Saturday, September 30th, 2006 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Tania and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mom and Dad spent the day working in the garage. Dad was so excited when he could finally park the van in the garage, meaning one thing: all of the boxes are out! Woohoo!. Tania and Mom got Tracy dressed just in time for Melanie to give her a Cranial Sacral Therapy session. Melanie brought Tracy an adorable pale blue soft teddy bear. She used the bear in a visualization to prepare Tracy for her surgery Tuesday. She decided to call the bear: Angel Two Step (after Tracy's favorite Dave Matthews song and also Tracy's high school graduation song)! This is the perfect name because we are hoping that Tracy will be standing with the help of a tilt table soon after her surgery! Please pray that Tracy is able to take "Two Steps" as a result of her orthopedic surgery and Physical Therapy postop. After Tracy's CST session, Melanie gave Mom a massage. Then it was Dad's turn. After all the unpacking, etc., it was just what the doctor ordered. Melanie sure had her work cut out for her. This evening, Mom and Dad got caught up on Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters! It felt good to finally relax after a busy day! It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off because Tracy is starting to grind her teeth again. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. Tomorrow, Nana, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Diane and Tim, cousins Chip and Eileen, and Maria and Tony are coming over for dinner and to wish Tracy good luck and also to wish Chip good luck on his new company: LaMarca Construction Company! Way to go Chip! We are all very proud of you! We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! We are really looking forward to seeing Mamaw and Papaw in November. It has been since early summer since we were all together. We are looking forward to Liz's visit October 24th to 31st. It's been way too long! 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 talks about checking in with your heart each morning before you start your day! "Every day we experience a magical twilight between our dreams and waking state. During this brief period of time, our minds still remember that all things are possible. We can smoothly transition into our physical world without losing a sense of hope when we check in with our heart center first, before we even get out of bed. Our heart center is the link between body and spirit, instinct and inspiration. It doesn't take long to hold a thought of loving gratitude for the heart that beats within us. In a mere moment we can review all that we want to accomplish in the light of love. When we get into the habit of beginning our day from the heart, all of our activities glow with the infusion of conscious intent and all interactions are done with compassion." Lesson of the Day:Linking Center : Checking In With Your Heart!

Friday, September 29th, 2006 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Tania and Felicia bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mom was busy cleaning out more boxes; she is really downsizing and streamlining alot of stuff. Tania and Felicia stretched and ranged Tracy and then it was time for Tania to give Tracy a massage! Mom and Tania transferred Tracy to the massage table and Tracy relaxed and enjoyed her massage. She even laughed a bit during her massage. We are not sure if she was ticklish or laughed because it felt so good! Tania does a great job giving Tracy a massage. This afternoon, Mom took a long walk around the neighborhood. It was one of the first times that she was out of the house this week. It felt good to get out there and work up a sweat. This evening, Dad worked on getting the webpage software up to speed. He spent over an hour and a half on the phone with an Adobe technician who really helped get everything in working order. It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off because Tracy is starting to grind her teeth again. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. Tomorrow Tracy does not have any "official" therapy but is scheduled to have a Cranial Sactal Therapy session with Melaine at 11:30 AM. We are really looking forward to seeing Melanie! She is planning to work on Mom and Dad too We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! We are really looking forward to seeing Mamaw and Papaw in November. It has been since early summer since we were all together. Thank you Mamaw for the cute Harley t-shirts and thank you Lauren Scruby for the cute note and picture of Tracy and you in middle school. It is so funny because Mom found the same picture just the other day when she was unpacking some of Tracy's things from UM! Thank you Aunt Diane for the beautiful bouquet of flowers! 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 talks about the power of perspective. "Hawks were thought to be able to look directly into the sun and see what is not visible to the rest of us. Using our spiritual vision, we too can look deeply into the inner light that guides us, seeing clearly what is not visible unless sought: our personal truth glowing within us. With that knowledge, we, like the hawk, can confidently ride the winds of chance, moving as one with the flow of whirling energy. This ability is what inspired the Egyptians to make hawks the hieroglyphic symbol for the wind. Lesson of the Day: Hawk Medicine :The Power Of Perspective!

Thursday, September 28th, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep. This morning, Tania and Felicia showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. Tracy rested until it was time to go to Speech Therapy. During Speech, Tracy did a good job turning her head to the right to activate the switch which powered the blender and the radio. Even though Tracy did not activate the switch every time, she tried very hard and seemed to understand the concept. In between, she seemed a little sleepy, but responded well to the icy sport collar that Marissa used to keep Tracy awake. Marissa and Lisa are doing a great job with Tracy's therapy and always have new and creative ideas for Tracy. Today, Marissa had some pumpkin spice cafe latte from Starbucks (Tania shared some of hers) on a toothette for Tracy to taste. Tracy seemed to taste it and tried hard to move her tongue. She still has trouble sticking her tongue out past her lips. We'll continue to work on this. This evening, Dad and Mom hung some pictures and did some more unpacking. It is beginning to look a lot more like a home instead of a house. Tomorrow, Tracy does not have any "official therapy." Tania is planning on giving Tracy a massage. Mom and Felicia will begin packing for Tracy's trip to the hospital on Monday. Tracy has a 2 PM appointment with the preop nurse at Baptist on Monday in preparation for her surgery Tuesday morning. Please say some extra special prayers for Tracy so that her surgery is a success and her recovery is fast and pain-free. We are hoping that Tracy will able to stand and weight bear on a tilt table or a standing frame so that she will be able to enjoy the benefits of being plantar postoperatively. She will have to wear below the knee casts on her legs for six weeks. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! We are really looking forward to seeing Mamaw and Papaw in November. It has been since early summer since we were all together. Thank you Mamaw for the cute Harley t-shirts and thank you Lauren Scruby for the cute note and picture of Tracy and you in middle school. It is so funny because Mom found the same picture just the other day when she was unpacking some of Tracy's things from UM! Thank you Aunt Diane for the beautiful bouquet of flowers! 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 talks about being out of touch of our spiritual abundance and inner divinity. " How we feel profoundly influences how we perceive our reality. When we feel we are lacking, we look around and see what is not there. On the other hand, if we feel abundant, we can look at the very same situation and see a completely different picture, one full of blessings and advantages. The more we see the blessings, the more abundant we feel, and the more blessings we attract. Similarly, if we see lack, we tend to create and attract that energy." Lesson of the Day: Having Not Having :Lack!

Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Tania and Felicia bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mom was catching up on the usual business, follow up calls, etc. It seems as though her doctorate in public health is sure paying off these days. One needs two doctorates to understand today's insurance maze. This morning, Tania and Felicia stretched and ranged Tracy in her chair and then put her dynasplints on her hands and her AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) on her legs. Tracy is doing a good job wearing all of her splinting devices. We have not been putting on her night splints because she has a blister on her right hand. It is healing well. This afternoon, Mom unpacked more BOXES while Tracy rested in her chair. She spent some time reminiscing over many of the girl's photos, yearbooks, and scholastic achievements. It is amazing to see the many times both girls were student of the month! They must take after their Dad! This evening, Dad and Mom worked until midnight clearing the last boxes out of the garage. It is so amazing that there is a garage underneath all of the boxes. The worst part is that there is one more shipment of stuff that has been in storage since Tracy's accident. It will arrive after Tracy's hospitalization. It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off because Tracy is starting to grind her teeth again. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. Tomorrow Tracy has Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU. It will be her last session before her orthopedic surgery next Tuesday. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! We are really looking forward to seeing Mamaw and Papaw in November. It has been since early summer since we were all together. Thank you Mamaw for the cute Harley t-shirts and thank you Lauren Scruby for the cute note and picture of Tracy and you in middle school. It is so funny because Mom found the same picture just the other day when she was unpacking some of Tracy's things from UM! Thank you Aunt Diane for the beautiful bouquet of flowers! 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 talks about the power of perspective. "Hawks were thought to be able to look directly into the sun and see what is not visible to the rest of us. Using our spiritual vision, we too can look deeply into the inner light that guides us, seeing clearly what is not visible unless sought: our personal truth glowing within us. With that knowledge, we, like the hawk, can confidently ride the winds of chance, moving as one with the flow of whirling energy. This ability is what inspired the Egyptians to make hawks the hieroglyphic symbol for the wind. Lesson of the Day: Hawk Medicine :The Power Of Perspective!

Monday, September 25th, 2006 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Tania bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mom was still feeling pretty weak and achey so Dad stayed home to sub for her and help take care of both of his girls. This morning, Tania stretched and ranged Tracy in her chair and then put her dynasplints on her hands and her AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) on her legs. Tracy is doing a good job wearing all of her splinting devices. We have not been putting on her night splints because she has a blister on her right hand. Tracy rested in her chair while Tania read her two chapters of Marley and Me. Tracy seems to really like this book. (Tania does too!) This afternoon, cousin Chip came over and had lunch with Dad, Mom and Tania. Tracy is so blessed to have such a supportive family surrounding her who love her very much. It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off because Tracy is starting to grind her teeth again. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. This evening, Mom and Dad caught up on their chores while Tracy rested in her bed. Tania went home after being with Mom and Tracy since last Thursday while Dad was away. She is starting to feel a little achey too. We hope she doesn't get what Mom and Felicia had. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about going with the flow in our daily lives! "Going with the flow doesn't mean that we don't know where we're going; it means that we are open to multiple ways of getting there. We are also open to changing our destination, clinging more to the essence of our goal than to the particulars. We acknowledge that letting go and modifying our plans is part of the process. Going with the flow means that we are aware of an energy that is larger than our small selves and we are open to working with it, not against it." Lesson of the Day: Following The Current :Going With The Flow!

