JMJT
Officially this website is complete but 3 months since my last, what was to be the final entry, I find myself needing to add this for ourselves, and anyone who may decide to check in. Also, for reference for Jordan to witness his progress. What happened today (8/13/26) made me well up. What a lovely Birthday present for his Dad. JMJT Moving back several months working at this particular skill., from top to bottom. How hard he has worked , how far he has come. :)
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So here we are two years from the date Jordan's world was changed. He has accomplished so much more than we could have anticipated but not as much as we still hope for.
I know this entry is really for me, more as a closure to everything we've gone through with everyone who joined us on this bizarre adventure. Since last entry we have continued with neurotherapy, twice weekly, and witnessed small changes. I wish I could say it has brought about big, drastic changes but as we have come to accept, nothing is a quick fix when it comes to the brain. Jordan's attitude has been exceptional throughout this entire time, with only brief moments of not giving 150%. He is truly an amazing soul and I can only aspire to live up to the standard he has set for us all. We are approximately 10 days away from completing the school year. Final exam preps are in full swing and all of us here in the Juliano household are ready for some down time... I feel certain we are not alone on this train of thought!!! We have one more effort up our sleeves for the immediate future. A supplement called EHT. It is being used, most commonly, with athletes who have suffered multiple minor brain traumas, (boxers, football players.) It is touted as repairing neuro pathways and aiding in memory and boosting energy and focus. All of which would be a major "plus" to Jordan's well being. John and I are hopeful this may be the thing that pushes Jordan to the next level in recovery; we can only wait ro see what the near future holds. Jordan has continued with his training at Gymcats, and with Miss Stacey's coaching has made some impressive strides. He still loves it and we shall continue to nuture his passion. This probably shall be the final entry here, so Thank you to one and All for your support. We could not have made it without you. Much Gratitude, JMJT So, it is now 2016 and several months since the last entry. Getting ready to finish up this blog but wanted to update Jordan's progress.
December 20th, John and Jordan made a trip to Phoenix for, what should be, a final follow up of cognitive testing. Immediate opinion of Dr. Blackham came back positive, but we shall receive the complete results this coming week. The 22nd was the last day of taking Amantadine, the brain stimulant medication, as his specialists believe it has provided the maximum benefit to his recovery. It is now up to Jordan's natural healing process and determination. One more milestone along the way....every little goal reached is cause for celebration!! John continued researching and found a neurofeedback centre here in town, SO much more convenient. Yea!! We have continued with the treatment, now in our 3rd block of 10 sessions. People ask if we have noticed any changes. As with all the more untraditional methods we have tried, nothing is a quick fix. There have been several occassions when Jordan's short term memory seems to have rebooted, and he could recall math properties from earlier in the term while preparing for a unit test. Last year we had to go back through previous notes to review such an event. On two other, separate, occassions, Jordan balanced on his left leg for a period of approximately 20-25 seconds. ....10-12 seconds had been his record up til then!! Continuing his lessons at Gymcats, Miss Stacey has been instrumental at challenging Jordan to push that little bit harder and further. He is now running multiple sprints back to back, doing simple vaults and executing front rolls on the (long trampoline) "fast track". A couple of weeks ago his cousin, Jake, had his birthday at Skyzone ( an indoor trampoline park) and this year, instead of opting to stay away and hang out with Dad as he did last year when Tara celebrated there, he couldn't wait to participate! Jordan is really intuitive to his body's abilities and exactly when it is ready for the next level. He attended, and jumped, for about 50 mins out of the allotted 60, joining in with dodgeball, basketball slam and even tried the foam pit. He had a blast, and we learned that the constant rebounding causes his left calf to stretch out and permit his left heel to make contact with the floor.....cheap, fun therapy.!!!! From this experience, we have now decided to have his full gym lesson in bare feet. Shoes are not as neccessary for ankle stabilization anymore. Finally, since returning from Christmas break, Jordan is attending a full day of school. History is now part of his daily curriculum. It has tested his stamina slightly, as when we first added 4th and 5th period, but we are hopeful he shall adjust as he has before...... That brings you up to date with "all things Jordan" . MJ So here we are in November and with a new month comes some new activities...see for yourself!! Dad Here. On Monday 11/2/15 we took a trip up to St. George, Utah to investigate a possible new therapy for Jordan. The kids were off school for the Nevada Day (Halloween) long weekend. This Therapy was brought our direction by a coworker of mine at Zarkana. She has a neighbor who, if I remember correctly, suffered a stroke and had very similar symptoms as