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Jonathan's Medical Condition
Update as of September 10, 2001
 Its been a long time since our last update and we
are so pleased and fortunate to advise that Jon continues to make progress.
In the last year he has regained to varying degrees many of his lost functions and is now able to walk with a limp, but he
does so proudly and independently.
Jon returned to school in February of last year on a part time basis and with the help of his teachers, passed all his
courses. He has returned this fall to continue his education.
His progress and his determination to fight his acquired disability have spawned two new initiatives.
The first, a movie made for television that has just completed filming in Toronto called "TAG: the Jonathan Wamback Story"
that will be aired early in 2002 on CTV. The second, a new pilot program in Ontario schools for children with Acquired Brain
Injuries, designed to help all of Ontario's children that suffer head injuries.
5000 new cases of Acquired Brain Injury in children aged 4 - 17 occur each year in Ontario.
This pilot program is a direct result of Jon's tenacity and the caring professionalism of Jon's teachers.
This has been a constant fight for our family with the ministry of education and we continue this battle each week.
Jon continues each day with physical therapy and a strenuous exercise program to rebuild his muscle neuropathways and
strength.
Jon, Lozanne and Joe continue to visit Bloorview Hospital to visit with friends and help others in the situation that they
were in 2 years ago.
Update as of May 22, 2000
Jonathan has spent the last 2 months in therapy and school at Bloorview. He was discharged on
May 19 and now will continue his therapy and recovery at home.
His home therapy will include, physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapy as well as high
school tutors.
Jon's teachers, therapists and friends at were saddened to see him leave as he had became
such an important part of everyone's lives at the hospital.
Jon was also saddened to be leaving so many friends but he realizes that this is the next
necessary step in his recovery.
Jon has promised to return to Bloorview not only to visit but to be a volunteer to help with other
patients as soon as he is able.
Jon not only worked at an accelerated pace to hasten his own recovery but he helped new
patients become accustom to the daily routines of therapy and their changed lives.
Jon's teacher said that in all her years of working with children suffering serious head injuries she
has never been so proud of any student as she is of Jon.
"Jon's recovery has been nothing short of miraculous and he has come so far in such a short
time."
Jon's recovery will still be very demanding and he is very lucky to have all of his friends that have
stood by him over the last 10 months to give him moral support.
Update as of May 5, 2000
Jonathan was able to walk without the help of his cane or walker from the breakfast room table to the pantry and back again,
which is about a 40 foot round trip! What determination! He just never gives up challenging himself to do better and better!
Update as of March 25, 2000
Went out for dinner with Joe, Lozanne and Jonathan for the first time since the assault. Was officially to celebrate the 10th
anniversary of my 39th birthday but was more a celebration of how far Jonathan has come.
Jonathan has completely given up his walker and was using only a cane. He ate all of his dinner by himself with a fork and was
even able to drink out of a glass and a small expresso coffee cup on his own. He was shaky but considering the extraordinary
amount of energy it must have taken just to walk to the table we were all very impressed.
Jonathan was in a very positive mood and was joking a lot with my husband Jim and his Dad.
Jonathan was able to get up from an armless chair on his own and manoever his way among the tables with his cane. He was also
able to walk down the stairs of the restaurant by using the railings.
More good news - Jonathan will stop his full-time rehabilitative care at the Bloorview Centre around May and will have at-home
care after that. One more step in Jonathan's steady progress - due in part to his dogged determination to get well just as
fast as he can. He never lets up and is always pushing himself to the limit.
Update as of March 12, 2000
Jonathan has recently started to try to use a cane for assistance when walking rather than using his walker. Jonathan
continues to push himself to get stronger faster.
Update as of March 4, 2000
Finally got a chance to get up to see Jonathan, Joe and Lozanne this weekend. Between work and a bad cold haven't had a
chance to do so for quite a while. The only good thing about this is that we can really notice the difference in Jonathan's
recovery.
Jonathan was able to show us some pretty cool stuff this weekend. He can sit up and stand on his own from the family room
couch, which is very cushy and hard for even me to get out of easily. He can get down on his knees and crawl and then get up
again on his own from a kneeling position.
He can walk for ten or twelve feet on his own without his walker. He has a bit of trouble with his balance as his torso is
still not as flexible as it needs to be for him to stand up completely straight but he is getting better and better.