Sunday, September 24th, 2006 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep. She seemed to have an upset stomach this morning. Mom was down for the count. She had a bad virus that kept her heaving all day well into the evening. Tania did a super job at being a nurse for both Mom and Tracy. In between, she did a little home work. Felicia and Tania showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. Tracy rested on the love seat in the family room while Mom hung out in the bed. Mom slept for almost 36 hours! Dad returned just in time to give Mom some medicine for nausea. She was finally able to eat a popsicle around 8 PM! Tracy is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion, dislocation and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted. This afternoon, Tracy relaxed in her chair, snoozing off and on. Tania read her a couple of chapters from the book Marley and Me. Tracy seemed to really relax and enjoy it. Tania also read to Tracy two cards that she received; one from her friend Lauren Scruby and the other from Mamaw! Mamaw sent cute matching Harley shirts to Dad, Mom and Tracy! Tracy looked at some old pictures that Mamaw sent of Dad when he was 17 on his Honda motorcycle with Louise (who has since passed away). This evening, Mom got caught up on previous webpage entries while Dad worked on wiring all of the stereo speakers, etc. Tracy rested in her bed. We all miss Tiffany and Rick very much. Tiffany sent Tracy the Velveteen Rabbit book and audiobook for Tracy to listen to. 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 talks about stoking the fire within each of us."A warrior is someone with the strength to stand up for what he or she believes; someone who perseveres in the face of challenges and obstacles; someone who speaks and acts in the service of an ideal; someone who protects those who are too weak to fight for themselves. Regardless of the reasons for an underdeveloped inner warrior, you may begin to notice the lack of its fiery, protective presence and wish to awaken it. You may need to stand up for yourself in a certain relationship or situation, or you may have a vision you want to realize, and you know you will need the courage, energy, and strength of a warrior to succeed. Similarly, if you find that you often feel scared, anxious, or powerless, rousing this sleeping ally may be just the antidote you need." Lesson of the Day:Stoking The Fire Within :Awakening The Inner Warrior!

Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom, Felicia, and Tania showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. This morning, Felicia stretched and ranged Tracy in her chair and then put her dynasplints on her hands and her AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) on her legs. Tracy is doing a good job wearing all of her splinting devices. We have not been putting on her night splints because she has a blister on her right hand. This morning, the nurse from Med Tech services came by to check on Tracy. Her name is Syndy and she is very compassionate. She is the one who got Tracy's urine specimen for her preop lab tests, and will follow Tracy once she is discharged home postoperatively. She took Tracy's vital signs and said that everything was normal. This afternoon, cousins Chip and Eileen stopped over. We have been having trouble with a stopped up kitchen sink. Oh, the joys of being a home owner. Chip tried his hand at fixing it. We are waiting for another plumber to come and repair it. The first one did not seem to know how to fix it. This evening, Mom rode her Spin bike for the second time in two days. She is back up to 50 minutes a session. Then Mom and Tania took Tracy for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful evening with a light breeze. After their walk, Tania's brother Jason and his friend Mark came over for tacos. Tania makes the best Tacos! They brought us a beautiful lucky bamboo! Everyone had a good visit and we even were able to try out the hot tub and pool! It was great not having the condo commando tell us we couldn't swim after dusk! It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off because Tracy is starting to grind her teeth again. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. Dad is learning alot in Atlanta at the FAA medical examiners course. We sure do miss him. He will be back Sunday evening. This evening, he is planning on having dinner with cousins Guy, Dawn and Sophia. They should have fun! We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about going with the flow in our daily lives! "Going with the flow doesn't mean that we don't know where we're going; it means that we are open to multiple ways of getting there. We are also open to changing our destination, clinging more to the essence of our goal than to the particulars. We acknowledge that letting go and modifying our plans is part of the process. Going with the flow means that we are aware of an energy that is larger than our small selves and we are open to working with it, not against it." Lesson of the Day: Following The Current :Going With The Flow!

Friday, September 22nd, 2006 ~ Tracy is sleeping so well in her new home. Now all we need is a miracle to make her better. She woke up this morning laughing alot! Mom was making her laugh by singing "My Girl" to her! That should make anyone laugh! Mom better not quit her day job to sing in a night club! She got thrown out of glee club in high school! Tracy is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion, dislocation and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted..This morning, Tania and Felicia got Tracy bathed and ready for the day. Mom had an appointment in Lake Worth at 11 AM. It seemed funny going back to the old stomping grounds. Everything still looked beautiful in Palm Beach. After her appointment, Mom ran some errands and returned around 2:30 PM. This morning, Tania gave Tracy a massage. She really needed it, since it had been months since she had a good massage. Melanie performs Cranial Sacral Therapy on Tracy which incorporates light touch. It is very different from massage therapy. Tracy seemed to relax and enjoy her massage. Tania really worked on Tracy's spine and hips. Tracy was way overdue. This afternoon, Tracy relaxed in her chair, snoozing off and on. She seemed very relaxed after her massage. This evening, Mom got caught up on previous webpage entries while Dad worked on move moving stuff. Tracy rested in her bed. We all miss Tiffany and Rick very much. Tiffany sent Tracy the Velveteen Rabbit book and audiobook for Tracy to listen to. 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 talks about stretching ones mind practicing flexibility and change. "Just as we create flexibility in our bodies by stretching physically, we can create limberness in our minds by stretching mentally. Every day we have the opportunity to exercise our flexibility. We can do this in small ways such as taking a different route home from work or changing our exercise routine. On a larger scale, we can rearrange the furniture or redo a room in our house. If these are things we already do regularly, we can stretch our minds by imagining several different possibilities for how the next year will unfold. As we do this, our minds become more supple and open, and when changes come our way, we are able to accommodate and flow with the new reality." Lesson of the Day:Mind Stretching :Exercising Flexibility!

Thursday, September 21st, 2006 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom, Felicia, and Tania showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. This morning, Tracy has an appointment for her Baclofen pump refill with Dr. Lochner in Palm Beach. Today is Tracy's last time for pump refill with Dr. Lochner because he is no longer going to be refilling Baclofen pumps. He is a very compassionate and excellent physician and we will miss him. He will still be an important part of Tracy's medical team. Because of Tracy's orthopedic surgery next week, he decided to not make any changes and to keep her Baclofen dosing schedule at the current level. All of Tracy's preop labs and x-rays have been performed and are within normal limits. She is all set for surgery at Baptist Hospital in Miami on October 3rd. This afternoon, Tracy had Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU at 4 PM. Tracy was much more awake and alert today, and did a good job answering Yes questions with her eye blinks. She spent some time looking at family pictures and also laughed several times during the session. Marissa and Lisa continue to work on switch training with Tracy in hopes that she will be able to operate an augmentative communications system in the future. It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. This evening, Dad flew to Atlanta to take the FAA aeromedical examiners course. He will be there until Sunday. Tania is staying with Mom and Tracy. Tomorrow, Tracy does not have any formal therapy scheduled. Tania is planning on giving Tracy a much needed massage. It has been a very long time since she has had a massage. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about being part of a community with specific roles and responsibilities. "Most ants and bees have highly specified roles within their communities, some of which are biologically dictated, and they work within the confines of their roles without complaint, never wishing to be something other than what they are. In this way, they symbolize self-knowledge and humility. They also display selfless service as they work for the common good". Lesson of the Day: Parts Of The One :Ants And Bees: A Metaphor!

Wednesday, September 20th, 2006 ~ Tracy is sleeping so well in her new home. Now all we need is a miracle to make her better. She is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion, dislocation and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted..This morning, Tania and Felicia got Tracy bathed and ready for the day. It was another early morning, with more stuff coming out of boxes and being put away. Mom spent the day in the library unpacking, you guessed it....BOOKS! The day flew by and before we knew it! Today was Tracy's spa day! Lucky girl! Tania did Tracy's eyebrows while Felicia gave Tracy a facial. Then Felicia gave Tracy a manicure and a pedicure. Mom is in desperate need of both. All this moving in has wreaked havic on her nails and toes. This afternoon, the nurse from the local home health agency came to get some preop lab tests for Tracy's surgery. She was really nice. Tomorrow, Tracy has an appointment with Dr. Lochner in Palm Beach. He will refill her Baclofen pump for the last time. He is no longer doing pump refills. We will be looking for a new neurologist who does pump refills in Broward County. We will really miss Dr. Lochner. He is a wonderful physician and more importantly, a very compassionate person. This evening, Mom got caught up on previous webpage entries while Dad worked on move moving stuff. Tracy rested in her bed. She will have another Speech Therapy session tomorrow with Marissa and Lisa at 4 PM at FAU. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about stretching ones mind practicing flexibility and change. "Just as we create flexibility in our bodies by stretching physically, we can create limberness in our minds by stretching mentally. Every day we have the opportunity to exercise our flexibility. We can do this in small ways such as taking a different route home from work or changing our exercise routine. On a larger scale, we can rearrange the furniture or redo a room in our house. If these are things we already do regularly, we can stretch our minds by imagining several different possibilities for how the next year will unfold. As we do this, our minds become more supple and open, and when changes come our way, we are able to accommodate and flow with the new reality." Lesson of the Day:Mind Stretching :Exercising Flexibility!

Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom, Felicia, and Tania showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. This afternoon, Tracy had Speech Therapy at FAU with Marissa and Lisa at 4 PM. She wasa little sleepy but did a good job participating. First, Lisa showed her some family pictures, asking questions about them to practice her YES responses (two blinks). Tracy did a good job "using her eyes for words". Then, Lisa and Marissa practiced switch training with Tracy, having her hit a switch to turn the radio on. Tracy still needs lots of practice with this but she is coming along. At the end of the session, Marissa and Lisa tried giving Tracy tastes of sweet things such as cheese filling and raspberry jelly on her tongue. Tracy seemed to taste them and moved her tongue a little. She also had several good swallows. They plan to try some other flavors on Thursday. Maybe chocolate would be a good choice...It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. This evening, Mom and Dad continued to unpack while Tracy rested in her bed. We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel filled with boxes! It is good to know that we won't be moving any time soon. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about letting your light shine. "We are each born into this world with unique gifts. Within us is a glimmer of the divine, a light that can potentially make the world a more beautiful place. But in many, that light lies dormant, snuffed out by fears and feelings of inadequacy. To spark it is to attract attention, face the possibility of rejection or the responsibility of success, and risk being labeled immodest. Yet when we undermine the light by hiding our aptitudes and quashing our dreams, we deny ourselves and others a wealth of experiences. Your abilities are a part of who you are and when you take pride in them, you affirm the love, esteem, and trust with which you view yourself. Moreover, as you express the light within, you grant others permission to do the same, freeing them to explore their own talents." Lesson of the Day: Seeing Your Perfection :Letting Your Light Shine!

Monday, September 18th, 2006 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom and Tania bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. This afternoon, Nana and Uncle Johnny came by and we all went to the Town Center Mall to do some shopping. After lunch, Tracy and Tania sat in the middle of the mall; Tracy people watched while Tania read her Experimental Psychology book. Mom, Nana and Uncle Johnny shopped. The day flew by and before we knew it, everyone had a fun time. This evening, Tracy was really trying to talk to Nana and Uncle Johnny. She got a little frustrated but did a good job vocalizing. She even made "sweet eyes" for Nana Lilly and gave her a smile. She was really alert and making good eye contact with them. She even cried a little which means that she is showing emotions! Keep your prayers coming! They seem to be working. It seems as though the BoTox is wearing off. It usually lasts about 3 months, peaking at 6 weeks. It's been since July 14th, so this does not seem unusual timing. Her next appointment for BoTox is October 20th at Jackson Memorial Rehab Center with Dr. Rubin. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU Communications Disorder Center at 4 PM. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about the many phases that parents go through as their children become grow into independent adults. "As children move from one phase of their lives to the next, parental roles change. When these transitions involve a child gaining independence, many parents experience an empty nest feeling. Instead of feeling proud that their children have achieved so much-whether the flight from the nest refers to the first day of kindergarten or the start of college-parents feel they are losing a part of themselves. However, when approached thoughtfully, this new stage of parental life can be an exciting time in which mothers and fathers rediscover themselves and relate to their children in a new way." Lesson of the Day:Permanently Parents :The Changing Nest!

Sunday, September 17th, 2006 ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion, dislocation and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Mom and Felicia got Tracy bathed and ready for the day. It was another early morning, with more stuff coming out of boxes and being put away. The day flew by and before we knew it, Nana, Aunt Diane and Tim were here to spend some time with us. Mom, Dad and Sandy tackled the study, sorting through lots and lots of books. Mom came across all of Tracy's year books. It was again a very bittersweet moment, reading through all of greetings from Tracy's many friends. Uncle Johnny brought over some boxes of Tracy's stuff that he stored for her while she was abroad in Florence. This evening, everyone enjoyed dinner together. Mom, Dad and Tim made breaded turkey cutlets and pork chops with salad, red beans and rice, and parmesan cheese bread. After dinner, Tim cut Tracy's hair to her shoulders. It looks really cute. Our good friends Sandy and Erv left around 8 PM to return to Key West. We already miss them and are very grateful for all of their help and support. We are so blessed to have such good friends. Later this evening, our good friend Jim DeVoll came to visit us. He was in the area on business from DC. It was great visiting with him. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about the many phases that parents go through as their children become grow into independent adults. "As children move from one phase of their lives to the next, parental roles change. When these transitions involve a child gaining independence, many parents experience an empty nest feeling. Instead of feeling proud that their children have achieved so much-whether the flight from the nest refers to the first day of kindergarten or the start of college-parents feel they are losing a part of themselves. However, when approached thoughtfully, this new stage of parental life can be an exciting time in which mothers and fathers rediscover themselves and relate to their children in a new way." Lesson of the Day:Permanently Parents :The Changing Nest!

Saturday, September 16th, 2006 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. She is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion, dislocation and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Mom, Felicia, and Dad got Tracy in the shower. It takes three of us to transfer her into the shower until we get her shower adapted for accessibility. We are working on getting some design plans drawn up so that we will have many options. Little by little the boxes are disappearing, Sandy is really an organizer and she has been making sure that everyone stays on task. We have another shipment coming in a few weeks. It is all of the stuff that has been in storage since Tracy's accident and our move from Naples, Italy! It is bittersweet to see all of Tracy's things just as she left them that horrific day in January, 2003, nearly 44 months ago (Sunday)! This afternoon, Tracy's Speech Therapy masters students and our good friends Marissa, Lisa and her friend Mikey came over to visit Tracy. Dad and Erv watched college football while Mom and Sandy hit the mall. Macys was having a huge sale. They were giving an extra discount to all those who donated $5 to their favorite charity. It was a big hit. This evening, Mom, Dad and Sandy continued to unpack and worked their butts off until 1 AM! They were able to get a lot accomplished. Meanwhile, Erv and Tracy caught up on their beauty sleep and watched more football! We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about the many phases that parents go through as their children become grow into independent adults. "As children move from one phase of their lives to the next, parental roles change. When these transitions involve a child gaining independence, many parents experience an empty nest feeling. Instead of feeling proud that their children have achieved so much-whether the flight from the nest refers to the first day of kindergarten or the start of college-parents feel they are losing a part of themselves. However, when approached thoughtfully, this new stage of parental life can be an exciting time in which mothers and fathers rediscover themselves and relate to their children in a new way." Lesson of the Day:Permanently Parents :The Changing Nest!

Friday, September 15th, 2006 ~ Tracy had another wonderful night sleep last night! She sure is sleeping well in her new home. She is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion, dislocation and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Felicia, Tania and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mom is still unpacking boxes and everytime she clears out Tracy's room of boxes, Dad brings more in from the garage! Tracy sure does have a lot of stuff! Argh! We still have another shipment coming in a few weeks. It is all of the stuff that has been in storage since Tracy's accident and our move from Naples, Italy! It is bittersweet to see all of Tracy's things just as she left them that horrific day in January, 2003. This afternoon, Mom, Felicia and Tracy went to North Broward Medical Center to get Tracy's preop lab test and chest x-ray done prior to her appointment with Dr. Lochner in Palm Beach on Thursday at 11:15 AM to get her Baclofen pump refilled. They were there at the hospital for almost four hours! It seemed that things were too complicated for the staff to figure out since Tracy's doctor did not have hospital privileges in Broward County! Mom is working on trying to find an internist in the area who can take care of Tracy's medical needs. This afternoon, our dear friends Sandy and Ervin came to help us unpack and get settled. Sandy is a major organizer, and she went through the boxes like a white tornado. She helped Mom and Dad get all the boxes out of the house! It is starting to look like a home. Tomorrow, Mom and Sandy plan on tackling the study and the upstairs. We'll keep you posted. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about not being afraid to walk through the door when one opens in front of you! Wow what good timing with our new life in Lighthouse Point! " There are many doors that open in the course of our lives, leading us into new relationships, jobs, friendships, and creative inspirations. Our lives up to this point are the result of all the doors we have walked through, and our continued growth depends on our willingness to keep moving into new spaces. Every time we walk through an open door, we create a sense memory that encourages us to move into the new fearlessly. When we enter the new space, we almost always feel a thrill and a new feeling of confidence, in ourselves and in the universe. We have stepped across the threshold into a new life." Lesson of the Day:Walking Through :When One Door Opens!

