if you have any questions. Dad will be starting his 2nd career as the Miami Medical Director for American Airlines and will have his new office at the Miami International Airport. Current Events: Wednesday, March 1st, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She has had several episodes of laughter over the past several days. She wore her night resting hand splints for 8 hours during the night. This morning, she started to laugh when Linda wheeled her into the family room. Linda was telling Tracy that she only had two more days in Virginia and then she will be in sunny Florida. She started to laugh! Now that's something to laugh about! This morning Mom and Linda got Tracy showered, shampooed and ready for the day. The service technician from Chesapeake Rehab came by to put the new components on Tracy wheelchair. He put a bigger seat back on Tracy's chair and this seems to fit much better. It also provides a mount for her lateral supports which keeps Tracy sitting up straight and tall. The only part he was unable to install are the gel foot pads. We are sure that Dad will be able to figure it out without any problems. We hope that everything fits and we can finally come to closure with this project. You will hear Mom let out a big WOO-HOO! This evening, Tracy's volunteer and our good friend Nichole is coming over and bringing us dinner! We are really going to miss her as well as all of our new friends here in Virginia. We hope that they will come and see us in Miami when we get settled. Uncle Johnny arrives this evening. We can't wait to see him. Luna continues to entertain everyone and is growing every day! She is so cute. Tomorrow, Tracy has her last PT with Jen at around noon. Uncle Mike arrives tomorrow morning and then tomorrow evening is the Retirement Dinner at Ristorante Murali's. We are really looking forward to sharing a wonderful evening with many friends and family. Good news: Tiffany got her new job at the American Red Cross' National Headquarters! She will be working as a media associate for the Disaster Response Team. She is very excited about her new job, her new apartment and her new puppy! We are looking forward to our out of town family and friends who will be coming to Dad's retirement. Uncle Johnny arrives Wednesday evening and Uncle Mike will be here Thursday morning. Other out of towners who will be participating in the ceremony as side boys are Marcia Lemon, Al Abuan, and Dave Parrish. Local side boys include Mike Mittelman and Jerry Cox. Dad is really looking forward to his retirement from the Navy and starting his new job with American Airlines. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's daily OM. It expresses the beauty of solitude, which Mom is really looking forward to when they arrive in Palm Beach! Lesson of the Day: Gift Of Solitude : When Isolation Is OK!