Thank You!

Hello everyone.  It's Chauncy sending out an update tonight.  Kelli and I want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for the great effort on the benefit in Sheridan over the weekend.  We are truly overwhelmed at the generosity and efforts of so many businesses, families, and individuals from Sheridan and other parts of the country that participated in our behalf.  Thank you is not enough but we want you to know that we appreciate it more than words can describe.  We would also like to thank everyone who has helped since the start of our ordeal.  Every positive thought, prayer, card, or financial gift has helped lift our burden which has been immense.  We will be transitioning back to Casper on a more permanent basis in the coming week and we're excited to be able to provide more stability for the kids and continue with Kelli's therapy from home.  Craig Hospital has been amazing and we feel it's time to work on our family's healing from home.  I am doing well...a few friends mentioned on my email that I hadn't posted in a long time.  I've been trying to let Kelli do it as part of her therapy but I'm doing well and excited to transition home.  Love you all, we'll update more soon. 

Johnson Family Benefit Fundraiser Reminder!!

The Johnson and Hoffmann Families are extremely excited about the upcoming "Johnson Family Benefit Fundraiser" taking place in Sheridan, WY, this Saturday, April 2nd.  We are truly grateful for the time, hard work, inspiration, and love that is continually shown to our family.  

Please check out the flyer for more information pertaining to this evening of entertainment and friendship at http://www.melaniearaas.com/benefit/JohnsonFundraiser-flyer-FINAL.pdf

THANK YOU to everyone involved in planning this event and to those who will attend and participate on Saturday evening.  Your support and encouragement mean more to us than you may ever know.  We all look forward to the opportunity to thank you in person and express our appreciation. 

  

Grandma Rita's Heartfelt Update

Hello Everyone,

It’s Mom, a.k.a. Grandma, a.k.a. Rita. It is my great privilege to update you on the happenings of late. On Friday, March 25, 2011 at 3:00 PM, Kelli was discharged from Craig Hospital having completed her journey as an inpatient at that marvelous facility. Kelli, Chauncy, Milli, Logan, Grandpa Brian and I then began the trip from Denver back home to Casper. Because they had accumulated a significant amount of STUFF during their time at Craig, we drove one truck, one SUV and one car loaded with STUFF. The trip was uneventful for the most part except for one stretch of interstate where it was sleeting and snowing quite heavily, but then that’s Wyoming in the spring, right?

Brian and I were apprehensive about our precious family’s return to their home in Casper knowing that this would be the first time Kelli had been there since December 24, 2010. We knew it would be tremendously difficult for both Kelli and Chauncy and of course it was, but the behavior Brian and I witnessed was the same quiet dignity and strength we had seen displayed by our children so many times before along this difficult journey. What an inspiration they are to all of us. Milli was ecstatic about being home. She ran straight upstairs to her room and pulled out all her toys. Even Logan seemed to know that he was home and was very happy to be there.

Although Kelli is tremendously improved and continues to improve daily, she is still in the healing stages of recovery from her traumatic brain injury and brachial plexus nerve injuries. Her right arm will require extensive outpatient physical therapy for which she will be returning to Craig Hospital three days each week, for the next four weeks at least. Then she and Chauncy hope to transition her therapy to a rehab hospital in Casper. We are all so thrilled to have our Kelli back, but she still needs lots of rest and quiet for her brain injury to fully heal.

I want you all to know what a wonderful, spiritual place of healing Craig Hospital is. The physicians, psychologists, therapists and technicians all work together to provide specialized healing tailored for each patient’s individual needs. We will be eternally grateful that not only Kelli but that Chauncy also received such excellent care at Craig, because not only the patient but the patient’s family is provided with whatever training and counseling they are in need of in adjusting to the tremendously difficult journey they are facing.

Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all the prayers, thoughts, gifts and kindnesses that you have offered in behalf of Kelli, Chauncy, Milli, Logan and the Hoffmann and Johnson families.

Neck Brace Be Gone!!

Good Morning everyone! I didnt have time yesterday to post but IT'S OFF!!!!! my neck brace is off!!!! my doctor heard we were looking for him and came to my room yesterday morning and took it off himself! I was like a (young) school girl with a huge smile on my face all day after that!! and to quote Milli "mommy you look like Kelli again"!!!!!!! :)

So I hope this news can brighten your day as much as it has helped  mine!!! I will post again soon, love, Kelli

Neck Brace . . .