He really surprised us though when he was able to walk up the stairs to the first landing on his own. He had just
accomplished it for the first time that day so when he showed us it was only the second time he had done it. Amazing how much
effort it takes and we just take it for granted. And then Jonathan had a special surprise. He went downstairs on his own.
He was beaming from ear to ear as this is just so difficult and requires so much cooordination and muscle control. We are all
so proud of his efforts. Lozanne says that at physiotherapy a lot of the patients give up after a few tries but Jonathan keeps
at it until he is exhausted. His will to succeed is incredibly powerful!
Another first for Jonathan was that he was going to be sleeping upstairs for the first time. He and his parents have been
sleeping downstairs in the family room as Jonathan had his special hospital bed set up there. Last night they were all going
to sleep upstairs. This is partly because Jonathan can now negotiate the stairs fairly well and Joe and Lozanne feel less
nervous if there was an emergency and they had to move downstairs quickly.
So each time we see Jonathan he continues to amaze us.
Jonathan, Joe and Lozanne had something to celebrate recently. Jonathan's sister Megan is pregnant and expecting her first
child in October. So the family went out to the Manor restaurant to celebrate.
Jonathan was quite surprised at how many people at the restaurant recognized him. And the family was very surprised and
grateful at the fuss the restaurant staff made over Jonathan. But they were even more grateful when the manager of the
restaurant insisted that the meal was on the house, as he strongly supports their cause. This is just one example of the many
wonderful contributions that so many people have made to Jonathan's cause.
Update as of February 6, 2000
Jonathan is attending sessions at Bloorview five days a week and undergoes about 4 hours a day of physiotherapy.
He is using free weights at home to build up his muscles and to limber up his joints. His arm has completely straightened out
and is now as straight as his other arm without the use of medication. He can also put his hands behind his back and behind
his head, which is a huge accomplishment
In fact, his arms are so strong now that he is able to wheel himself all over the house and get into things he shouldn't -
like the refrigerator and the chocolate pie!
Jonathan is working diligently on his walking although he still has some trouble with his balance. He is able to get up on
his own from his wheelchair and take a few steps on his own. Each day he gets better and better and he is completely
determined that he will walk soon.
Update as of January 30, 2000
Unfortunately I was not able to visit Jonathan this weekend as I'd hoped, as I have that rotten flu that has been going around
and I don't want to give it to him.
I know he must be busy reading all the Emails that he is getting from the website. Since the court hearing, which has reduced
the sentence from attempted murder to aggravated assault, the website has been very busy.
Jonathan really appreciates all of the petitions that are sent to the government on behalf of himself, Matti and Jason. He
especially likes the personal Emails that all of you send to him with your good wishes and your support.
Please read the Statistics for Young
Offenders so that you can understand what we are
all up against unless there are changes.
Update as of January 16, 2000
Jonathan has progressed to the point where he is now able to live at home and he is now attending the Bloorview Clinic on an
outpatient basis each day. He continues to take therapy for speech, motor skills, eye hand coordination, etc. He loves being
at home and Joe and Lozanne are so relieved that their lives have returned to some semblance of normalcy.
He is making great progress. Actually, it was Jonathan's 16th birthday this Saturday and he showed us that he can now walk
from his bed to his computer in the study using a "4 wheel drive" walker. You can tell that it takes him a tremendous amount
of effort to do this but he is just so determined to get back to normal. He says that all he has to do to be completely mobile
is to be able to stand up and use it from a sitting position or from lying down.
His Dad joked with him that now they have to keep track of where he is now that he's mobile!
Jonathan's speech continues to get clearer and easier to understand and his arm is almost completely straight again thanks to
his healer.
Joe got Jonathan a computer with a 700 megahertz processor for his birthday so that he continue to develop his eye hand
coordination using video games. He was playing a video that raced motorcycles through a hilly terrain and you could almost
feel your stomach float as he soared over some of the bumps.
Jonathan also has some cool Honda Fox Racing shirts and a Fox Racing jacket.
Jonathan gave his Mom and Dad a real scare between Christmas and the New Year, just after I wrote my last update for the
website.
He started to double over in pain and Joe and Lozanne could tell the pain was excruciating. They rushed him to the York
Regional Hospital where the emergency staff were most helpful. They had to give him morphine to dull the pain but he suffered
for at least 5 hours before the morphine kicked in. As if Jonathan hasn't suffered enough since his attack!