Thursday, September 14th, 2006: Happy Birthday Nana! Tracy is scheduled for orthopedic surgery on Tuesday, October 3rd at Baptist Hospital in South Miami! Please see below for more information! We closed on our house Thursday, August 31st! Please see our new address at "Contact Us!" We have been moving in and getting settled, so please forgive the update delay! (To catch up, please check the Updates section for accounts of the past week!) Check out the Song for Today! You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban! NEWSLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! IMPORTANT: PRAY THE ROSARY! (Click on the link to learn how to pray the rosary!) The day that Tracy was injured, family members received rosary beads in the mail that she had bought for them while visiting the sacred place where the Blessed Mother has been known to appear to children in Medjugorje . On Mother's Day in 2004, Mom found a beautiful pair of rosary beads on the wall outside Jackson Memorial Hospital with a holy card of the Blessed Mother! Mom believes this to be a gift from Our Lady on Mother's Day! She found these beautiful blue beads after she prayed to the Blessed Mother for a sign! Mom received a pair of rosary beads from Fr. McDuffy from Mater Dolorosa Church which were given to him from the late Pope John Paul II, who is in need of two miracles to become a Saint! Tracy is making lots of sounds and trying very hard to talk to us! During her study abroad program with Gonzaga University in Florence, Tracy had visited the birthplace of the Blessed Mother in Ephesus. She was also very close to Our Lady during her early years and well into her adult life. We ask that you please pray the rosary as often as possible with the specific intention that Tracy will speak to us soon. "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. 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. Thank you for visiting us and feel free to write Tracy a note in her Guest Book! We look forward to hearing from you often. Your emails mean so much to Tracy and the entire Anzalone family. Current Events:Thursday, September 14th, 2006 ~ Tracy slept well again last night. She is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion, dislocation and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Felicia, Tania and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mom is still unpacking boxes and everytime she clears out Tracy's room of boxes, Dad brings more in from the garage! Tracy sure does have a lot of stuff! Argh! We still have another shipment coming in a few weeks. It is all of the stuff that has been in storage since Tracy's accident and our move from Naples, Italy! This morning, Mom went to Boca Raton to pick up Nana! Today is her birthday and she is going to spend the day with all of us in Lighthouse Point. While Mom worked in Tracy's room, Nana tried out Tracy's massage chair. She really enjoyed the light back and leg massage! If Nana disappears, we will know just where to find her! Uncle Johnny surprised us with a visit and was able to hang out with Nana while Mom and Tania took Tracy to Speech Therapy at FAU in Boca Raton. Tracy did not seem into holding her head up in her chair, but she was very awake and alert during her session. Marissa and Lisa worked on switch training for a while. Tracy was trying very hard to turn the light and radio on. She also did a good job sticking her tongue out (to her bottom lip) three times. When it was time to look at family pictures, Tracy demonstrated two strong eye blinks for YES. Marissa and Lisa are doing a really good job with Tracy's Speech Therapy! Mom and Dad continue to unpack the many boxes of stuff that have accumulated over the past 26 years of Navy family life and are donating a lot to St. Mary's Church in Pahokee. It sure does feel good to clear out a lot of the past and make room for the present! Tomorrow, Mom and Tania will take Tracy to North Broward Medical Center Outpatient Dept to get her preop lab work and chest x-ray for surgery. We are also excited that our good friends Sandy and Ervin Higgs from Key West are coming to help us with the reorganization phase of our move! We can't wait to see them! We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about not being afraid to walk through the door when one opens in front of you! Wow what good timing with our new life in Lighthouse Point! " There are many doors that open in the course of our lives, leading us into new relationships, jobs, friendships, and creative inspirations. Our lives up to this point are the result of all the doors we have walked through, and our continued growth depends on our willingness to keep moving into new spaces. Every time we walk through an open door, we create a sense memory that encourages us to move into the new fearlessly. When we enter the new space, we almost always feel a thrill and a new feeling of confidence, in ourselves and in the universe. We have stepped across the threshold into a new life." Lesson of the Day:Walking Through :When One Door Opens! Highlights Of Ongoing Events:Thursday, August 24th, 2006: Tracy's right hip seems to be giving her some pain, especially when Tania and Dad range it. They have been going easy on her until we see the orthopedic surgeon. Tracy had an appointment today with Dr. Theresa Rattey, pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Boynton Beach. She examined Tracy and also evaluated her previous and current hip x-rays. Dr. Rattey's recommendation is that Tracy needs major orthopedic surgery and she needs it soon. Her right hip continues to dislocate and this is not healthy for her hip. It is also very painful for Tracy. Sunday, August 20th, 2006: This evening, Mom cooked hot dogs and baked beans for everyone! Then Mom, Dad, Uncle Johnny, Nana and Tracy went to an evening with Pastor Billy Burke from the Billy Burke World Outreach at the Marriott Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens. Pastor Burke is a spiritual healer. It was an evening filled with inspirational singing, teaching, praying, and healing. There were many people there sharing their experiences. The pastor told Mom and Dad that Tracy will heal, walk, talk, eat, etc. He said that it is a long journey and that we have to continue to pray for Tracy's recovery. He also said that God is preparing for a miracle, and that he is focusing on Tracy to teach everyone she has touched about His teachings. It was a truly inspirational night filled with hope! Wednesday, August 16th, 2006: This evening, Mom contacted a very spiritual man named Ray Skop, who is President and founder of the Ray of Hope foundation. Ray received the gift of Stigmata on Good Friday 1999. He has a miraculous weeping icon of Mary and St. Anne, which continuously weeps holy oil. Numerous people can attest to the healing power of the rosary recitations. Ray said a prayer with Mom and Tracy over speaker phone and promised to remember Tracy in his rosary this evening. Mom put some of the holy oil on Tracy that Nana's friend, Rose Marie sent Tracy. For more information, click on the Ray of Hope Foundation web site. Tuesday, August 15th, 2006: This evening, Tracy had Speech Therapy with Emily. She was awake and alert and demonstrated good head control for most of the session. Emily worked on oral motor skills, with Tracy letting Emily work in her mouth. She put cream cheese frosting on her tongue which Tracy seemed to enjoy. She exhibited several good swallows during the session, moving her tongue. Emily was pleased with Tracy's lip closure as a result of tactile and verbal cues. Saturday, August 12th, 2006: Emil Bekavac, Tracy's massage therapist and our family friend, had his first ever public art show in Washington DC last Saturday at the Washington Hilton near Dupont Circle.  Emil showcased a selection of his paintings and sculptures.  Tracy's portrait is one of his masterpieces. To see some of his works, go to Emil's web site and access the art show link on the home page:  www.emilart.com. Saturday, August 12th, 2006: Tiffany gave Mom four tickets to see the Dave Matthews Band for her birthday. Mom, Dad, Tracy and Tania went to the Sound Advice Amphitheater, conveniently located about fifteen minutes from the condo. The venue is smaller than the Nissan Pavilion where we saw Dave Matthews every summer for the past three years. The traffic flow in an out of the park was also much more efficient in West Palm. We parked in the handicap parking lot which was located right by the main gate. Sound Advice sure does cater to the disabled! They have ramps everywhere, and ushers to make sure that everyone is safe and comfortable. It was a pretty night, and it seemed funny to see the stage surrounded by palm trees! We are so used to being in Virginia and not used to seeing Palm Trees around the stage! The warm up band was Pat Green, and they were featuring their new album Cannonball! They were really good. Then it was time for Dave Matthews! Mom worked the crowd, asking what song they thought Dave would open with. It was really funny! Many thought Crash but Mom replied that Dave never opens with Crash! Then she added that he opened with Don't Drink The Water at last night's concert. He opened with One Sweet World! (For a complete set list click here). Tracy really seemed to enjoy the concert and was wide awake and looking around the entire evening. She did a great job with head control too. Who wouldn't hold their head up for DAVE MATTHEWS! Mom was happy when they played her favorite song Grey Street and Tracy was pleased when Dave's finale was the extended version of Two Step! Thanks Tiffany for a great concert. Everyone, especially Mom and Tracy, had a fantastic time! The only thing missing was YOU! (To watch Saturday night's concert you can click here: Dave Matthews Band Live On AOL). Friday, August 11th, 2006: Mom and Tania brought Tracy to her appointment with Dr. Samuels in Lighthouse Point at 2:30 PM. During the appointment, Mom gave Dr. Samuels Tracy's complicated medical history. He seemed very willing to take over management of her Baclofen pump, and recommended coordinating this with Drs. Lochner, Rubin and Nedd. He suggested that Mom bring him all of Tracy's MRIs and CT scans for review as well. Monday, August 7th, 2006: This evening, Emily came over to do Speech Therapy with Tracy. She is working on oral motor skills such as swallowing, mouth and lip closure. Tracy did a great job opening and closing her mouth on command for Emily. She held her head up the entire session and was able to turn her head to the right and left on command. It seems that Dad's wheel chair adjustments are really making a difference. Emily gave Tracy some vanilla frosting on her tongue and she had several good swallows. Tracy seems to really like the vanilla frosting. Who wouldn't like frosting! Next we will try chocolate! MMM! Friday, August, 4th, 2006: During Tracy's appointment at 10:00 AM, Dr. Schneider reviewed Tracy's recent and past bilateral hip X-rays. He confirmed Drs. Rubin and Nedd's diagnosis that Tracy's right hip is subluxing. This means that Tracy's hip is not permanently dislocated but continues to slip in and out of the socket, causing pain. Dr. Schneider recommended several pediatric orthopedic surgeons for us to consult because Tracy's condition is complicated by her spasticity and quadraparesis. We will make arrangements to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who has extensive experience in treating this condition. Tracy has already had BoTox to her lower extremities several times and also has had several phenol blocks to her obturator nerves to help relax her adductor muscles. These are temporary measures to help reduce Tracy's tone. With her right hip now subluxing in and out of the joint, it seems as though the only resolution will be surgical intervention to help relieve Tracy's chronic pain and to reduce the need for a total hip replacement in the future. Monday, July 31st, 2006: During Speech Therapy, Tracy did a good job staying awake and relaxing her jaw so that Emily could work with her tongue. She let Emily brush her tongue with the Nuk brush and also successfully got her tongue to the roof of her mouth with tactile and verbal stimulation. Emily used a laryngeal mirror which she chilled in ice water to work with Tracy's tongue. Then she put a little vanilla frosting on the mirror for Tracy to taste. Tracy seemed to enjoy the vanilla frosting, and responded well to it. We plan to try more tastey treats to motivate Tracy to move her tongue. Who knows, maybe Nutella next time! Wednesday, July 27th, 2006: During Speech, Marissa spent some time working with Tracy's head control. Tracy did a great job lifting her head and putting it back in the headrest. She really is trying hard! Marissa showed Tracy a very large buddy button or switch which she and Lisa are using for switch training. Tracy seemed to understand the plan and lifted her head several times during the session in an effort to activate it with her cheek. She will continue to practice this in hopes of using a switch again soon. Marissa and Lisa spent some time showing Tracy pictures and asking her YES questions. Tracy did a good job blinking twice for YES! They continue to work with Tracy's facial muscles in an effort to get Tracy to open and close her mouth on command. She is not there yet. Marissa also worked with Tracy tongue with chilled lemon and glycerin swabs. Tracy does respond to these swabs and moves her tongue some. The goal is to get Tracy to lift the anterior tip of her tongue to the roof of her mouth so that she will be able to have more control. We will continue to practice these exercises. Today was Tracy's last Speech Therapy session until next semester, which starts August 30th. Tuesday, July 25th, 2006: During Speech, Lisa worked with Tracy's head control. She held different family pictures on Tracy's right and left side for Tracy to look at so that she would work on head turning. Lisa helped Tracy point at the various pictures. She held up the one of the cute guy from Cosmopolitan magazine. Tracy was trying really hard and turned her head to look at the picture with lots of verbal coaching and tactile stimulation. She's getting much better at this but still needs lots of practice. It seems easier for her to turn her head now that the BoTox seems to have relaxed her sternocleidomastoid muscle.This muscle was so strong that it prevented her from being able to turn her head, especially to the right. Next, Marissa and Lisa turned off all of the lights and used different colored flashlights to get Tracy to turn her head to follow them. Tracy seemed to have some difficulty with this exercise. After this, Marissa and Lisa worked on Tracy's oral motor control using chilled flavored lip gloss on her lips. Lisa picked buttercream frosting flavor. She coached Tracy to move her tongue to lick her lips. Tracy was able to move her tongue a little, but is still working on getting it out to lick her lips. Lisa even tried some chilled lemon glycerin swabs. Tracy definitely responded to these! Thursday, July 20th, 2006: Tracy had Speech Therapy at 3:45 PM with Marissa and Lisa at FAU. Marissa and Lisa are doing a great job with Tracy! During Speech, Marissa continued to work with Tracy's Yes response which consists of two eye blinks for YES! She spent some time with Tracy looking at pictures of both family and cute guys from magazines. Tracy did a good job looking at the pictures and responded several times with very distinct eye blinks. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether she is answering Yes, because she tends to close her eyes or blink more than twice at times. We will continue to work on her deliberate eye blinks. Then, Marissa and Lisa worked with Tracy's facial muscles, and Tracy's ability to open and close her mouth/lips on command. Tracy is getting better at this. They used cold flavored lip gloss to entice Tracy to lick her lips, strengthening her tongue. Marissa set her alarm on her cell phone so that it would ring on Tracy's right to get her to turn her head to the right in response to the ring. Tracy seemed to notice the ring. She did a good job staying awake during the session and also giggled several times during her session. Next week is Tracy's last week of Speech Therapy and the college will be taking a short summer break until the Fall semester begins on August 30th. After Speech Therapy, Tracy had an appointment for an eye exam at Rand Eye Institute in Pompano. Tracy's good friend and fellow crew team mate from the University of Miami, Allison's, Dad is the director of the Rand Eye Institute. He had coordinated a team of physicians to examine Tracy. They spent about an hour with Tracy and were pleased with their findings. They concluded that Tracy's eyes looked completely normal after direct and indirect retinoscopy, slit lamp exam, fundoscopic exam and pressure tests. They were not able to examine at this time if Tracy was seeing double or blurred vision. This will be further tested when a more consistent method of communication can be established with Tracy. It was so nice to finally meet all of the wonderful staff at the Rand Eye Insitute who have been praying for Tracy throughout her long rehab journey back to us. Wednesday, July 19th, 2006: This afternoon, Mom and Tania got Tracy on the mat under the awning on the balcony. The weather looked a little stormy and there was some rain clouds on the horizon. They got Tracy prone over the peanut ball for about fifteen minutes. She was pulling in her right knee and looked a little tired. Tania and Mom shifted Tracy onto the mat on her stomach, with her upper torso propped on the wedge to allow her to weight bear on her elbows. She tolerated 30 minutes in this position. Then, Mom and Tania rolled Tracy onto her back, and stretched her extremities. They used some Calming Massage Butter with scents of lavender, orange and vanilla to give Tracy a relaxing massage. Then Mom gave Tracy a facial while they listened to Dave Matthews Live at Luther College! They can't wait to see him in concert on August 12th! It will be here before you know it! Tuesday, July 18th, 2006: This afternoon, Dad and Mom met Tania, Tracy and Felicia at FAU for their 3:45 PM meeting with Lisa, Marissa and Joy, Tracy's supervisor. They went over the specific goals for Tracy's therapy and discussed some creative ideas to incorporate into Tracy's therapy plan of care for the upcoming session. Tracy has three sessions left of this semester and will resume her therapy program at the end of August. Some of the goals that they plan to implement is to work with Tracy to improve her head control to one day work with switches again. They also would like to explore the augmentative devices available to Tracy so that she can have a method of communicating while they are working on vocalization and speech redevelopment. There are several programs in the area, Palm Beach Community College and Nova Southeastern. We will keep you up to date as her therapy plan evolves. Monday, July 17th, 2006: This afternoon, Dad met Tania, Mom, and Tracy at Dr. Li's office in Jupiter. He spent some time going over Tracy's history and then examined her. It seems as though Tracy could have some small calcifications or crystals in her inner ear canals which are causing her to get positional vertigo, also known as BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo). When these crystals are displaced into the semicircular canals, they can stimulate the balance nerve inappropriately. When the head is placed in certain positions, a severe spinning sensation is produced. Although the spinning sensation usually lasts about 20 seconds, it is often severe and can produce unsteadiness and nausea which may last several hours.We see this when we are rolling Tracy on the mat which results in abrupt positional changes. Dr. Li decided to try the CRP (Canalith Repositioning Procedure. This procedure involves strapping Tracy into a gyro-type chair (Multi-Axial Positioning Device) designed by Dr. Li and spinning her around. Tracy tolerated this procedure very well. We will monitor her to determine whether this procedure helped. Please say a prayer that this vertigo is resolved, because it really is uncomfortable for Tracy when she experiences it. We think it feels like she is falling when she experiences this sensation. Friday, July 14th, 2006: During Tracy's appointment with Dr. Rubin, Tracy received almost 900 units of BoTox. This is the most she has ever received in one session. She got injections in her biceps, her wrist and finger flexibles, lumbicles, thumbs, neck, jaw, and parotid glands. This is also the first time Tracy has gotten BoTox injections in her neck, parotids, and jaw. We are hoping that the BoTox will help Tracy with her head control. Her SternoCleidoMastoid is so tight on her left side that she tends to pull her head down and to the left. This makes it hard for her to hold her head up. We hope that the BoTox will help relax this very powerful muscle and help her hold her head up and not pull it forward. Tracy received some BoTox in her jaw (massiters) which hopefully will help to reduce her teeth grinding. We are afraid that her enamel on her teeth is getting worn down and can cause discomfort. It usually takes anywhere from 10 days to two weeks for the BoTox to take effect. We will return to Miami for Spasticity Clinic in three weeks for reevaluation and consultation with the OT and PT. Thursday, July 13th, 2006: This afternoon, Tracy had Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU this afternoon at 4 PM. She was awake but had some difficulty keeping her head up. Marissa worked with Tracy to help her keep her head in the head rest. She spent some time working with Tracy to turn her head to the right. The goal is for Tracy to strengthen her head control so that she is strong enough to use a switch for communication in the future. Marissa held up a sign with the word YES printed on it with a bright green smiley face. She tried to get Tracy to look at the sign as an alternative to two eye blinks for YES. Tracy did not seem very interested in looking at the YES sign. She seemed to be a little frustrated. Marissa had Tracy look at some of the usual family pictures, Mom, Dad and Tiffany. Then she held up the cute guy photos of Dr. McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy (Patrick Dempsey). Tracy was peeking through half opened eyes. We will continue to work on this. Tuesday, July 11th, 2006: This afternoon, Mom and Tania took Tracy to Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU. Because Tracy was awake and wide-eyed, Lisa began the session working on looking at pictures of hot guys! They held up pictures of Nick Lachey, Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) and some model-types from Cosmopolitan! Tracy checked them out, but did not seemed too fazed by the hotties! Then, Lisa worked with Tracy on vocalization. She coached Tracy to say "mmmm". Tracy mimicked "mmmm" several times. The next part of the session, Lisa and Marissa worked hard to keep Tracy awake by applying cold therapy, utilizing frozen towels, flavored lip gloss, and a chilled basketball (used to take the ouch out of kids' bruises). Tracy stayed awake long enough to blink twice several times in response to questions about several pictures of Snow (Tracy's dog), Tiffany (Tracy's sister) and Nana Lilly (Tracy's grandmother). Marissa and Lisa talked about Key West, where Tracy lived in middle and high school, and where they visited last weekend. They gave Tracy a pretty shell choker that they bought her in Key West. It is so pretty. A million Thank Yous! Monday, July 10th, 2006: This afternoon, Tania and Mom got Tracy on the mat on the balcony under the awning for some intensive range of motion exercises. Tracy's tone is much better since Dr. Lochner reduced her Baclofen. Mom and Tania helped Tracy hug her knees with her arms so she could bring her knees to her chest in a stretch. Tracy turned her head to the right and left on command and then Mom helped her look at her knees. After her stretching session, Mom and Tania got Tracy on the peanut ball in a straddle position. She was able to get her legs around the ball and also put her feet down on the mat. Then, Mom got the smaller ball and stretched Tracy's arms around the ball. She was very relaxed and it was very easy to get her arms around the ball. Tracy did a good job sitting on the peanut ball with her arms stretched around the smaller ball for thirty minutes. She was able to hold her head up for 3 to 5 seconds and was really trying to hold her head up. She even picked up her head on her own several times! Sunday, June 25th, 2006: This evening, Marissa and Lisa, Tracy's new friends and masters students working with Tracy at the Communications Disorders Center at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, came over to have dinner with us and to visit with Tracy. They brought her some beautiful flowers. Tania, Jason (Tania's brother) and Mark (Jason's friend) also joined us. It was a lot of fun. Dad whipped up his famous New Orleans jambalaya and Mom made a salad. It stopped raining just in time for everyone to eat on the balcony. Jason brought his keyboard and sang to Tracy. She was really attentive to him and seemed to really enjoy the concert. There were even fireworks off in the distance. It was a great night and everyone seemed to have a good time. Tuesday, June 20th, 2006: Mom, Dad, Tania and Tracy left Vinceremos around 7:15 PM and headed for Father, Brother, Uncle John's Church in Pahokee. We were going to meet Fr. John, a couple from Melbourne named Fran and Peter Behrens, and some of the parishioners from St. Mary's to pray the Rosary to the Blessed Mother (Russian Icon) in the little church. Fran is a healer who had a dream about Tracy and claims that God directed her to pray the rosary in front of the Icon at St. Mary's Church in Pahokee. Mom woke up with the same idea and when she told Uncle Johnny, he told her about Fran. It is clear to Mom that Tracy wants everyone to pray the Rosary! Mom does not think any of this is a coincidence, but rather messages from God. So, she is asking everyone to PRAY the rosary on behalf of Tracy. Wednesday, June 14th, 2006: Dad, Tiffany, Nick and Christine made if safely to Rome around 1:30 AM (EDT) and 7:30 AM (Wednesday) Rome time. Before they boarded the train for Florence from Rome, they had the cab driver take them to Vatican City! They must be blessed because they got there just in time for the Pope to come out for his Wednesday audience and give his blessing! ~ Tracy, Mom and Tania made it safely to Independence, LA! Thursday, June 8th, 2006: During Speech Therapy, Tracy was very alert and awake. She did a good job responding to questions that Marissa and Lisa asked her about family pictures by blinking twice for Yes and shaking her head No. She also had some good swallows and picked her head up on command several times during the session. Lisa held up a picture of the FAU mascot, a MEAN looking owl! Tracy really looked at it. She must be thinking the the UM Ibis, Sebastian, is a lot meaner that that OWL! (Go Canes!) Seriously, Tracy seems to really like working with the students and we are looking forward to great things for Tracy with the FAU program. Tuesday, May 30th, 2006: Lisa, Tracy's PT at Pinecrest Outpatient Rehab Center in Delray, assessed Tracy's nystagmus (eye movement in a specific direction), to see if she had a disorder of her inner ear caused by lodged crystals. It is known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo . Lisa performed some positional changes with Tracy lying on her back on the mat. She will continue to observe Tracy during her therapy sessions to see if she has signs of BPV. If Tracy is thought to have BPPV, there is an easy remedy that can be performed by changing Tracy's position in a special chair. We'll keep you posted on this.. This evening, Tracy had her third therapeutic horseback riding lesson at Vinceremos in Loxahatchee! Tracy did such a good job holding her head up and rode for almost thirty minutes. She was able to hold her head up a lot better with the foam pillow that Ruth made for her. This provides a stable platform for Tracy to prop her elbows on, thus helping her with trunk and head control. Jamie, Tracy's horse, even walked around the ring several times, worked around various pastel colored cones, and even walked over poles. Tracy could feel the horse stepping, turning, and walking up and down the small hills, and did a good job balancing with Dad and Ruth's help. We are so excited that Tracy is able to continue with therapeutic horseback riding and see marked improvements each week! Thank you Vicente and Sylvester for your assistance with Tracy's hippotherapy! Wednesday, May 24th, 2006: Dad made a brilliant observation that could explain why Tracy has been so sleepy during the day! (He is so smart, one of the reasons why Mom married him! The other is his good looks!) He was reviewing Tracy's Baclofen pump print-outs and realized that the internal clock had been reset 12 hours off from the actual time. This happened when Tracy got her pump refilled here in Palm Beach. The computer that is used to set Tracy's Baclofen pump had the wrong time. Since Tracy gets different Baclofen doses throughout the day and night, this created a significant problem for Tracy. Bottom line, Tracy was receiving her night doses during the day and vice versa. This might also explain her teeth grinding and coughing during the night! Mom has an appointment tomorrow morning with Dr. Lochner in Palm Beach to correct Tracy's pump settings. We'll keep you posted... Tuesday, May 24th, 2006: This evening, Mom and Dad brought Tracy to Vinceremos in Loxahatchee for her therapeutic horse back riding lesson. Tracy was very awake and alert at this time. Vincent and Jose helped Dad and Ruth get Tracy up on the horse. Then Ruth positioned Tracy with two boppy pillows so that she had a platform to push herself up with her elbows. Mom is going to find some bigger boppy pillows that fit Tracy so that she will have more stability. Tracy was able to tolerate much longer on Jamie this time. She was really working hard to get her head up and laughed a little and vocalized. Dad led Jamie around the field and Ruth pointed out lots of attractions such as Chico, a miniature donkey with an afro! He was so cute! Tracy tried to hold up her head and look at Chico. Ruth noted that Tracy was tracking with her eyes and really trying to look at all the attractions. She did a great job and worked real hard to hold up her head. We plan to return next Tuesday at 6:30 PM. Thank you Vincent and Jose for meeting us out at Vinceremos and helping with Tracy! Tuesday, May 9th, 2006: This evening, Mom and Tracy's P.A. went to Loxahatchee for Tracy's first therapeutic horseback riding lesson. Dad and Emily, Tracy's Speech Therapist, met us at the center. Vincente, Orlando and two other friends came out from St. Mary's Church in Pahokee to help get Tracy on the horse. Tracy did a great job balancing herself on the horse with assistance, and actually lifted her head up twice to look at Jamie, the horse. Tracy was able to get both of her legs relaxed and positioned symmetrically on either side of the horse! It was a huge improvement since last Fall when she was unable to stretch her legs around the barrel at Lift Me Up! This demonstrates how persistence, hard work, and dedication pays off! Thanks to Duncan, Jen, Melissa, Jenn, Katie, Marlena, Nikki, Emily, Linda, Wilmene and all of Tracy's assistants and therapists who worked and continue to work so diligently with Tracy! It is truly paying off! We plan to return to Vinceremos on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM! After her lesson, Emily spent some time in the barn letting Tracy experience all the sights, smells, sounds and textures around her. She let Tracy feel and smell some of Jamie's dinner! Ruth held Tracy had and helped her pat Jamie's soft mane! Tracy really seemed to take it all in! Saturday, April 22nd at 9:00 AM: Mom, Dad, Wilmene and Tracy got in the van and headed to the Vinceremos Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center in Loxahatchee. Today was the day that Tracy was to be evaluated for readiness for the riding program. We met Ruth, the program director who brought out a very large plastic barrel on rollers, complete with a saddle and a bridle! It was a make-shift horse! Dad, Wilmene and Mom positioned Tracy on the "horse" and Tracy did a good job getting her legs around the barrel and relaxing them down around the "horse". It was a huge improvement since last Fall when Tracy could not get her legs around the barrel at Lift Me Up! Her pelvis seemed pretty stable, the challenge now is whether Tracy can demonstrate the head control to stay up on the horse. Ruth decided that she would brain storm over the next two weeks and Tracy would return on Saturday, May 6th to try out the horse for real. April 7th, 2006: Tracy had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Lochner in Palm Beach to get her Baclofen pump refilled. Dad and Dr. Lochner discussed the plan to lower Tracy's Baclofen dosage. They decided to lower her continuous dosage by 10 percent, leaving the complex boluses at the same dosage. We hope this adjustment will help reduce Tracy's sleepiness during the day so she will be more awake to do therapy. Dr. Lochner was very pleased with Tracy and said that every time he sees her she looks so much better! 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. Pictured: Tracy on Spring Break in Jamaica in 2002.This page was created with love on Sunday, February 8th, 2003 by Tiffany Anzalone. It was re-launched at www.prayersfortracy.com on November 11th, 2003. Since February 8th, 2003, Prayers for Tracy has been hit:

Wednesday, September 13th, 2006 ~ Tracy had another great night's sleep last night. She is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Felicia, Tania and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Mom is still unpacking boxes and today she got Tracy's room set up. There are still more boxes in the garage, but little by little, it is all coming together. While Mom and Tania unpacked, Felicia worked with Tracy on her oral motor exercises. She is doing better with tongue and lip movement. Felicia practiced using the oral massager on Tracy's lips and gums. She does a good job tolerating this and responds well to the stimulation. Tracy has been pretty sleepy over the past few days. We are not sure whether her sleep/wake cycle has reversed itself or that she is wiped out from the move and all of the change. It sure can be pretty exhausting! The weather has been really beautiful, with lots of sunshine. It looks like the summer rainy pattern is beginning to subside and the air is less humid with a little breeze! Maybe Fall has finally arrived! Mom and Dad continue to unpack the many boxes of stuff that have accumulated over the past 26 years of Navy family life and are donating a lot to St. Mary's Church in Pahokee. It sure does feel good to clear out a lot of the past and make room for the present! Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU. It is also Nana Lilly's birthday! We plan to pick her up and bring her over to spend the day with us! We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about allowing others to choose the path of their spirit with undue influence. "The events and circumstances that shape our lives are unique because each of us is unique. What touches one person deeply may do nothing more than irritate or confound another. Therefore, each of us is drawn to different paths-the paths that will have the most profound effects on our personal evolution. If you feel compelled to intervene when watching another human being make their way slowly and painfully down a difficult path, try to empathize with their need to grow autonomous and make their own way in the world." Lesson of the Day:Observing Evolution : Allowing Others To Walk Their Paths!

