Vegas, baby!

Daniel and Aaron in Vegas

Heading out on the road

Hey everyone. Just a quick update. After a quiet and low key time back in Colorado, Daniel is on the road back to San Diego. He is travelling in his new vehicle with mum, dad, and brother (Aaron) and making a few stops along the way. We will keep you all up to date on the trip. Should be back at the hospital April 2nd.

Dad

March 16, 2011 - Three Month Mark

December 16, 2011 to March 16, 2011 - Daniel has got to the three-month mark from his injuries!

It has been three months now and we are so very proud of all that he has accomplished since that day in December. He has recovered faster than medical personnel, family, or friends had even hoped.  He is a determined young man with a big heart, keen mind, and deep spirit.  These have helped greatly in his healing.   We are grateful to the Lord, our family, friends, and the now greatly increased support network around us.

Way to go, Daniel!

Mum and Dad

Here he is on on his three-month "anniversary" taking a little walk around the neighbourhood with his brother, Tristan, and sister, Elizabeth.

Back Home.

Finally made it back to Colorado yesterday (only 186 days, 4 countries, 3 states, 7 Hospitals, 19 Surgeries if any one is keeping track)!!

It was great to be able to fly home to such a welcome. Greeting me at the airport were not only my family but 200 other friends and supporters. Even the local news was there and put a piece on that night. The welcome was more than I could have ever imagined and have to thank everyone who was there, especially the Patriot Guard Riders (a group of veteran bikers) that escorted me all the way home from the airport. Over the next couple weeks I will have a chance to rest and relax for a bit. Just being away for a hospital has been good enough, although I could trade for San Diego's weather.

Daniel

Enough said .....

Coming home

Daniel has been approved for some leave - a couple weeks of rest away from the hospital environment. Yah! He will coming back home for the first time this Saturday!

Saturday, March 12th - United 0342; arrive Denver International Airport 2:50pm

Come to DIA and welcome him home.

Wow, amazing progress!

Daniel is progressing along faster than even the staff here expected!

Walking!

March 3rd marked a huge milestone in Daniel's recovery ..... up and walking for the first time.  Yah!

Set For His Stubbies

Daniel got "casted" for his prosthetics yesterday.  A member of the prosthetics team (Peter) put plaster on his legs.  The plaster casts were removed, hardened, and will become the basis for his first set of sockets for his prosthetic legs.

The next step for Daniel is to get up in his "stubbies".  These are short "legs" put on the ends of the sockets that he then sets himself into and does his first walking.  The first stage with the stubbies is to get him familiar with the motion needed to walk and to make sure the sockets are fitting well (making adjustments as needed).

He gets up on his stubbies tomorrow - REALLY EXCITING!

Stay tuned ... I'm hoping to get video of this and then post it here.

An "Average" Day

It is hard to imagine an "average" day.  It is even harder to imagine a "normal" day.  We are constantly reminded throughout every day that what we see and experience is anything but "normal".  Daniel comments often how we are now in the midst of a new "normal".  Regardless, I thought it might be helpful for you all to have an example of an average day.

0545 - Dad wakes up
0600 - Daniel gets up and is given his first round of medications
0715 - Be at "formation" with the other marines here in the building (some are here from other bases with a variety of ills) to meet with the squad leader and getting any "word" on anything.
0830 - first appointment of the day (usually primary care doctors, nurse practitioners, etc.)
0900 - check in with Medical Case Manager
0930 - get a coffee (Dad gets his tea) at the outdoor coffee stand
1000 - appointment (perhaps with Occupational Therapy for 30-45 minutes)
1100 - appointment (could be prosthetics, wound care, otolaryngology)
1200-ish - lunch and hopefully a nap or go see the Recovery Care Coordinator
1330 - Physical Therapy appointment (working out in their gym - especially core exercises)
1500 - afternoon formation
1600 - doing errands, maybe napping, other meetings, or recreation therapy
1800 - dinner (Dad and Daniel will be sharing the cooking) then free time reading, computer, TV, or the Liberty Center
2100 - Evening Meds
2200 - final meds and bed time (exhausted!!)

Daniel generally get himself around in his powered wheelchair with dad trying to keep up behind him.  When we leave the base Daniel transfers to a manual wheelchair.  He hopes to get his own custom manual one in April.

We live in the "barracks" here at the facility.  It can be equated to college dorm rooms. The two of us have our own rooms and share a bathroom and common space with fridge, sink, cupboards, and microwave.

