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Austin had his first stem cell treatment via lumbar puncture late last night. Once they brought him into the room it went very fast. He did good. He slept most of the night. He woke around 2 am and I changed his diaper and then he cried out about 2:40 am. I went over to him and just loved on him and he went back to sleep. He awoke around 9 am when the doctors came to check on him. He seemed upset so I gave him some Tylenol and then he slept until late morning. He finally ate his breakfast - more of a brunch and then played for a while and fell back asleep. His tone in his legs seems better today. It is probably from the growth factors that they give with the stem cells. Please pray for big things for Austin. He is such a sweet boy and deserves to have a better quality of life. I cancelled his therapy for today since he is so tired and probably a little sore. We are just chilling out in our room. The nice thing is we get lots of visits from the other families who are staying here. My Aunt Judy and her two children arrived yesterday. Her son Zachery is going to get stem cells also. He is able to walk and talk and I am anxious to see what the therapy will do for him. He can tell us how it feels and what his body feels.
It is a little later now.. and Austin is doing well. He has perked up and seems like his old self. Thanks for being Austin’s angels!
June 17th, 2008
Hi,
Things have been busy here. I have been to the market 3 times now. We had Saturday and Sunday off. We mostly rested and tried to regroup from our jet lag. Austin has been very tired. He has been waking at 5 a.m. It gets bright here about 4:30 a.m. Last night a a friend named Chantel (she is here with her daughter), Austin and I went out to eat. It was our first Chinese dinning out experience. We went to a place called Paradise. It was really nice. It is hard for us though because people smoke everywhere. The restraunt is in a beautiful park that is decorated for the Olympics. It felt so good to get out of the hospital.
Austin was supposed to get his first stem cell treatment this afternoon but due to the weather the plane was delayed for flying. So we went to the Rt mart with some friends – Bonnie and Tonya. They had to do some grocery shopping so I went and had my toe nails done. It was about $10. My toes feel so much better. It had been over a year since my last pedicure. They would not accept a tip. It is nice that when you get a service you don’t have to factor in a tip – it also seems weird. There are a few places that accept tips but not many.
Right now we are waiting for Austin’s stem cell treatment. The stem cells have arrived but they are running later than first thought. I am excited but nervous. Austin really cried when they gave him the IV. For those you know Austin well you know that is rare. But he has been crying more lately – he just got off of a seizure med and is now able to express himself more. It is like a fog is somewhat gone. Please pray for big things for Austin! He is such a trooper and the bravest little guy I know.
I am missing my girls and Darrin so much. There is no place like home but it is good to be here with so many wonderful people. Everyone supports each other and the spirit of the people here is amazing.
Have a good day. It is night now for us and hopefully Austin will be getting his treatment any moment and we will hopefully get some rest! He has to lay on his back for 6 hours after the treatment. So it is rather a blessing that it is during the night.
God Bless. We would really like to hear from you. Your thoughts and prayers mean so much.
www.austinwade.net
June 16th, 2008
Hi Everyone,
We are busy getting settled in here in China. It it quite the time difference and has taken some time to adjust. Austin is doing well. He has been very happy. He has recently started crying for different things. Yesterday he cried when he was hungery that is a first for quite a while. Today he cried during his bath and he sometimes cries when I set him down. He has not had stem cells yet. I think that maybe he is more expressive is because we just weaned him off of phenobarbital. I am glad he is starting to tell me more things. Yesterday Austin had his first day of therapy. He had e-stim on his legs and his arms. Then he had 30 minutes of acupuncture. I was excited for him to try it. I have heard so many positives about it. But it was hard to watch them put these tiny needles in his head. He tried to get them out. They put 4 on his head. Once they were in he seemed ok. He feel asleep about 3 minutes after they inserted them. I have heard that it is relaxing. Then he had PT. His therapist Tom worked with his arms and legs repeatedly and then he had Austin roll back and forth for quite a while. After a while Austin was trying to help roll. It seemed like something was clicking in his brain. I am anxious to see what might happen after days of this therapy. After that Tom put Austin in a stander. His arms felt wonderful. They were not as tight as usual. Austin is not as tight as most brain injured persons but he still is tighter than the average person. He felt so good and then he feel asleep in the stander. So we got him out. Today was a free day and he slept more than usual. I think he was worn out. We got to hang out with our friends. My friend Bonnie is here with her daughter Lauren. If it weren’t for Bonnie coming here I do not think I would be here today. She was here last year and saw some good improvements for her daughter. You can check out her story at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/laurenashley
It is so good to be here with friends. My Aunt Judy and her son Zachery should arrive tomorrow. Zachery has very mild brain injury. So we will have lots of friends. We have also meet some wonderful people here. I will try to tell more later.
I went to the RT mart for the second time today. For us today is Saturday and the store was packed. A friend named Chantel (she is friends with Bonnie, and they came together) and I walked about 40 minutes to get to the market. It is quite interesting to cross the street here. The Rt mart has an escalator without steps. The shopping cart connects to it. It is really neat. Many things are cheap but some are about the same as it would be for us. I actually bought a 6 pack of Corona beer for less than $2. I was shocked. The US must have a major mark up. I get Chinese dinner for less than $2 but if I want American style food it is closer to $10. A taxi ride anywhere locally is less than $2. A good thing is that they don’t expect tips. You only pay what something is worth. There are of course exceptions to that. I was a little freaked out that the children go around with a hole in their pants. They don’t use diapers. Babies just go when they need to. I saw a couple of young children with their butts hanging out. Luckily I did not see one that had to go!
Tomorrow – Sunday is another free day for us. Then on Monday Austin will get his first stem cells via lumbar puncture. He will get 4 total lumbar and 2 via IVs. Please keep him in your prayers.
