Day 90

It has been tough to come here and post since the updates have been difficult to obtain. Don’t get me wrong, I talk to my brother and mother almost everyday, but they are always busy that sometimes its tough getting details.

Franky is coming along very well. I have heard that he graduated from a 4 prong cane to a single prong cane due to the fact that his original cane was distroyed…long story…mom ran over it with the car. I also hear that one of Franky’s friends gave him a beautiful wooden cane. I have been asking for pictures with no success!

On to the updates….This past week mom had a meeting with the therapists and it seems like Franky is really coming along. They will be focusing their therapy sessions on more life skills, like teaching Franky how he will get along with his bookbag, etc. On the cognative and speech side, they have decided to reduce his sessions per week (from 3 to 2) because of how well he is doing. For physical and occupational he is still going 3 times a week.

Changes at this point are slight changes, but big none the less. About a week ago the big thing was that his left hand started to come back!!!! Franky has also started to walk around without his cane (short distances) although its slow. Stairs are also becoming easier. For those of you who are not in Tucson, he has stopped wearing the eye patch and can read a lot better. He is also getting shock therapy on his face.

Some of the fun things he has recently attempted….swimming and getting on a stationary bike. For those of you who know Franky, you know his passion for his bike. He is determined to get on one again in the future. As far as the swimming was concerned, he did not have form like when he swam competively, but he did have fun.

Next week I am off to Tucson again to give my mom a break. On the 6th we are having a birthday party for Franky, so if you are in the area let me know and I will send you an invitation. I am sure he is counting the days for his big 3-0! If you recall he can have his first beer in October!!

During my stay up in Tucson, one of our goals is to get Franky focused on becoming independent. Our goal is for him to live on his own in December. So I have warned him that I don’t plan on doing any cooking while I am up there with him in October (he has had it nice with mom cooking his every meal). I have managed to “train” both my hubby and son to cook, clean and do laundry, so I guess now I am going to have to take Franky on as my next project. ;oD

Oh yea, I just found out that they will be doing a follow up piece on the news. Apparently Franky has agreed to be interviewed and they plan on filming some of his therapy. As soon as I get more details, I will post them.

As always we still have prayer requests:

1) Transportation will become a big issue whenever the family finally leaves in December. Please pray that we are able to come up with a workable solution.
2) Continue to pray that all his muscles come back.
3) Please pray for Franky as he starts to think about school. Timing for his well-being is very important.
4) Please pray for Franky’s emotional well-being. We have good days and bad days.

On to the fun stuff:

Here is Franky’s left hand in action:

Here is Franky during one of his therapy sessions:

Here is Franky after his eye appointment:

PS. For thos of you who subscribe to readers, here is the link:
http://fcobaires.wordpress.com/rss

Day 71

Aunt Kimberly just got back from two weeks in Tucson. She shared this in the comments, but thought it was worth being an entry. Oh yea, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT KIM!

Well, it was great to visit and now know Tucson, but most of all to be able to be with Franky and my sis. The 2 weeks were great, quite HOT, but great. Franky has come a loooong way and continues to do so each day. He has a determined and fighting spirit that is amazing. I have no doubt that he will be able to go to TN in November, so watch out Knoxville, for he is coming!!!! I was able to challange Franky on several occasions and he did not disappoint me. When I arrived 2 weeks ago, I was having to open & close the car door plus buckle his seat bealt. After about 4 outings, I challlanged him to do it all himself, and HE DID!. Also walking a bit further each time and sometimes also without the cane.

The wheelchair was not an option for me to take out of the trunk and have him use it. Instead walking was the order of the day, to which he complied wonderfully. I hope that with this writing his wonderful support group can catch a glimpse of how well he is progressing. Praise God for all the prayers and thank you to each one of you for your faithfulness.

