well, its been some time since ive posted here. but im feeling the urge to acknowledge my gratitude to the universe on this here blog my sister made. its been so long i forgot how to post and she sent me this sweet animated pdf that shows all the steps. man she’s a badass! thanks ivette!
so i will get to writing again here soon. if you’ve made it back here after such a long break, drop by and say hi.
hope this finds any and all in good health and high spirits.
fcobrs
Today there are just a couple of more testimonies on the defense side (nothing major). However the trial should end today and the wait begins for the jury’s decision. Hoping they come back today and it doesn’t drag out until Monday. Mom is scheduled to testify after the decision. We’ll see….
From Sister:
Well the trial started today. Lots going on right now. The jury got picked today and Franky and Veronica testify tomorrow starting at 10am Tucson time. I wish I was there, but I find comfort in the fact that my mom lives there now and is there with my brother.
As I get updates I will make sure to post them. Your prayers and positive energy are more than appreciated.
Well, surgery went well. Franky ended up with a rod the entire length of his TIBIA. He is currently in a lot of pain and can’t walk yet. Because of the challenges he has with his left side, the doctor transferred him to Healthsouth again to get some therapy and live in a controlled environment. Needless to say, he is angry right now and just wants to be leading a normal life. To top in off, they won’t let him out of the facility to attend class. Luckily his professors and friends are being very understanding and helpful. So he is reading and has managed to set up WIFI to get work done. Please pray for a speedy recovery from this surgery and that the pain subsides a bit.
****Entry by sister********
Yesterday was Franky’s first day of school. He was thrilled!! Things had been going pretty good. He had even managed to finally get up on his bike (two wheeler) and ride. Needless to say, when I got his call last night from the ER I was a bit bummed out. Looks like he has broken his leg (the good one). He was doing nothing crazy, just walking and his bones snapped (both bones on the bottom part of his leg). So now we are waiting to hear what Franky decides to do. A cast for 3 months of the entire leg or surgery. As soon as I hear more I will post.
greetings from el big-ol state de texas!
the vacation continues. im in austin right now. the weather is purr-fect! im having a grand ‘ol time. i arrived yesterday and have already visited with several folks whose company and presence in my life i cherish greatly. i plan on seeing more wonderful peeps soon.
tonight, its get-down-time with the amazingly beautiful and glorious octopus project!!! YAY!!! cant wait!
then…tommorow, or the next day, im gonna smuggle myself into houston. there are several folks there i cant wait to see (and a few cantinas i cant wait to visit!!!).
then, its off to mckinney to be with my beautiful family before returning to tucson.
the many blessings in my life just continue flourishing before my eyes.
being able to be in the company of so many whom i hold so dearly-close to me is a truly great, great, great blessing.
& i am eternally grateful for the glorious people i have shared space and time with.
well…”thats all folks”
for now anyway.
thanks for checking in.
be well, be wonderful, be great.
fco.
greetings from knoxville!
yes im in knoxville. and loving it. it feels so,so,so, good to be here right now. seeing people i know and love. and some i dont. ive told several folks that this lil’ vacation is more than that. vacation it is but it has already proven to be theraputic for me. (i guess vacations are spposed to be???) point is, being here has played a part in my finding my way back to where i was “pre-incident”. physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. my recovery thus far has been the same, physical, emotional…so im blabbing. lemme just say it feels great.
then im off to texas. YEE-HAW!! ok, wont do that again.
well, thank YOU so much for joining me (& my family) on this lil’ journey.
i cant explain how much it has meant to me (yeah, & the familia also).
thank you! thank you! thank you!!!!
i’ll be in touch wonderful people.
be well, be great.
fco
hey everybody…any one still out there? well, thanks for joining me on this journey. much love. fco.
I have been here in Tucson for 2 weeks now and during these two weeks I have seen such a change in my brother. It’s amazing to see it all. When I first got here the one thing that stood out the most was the fact that his face looked more like “him.” Since the muscles have been coming back little by little, the facial expressions that I am so familiar with have come back. It was nice to have that little surprise when I got here.
When I first got here mom was here and it was really nice for the three of us to spend some quality time together. Franky was a little sad to see mom go, but all of us knew that the next step in the process was to become a little more independent. That’s why I was next in line to be a caretaker. During the time here, I have managed to let him be a bit more independent. He cleans his cat’s litter box, he sweeps and mops his own apartment, he makes his bed, he takes out the trash, he does his own laundry and he empties out the dishwasher. I never did manage to get him to cook though! Although he made his own sandwiches and heated up his own leftovers.
During the time here, it has been inspiring to see how focused he is on his rehab. It’s a little tough to get him to wake up in the mornings to go to the rehab facility. However in his everyday life, he is making an effort to push himself along. Not only is he working out at home with hand weights, stretches and exercises, but he has jumped into his studies by reading articles, taking on projects and having discussions with fellow classmates.
I really don’t get to watch him at the rehab facility, but yesterday I got to go with him to a doctor’s appointment. It was really exciting to talk to the doctor and hear what he had to say. After assessing Franky, he was really pleased with his balance and his progress. Franky had 2 questions to ask….
1) He asked the doctor what he thought his final outcome would be from all the therapy…the doctor said that he thinks that he will be able to make a full recovery. There might be a slight limp that he might have to live with, but overall he was impressed with the progress being made considering the timeframe. He also told Franky that with brain injuries, you can’t limit the progress to the 2 years like they do stroke patients. With TBI, there is no timeframe…it’s a matter of allowing the brain to remap itself.
2) He asked the doctor if he thought he would ever be able to ride his bike…the doctor said he didn’t see why not. Granted, there might some changes that need to be made to the foot peddles, but he felt that with his balance being good, it is just a matter of him strengthening his left side enough to ride a bike. Needless to say, this is all Franky had to hear in order to come back home focused on the task at hand….exercise, exercise, exercise. Last night a friend gave him a bike helmet and now he is thinking of rearranging his apartment so he can bring in a stationary bike.
I mentioned to the doctor that come December the plan was to have him live independently and that in January he was going to try to take 2 classes. He seemed pleased with that and thought it was a good idea. With that came the question of driving. There are several evaluations that need to take place, but overall it seemed like he was ok with the driving issue. Luckily, his right side is in good working order so driving an automatic car should be ok. He did tell Franky to start playing video games in order to work on hand-eye coordination.
During my time here I have seen my baby brother be the awesome person that he is. He has amazed me with his spirit and his attitude. He has amazed me with his bravery and his endurance. He has amazed me with his hope and his faith. He has amazed me with his determination and his perseverance. He is my hero! These last few weeks he has been trying to figure out what to give me for my birthday, and what he doesn’t realize is that he has already given me a gift. He has given me inspiration.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) That he continues to progress at the rate he has been.
2) That we are able to resolve the transportation issues by the time school starts.
3) That progress is made with his left hand.
4) That he has safe travels during the month of November.
5) That we are able to find his 2nd cat.
Now for the fun part….
Here is a picture of mom, Franky and I the day that I flew in:
Here is a picture of mom and him having breakfast:
Here is a picture of Franky today. He loves to go to local cafes and have himself a Red Eye Cubano style:
Here is a video of him walking. He walks without a cane around the house, but when he is out and about he uses it.
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