Thanks, Jenny and Austin!
P.S. My e-mail is now working and I would love to hear from you!
June 14th, 2008
We finally arrived in China yesterday! What a trip! I am so tired but we are here safe and sound. Sorry I have not posted sooner. This is the first chance I have had at the computer. The system has been down here so I do not have Internet in my room yet. It is supposed to be fixed tomorrow. I do not have access to my e-mail. I hope I will tomorrow. I need to be able to communicate! The phones cost more than anticipated so I will only be calling my immediate family. I met some wonderful people on the planes. I tearfully left my daughters and husband at the St. Louis airport. My sister Amy was flying out on another flight at the same time. So after we went through security we were able to have a small meal together. That made it easier for me. It was so neat to see her and she really helped me through security! I love you Amy! It was just so neat that we got to see each other and our flights were leaving about the same time. Whats the chance of that! I flew into LA and had to make my own way to another ticket counter. The women took pity on me and gave me a pass to the Korean sky lounge. That was so wonderful. It is normally for first class and business class. I felt privileged to be there. They had free food and drinks and the bathrooms were amazing. I was able to change Austin into his pjs and give him his medicine while talking on my cell to Darrin and my girls. The long 12.5 hour flight to Korea was good except I hardly slept. Everyone was so nice. Many people offered to help me at the airports and the plane. Some people can be so kind and caring. Korean Airlines was amazing. Each seat had its own tv with movies/shows to choose from. The flight attendants were very service oriented and helped me alot. We were fed two meals and unlimited juice and water. They even handed out socks and eye masks and hot hand towels. It was great! And the Koren airlines people took me through security and customs. They put me in front of the lines so that I did not have to wait. In Qingdao, two attendants helped me get my bags and rushed me through customs and then I was immediately picked up and taken to the hospital. The ride was about 10 minutes. When I arrived our room was ready. It is not fancy it is like a regular room in a hospital. I do have a queen size bed and Austin has a single bed with sides. There is a small fridge and microwave in the room. I was given a tour and Austin had evaluations from the doctors and therapist. Then we had to go to the local police station and sign in. That took more than an hour. Last night there was a big dinner and I got to meet some very nice people. I was going on less than 3 hours of sleep for over 2 days. I am so tired now. I big time jet lag. I will turn in. I will try to write more soon and tell you about Austin’s therapy. Take care.
June 13th, 2008
Wow! We leave tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. I don’t feel ready yet. So much to do. How do you pack for a whole month? Especially with all the things that Austin needs. I feel so over whelmed. We will be traveling for about 28.5 hours total! I ordered some Chinese currency almost 2 weeks ago and it is still not here. The bank is having it overnight-ed from K.C. It is supposed to be here in the morning. I still don’t have one of his meds. Hopefully everything will come together before we leave! I just can’t believe we are going to get on a plane. I think Austin senses some excitement. Today he started just laughing again which makes my heart sing. The next time I post it will be from China. Wish us well for our long plane rides. Thanks so much for all your love, support and prayers. They mean so much to us. Please keep in touch by e-mail. It helps to hear from everyone! God Bless.
Jenny and Austin
(Darrin and the girls say Hi too!)
www.austinwade.net
June 10th, 2008
Hi,
The time to leave is coming up so quickly. I am so worried about getting everything done. So much to prepare for. Please pray that Austin’s medicine arrives in time to take with us. One of his meds we have to get from Canada. We need it before we leave. We also need prayers that I am able to bring everything we need. I am not sure how the airlines will handle all of Austin’s food. I have talked with them but don’t feel it is well covered. I am going to miss my girls so much. I think they will have a great time here with school and family. We plan to talk everyday.
Austin had a good day except he slept too much and now it is 12:30 a.m. and he is wide awake and cooing! This morning he just started laughing while I was trying to feed him. It was so great to hear his laugh. It did not last long but oh what joy when he does laugh!! It was a real belly laugh! Then late this evening he was laying on the floor and really kicking his legs and I put him on his side and he rolled to his stomach! I was so excited. He has not done that in so long. I hope these are good signs of more to come. I just want him to really be alive and happy! When he just lays around and is lethargic I get depressed but when he is happy and moving his body I do so much better. It is amazing how the health of ones child effects a mother so much.
Have a good night! I will try to post once more before our big day!
Love Jenny and Austin
www.austinwade.net
June 7th, 2008
This is a rare picture of Austin. He looks so good. His therapist Gerti helped him to sit up. She is amazing with Austin. He has been working hard on learning this. Most days this does not happen and it is only for a short while. Maybe he will improve with stem cells!
We are praying!! Please keep Austin in your prayers.
www.austinwade.net
May 29th, 2008
Hi Everyone,
We are busy getting ready to leave for our trip! We leave in 13 days! It is amazing the work needed to get ready! We will be going to Qingdao, China. It looks to be a beautiful city. It was occupied by the Germans for 30 years and they left their mark on the architecture. The Germans built a brewery there which is now the largest in China. Every August they have an International Beer festival. We will miss that. This city is built by the sea and is supposed to have a climate similar to CA. I hope so. The world’s largest sea-world is also near. I am hoping that we will get to go to the beach some. Austin will have 6 stem cell injections and lots of therapy. We will have Sundays off and hope to do some sight seeing then. Please send out lots of prayers for Austin as we begin our journey. I hope and pray that these stem cells really help him. I know it is not a miracle but every little improvement helps Austin’s life so much. He is such a precious little guy. Please keep us in your prayers and drop us a line to let us know you are thinking about us. Your words of encouragement mean so much. God Bless!!
May 29th, 2008
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