Aunt Kim in Belton, TX

Day 63

It’s weird, when I write day 63 it just doesn’t seem like a little over 2 months ago our lives were normal and Franky was trying to figure out how to balance his work schedule at American Apperal and his volunteer hours at the Medical Examiner’s Office. Now he is balancing his schedule between all his outpatient therapies.

Don’t get me wrong…I am not complaining. I am just taken back how things change so fast.

The big issue that has come up lately is CONTROL. Franky has struggled with the idea of not having control over his life. In all aspects of it. So little by little we have been trying to hand that back to him.

Well, today marks two weeks that Franky has been at home. He got discharged from Healthsouth on the 16th. The staff at Healthsouth threw Franky a Pizza Party as a farewell on the 16th. The transition was a little difficult, but I think that now he is starting to feel better. Since he arrived to a brand new apartment that he did not pick out, that threw him for a loop.

By Friday the 17th we were taking Franky out to one of his favorite resturants for Senorian Dogs. It was a good time and he was happy to get out and about. He refused to use his walker or his wheel chair and instead took his time with his cane.

Mom and Aunt Kim arrived on the 22nd. Since their arrival, the have managed to keep Franky busy. This past week they visited many at the University of Arizona and stopped by UMC and visited the 5W night crew. They had a wonderful visit.

Franky has started to walk short distances without his cane. He has also managed to go places on his own. He went to a protest with his friends and also got together with his acedemic advisor at a coffee shop. When I talk to mom she tells me that sometimes it’s hard to let go. It’s like seeing your son walk into his first day of kinder.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for Franky’s emotional well being…we have seen good and bad days. For the most part good, so we are really happy about that.
2) Please pray for Franky’s left side. It is slowly coming along. Franky is determined to ride a bike again.
3) Please pray for Franky’s concentration and short term memory. We see this area improving daily.
4) Please pray for all the therapists that are working with Franky. Franky has set a goal of making a trip to TN in November. He will have to work really hard in therapy in order to make this happen.

Day 48

Last week we were surprised to hear that Franky was going to be released from the rehab. We were only getting 24 hour notice which really was an issue since we were all expecting him to be there until the end of August. Since mom and I were not there, a lot of phone calls were being made to see if his stay could be extended until I arrived on the 13th. Luckily that has worked out and he is now being released to go home on the 6th.

This week has been busy. Monday started off with a visit to UMC for his appointment witht he Neurosurgeon. Everything went well and Franky was excited that he was cleared to have a beer for his birthday in October. Then it was off to rehab, where I managed to suggest to the staff that we try walking with a cane instead of a walker. He was excited to use it instead of the walker.

Tuesday we were being seeing what strategies we are going to be using at home. The biggy was the bathroom. We were able to figure somethings out and now we are just waiting for the equipment to come in so we can have the place ready for him on Thursday.

Physically he is really coming along and is pushing himself everyday. He really worked hard this week so he could be ready to get out. On the occupational therapy side we are doing a lot of upper body strengthen and stretching. His left arm is coming along, but his hand cannot grab things. Speech is coming along good and we are now just working on strategies to keep him focused and organized.

This past week I gave Franky a print out of all the comments people left on the blog and he has been blown away. It has really helped lift his spirits. Just Sunday he felt a little down and out. Yesterday it was more anger for the loss of control in his life. We had a group session with his counselor which really helped. Seeing my kiddos has also helped him. For the most part though he has kept a great attitude and is doing good. He is starting to call friends and really get back into the things he loves doing. Hopefully coming out of the rehab and into his home will help him get things back to a semi-normal condition.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray that the insurance covers the wheelchair, walker and cane.
2) Please pray that the transition for Franky goes well.
3) Please pray that we are able to get the house ready in time for his release.
4) Please pray for Franky’s emotional well being.
5) Please pray for Franky’s left side.
6) Please pray for Franky’s concentration and short term memory.

Day 39

Franky is doing very well. With each day we are seeing improvements in all areas.