Dad

Today's mail

Hey everyone.  Thanks for the mail that you have been sending Daniel. He loves getting it.  Today was a good candy day - a box arrived from the Huntington's in Littleton with some great cookies, candies, and letters; also got some Roger's Chocolates (yummmy, thanks Lynne and Joyce).

Daniel also pointed out that he loves the Swedish Fish candy partly because they are made in Canada.  =)

Just an FYI - the mail that arrived today into his eager hands were all sent from the 23rd to the 25th of February.

Dad

Danielathlon

Hey everyone. Some good friends of Daniel are setting up a family day of fun and games in celebration and support of Daniel. Those on Facebook can find It under "Danielathlon". It is planned for June 4th at a park in the Littleton area. Stay tuned for details either on Facebook or on this blog.

Sorry about the time delay

Hey everyone.  Sorry for the time delay in the blog posts.  I hope to use this holiday long weekend to get closer to being caught up.  We have been incredibly busy the past couple weeks and have not had much time to write (or even think).

As you will see .... we are in San Diego, Daniel is an now an outpatient, we are settling in to our rooms in the barracks, we enjoyed some sunny weather and a visit to the beach, and Daniel is generally doing okay.  We have had a couple bad points, but slowly progressing.  Daniel is also hoping to get some convalescence leave in March.  This will enable some much needed rest at home in Colorado!  Stay tuned for details.

Thanks for all your prayers, support, and patience.

- Daniel's NMA (non-medical assistant) and dad

The Ordeal

February 1-3, 2011 - There was no way to have prepared for the ordeal we were about to endure.  In our wildest dreams - or nightmares - we could not have imagined the two days it took to get to San Diego from the Washington, DC, area.  Please bear with the length of this story - believe me, living it was longer and harder!

The journey actually had it's start the day before. Daniel was all set on the manifest to be on the flight. All looked good. Then one observant person (Sgt. Liniez) noticed that I had not been included in the flight orders.  They started to say that they would send me on a commercial flight and meet up with Daniel in San Diego. I made it very clear, "Get this fixed!"  After some rear-ends were kicked (I think Sgt. Liniez enjoyed it) and some higher-ups got involved the issue was eventually sorted out.  I think some medical staff and some administrative-types got a very serious talking to.  After the journey was done it was clear that Daniel could not have done it without some help and someone with him.

We would not know the route we would take, the type of aircraft, or the length of the trip until just before we were to get to the flight line.  So, this could be a 10-12 hour trip or a 48-60 hour ordeal.  The latter would be our fate.

The day started with a walk with two suitcases and a carry-on from the Navy Lodge to Daniel's room at 4:15am.  We readied our luggage and the boxes and bags of Daniel's medical items (medical records, supplies, medications, etc.). Daniel was strapped down on a stretcher and eventually placed with some others into a hospital bus.  One of the other amputee wounded warriors we had got to know, Tommy Parker, and his mother were also on the trip with us.  The navy logistics officer for the med-evacs (who was awesome), Lt. Reccardi, told the bus driver, "Bells and whistles, please."  The lights and sirens went on and we started our drive to Andrews Airforce Base.  Rush hour traffic along the DC Beltway, at 65 miles per hour, with everyone getting out of our way and taking notice was, as Reccardi put it, "the least that these heroes deserved".

After a weather related delay, we finally arrived at 9:00am on the flight line to be loaded on to the C-17.  At this point there was some excitement about doing this trip.  Believe me, the novelty wore off real fast!  Daniel's stretcher was placed up on a rack and I was shown to a sideways facing "jumpseat" (so named, I think, because after a couple of hours people would rather jump out of the plane without a parachute than continue sitting on these instruments of torture).  We were told our route: Andrews Airforce Base, somewhere in Louisiana, somewhere in Texas, Travis Airforce Base near San Francisco, and overnight stay there, the next day up to a base in Washington State, then back down to Miramar (San Diego).  Fifteen hours of flight time today and eight to ten hours of flight time the next day.  All the flight time I was to be in a jumpseat and Daniel strapped down in a stretcher. OMG!

To make a long story short (too late, I know): the constant take-offs and landings, the back-and-forth of cold and hot, the lack of food (One boxed meal for the entire trip and I had a really really sore throat and couldn't eat), the noise, the shaking, Daniel's pain and anxiety rising, and his pain meds not given on time made the 15-HOUR flight miserable! We finally arrived at Travis Airforce Base at 9:30pm, westcoast time (15 hours after taking off from the east coast).