Jordan. After a series of treatments, how many I do not know, there was an increase in mobility. This was enough to initiate my investigation bug. So off on the research wagon I went. The therapy is Neurological Feedback, also known as Brainwave Mapping. Here is the general primes of Neurological Feedback. Everyone knows there are two half's to the brain. Left & Right. There is a ton of speculation as to which side is analytical and which is artistic but nothing conclusive has been proved. However, they do know that the left and right sides to operate and function differently, and they know that when each side has the same output, the brain functions at it's best. Better known as Brain Balance. So what the process of mapping Jordan's brain was to place a cap with twelve electrodes on his head. These do not introduce electricity but in stead read his brain activity in the twelve separate areas being measured. These areas are symmetrical. If there was one above his left ear then there was one above his right ear. Each individual location is related to various issues people deal with in our lifetime. It is very closely related to the newest Disney movie "Inside Out". One electrode reads the energy output at the "Worry" location while another is reading the "Anger" location and yet another will read the energy output for "Sadness". I need to go back and watch the special features of "Inside Out" to see if Neurological Feedback had any part in the development of the movie. It's too coincidental. Anyway, When you start pairing up each symmetrical side and reading their energy output, or lack there of, is when you are able to start identifying issues like depression, anxiety, short term memory problems, A.D.D. etc. In Jordan's case, according to the clinician, there are some identifiable issues he could be dealing with. This is where it gets tough for Melissa and me. Jordan never shows any signs of anxiety, depression, worry, etc. and trust me, we look and observe very carefully for those signs while trying to push him as much as we feel he can handle. We do believe Jordan tends to be an "I'm OK" kind of kid. he showed a high tolerance for pain while in both Sunrise and Phoenix Children s Hospitals, so for him to play off any emotional issues is possible. His charts the clinician shared with us showed imbalance between the right and left hemispheres. Most points showed over activity and few others showed mild under activity. The big plus to take away from all this was, the general areas that had damage on the CAT Scan & MRI showed activity. Many times with an injury like Jordan's the area of damage usually shows very low activity. Most of Jordan's activity was very high or Over Active. Remember, the goal of this therapy is normal energy output at all points. only when all points show normal energy output will your brain be in balance. So how do we move forward with trying this? Jordan and I will drive two hours to St. George on Monday's after school (I'm off work) & Fridays after school (I will need to leave work early). Complete the 1 hour session and then come home. This will happen for five weeks and then we will take another map reading to see if the levels have changed. Then we will reevaluate the next steps. Here are some images to help you understand better what will happen. First of all, this is not Jordan. This is the assessment that measures the brain waves. This is not the treatment. The treatment will focus on one area each session with only two electrodes symmetrically placed, one on left and one on right, for whatever location they will be working. Jordan will watch a program on TV of his choice and the program on the computer will dim the screen and lower the sound which will cause his brain, without Jordan realizing it, to work subconsciously to bring the brightness and sound up. Painless and noninvasive. Again, These are not Jordan's readings, but is similar to the charts we received. I have circled the scanned area that is in balance. Each one of the brain's above is a separate scan with different meaning. Yellow is Very High Activity, Red is High activity, Green is normal, Light blue is Low Activity, Dark Blue is Very Lo Activity.
Here is Jordan's latest run at Gymcats last Saturday 10/31/15 with Ms. Stacy. If you watch right after he starts, instead of turning around at the end of the red mat he keeps going onto the blue mat. His run is getting better and better. News of the past two weeks....while I was in Long Beach for work, Jordan fulfilled another of his goals to be achieved before year's end. He had Dad take him down to a large open carpark where he could hop on his scooter and ride it for the first time since his accident!!! And ride he did....the full length of the carpark. What once was such a simple task brought tears of joy to my eyes as I watched the video John sent through. I was so proud and amazed and, yet again, inspired by our son's perserverance and determination.
Most recently, Jordan partook in his elementary school's Fun Run/walk. We did it as a family and although it took about 30 mins, Jordan walked the whole mile unaided. The farthest he has walked since his discharge from Phoenix last July!!!!!! Another milestone. Day by day Jordan is making progress towards, what we pray, will be a full recovery. It is at times slow but then we look back to 3, 6 or 12 months ago and are reminded how VERY far he has come and we are Thankful, very Thankful. MJ Things are moving along nicely for Jordan in grade 7. He is handling his class load, maintaining steady grades and enjoying the social aspect of lunching with his friends.