Tuesday, September 12th, 2006 ~ Tracy is sleeping so much better these nights in her new home. Tracy is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, October 3rd by Dr. Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami. It is our hope that the proposed surgery will help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion and associated pain. Dr. Tidwell is also planning to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Felicia, Tania and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. Until we get the house accessible, it takes three of us to shower Tracy safely. The weather has been really beautiful, with lots of sunshine. It looks like the summer rainy pattern is beginning to subside and the air is less humid with a little breeze! Maybe Fall has finally arrived! Our good friends Emil and Kathryn left to return to northern Virginia this morning. We really hated to see them go. They were both a tremendous help with unpacking and organizing. Emil is Tracy's massage therapist from Virginia! He painted Tracy a beautiful self portrait which he surprised us with last Sunday evening! It is exquisite and truly captures her spirit! Mom and Dad were totally speechless when they saw Tracy's beauty in Emil's work of art! Our family is truly blessed to have such wonderful friends. Tracy was very sleepy today. She napped in her chair until it was time to go to FAU for Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa. During Speech Therapy, Marissa and Lisa did everything possible to keep Tracy from sleeping but she continued to be sleepy. They tried cold cloths, flavored lip gloss, and lots of stretching exercises. However, Tracy continued to sleep. Lisa and Marissa practiced using the Powerlink with Tracy, which is hooked up to various electronics such as a radio and a light. Tracy hits the switch with her cheek and the radio or light goes on. We will continue to explore these different switch training exercises with the hope that she will some day be able to operate a augmentative communications board. Mom and Dad continue to unpack the many boxes of stuff that have accumulated over the past 26 years of Navy family life and are donating a lot to St. Mary's Church in Pahokee. It sure does feel good to clear out a lot of the past and make room for the present! We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about living comfortably with abundance, ensuring that our spirit still has the ability to evolve without being stifled by material goods. "Once we recognize the realm of spirit, and remember to hold it at the center of our lives, there is no reason to dwell in poverty or emotional isolation. In fact, once our connection to spirit is fully intact, we feel so compelled to share our abundance that lack becomes a thing of the past." Lesson of the Day:Learn And Let Flow : We Don't Need To Suffer!