Speech Therapy: Includes speech, swallowing and cognitive.
Looks like Franky is pretty much eating whatever he wants at this point. Mom has been spoiling him by preparing some of his dinners.

As far as cognitive issues are concerned, he is still working on improving his concentration and short term memory. He is working a lot on puzzles and dominos to help this area.

Physical Therapy: Mom mentioned to me that his walking is coming along very well. To give you a visual, his left hand is tied down to a walker (since he can’t hold on yet). And the therapist has to be behind him to straighten out his left knee (he bends it too much). He still can’t transfer himself out of a chair (almost there though). He has managed to master how to work the wheel chair and has managed to figure out how to swing himself around to be very mobile. We can tell that some of his muscles are still not “there” yet. However they are coming along.

Occupational Therapy: There is a lot of work going on with the left arm. He is getting some sort of electric shock therapy for it. The arm seems to be mobile, but the hand is still an issue. We are figuring that this will be the last thing to come along.

In previous postings I mentioned that there were some issues regarding Franky’s catheter situation. This past week that issue has resolved itself and we were all doing happy dances. It looks like his whole digestive system is coming back, which was really starting to worry him.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for Franky’s short term memory. Although its coming along, there is still some work to be done.
2) Please pray for Franky’s left hand.
3) Please pray for Franky’s endurance.

Mom returned to Florida this past week and now Grandpa Max is up there taking care of Franky. I will be returning with my family next week (Aug. 13th). I will be going with him to see the neurologist that performed the surgery (Dr. W). He has not seen Franky since he left UMC so I will be interested in seeing how that goes.

Mom & Franky during one of their walks

Day 32

From Cousin Tina who just got back from visiting Franky:

In some of the pictures (eating and outside) Franky doesn’t always look so excited, but he really was. He just had a difficult time with his facial muscles showing his expressions at times, as well as the cameraman not getting the picture fast enough! My goal was to get a picture with all his visitors, but it didn’t work out.

We went to physical therapy with him on Monday. In these pictures he is doing squats and standing on his toes. He was really trying to use his right side instead of his left, so the therapist was making him keep his right hand down. That irritated him a little bit. He doesn’t really enjoy going to therapy b/c they make him work hard, but he knows it’s the only way he is going to get better, so he is really trying to have a good attitude about it. He is very courteous to the people who work with him, even when he is struggling.

My last day there, they gave Franky an eye patch to start wearing. He should wear it up to 8 hours a day switching between the left eye and the right eye every 4 hours. For reading, he should wear it on his weak eye (left side) so that he is not straining the muscles. He thought this was the funniest thing and he was cracking jokes about being a pirate of the carribean. The nurses said that he was going to give Orlando Bloom a run for his money! I’m going to try to get over to the party store this next week to pick him up a pirate costume!

And last but not least…Sammy Dogs!!! Dr. Anderson brought us sammy dogs for lunch on Wednesday. Talk about delish! I’m glad I don’t live there full time, b/c I would bloat up on those things! Franky thoroughly enjoyed this treat…not to mention that Dr. Anderson and Robin were in his company!

Eating Brooklyn Pizza…yum!

Tina & Franky: A stroll outside for the first time

Franky in action!

Franky and his rehab doctor, Dr. Wick

Eating Pupusas!!! Yummy!

Pirate Kiko:

This is his Mug Shot (J/K)…picture of how good his left eye is doing compared to before.

Franky and his Sammy Dog:

Friends that have come by to visit (most of these have been taken by Franky…he is using his cell phone!)

Day 30

Well, I know that I said I would update weekly, but I really had a good conversation with my brother last night so I thought I would go ahead and update now. My cousin Tina has been with him the last past couple of days and she mentioned she had tons of pictures to share. I should have those in the next couple of days.

