Since our last update....

 

Jason has transitioned to an amazing 24/7 neuro rehab facility in the Detroit area. He has made amazing strides in such a short period of time (see the video of him walking)! With all the amazing things Jason has done, we have also seen some apparent damage that was a direct result from the cranioplasty surgery he had in October. He is back on a pureed diet temporarily due to some muscle deterioration in his forehead. Who knew the muscles in your forehead actually helped you chew :(. We are hoping he will be eating real food soon enough with lots of help from his therapists. It's been a hard few months accepting the steps backward with his progress. Prior to the surgery, Jason was kicking ass & defying all odds. Talking, eating normal foods & had 20/20 vision and almost full control of the left side of his face. He is still doing AMAZING, but he is struggling after making everything look so easy for several months.

 

Jason's therapy has been mostly centered around his ability to walk, short- and long-term memory and gaining further control of the left side of his face. The surgery also decreased his ability to use the left side of his face. This affected his left eye, and he has been unable to blink. This required another surgery to stitch his eye shut to protect his cornea from drying out. This is not a permanent surgery and can easily be reversed if he is able to gain use of his eyelid again. After meeting with a new eye doctor, we have high hopes that after a few more months of physical therapy he will regain use of his left eye with no damage to his cornea. In the grand scheme of things, this has been a long hard journey, but Jason is fighting every day. As you can imagine, he would rather be working than being restrained to a facility. We have also struggled as a family with how much to share. Jason was a rather private person who liked HIS people and if you were one of HIS people, you knew it.  Reality is, we can’t hide his condition/status forever and we decided he wouldn’t want us too. We also can’t do this alone. He needs his friends; he misses his friends. Most days Jason recognizes us and can recall memories. Some days, we lose him, and he is headed to the airport and we are slowing him down & in his damn way. These days are rough, and they are becoming less and less frequent but it’s hard to see. As many of you know, you don’t get in Jason’s way. He is persuasive, pushy and adamant that he is correct (I know we aren’t telling you anything new). These are the days when you see how much Jason has lost because of this accident, it’s hard to watch. 

 

In addition to all of his medical stuff, we had to petition the court for guardianship. With guardianship comes a lot of responsibility and decisions that have to be made. How do we manage his finances, his business, how do we protect his personal belongings and livelihood? This is where I also go on a small rant and put in a plug for having your ducks in a row – no matter what age you are. Go get your power attorney done – not just that financial one but the healthcare one as well. Especially if you are unmarried! If not, you will be like Jason and your sisters will take over, kick some ass & make important decisions for you. Deep down, we don’t think he would have it any other way but honestly – it will make life so much easier for those around you if the time comes they should ever need it. Also, give your passcode to you iPhone or iPad, save a password or two in your safe, etc.

 

We are excited as a family to be able to share with everyone that the COVID restrictions are pretty darn reasonable at this facility. We would like to be able to give friends the ability to visit with Jason & help cheer on his progress. We are working on an online scheduler or method where we can post times/dates that would work around his therapy and doctor’s appointments. In the meantime, if you would be interested in visiting Jason, please email both of us (faster response this way) at:

 

Kaitlyn.Fabian@icloud.com & Fabheather@gmail.com 

 

Thank you again for all the kind words, cards, sharing pictures and memories with us/Jason. It means more than you could ever know.