Daniel was exhausted, hungry, and hurting.  I was exhausted, hungry, and hurting.  After all that we had gone through we were astonished to learn that Tommy and Daniel, the two non-ambulatory patients, along with the two parents, were going to have to share a room.  They brought the two gurneys up the floor and we waited outside the room for it to be made ready to bring in the gurneys in.  A nurse stepped out, obviously frustrated that she had to make the changes in the room loudly said, "Can't these two just get out and walk to their beds."  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We were all so tired we all just had a good belly laugh. But, our confidence in this place for these seriously wounded marines sank below the floor.  The nurse ended up being Daniel's.  After pleading for getting some pain meds (which were now three hours late) and after some time, she finally comes in she brings a medicine cup full of pills, held them out to him, and said, "Here are your meds."  Daniel and I were in shock.  We were in a new hospital. The nurse had obviously not properly looked at his chart to see that he was an amputee. She didn't tell him what the medications were. We had no way of knowing if they were correct.  We knew that this was against any known hospital policy.  Obviously angry and hurting Daniel kept his composure and just firmly said, "Maam, take these away and come back with the meds and do this properly."  The look on his face, and mine, made it clear that he was serious.  Add to all this: the two parents had to sleep in chairs, they had no food for us (we had not eaten for 12 hours), no doctor came and saw them, they didn't have the equipment or know how to care for urgent/acute/trauma cases, a corpsman said he could help change Daniel's colostomy but didn't have any idea what to do, and no one would look at or treat my extremely sore throat.

After finally settling the boys down I tried to get some sleep.  Not able to sleep, at 2:00am I went down to the emergency room to have my throat looked at.  Go figure ..... had acute strep throat.  I was given some motrin, some throat lozenges, and a shot in the butt of penicillin (the size and consistency of a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter).

The next day, after I had complained about the treatment these young men received, each of the guys was assigned an airforce personnel to be there for them.  They also were assigned better staff (two nurses each) to care for them and they took down a report on all that had happened (there was a bunch of other stuff too - including a hospital cafeteria that was not wheelchair friendly!).  The base leadership did a good job of trying to make things right.  A phone call and apology from the base commander a couple days later was also appreciated.

They got them ready for a noon flight that was to go to Washington state and then back down to Miramar.  We got on the flight line and right up to the plane.  It didn't take too much brain power to figure out that the closed doors on the plane, the lack of any visible flight crew, the scaffolding placed under the wing, a maintenance crew talking and pointing up at the wing, and the confused look on the transport nurse's face, were all saying that someone forgot to tell us that the plane was not able to fly today and we were spending another day at this hell-hole!  We puttered around the hospital for the day and the next morning.  Daniel ate a lot, I still couldn't.

The next day we got to the flight line, the C-17 was ready, and they decided to fly straight to Miramar (especially after our ordeal and the fact that 12 injured men were heading to San Diego and only one to Washington).  This trip was only about an hour.  When we arrived in Miramar the signal was given that before the plane was to be unloaded some "brass" was coming to welcome the guys.  We stopped and in walked two priests, a rabbi, and two sargeant-majors.  - that last sentence begs for a joke to be made :-)

It took 55 horrible hours to get these brave young men from the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda to the Naval Medical Center, San Diego.  That just doesn't seem right!  But we made it, and Daniel is sure to never give one of his sons the name Travis.

Dad

Flashback - reality is a b****

Monday, January 31, 2011 - Saying goodbye to all the helpful and encouraging staff at Bethesda Naval Hospital was hard and emotional.  But, it is even harder to keep doing it over and over again. The scheduled med-evac to California was cancelled again! Hopefully tomorrow.  After the successful trip yesterday, Daniel thought it might be an opportunity to go out of the hospital and grab a bite to eat and watch a movie.

It was a bitterly cold day, with some rain and snow.  We headed off to the DC Metro to go from the hospital into Bethesda proper.  We got on the metro and arrived at the Bethesda station where we found that the elevator was not working.  The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere was not going to be any help to a wheelchair-bound person.  We were told to go back to the station we came from and take the bus to here.  After making the trip back (made more difficult by our metro passes not working properly and security guards who were in too much of a rush to finish their shift or have their donut break to hold the elevator for Daniel) we located the bus, waited, got on, and realized that we were told the wrong bus number.  Fortunately we found out before it went anywhere.

With no possibility of making the movie, completely frustrated, cold, and hungry we bailed on the adventure and got McDonald's and went back to the room. Daniel napped the rest of the afternoon.  The reality of wheel-chair life hit home - hard!