Speech Therapy: Includes speech, swallowing and cognitive.
Yesterday Franky graduated to normal food. He was very excited and mentioned that today he plans on having Sonoran hot dogs. He also managed to request for me to start sending him care packages with cookies. The kids will have a great time making cookies for their Crazy Uncle this weekend. Feel free to send goodies his way as well!

Franky also mentioned to me yesterday that he seems to be coming along with his cognitive issues. He mentioned that he has been working a lot with puzzles and has been improving his speed with them. I have noticed in talking to him that his voice is starting to sound more like himself. He is also recalling his visits and discussions with people who visit him and is able to share them with me.

Physical Therapy: Franky mentioned that he has really been trying to walk a lot and is coming along. He is now walking with a walker with wheels (kinda like the one that my mom uses) and seems to be getting along pretty well. For the most part he only does therapy with it. When he needs to go from place to place he is using a wheelchair.

Occupational Therapy: Franky mentioned to me that they have started to work with his left arm extensively. Apparently they are putting it in some sort of machine that helps control movement. He can move it every now and then, but there is still a lot of work to do.

Here is another link for another article I found this morning.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for the criminal investigation and that progress is made.
2) Please pray for Franky’s catheter situation and his emotional well being.
3) Please pray for Franky’s left side.
4) Franky asked that I add this to the list: This summer is turning out to be terrible for migrant deaths. Numbers are really high. Franky has asked that we pray for the situation, the people and their families.

Day 27

Well, as you can see I did not post this past week. A couple of reasons for that. First, I am not there anymore and I don’t have info available as easy as before. And secondly, there is not much going on…changes are down to a minimum. With that being said, I have decided to change the number of updates to weekly vs. daily updates.

So last week we were busy primarily with all the media coverage, getting everything ready for the move and the evaluations at the rehab. The media coverage kept mom very busy. I think she did a wonderful job. I don’t know if I could have been as calm and collected as she was. She really did good. So many of you have asked if there have been any breaks in the case. No, not that the family is aware of. And honestly, we really don’t think anyone will get caught. If anything, now it’s more about awareness for the people in the community.

Speaking of the community, everyone has been wonderful in helping us furnish Franky’s new duplex. The outpour of help has really moved me. I can’t thank everyone enough for all your generosity.

Now for the part everyone has been waiting for….Franky was evaluated on Tuesday and Wednesday the case manager gave the results to mom and Franky. It looks like they estimate Franky being there for 4 to 6 weeks.

Speech Therapy: Includes speech, swallowing and cognitive. There are some cognitive issues that need to be addressed, such as working on concentration, speed of reaction, numbers, etc. Speech and thoughts are coming along fine, but short term memory is an issue. Each day brings an improvement. Friends and family are doing a good job engaging Franky in thought provoking conversation. This really helps him emotionally as well as cognitively. We are noticing that he is not having a hard time searching for words like he was before. The facility still has him on a mechanical soft diet, although he has been eating everything. This past weekend he had pizza, pupusas and even some Chipotle. Still no nuts though. We are also starting to see facial muscles come alive. Before it was hard to see emotions because he had a stone face. Facial expressions are now present and emotions can be seen. His left eye is not open all the way, but we are seeing that the eye muscles are coming back. Although there is much improvement facial muscles still go to one side (but not as much).

Physical therapy: On the physical side, he is really coming along. Last Monday, when he was transferred, he was having a problem with drooling and he had difficulty supporting his head, so his head was hanging a lot. In a week’s time the drooling has stopped and he is sitting up just fine and supporting his head without a problem. He is now able to move from the bed to the wheel chair easily. During the beginning of the week he was working on balance and now that he has managed to master that, he is moving on to walking. He is walking with parallel bars.

Occupational Therapy: In this they try to work with him on day to day things such as getting dressed, showered, etc. He is doing really good in this area and has a very good attitude toward his arm and hand (not being able to use the left side). He has managed to figure out how to use his cell phone and is spending a lot time calling people, where before he was too tired. He even sent me a picture of himself last Thursday. The catheter situation is still present and we are noticing that it is affecting him emotionally.