Turns out that Jonathan had developed kidney stones, which are extremely painful and the passing of which has been likened to
the pain of childbirth.
It is likely that Jonathan's inactivity during his coma, in combination with the concentrated liquid food and the inability to
drink lots of water led to the condition.
Jonathan and Lozanne were so grateful that he was okay but they commented on how ironic it was that they had finally got
Jonathan out of the hospital for Christmas and a few days later they were right back in the hospital again.
Jonathan now has to drink at least 3 litres of water a day and hopefully he has passed all of his kidney stones and will have
no further bouts with them.
Update as of December 27, 1999
It's been a while since I've updated the site and I apologize. Was in Washington for 2 weeks on business and then I only had a
week to get my Christmas shopping done! No excuses now!
Jonathan, however, hasn't been slacking off during that time.
You may have been watching the television over the last few days and seen what giant steps Jonathan has made in his recovery.
He can now walk 3 or 4 steps all on his own, walk from his bedroom downstairs to the main floor with the help of his Mom or
Dad, and he can even get up out of his bed and stand up on his own! His muscles are getting stronger every day and his speech
is certainly a lot clearer.
Joe and Lozanne couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present. We were just thinking last night that only a few months
ago we had just prayed that Jonathan would survive. Then we had prayed that he would come out of his coma.
It really has been a miracle - although Joe and Lozanne had a lot to do with that miracle - as did all of you by lending your
support and including Jonathan in your thoughts and/or prayers.
Jonathan has now come home permanently! He will be attending Bloorview for quite some time as he works to get himself back to
normal. It will be in a day program now though. Jonathan, Joe, Lozanne and Sammy can once again live at home after 6 months.
Jonathan is a very determined guy and he has his sights set very high for himself. He continues to have a cheerful disposition
and a positive attitude that can't be beat!
His next big challenge is to walk on his own. He's not that far away!
Update as of December 11, 1999
Jonathan continues to work on developing his motor skills and is benefitting from sessions with his healer. His arm has
straightened considerably without the use of botoxin, which is most encouraging as the last thing Joe and Lozanne want to do
is subject Jonathan to further medication if it can be avoided.
Update as of December 5, 1999
Jonathan has had several more sessions with his healer in additional to his regular therapy. He continues to make
progress and it appears that Jonathan will be well enough to live at home and attend his therapy on a daily outpatient basis
after Christmas.
This would certainly be a relief to Lozanne and Joe as they will be able to live at home for the first time since June, when
the attack occurred. Up until now they have been living at either the hospital or the clinic with Jonathan.
Everyone is looking forward to a great Christmas and they certainly all have something to celebrate.
Joe and Lozanne are continuing their efforts to make the government focus on the inequities of the Young Offenders Act. Please
read the update in the media section to see how active their campaign has been lately.
The reason why their cause is getting so much attention, however, is particularly depressing. More and more parents are being
put through the hell that Joe and Lozanne have been put through. They have had to endure the fact that their children have
suffered serious injuries, or in the case of Matti, even death, at the hands of Young Offenders. When will the government
listen and do something to stop this?
Update as of November 27, 1999
Information provided by Jonathan's Dad:
"Jonathan enjoys coming home for weekends where he has the opportunity to interact with his friends and family in a more
familiar surroundings.
His prognosis is still undetermable at this time due to the severity of his injury according to the staff at the Bloorview
MacMillan Centre. No two brain injuries are alike. His physical limitations at this time are still very significant and the
recovery rate is slowing.
Jonathan continues to show a positive spirit and attitude in spite of the pain he undergoes during therapy and always pushes
himself and his therapists with a smile. He is undergoing cognitive testing and is subjected to a daily barage of tests that
would try anyone's patience. He still does this with smile. He now participates in art, music and group therapy.
Jonathan will not allow his current physical disabilities to shape his future or mental attitude. He looks forward to the day
when he can join his friends doing all the things he did before, and to his 16th birthday when he is determined to get his
temporary drivers permit."
Update as of November 17, 1999
I was not able to attend the hockey game on Sunday as I had the flu but my husband Jim was able to attend. He was really
impressed that some many former and current hockey players would give so generously of their time in support of Jonathan and
Simon Jones.
Jonathan received a special plaque and really enjoyed himself.
The crowds were great and the support was wonderful.