I am sure you all have been waiting to hear about my neck brace! And I hate to report that I still have it! I got the test done today that I have been waiting for but I still don't have the ok from my doctor...... not because the test showed anything negative (that I know) but because I couldn't track him down and begg him to look at the results! He is a busy guy who is taking good care of me, but who obviously hasn't been in this brace for 3 months :) 

Ok so stayed tuned til tomorrow! I will let you know! Love, Kelli

Hopeful!!

Good Morning everyone!! I just wanted to add a quick update on my neck! I still have the neck brace and it looks like I will have it until Monday at the earliest. So I am pretty bummed but hopeful for Monday! I hope you all have a good weekend! love you, Kelli

More Positive Progress!

Hello again everyone!

It has been awhile since my last post but I want you all to know that I am doing good! I am hoping to get my neck brace off this week!!! That would be really nice, but I will let you know if it happens or not.

Thank you once again for all of your thoughts and prayers. They are all helping! I'll write again soon! Love, Kelli

Another Good Week!

Hi everyone! This is Kelli again! I just wanted to write a quick post to let you all know that I am making it through another week. Thanks for all of your support and comments! Love you all, Kelli

The Amazing Road to Recovery!

This is Kelli again!!!! I am so touched by the love, support and enthusiasm we have been receiving and have received. I especially want to thank Chauncy's work and co-workers for allowing him to be here with me. I want you all to know that I am back!! My personality, sense of humor, and the Kelli you have always known is here! With that said, my injuries are complex and will continue to take time to heal, the professional help that I am receiving here at Craig is helping me continue to progress in all aspects of my healing. All of my therapies are geared toward helping me live independently at home and take care of my family again. Thanks again for all of your love, support, and prayers. I'll try to update you again soon, Love you all! Kelli

A Heartfelt Hello from Kelli!

Hello Everyone! This is Kelli!!!!! I told Chauncy that I wanted to make a post to tell you all how thankful I am for all of your love and support. We have received so many letters, gifts, and donations and I just want you all to know that they are all helping!
        
I am doing good! It is so great to have Chauncy and Milli and Logan here with me! My therapists are helping me with everything from getting dressed to walking again independently. They are working on my physical, emotional, and general healing as a whole. I know that I am in the right place. So thank you all again, I will try to post again soon. Love to you all, Kelli

Great Progress!

Kelli is making great progress.  She is not using her wheelchair anymore unless she is on a longer outing and might need to take it easy.  Other than that, she continues to become more independent and is excited to be walking.  The last few days we've been able to be outside and the weather has been wonderful.  This has been very good for us and the kids as we love to be outdoors in the sunshine.  Kelli has let me know that she would like to make a post soon so stay tuned.  We love you all, thank you for all of the support.  --Chauncy

An Excellent Weekend!

Kelli made it through her migraine and has been improving well since.  She is now walking for the most part.  She uses her wheelchair as a kind of make shift walker that doubles as a seat to rest in if she needs it.  She had a visit from her sister Kami this weekend and enjoyed her company.  She also enjoyed having Tanya here, they are both back home now and Grandma and Oma continue to hold down the fort for the kids and us.  Logan turned 6 months today and he's doing great.  Milli keeps us on our toes with her imagination and attitude.  We were able to get Kelli out a bit yesterday and today which she enjoyed a lot but still gets fatigued very quickly.  We went to visit some good friends of ours that moved down here from Casper recently today.  The weather was great and we were able to get out and walk in the sunshine - 65 degrees!  Each day brings new improvements.  We look forward to Kelli being able to walk independently.  Right now she has to have me or someone trained with her to make sure she doesn't fall.  I think she'll be walking on her own soon!  Take care.  --Chauncy 

One Day At A Time . . .