When I called this past Friday night mom told me that he had so many visitors that it was like a party in his room. This made me very happy. He has always been a social person and I hope that this does not change that side of him. Mom mentioned that he is really enjoying his friends and their visits where before he would really get tired.

This week (Saturday) we start moving into the new duplex. Mom has had great help this week with my cousin Tina. Thank you Tina for flying out there and looking after mom and Franky. I know that they have REALLY treasured your time out there!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for the criminal investigation and that progress is made.
2) Please pray for Franky’s catheter situation and his emotional well being.
3) Please pray for Franky’s left side.
4) Please pray that Franky’s doesn’t choke when he eats.
5) Please pray that the move goes smoothly.

Day 22

A busy day for many. Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy all did their assessments today. Franky managed to have his first official shower during his occupational therapy today. He was thrilled, although after the ordeal he was very tired and could only think of returning to bed.

Tomorrow we will find out the direction that his team will approach his rehab. It will be interesting to hear what his days will be like in the coming weeks.

I believe that tomorrow his final tube is coming out….the catheter. I am sure that he will be happy not attached to anything.

For mom, it was a busy day as well. Interviews were done all day long. Healthsouth was great and supported her all day interview after interview. In some of the stories there are a couple of incorrect facts, but for the most part they did a good job. Below is a list of what I could find online:

KVOA video
KVOA print story
KOLD video
KOLD print story
FOX 11

By the way, for those that go and visit him, please feel free to take pictures with him and send them my way. It would be great to get them now that I am not there.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for the criminal investigation and that progress is made.
2) Please pray for Franky’s strength as he starts his rehab.
3) Please pray for Franky’s left side.
4) Please pray that Franky’s throat gets stronger and he doesn’t choke when he eats.

Day 21

Franky was ready to leave this morning when we walked in. He slept really well the night before and was counting the minutes until he was transferred. We were told it would take place at 4pm and I was a little bummed because I would be missing it.

After getting clearance from the nurse, I decided to go down and get Franky some Fu-Fu coffee. He had been dying for some coffee and was thrilled when I came up with his surprise. When I returned we were told that they rescheduled the transfer to 1pm. That left us with an hour and a half to get him to eat lunch, remove the feeding tube, remove the IV, pack and get him dressed. That sounds reasonable except when you are dealing with a person that is not suppose to eat fast and needs assistance with getting up, it takes just a tad bit longer.

Just as we managed to get him ready and we were leaving the officer in charge of the case showed up to talk to my brother and mother. That delayed us a bit, but we managed to finally get him to the rehab. I was thrilled that I was able to leave him settled in. The intake nurse spent some time with him and the different therapists came in to introduce themselves to him. He was excited. What’s even more exciting is that he now gets to wear regular clothes.

In the evening he had some guests and even received a plant for his new room from Pat and Pete. Thank you!!

Some of you have asked for info on where he is at and if flowers or plants can be sent. Feel free to send him stuff if you want. He can pretty much receive anything (food too)! Just no nuts or hard items that he can choke on. Here is the info:

Healthsouth
1921 W. Hospital Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704
Room 125A
Main #: 520-742-2800

He has a direct telephone number, but if you want it please email me. Please keep in mind that he has a busy rehab schedule, so there will be times that he will not be able to talk. After dinner will probably be the best time. Visiting hours are from 8am to 8pm and if you call the front desk they should have a copy of his schedule and advise when would be a good time to visit.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for us as we start to do media releases regarding the story. Mom has already started talking to the media.
2) Please pray for the criminal investigation and that progress is made.
3) Please pray for Franky’s assessments tomorrow.
4) Please pray for Franky’s catheter situation and that it’s removed this week.
5) Please pray for a good transition to the rehab facility this week.

PHOTOS:

Franky excited about his coffee

Being silly and saying good-bye to Franky