Flashback - A night on the town

Sunday, January 30, 2011 - In anticipation that this would be the last night in Washington, DC, Daniel wanted a night out on the town - of course, we did not know at the time that the Monday med-evac flight would be cancelled.  He was given a pass for the day and all the appropriate medicine.  Rather than trying to drive and find parking he decided it was easiest, more adventurous, and more normal to take the DC Metro (subway). Plans included a museum visit, dinner at something other than McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts, and a look around downtown.

The ride on the subway was a good adventure.  While Daniel had to negotiate it all in a powered wheelchair all went pretty smoothly.  The hardest thing was deciding where to park the wheelchair on the subway.  The only room was in front of the doors and we never knew which side of the car the doors were going to open at each stop.  Therefore, he was sometimes just plain in the way.  He kind of yo-yo'd back and forth.  Travelling around town also went well and included a Starbucks stop, of course.

The museum he chose was the "Newseum".  This place has a facinating approach to looking at major historical events.  It looks at an event, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall or Hurricane Katrina, through the journalistic eyes of the media (TV, Newspaper, radio).  For most major historical events it is really how most of us experience what is going on. It also included significant artifacts such as a large piece of the Berlin Wall and a room dedicated to Pulitzer Prize winning photographs. We would highly recommend it. 

For dinner it was off to a spanish tapa restaurant, Jaleo, near the museum.  We enjoyed a good table, attentive staff, and wonderful food.  Daniel even got a table-side visit, conversation, and signed book from the head chef.  As a foodie, Daniel was very impressed.

Then it was time for a roll around town that included seeing some of the significant buildings (i.e. the White House) and doing some shopping for clothes.

All in all a good day!

New Address

LCpl Daniel Riley,
C\o Wounded Warrior Det,
Building 26,
Naval Medical Center San Diego,
34425 Farenholt Avenue,
San Diego, CA
92134.

(will get there Monday)

Visitors that put a smile on the guys!

Saturday, January 29, 2011 - With a fresh cup of tea in hand, I arrived back on the ward to an interesting hive of buzz. The male corpsmen were gathered near the nurses station and were all smiles and whispering to themselves. The female nurses and corpsmen were in groups of two or three shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. The gossip and chatter was thick in the air.

Something was happening on the floor. It was certainly a different vibe than when visitors were in the hospital from NCIS, military brass, or high-ranking politicians. Daniel didn't know what was up and he had not had any visitors while I was out of the room.

After a few minutes there was a knock on the door and in came someone who asked, "Are you up to having a visitor?"

"Sure," said Daniel. He then looked and asked quizically, "Who is it?"

"Miss America." was the response.

Daniel turned to me with a huge smile on his face. I sighed and rolled my eyes. These guys have had visits from generals, admirals, congressmen, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, friends, chaplains, and family; but, none got this kind of response and buzz around the ward.

It was a nice visit. The guys all loved it (these red-blooded Americans and Canadian boys certainly did). But, was slightly tempered when they found out she was only 17! ;-)

Dad

Hockey Night in Bethesda

Friday, January 14, 2011 - Aaron was able to fly back for the long weekend and spend some time with his brother. It was a wonderful visit and included an evening of watching the Vancouver Canucks play just down the road against Washington.

Burgers, fries, ice cream, and hockey. Ahhhhhh ..... (and the Canucks won! More ammunition to trash talk with Christie - his Capitals-fan occupational therapist).

First time out!

Friday. January 28, 2011 - As we anticipated heading to California the next morning, we took advantage of a evening out sponsored by the hospital and some benevelant organizations. This is a trip out for dinner that happens every Friday night. This was the first one Daniel felt well enough to spend a great of deal of time out of the hospital.

With a group of other wounded warriors and their families we trekked off in a large bus to downtown Washington. It was truly an adventure to be able to get out and see the world outside the hospital and Afghanistan. At the same time, there was a little bit of anxiety.

We were being hosted at the National Pres Club - a club for the "who's who" of journalism, politics, and entertainment. We enjoyed a steak dinner with each other and some of the Physical Therapy crew (these ladies and the others back at the hospital were awesome and very encouraging). The food was good, the company great, and it was just wonderful to get out. The only downer .... finding out that the Saturday med-evac flight had been cancelled. Oh well, hopefully Monday.

(Pictured - Molly, Daniel, and Sarah)

California, here we come.

California, here we come. (with a couple stops and an overnight at one base).

Hurry up, and wait.

We are still waiting for a med-evac flight to San Diego. Hopefully some time this week.

Next Steps

Greetings everyone. We just wanted to let you know some of the next steps for Daniel (and I). These are becoming clearer as time progresses. As you have read, Daniel has chosen to do his lengthy rehabilitation at San Diego Naval Hospital (Balboa). Given the cold and snowy weather a change to a warmer climate certainly suits me.

