Back to School, Medical Stuff, and a Final Reminder

Back to School

Another birthday means a new school year has begun. Say hello to our 3rd grader.

 

James and Jeff are indoors on a carpeted floor. James lies back on a cushion with a sign resting on his chest that reads “First Day of 3rd Grade 2017–18,” decorated with small cartoon monkeys around the border. Jeff leans in close beside him, smiling and holding two fingers behind James' head in a playful gesture. Furniture and soft lighting in the background give the scene a warm, home‑like feel, capturing a lighthearted moment around a school‑year milestone.

 

James sits indoors in his wheelchair, wearing sunglasses, a gray shirt, red shorts, and a striped neck pillow. He holds a sign across his lap that reads “First Day of 3rd Grade 2017–18.” The background is softly lit and uncluttered, giving the moment a clear, celebratory focus on the start of the school year.

 

James in his wheelchair sits on the platform lift of a yellow school bus. He wears sunglasses, a gray shirt, red shorts, white socks, and black foot straps, with a neck support pillow behind him. Two adults assist: one in a reflective safety vest holding a control device, and another securing the wheelchair. The scene shows the lift in use, capturing a supportive, accessible boarding process.

 

 

Medical Stuff

I don’t know how I missed mentioning this in a previous post, but about a month ago Stacy took James to see an orthopedic surgeon about his hip. The socket on James’ left hip didn’t fully close around the head of the femur so we wanted to see if there was anything that could or should be done. He took some x-rays and unfortunately doesn’t think that surgery is an option. He feels that there is a pretty good chance that the joint would pop back out. His recommendation was to focus on pain management. James is already on a skeletal muscle relaxant medication, so he increased the dose of that.

In other medical news, James had his first appointment with the neuro since starting the seizure med drug study. After only being on this drug for two weeks, his seizure clusters were cut in half! Holy crap! While we are extremely happy with how well this drug is working so far, we’re trying not to get overly excited. James has been on a few seizure meds and treatments over the years where we saw a reduction in seizures in the beginning, but the seizures fought harder and ultimately came back to their normal frequency. We’re only a few weeks into this drug study so we’ll have to wait and see if this drug will remain stronger than the seizures, or if the seizures will win this fight, too.

 

A black‑and‑white indoor photo shows James and Stacy in what appears to be a clinical or care setting. James sits in a wheelchair with supportive head and neck padding, facing slightly away from the camera. Stacy sits nearby, turned partway toward the camera as if mid‑conversation or mid‑task. Behind them are a wooden door, a wall‑mounted sanitizer dispenser, and a fire alarm, giving the space a functional, medical‑facility feel. The moment captures a calm interaction between the two.
At the neurologist’s office

 

We’re not sure if it’s this new drug or if something else is going on, but it seems like James’ new morning norm is to be cranky. Lots of crying, screams, and tears. James has so much going on that it could be anything. We wish we knew what it was. He eventually calms down, but there is a good hour or so every morning that he’s very upset.

 

Last Reminder About the Fundraiser

Only one week left until the James and the Chocolate Factory walk. If you haven’t registered yet and want to attend, you still can.

Team Page: http://jameswalk.com/participant/586205

Register here: www.jameswalk.com/3/fundraiser.htm

Be a Participant: www.jameswalk.com

Burt Constable at the Daily Herald has written several articles about James in the past so I reached out to him a few weeks ago to see if he would be interested in writing an article about this fundraiser. I asked that he put a different spin on it, though. His past articles have been all about James. This time I wanted him to write an article about the young women who were so inspired by our family that they started the Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) club at Elmhurst College and put this fundraiser together. They have put a lot of time and work into this, and they deserve to be recognized. The article was published about a week ago.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170826/news/170829116/

A couple of days ago we received a very nice card and a small donation in the mail. We assume they saw the article. As she says in the card, she doesn’t want us to send her a thank you so I guess I’ll thank her here for the whole world to see. Ellie, thank you. You are very kind.

 

A handwritten note on a white card expresses encouragement and generosity. The cursive writing fills most of the card, sharing admiration for a family’s strength and explaining that a small gift is meant to help with anything from pizza to bills. The writer adds that no thank‑you note is needed and signs the message “Ellie.” The overall look is warm, personal, and deeply caring.
Card from someone who had read the Daily Herald article

 

We even made the College’s homepage:

 

A screenshot of a college webpage shows the Elmhurst College logo on a blue banner at the top. Below it are two featured stories. The first has an abstract image of two hands pressed against a textured, green‑and‑yellow background, with a headline about a lecture on how parents’ immigration status affects children’s education. The second shows a photo of Stacy, Jeff, and James outdoors, paired with a headline about two students helping a college family. The layout is typical of a mobile‑friendly news or announcements page.

 

I really think the students’ picture should be there and not ours. They are the ones that put so much time and effort into this fundraiser.

We’re looking forward to seeing many of you there.