Jonathan has had the tube in his abdomen removed so he is now much more comfortable. He continues to make progress in leaps
and bounds because of his sheer determination.
Update as of November 6, 1999
Went to see Jonathan, Joe, Lozanne and Sammy last night and it's amazing how much Jonathan has progressed in just one week!
When we first arrived, Jonathan was sitting in the study playing Trivial Pursuit on his computer. I joined in and we had lots
of fun. Jonathan's memory is amazing and although he had a bit of difficulty with the keyboard (he is still relearning his
fine motor skills) we joked that he probably was better at the keyboard than his "uncle Jim".
Jonathan has learned to drink liquids through a straw, which means that on Monday he will have the G tube removed from his
abdomen. And he has reduced his medications each week so that soon he will be completely off his medication that blocks
tremors. This is a huge step as it means he will be completely free of medical support. And just in time for the hockey game
in Newmarket this coming weekend in honor of Jonathan and Simon Jones!
Jonathan was really keen to show us his progress. He sat up for dinner in a normal chair, ate his dinner with his fork, (Sammy
waits underneath the table just in case he drops something :-)) showed us how he could cross each of his legs. In fact, he did
such a good job with his weak side that I thought it was his stronger one. He showed us how he can lift up both of his arms
at his sides to develop his upper body strength.
The most impressive was his walking. He walked from his wheelchair to the table, from the table to the couch in the family
room, and when we left he got up and showed us that he could balance for a short time on his own standing up! Way to go
Jonathan!
Lozanne mentioned that Jonathan has a neighbour who is a "spiritual healer" to Jonathan. He has a black belt in karate and we
talked about the fact that in a few years time Jonathan could have his too. Miraculous considering that just over a month ago
Jonathan was still comatose.
Most amazing is Jonathan's determination and his wonderful disposition. He is cheerful, happy, enthusiastic and proud of every
small step he takes towards his recovery. And rightfully so.
Joe and Lozanne have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to be proud of
Update as of October 28, 1999
Jonathan's spirits are very good.
He is now wanting to hear each and every Email that was sent to him during his coma.
The process of reading over 3,000 Emails is quite time consuming, but Jonathan wants to hear all of them.
He continues to work on his therapy and is now taking as many as 90 steps in his walker.
The walking is painful but his determination to walk again overcomes the pain.
Jonathan is now mastering drinking through a straw. If he is successful then he will have his G-tube removed from his stomach
on November 11 at the Hospital for Sick Children.
This will be a major milestone. Jonathan really wants this as the tube through his abdomen wall is very uncomfortable and
requires twice daily dressing changes.
His speech is getting clearer and his memory is getting better each day.
The doctors at Bloorview have removed the drug Baclofen from his schedule and are starting to reduce the beta blocker
(proprananol) from his routine. This must be reduced gradually to minimize any serious effects from abrupt withdrawal. It is
expected to take 3 weeks.
Update as of October 18, 1999
From Karen Penny:
We had dinner last night with Jonathan, Joe and Lozanne and it was
wonderful. Megan (Jonathan's sister) was there for a visit, and it was nice to see her again. Joe made pasta with a fabulous
sauce, he has always been great in the kitchen. At the drop of a hat he can go through the fridge and cupboards and put
together a great meal.
I told Jonathan that I would bake whatever he wanted and he requested chocolate cake - I don't know who enjoyed the cake more
though, Jonathan or Joe (ask Joe if the cake was there in the morning).
Jonathan's progress is amazing - he took 20 steps with the walker and was quite proud of it - and so he should be. His
determination with each step of his rehabilitation is really outstanding. Aside from the enjoyment of seeing Jonathan
laughing (he has a great sense of humour) it is really wonderful to see Joe and Lozanne smiling.
He still has a long road ahead of him, but I know he will make it - and with Joe's sense of humour, assistance and
encouragement
and Lozanne's caring and assistance, not to mention Jonathan's great
friends, the road will be that much easier to travel.
Along with them we are all sleeping a little easier.
Update as of October 10, 1999
Visited Jonathan at home this Thanksgiving. The street leading to Jonathan's house was festooned with blue and white balloons
and lots of special balloons and banners welcoming Jonathan home. Since it was a beautiful weekend the light streamed into the
family room from the back garden where Jonathan was sitting happily in the hospital bed that Joe and Lozanne had arranged for
him. Sammy was curled up at his feet.