Gymcats continues to build Jordan's stamina, strength and confidence......Miss Stacey busts his butt every Saturday for a jam packed hour and he steps up to her challenge wholeheartedly. :) We have weened Jordan off his midday medication and slightly increased his morning dose to try and give a more restful night's sleep. Last weekend he mentioned feeling as though he had a dream. Very abstract story, as dreams can tend to be, so we are hopeful this may begin to occur more frequently. Jordan's left calf is beginning to build up and we are able to feel it "fire" as he works. This is huge because after being so contracted for months, prior to the casting, it then lost any ability to activate placing all the work into the right leg. John and I remain hopeful and Jordan remains stronger than anyone I've ever known. October we have a follow up with Jordan's orthopedic doctor and fingers crossed we shall be done with the brace or ,at least, severely reduce the wearing time...... Stay tuned and please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. MJ Shall try this one more time.....temperamental technology!! Jordan at last Saturday's gym lesson, hopefully# |
Donations can be made by going into any Wells Fargo Bank and depositing into the Jordan Juliano Benefit Donate Fund
Jordan's StoryFrom John, Melissa & Tara Juliano
Hello everyone, We wanted to include all of our friends in this trying time for our family. Last night, Saturday May 17th at about 5:40pm Jordan fell and received a severe head injury. All three of us heard it happen but none of us saw it. As best as we can summize Jordan was running into the bathroom and went to stop on the tile and his feet slipped out from under him which caused his head to hit very hard on the tile floor. He was responsive at first but after some questioning we realized he needed more advanced care and called 911. HFD arrived within 2 to 3 minutes and we were on our way to St. Rose after 7 total minutes from the call. It seemed painfully longer. Soon after we set of in the ambulance the Paramedic diverted out destination to Sunrise Hospital Childrens Center. If jordan had any hope of a return to the normal boy we know and love that decision was the best decision in a string of great care thet Jordan has received. On the way Jordan's condition gradually became worse. We arrived at Sunrise Hospital Trauma and they wheeled him right in with me following. I answered as many question as I could as they worked on him. They soon asked me to step out to the waiting room. Soon after that the Neurosurgon found us and gave us the situation plainly and clearly. Jordan was very sick and they needed to work aggressively to save his life. The hardest part was hearing that he might not make it through the surgery. . . .We signed te papers and walked with beside his bed to the O.R. We were all allowed tt give him a kiss and then we were walked to the waiting lounge. That was the longest and worst 3 hours of our lives. Tara had many questions and because she had been witness to all the events leading up to now we decided to talk plainly and openly as to the possible results. The Doctor finally came out and said Jordan was doing as fine as he could. His vitals were strong throughout the surgery and when she visualized his brain it looked good but that was only seeing it. there is much more within the brain. We were finally allowed back into the room and saw that Jordan was heavily sedated and was being give blood preaure meds, antibiotics, sedatives, Saline, on a ventilator to breath for him, etc. He has a long road ahead of him. We soon found out children were not allowed to stay over night so Melissa took Tara home and I stayed with Jordan for the first night. All was fine through the first night. In the morning he started to show a higher brain pressure and started to get rid of more fluid (urine) than normal. They took him for another CAT scan and when the doctor came back she was ver pleased with how it looks. We're not quite out of the woods yet, we have another hurdle to overcome. They need to take another CAT scan tomorrow (Monday) morning because the signs of a stroke do not show up until after 24 hours has passed. His reaction to stimulus is positive. When they rub his chest he responds as they feel he should. When they wiggle the IV in his arm he moves that arm slightly. He has gaged at the airtube helping him breath. These are all small but positive signs. This is where we are at currently. I will try and update this as soon as we have any new info to add. The hospital Jordan is staying in is on lower right but we are not in the system yet because we are still listed as a trauma. As soon as we get a real room and not an ICU bed I will update the info. Lastly, If you have received the invatation to this site we consider you firends who even though we may not see you all the time we think of you often. Could you please send out the biggest amount of positive thoughts and/or prayers for Jordan. I know he feels it. We sure do. Love John, Melissa, JORDAN & Tara. Help JordanPlease help us help Jordan and his family after Jordan suffered a terrible brain injury after a fall in his home.On Saturday, May 17th, Jordan Juliano suffered a terrible brain injury after an accidental fall in his home. Jordan is an amazing young man who is in great need of our community's generosity. Jordan is a competitive gymnast, terrific student, and all around amazing young man. His family is faced with the mounting medical bills associated with his treatment. Their insurance will cover some of it but not all it. Jordan will require specialized treatment at an out-of-state facility. The costs of this treatment are staggering and any help and assistance is deeply appreciated.
Brian Gabrielson Team Captain & Friend Archives
August 2016
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