He will fly via an air force med-evac flight that could take anywhere between 10 to 36 hours depending on how many stops along the way. Since flight plans are classified we won't know how long it will take until we are getting on the plane (likely a C-135 or C-17). He will then end up at the hospital and be an inpatient for a bit of time (anywhere between a few days to a couple weeks) to assess him, prepare him to be wheelchair safe, train me how to assist, and make sure he is medically able to move to the outpatient mode.

Once he is an outpatient he will begin his routine for continued healing and rehabilitation. Eventually he will be working on adapting to prosthetic legs and maybe a hand prosthetics. He will also receive other services to prepare him for either a return to active duty or transition into civilian life. During this outpatient stage he remains a US Marine and will be under the Wounded Warrior Regiment. His initial housing will be within the confines of the hospital property until (and if) suitable and affordable housing is found "off-base".

The first six months will be pretty intensive. To help manage the outpatient rehabilitation stage Daniel will need, and is required, to have a Non-Medical Assistant (NMA). The NMA will live with Daniel, assist in daily living, help assure safety, and act as his personal assistant. After much prayer, discussion, and soul searching Daniel and the family has discerned that the right person for this role will be me. I will transition with Daniel to San Diego, then to his outpatient stage. This a huge decision. But, this decision was actually made 25 years ago. This decision is something I agree to do when I become a parent - for our family there really is no other choice. This is what it means to be family.

Julia and I (and our children) know that this will mean a great deal of sacrifice and we do not fully see what this means for us all. But, we are confident that the decision is the right one and that the Lord God will be there for us. It does not mean that we are not scared. I do not doubt that Abraham left his home to an unknown place without a measure fear. I am sure that Moses (with all due respect to Cecille B DeMill and Charlton Heston) moved ahead with more than just a little anxiety when following the path chosen for him. I do not dare to compare myself to them - that is sheer foolishness. But, I am confident there are many many witnesses to trusting God in the midst of the unknown that are never recorded in Scripture or spoke about in coffee houses.

I have sought advice and a week ago I informed my work (The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado and Cathedral Ridge) that I will need to take advantage of the provisions of the Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for families of combat-related injured servicemen. This allows me 26 weeks of un-paid leave from my job (starting Monday), continued medical insurance coverage during that time, and my job (or one of equivilent seniority) when I return. I am still waiting a formal response from the bishop and the diocese.

Daniel is doing okay. Some ups and downs throughout the last week, but always progressing towards healing and restoration. He is unplugged from all the tubes, getting around more in his wheelchair, and looking forward to the next stage. Daniel and I are also almost finished watching the most recent season of The Amazing Race. We both really enjoy the show and, God willing, plan to get on the show and race around the world (& win!).

Thanks again for all the mail, care packages, prayers, and support. Please continue to pray for Daniel and for Julia (still healing from surgery), Tristan (going to Marine boot camp in April), Aaron (graduating high school this year), Elizabeth & Justin. We will need your prayers over the next few months.

Neil (Dad)

Heading West

Hello everybody, Daniel here again. The last couple of days have been better and I certainly more mobile, see picture. I have more freedom around the hoispital, unfortunately it extends only within the bounds of the hospital. But, I still managed to get outside and bear the DC cold and roam around. I am also excited to be unplugged from all my IV's.

This week will mark a change in my treatment - I'll be heading to sunny and warm San Diego. I'll be at my rehab learing how to walk, run, jump, and climb again. I will be travelling via a military med-evac - still don't know which day, but probably within the next seven days - i don't know when (typical Marine Corps). My dad will be flying with me and staying in San Diego as well. San Diego will be my new home for maybe a year and a half or so. I'll first be in a hospital bed and then hopefully soon i'll be out of the hoispital and have much more freedom.

Thanks for the continuing support. As I will be moving soon do not send any more mail to Bethesda. For now you can contact me by email (danielcwriley@gmail.com ).

I am happy to move on and i'll update you more when i am on the otherside.

Daniel

Little steps forward

A few little steps forward that clear the way to the next phase ....

- pain management doing well. Still some constant pain and tough to handle spikes in pain. But generally more manageable.
- off the Ketamine.
- off IV Dilaudid.
- off all continuous IV's
- all "wound vacs" gone
- central line removed
- fractures on left arm healing, but still not able to bear weight.

Decision on next location should be done on Monday. Enjoyed lots of mail, Colorado Avalanche "swag", visitors, a couple massages, and watching last season's Amazing Race with dad.

Dad