Monday, September 11th, 2006 ~ Tracy is sleeping so much better these nights in her new home. Her red area on her right thigh due to a friction rub from her dynasplint, has healed. We have been giving her an extended break from her dynasplint since Mom discovered it. Her adductor and hip is still really tight. Tracy was seen by Dr. Michael Tidwell at Baptist Hospital in South Miami last Friday. He recommended surgery to help alleviate Tracy's hip flexion and associated pain. Tracy is scheduled to have surgery on October 2nd to release her right hamstring, adductor muscles, lengthen her achilles tendons, and disconnect her obturator nerve to release her spasticity. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Tania and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. It was a beautiful day with lots of Florida sunshine. It looks like the summer rainy pattern is beginning to subside and the air is less humid with a little breeze! Maybe Fall has finally arrived! Our good friends Emil and Kathryn have been visiting us and have been a tremendous help with unpacking and organizing. Emil is Tracy's massage therapist from Virginia! He painted Tracy a beautiful self portrait which he surprised us with last evening! It is exquisite and truly captures her spirit! Mom and Dad were totally speechless when they saw Tracy's beauty in Emil's work of art! Our family is truly blessed to have such wonderful friends. This afternoon, Nana and Uncle Johnny came over to help with more unpacking. It is really coming along and the house is starting to look and feel like a home. Tracy seems very peaceful in her new home and is very much a part of all the excitement. This evening, everyone met a Luna Pazza in Boca Raton for Nana's birthday dinner. It was really fun and everyone had a wonderful time. Aunt Diane, Tim, cousins Chip and Eileen, Uncle Johnny, Emil and Kathryn joined Nana and us for a delicious dinner complete with live music. We missed Tania, who had to stay home to work on her online courses. She is taking two this semester and is really working hard! We are so proud of her! Tracy continues to demonstrate improved head control since she received BoTox injections in her sternocleidomastoid. She has been turning her head right and left on command and is trying hard to shake her head No and nodding Yes! We are going to begin working with Tracy's switches and computer again to get her more consistent with turning her head to the left to activate the Yes switch and to the right to activate the No switch. Last Thursday, Tracy started back with Speech Therapy at FAU with Marissa and Lisa. She was very much awake and alert and did an awesome job! Marissa and Lisa began utilizing a Powerlink with Tracy that Mom brought in for them to implement. It is an interface that allows Tracy to turn on various components such as a light and a radio with a switch so that she can begin to practice taking back control of her environment. She did a good job with turning her head to initiate the switch with assistance. Marissa and Lisa will continue to work on this skill with switch control using various interface components. We look forward to her session tomorrow at 4 PM. We miss Tiffany and Rick! They were such a huge help with our initial move and we look forward to seeing them over Thanksgiving! 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 talks about dispelling our personal drama to make room for peace and joy in our lives. "Many people, so used to living in the dramatic world they create, feel uncomfortable when confronted with the prospect of a lifetime of peace and contentment. The drama in their lives serves multiple purposes. Upset causes excitement, prompting the body to manufacture adrenaline, which produces a pleasurable surge of energy. For those seeking affection in the form of sympathy, drama forms the basis of their identity as a victim. And when drama is familial, many people believe they can avoid abandonment by continuing to play a key role in the established family dynamic. The addiction to drama is fed by the intensity of the feelings evoked during bouts of conflict, periods of uncertainty, and upheaval. Understanding where the subconscious need for drama stems from is the key to addressing it effectively." Lesson of the Day:Alive In Joy : Dispelling Drama!

