just a young kid out chasing a dream. Joanne. 18. Montréal. The Habs & the Panthers are my teams. Hockey is my everything. José Théodore will always be my number one. Carey Price. Josh Gorges will be captain someday. Ryan White.
"Go get it, it's your time to shine." - Luc Bourdon. "Je me rappellerai davantage ces moments où nous avons fait trembler le forum et vibrer montréal." - Patrick Roy. "You just have to believe in yourself and if you want it bad enough, you can do it.” - Rick Rypien.
Rest In Hockey Heaven Boys. [#28 LB - #37 DS - #94 DB - #37 RR - #3 WB - #11 AG - LOKOMOTIV]
As some of you have heard, Jack was admitted into the ER on Monday morning, only to be sent upstairs to the 8th floor - again - same room as before, just a few weeks ago. Only this time, he knows the guy in the room next door….another hockey player that he had played with years ago, We’re thrilled to report that all is going well with him. Whew!
But really, what are the chances that you would land in the hospital again, three weeks after being released for the second time, and that you’d wind up in the same exact room? Then take that one step further and surprise, another hockey pal ends up in the room next to you. We’re supposed to meet up in the hockey rink after all these years, not side by side in the hospital.
But, at least Jack is doing better too. We’re waiting for test results and hoping that his docs are able to figure out a plan to prevent these frequent mishaps from sending us to the ER every few weeks. Please.
As always, we really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. It’s your support that gets us through these tougher-than-tough of times.
(From his Caringbridge) Home at last.
Our boy is back.
Jack is feeling good and doing much better. Happy to be home (even if it’s our temporary one) and ready to move forward.
Thanks for your continued support and good wishes.
And many thanks to whoever left the beautiful May Day flowers! You put a smile on our faces when we arrived home from the hospital early tonight.
Cheers!
Please keep Jabby in your prayers; he is back in the hospital since last Tuesday, and understandably feeling very down this time. Let’s hope for a quick recovery from this, and hope that he’s back to feeling good shortly!
One of my all-time favorite musicians is Bruce Springsteen. I am, after all, a Jersey Girl. So often his lyrics pop into my head as they seem to summarize my thoughts.
For the last few days, the words from “One Step Up,” a hit from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album, kept playing in my head. Although the song doesn’t address the same issues, the title seems to reflect where Jack is at. He took a giant step forward when leaving Sister Kenny after almost three months of rehab, then only a week later landed back in the hospital…one step up, two steps back.
It’s super hard to see Jack flat on his back in a hospital bed for several days. He was doing so well, but then a few issues occurred and now his team of doctors are diligently working to find the best solution and treatment for him. But as a parent, it’s difficult to see your child slip from being upbeat and positive to downright sad and frustrated.
If only we could fast-forward to a few months down the road. We’ll be back in our home (oh boy…you should see the house now…renovation is underway, big time) and hopefully into a routine and some sense of normal. A new normal, but a better place than where we are now. We can only hope that Jack’s body will have somewhat adjusted to the challenges of paralysis and that today’s obstacles will be behind us.
One step up. And up and up and up.
(From Jack’s CaringBridge)
Never Say Never
Written 8 hours ago
Never did we think that Jack would land in the hospital just a week after his discharge from Sister Kenny. Then again, never did we think our son would suffer such a devastating injury playing the sport he loved so much.
But life is full of curve balls, isn’t it? This one especially hit hard because Jack and Max were invited by the Minnesota Twins to throw out the first pitch in last night’s game. Imagine how excited they were, and then how crushed we all felt as we watched Jack suffer from issues that are common to people with spinal cord injuries.
Usually these issues subside, but not this time. After several alarming incidents, it was time to head to the ER. Jack was admitted to the hospital, which is where I sit writing this entry.
A sense of darkness has hovered over us since last week when Jack was discharged from Sister Kenny. The reality of his condition is a constant reminder that our lives will never be the same. We’ve learned to accept life’s challenges, even if we despise them and we know all too well that things can change in a heartbeat.
But now, more than ever, we know that although we’re going to face a lot of disappointments, we can never give up hope and that it’s so important to BEL13VE.
CaringBridge
Jack left the rehabilitation centre to go home tomorrow, after three and a half months in the hospital. Best of luck on this new phase of your journey, Jack!
Oh Happy Day!
Free at last!
Jack’s halo was removed today. Talk about lifting a weight off your shoulders. Literally. You should have seen the ear-to-ear grin on his face when nine pounds of metal that supported Jack’s head, neck and upper body went by the wayside.
His smile was as huge as the one he wore when his BSM varsity teammates won the State High School Hockey Tournament last Saturday. A huge congrats to the Red Knights. It was a sweet ending to a surreal season.
It’s been a busy week or so. Not all “sunshine and gumdrops.” Jack battled a nasty bug last week, which prevented him from attending the state tourney hockey banquet and one of the three BSM games. We even had him hooked up to an IV drip in hopes of making him feel well enough to go to such monumental events, but no such luck.
But, on one of his better days, we made Jack’s fave meal as part of his occupational therapy - my Mom’s Swedish meatballs. He actually helped with the prep work as he was able to stir some of the ingredients, roll the meatballs in flour, and most importantly, participate in multiple taste tests. He was in gastro heaven.
And now it’s time to move forward with a different approach to rehab. Jack will be working to strengthen his upper body and neck. He was thrilled to move his head, ever so slightly. How nice it will be to see the world from a more normal view. In time. Jack has a collar (brace) on his neck for now, but at least he’s free from the halo.
Relief at last.
BSM team picture!
Hopefully it helps a lot, it’s so much weight taken off. Hopefully it allows for more progress!