Jonathan said "Hi Mrs Hyatt" to me and I joked about why all of a sudden he was being so formal and wasn't calling me "Linda".
He laughed out loud. He said "Hi" to Barb Lockwood, a good friend of the family who road up with me to see him. He beamed from
ear to ear when she asked him if he was happy to be home. When she asked him if things seemed different now that he was home,
he said "No".
Joe and Lozanne couldn't have been happier or more proud and they pointed out all the things that Jonathan was now doing and
how determined he was.
Lozanne was feeding Jonathan pasta and he asked if he could have "Kraft Dinner". When we all joked about how Lozanne goes to
so much trouble to make sure everyone eats healthy and here Jonathan was asking for "Kraft Dinner" Jonathan again burst out
laughing.
He is delighting in everything that he can do and say and was most proud to show us how he could slowly reach out his hand
and give Sammy a pat on the head or how he could lift his head and both feet off the bed at the same time. This would have
been impossible three weeks ago!
I told him that Barb and I had discussed buying him a CD but we weren't sure what someone his age would like. I mentioned the
group "Phish" and he said yes he liked them but then he tried to tell me what the names of the other bands he liked were. I
had a hard time trying to figure out what he was saying as there was no context for his words, so he ended up pointing to
written letters on a sheet of paper that his Mom had for him to use. He managed to spell out "Wotang" and "Pantera" and "Limp
Biskits". He was rather amused that I didn't know who they were although I had heard of Wotang but never heard them.
Jonathan also tried to do some exercises for his hands and feet as his Mom walked him through some flexing exercises. He is
very determined to get well.
The greatest thing is that he is very cheerful and positive and you just know he's going to do everything in his power to get
better.
Update as of October 7, 1999 at noon
Well, you might have wondered what happened to me over the last couple of weeks and whether I had dropped off the earth. While
Jonathan has been making amazing progress I have been unable to update the site. Why?
Two things. The first week I was extremely busy at work and since there was lots in the press about Jonathan's amazing
recovery and Joe and Lozanne announced that he was out of the coma at the Newmarket Rally, I wasn't too concerned that I
hadn't updated the site.
Second week was a disaster. Signed up for Bell's High Speed Edition Line. After spending all weekend trying to figure out
what I had done wrong because it didn't work, I called technical assistant.
Seems they added a new feature called "Access Manager" to their package but had neglected to test it out with users who have
newer versions of Window 98. So I was totally disconnected from the Internet while I had to "wait for a supervisor to phone me
- it will probably be a few days" to update my registry file. I went home early every night from work to get this "call",
which of course never arrived.
I finally asked my brilliant co-op student and systems administration person where I work, Ian Chesal, to help. He managed to
find a software patch to fix my problem and I am now up and running again. No thanks to Bell.
So now I can update the website again and correspond with those of you who have sent me Emails. :-)
Here is a quote from an Email Joe sent me about Jonathan's medical condition which I was finally able to retrieve today:
It was sent while I was disconnected from the Internet:
Jon is continuing to amaze the experts.
Each day brings new events.
Jon says each day, "nothing stops me" and " I can do it"
He is now regaining some movement in all of his limbs, however, Jon is still very weak and gets massive
muscle spasms, including tremors when he tries to move.
This does not dampen his spirit though and he
is working very hard.
He is also trying to eat and chew solid foods.
It will be many months before we can determine what permanent damage exists if any, but Jon's
determination and spirit is unstopable.
His memory is returning and his speech is getting better.
Talked to Joe this morning on the phone and Jonathan is attempting to take his first steps with a walker. He was able to
manage 10 steps a few days ago and is now up to 20 steps.
Nothing can compare to the joy that Lozanne and Joe are feeling at Jonathan's progress. He has a long way to go to recover but
he has made giant strides over the last few weeks.
I'll continue to keep you updated now that I am again connected...
Update as of September 24, 1999 at 8:27 PM
Jonathan has emerged from his coma. He is attempting to communicate and although he has a long way to go to recover he has
entered the next stage of his recovery. We are all so grateful for this miracle.
Update as of September 23, 1999 at 10:30 AM
Going to the Rehab centre to celebrate tonight with Jonathan, Joe and Lozanne! Details to follow.
Jonathan's Medical Condition prior to September 17, 1999...
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