Sunday, September 10th, 2006 ~

Saturday, September 9th, 2006 ~

Friday, September 8th, 2006 ~

Thursday, September 7th, 2006 ~

Wednesday, September 6th, 2006 ~

Tuesday, September 5th, 2006 ~

Monday, September 4th, 2006 ~ Tracy is sleeping so much better these nights. One more night without her dynasplint should do the trick to alleviate the raspberry she has on her right thigh from the strap. Her adductor is still rather tight. We are looking into getting her obturator nerve injected with phenol again to block the spasticity. The last time we got it injected was January 4th. We'll keep you posted... Mom and Tania bathed Tracy and got her ready for the long day of unpacking and moving in. Tania, Mom, Dad, Tiffany and Tracy spent the day clearing out boxes. How did we ever make it through 17 moves! Argh! The unpacking is going smoothly, especially with everyone's help! Aunt Diane, Tim, Uncle Johnny and Nana came to help us! It is so wonderful to have so much help! We all met cousin Chip for a late lunch at Bonefish Macs. It was a great time to catch up on family time. This evening, everyone collapsed and caught the last little bit of the FSU vs. Miami football game. Too bad Miami lost! Better luck next time! Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU in Boca Raton. This will be Tracy's first session since the summer break. She has Speech Therapy every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 PM. Tiffany and Rick leave to return to DC! We will really miss them and can't wait for them to come back! Our good friends Emil and Kathryn arrive tomorrow. It will be great to spend some time with them and we are looking forward to their creative energy! This Friday, Tracy has an appointment with Dr. Tillman, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Baptist Hospital in Miami. He will evaluate Tracy's right hip as a second opinion and let us know whether she is a candidate for surgery. We'll keep you posted. 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 talks about being comfortable in your own home! How appropriate at this time of transition. Although, there is much to be done to get settled in our new home, we are making sure to take mini-breaks, an instant vacation along the way! " Our homes can be distracting places as most survival tasks are addressed there. Reviving the tranquility you felt on holiday is as easy as creating an atmosphere that helps you relax. First, divest yourself of the notion that messes must be cleaned up immediately and reaffirm that relaxation is as vital as physical nourishment. Then, set the mood. Music that reminds you of a beloved vacation destination can put you in a vacation mind-set." Lesson of the Day:An Instant Vacation:Relaxing At Home!

Sunday, September 3rd, 2006 ~ Tracy is sleeping so much better these nights. Tracy still has a red area on her right thigh due to a friction rub from her dynasplint, so we are giving her an extended break. Her adductor is still rather tight. We are looking into getting her obturator nerve injected with phenol again to block the spasticity. The last time we got it injected was January 4th. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Wilmene and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. Everyone, including Tracy, headed to the new house to continue the tedious (but exciting) process of unpacking. It is always a great feeling to get everything out of boxes! Tiffany and Rick are really helping us with the move. Timing could not have been better. We are so thankful that they are here with us at this exciting time. We couldn't do it without them! Aunt Candy said that for once she is planning on putting our new address in INK! This is our 17th move so we are really looking forward to settling down for a LONG while in south Florida. This afternoon, Uncle Johnny, Nana, Aunt Diane and Tim came over to help us unpack. Tim made dinner for everyone in the new kitchen. Of course, the kitchen was one of the top priorities to get organized! This evening, Uncle Johnny said Mass for us. Tracy really was looking around and taking in all the new surroundings. She seems to like her new home! Tracy continues to demonstrate improved head control since she received BoTox injections in her sternocleidomastoid. She has been turning her head right and left on command and is trying hard to shake her head No and nodding Yes! We are going to begin working with Tracy's switches and computer again to get her more consistent with turning her head to the left to activate the Yes switch and to the right to activate the No switch. This Tuesday, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU in Boca Raton. This will be Tracy's first session since the summer break. She has Speech Therapy every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 PM. This Friday, Tracy has an appointment with Dr. Tillman, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Baptist Hospital in Miami. He will evaluate Tracy's right hip as a second opinion and let us know whether she is a candidate for surgery. We'll keep you posted. 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 talks about being comfortable in your own home! How appropriate at this time of transition. Although, there is much to be done to get settled in our new home, we are making sure to take mini-breaks, an instant vacation along the way! " Our homes can be distracting places as most survival tasks are addressed there. Reviving the tranquility you felt on holiday is as easy as creating an atmosphere that helps you relax. First, divest yourself of the notion that messes must be cleaned up immediately and reaffirm that relaxation is as vital as physical nourishment. Then, set the mood. Music that reminds you of a beloved vacation destination can put you in a vacation mind-set." Lesson of the Day:An Instant Vacation:Relaxing At Home!

Saturday, September 2nd, 2006 ~ Tracy slept well last night. She is still coughing during the night, but it is less frequent than it has been in the past. Dad has been giving her a break from her dynasplint on her right leg, due to a friction rub from the strap. Dad has put some extra padding on the strap, so this should prevent any future problems. The friction on her inner thigh is due to increased pulling with her right adductor. We are looking into getting her obturator nerve injected with phenol again to block the spasticity. The last time we got it injected was January 4th. We'll keep you posted... This morning, Wilmene and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Wilmene stayed with Tracy while Mom, Dad, Tiffany and Rick headed to the house to unpack boxes. The move is going smoothly. We hope to be totally unpacked within the week. Tiffany and Rick are really helping us unpack all of the boxes. We are so thankful that they are here with us at this exciting time. We couldn't do it without them! Aunt Candy said that for once she is planning on putting our new address in INK! This is our 17th move so we are really looking forward to settling down for a LONG while in south Florida. Tiffany treated Dad, Mom, and Rick to dinner at the Old Key Lime House in Lantana. Tracy seemed to enjoy being out with everyone. We only wish she could eat some of the fried calamari and hot crab dip. Her favorites! One of these days we are hoping that she will be able to eat with us! Next Tuesday, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Marissa and Lisa at FAU in Boca Raton. This will be Tracy's first session since the summer break. She has Speech Therapy every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 PM. Next Friday, Tracy has an appointment with Dr. Tillman, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Baptist Hospital in Miami. He will evaluate Tracy's right hip and let us know whether she is a candidate for surgery. We'll keep you posted... Tracy is demonstrating improved head control since she received BoTox injections in her sternocleidomastoid. She has been turning her head right and left on command and is trying hard to shake her head No and nodding Yes! We are going to begin working with Tracy's switches and computer again to get her more consistent with turning her head to the left to activate the Yes switch and to the right to activate the No switch. Tiffany and Rick arrived late Thursday evening from D.C. and are enjoying their visit with us. We are so glad they are here. They return to Northern Virginia Tuesday morning. 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 talks about living our life like water flowing in a river: with fluidity! "The journey of water as it flows upon the earth can be a mirror of our own paths through life. Water begins its residence on earth as it falls from the sky or melts from ice and streams down a mountain into a tributary or stream. In the same way, we come into the world and begin our lives on earth. Like a river that flows within the confines of its banks, we are born with certain defining characteristics that govern our identity. We are born in a specific time and place, within a specific family, and with certain gifts and challenges. Within these parameters, we move through life, encountering many twists, turns, and obstacles along the way just as a river flows." Lesson of the Day:Fluid Like A River: Living Like Water!

Friday, September 1st, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. Dad gave her a break from her splinting devices because she had a small friction rub on her right thigh. This morning, Felicia and Tania showered Tracy while Mom and Dad, Rick and Tiffany went to the house to meet the movers. They arrived promptly at 11:00 AM and it was a steady flow of boxes for the rest of the day. Around 5 PM, it was quitting time for the day and everyone headed back to the condo for some rest. Tracy had a good day back at the condo with Felicia and Tania. This morning, Tania stretched and ranged Tracy to keep her hip as flexible as possible. Tracy has an appointment next Friday at 2 PM with Dr. Tillman, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, at Baptist Hospital in Miami. He will evaluate Tracy's hip and make recommendations for treatment. We will keep you posted...This afternoon, Tania spent some time showing Tracy some pictures of family, asking questions about the photos. Tracy was pretty sleepy and did not seem very interested in the exercise. We are really looking forward to returning to Speech Therapy at FAU next Tuesday with Marissa and Lisa. We have all missed them over the school break. Tracy is demonstrating improved head control since she received BoTox injections in her sternocleidomastoid. She has been turning her head right and left on command and is trying hard to shake her head No and nodding Yes! We are going to begin working with Tracy's switches and computer again to get her more consistent with turning her head to the left to activate the Yes switch and to the right to activate the No switch. Tiffany and Rick arrive late Thursday evening from D.C. and are enjoying their visit with us. We are so glad they are here. They return to Northern Virginia Tuesday morning. 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 talks about being at the helm of our life's purpose." Simple survival requires us to be in possession of many skills. The pursuit of dreams requires many more. Most individuals rely on the support of a village, whether peopled by relatives or community members, to effectively address the numerous ways we need assistance. This can mean anything from asking favors of acquaintances and leaning on loved ones for support to paying a skilled artisan to handle specialized tasks. However, each human being is born with the capacity to be their own village. Being your own village does not mean embracing isolation, for a balanced life is built upon the dual foundations of the inner and the outer villages. Rather, being your own village is a celebration of your wondrous inner strength and resourcefulness, as well as an acknowledgment of your innate ability to capably steer the course of your life." Lesson of the Day:Residing At The Helm: Being Your Own Village!