Okay, so we didn't actually get to go bowling because I got sick and couldn't accompany Kelli and take Milli last Friday.  Kelli didn't want to go without us so she didn't go.  However, I'm working on getting passed off to get a car pass with Kelli so that we can get out and see some other things this weekend.  The weather looks like it will be really nice so hopefully it will do us all some good to get away for a few hours.  Kelli did great again today in her therapies.  She is working on using her new planner and she was able to walk quite a bit today.  She started getting a migraine late in the day today so that will set her back a bit...she usually gets monthly migraines so this is another "normal" thing that is coming back unfortunately.  I hope she can sleep well and be up and going again tomorrow.  The kids are doing well with both grandmas and their aunt Tanya here tending to their needs.  I'm doing my best to stay positive, having added sicknesses in the family has been stressful and now Kelli having a migraine.  I know it's just another bump in the road and we'll make it through it all. More tomorrow, time to get some sleep. --Chauncy 

Sunshine and Fresh Air!

Sorry I haven't given an update in a few days.  We had a stomach bug go through the family over the weekend and we were just trying to get through it.  At any rate, Kelli is still making good progress.  Her memory and awareness continues to improve daily which helps her physical progress greatly.  She has a new sling for her arm so that when she walks, her shoulder is supported well.  Over the weekend, she spent most of her time here in the apartment and was able to visit with friends and family.  Today we were able to take a ride on public transit to Office Depot to buy a day planner with Kelli's speech pathologist.  It was great for her to get out and get some sunshine and fresh air.  Kelli's Dad and my Dad were here for the weekend and Oma, Grandma, and Aunt Tanya are now here helping us with the kids and other details.  We couldn't make it through this without the help of so many people...Thank you all!  More tomorrow --Chauncy

Photo Collage Reminder! Please Participate!

Tomorrow is the deadline!  Remember the photo collage that Chauncy’s cousin, Gerri, is putting together?  It’s going to be a fabulous collection of photos of family and friends that will help Kelli and Chauncy visualize all of the amazing people that are supporting them all over the globe.  This will be a great visual aide that they can see every day and be assured that everyone is cheering her and her family on throughout this journey.

This is where each and every one of you is needed!  Please, take a picture of you, your family, classmates, your co-workers, church friends, and/or your kiddos showing support and encouragement.  Kelli’s favorite color is blue, so if you want to wear blue, do it!  If you want to make a sign showing your support, do it!  There are hundreds of people checking this site so let’s pull together and make this a huge collage! 

Email your photos to Gerri at: gthronburg@hotmail.com

DEADLINE FEB. 8^TH! 

Thank you!  Team Johnson appreciates your participation and knows that this group effort will uplift Chauncy and Kelli very much and help to keep their spirits high and hopeful.

Bowling with Contacts!

Kelli was able to wear contacts for the first time today!  Usually the eyedoctor here doesn't like hospital patients to be using contacts with the risk of illnesses in the hospital and the ability for patients to keep everything clean but the  eye doctor was comfortable allowing Kelli to use her's so this was great news.  We're trying to make sure that Kelli gets plenty of rest as this helps her injuries heal and this went better today than yesterday.  Her appetite continues to be a challenge as she doesn't feel like eating but she seems to be improving.  As the fog on her mind continues to lift, she realizes the in more depth the injuries that she's sustained and this is sometimes discouraging, but she's really doing great and we continue to encourage her and let her know this.  Tomorrow, we're going bowling in the afternoon as part of her therapeutic recreation so this should be fun...except that she'll have to try to bowl left handed from a wheelchair.  I'll let you know how it goes.  Take care. --Chauncy 

We had a couple of great things happen today.  First, Kelli got her flipper to fill the gap where she broke her tooth. Attached is a picture of Kelli and her friend Keelie with some great looking hats sent from Kelli's sister Kristin (her friend in Las Vegas makes them).  Kelli's smile is looking more like it use to with the gap filled and it really makes her feel good.  We learned from Kelli's doctor today that the tests that she had yesterday show that she has some stretched nerves which are inhibiting her right arm from moving well right now.  The great news is that they are stretched and not torn apart.  The doctor said that with time, she has the potential to get all of her movement back.  We're hoping and praying that this happens.  It was a really good day and progress is made each day.  The fog for Kelli continues to clear slowly and she is getting back to herself more and more.  She still runs out of energy really quickly so I'm trying to make sure she gets enough rest between therapy sessions.  More tomorrow, love you all --Chauncy.

Stronger Every Day!

Kelli is making good progress.  Today she had what they call an EMG test in order to test the nerve systems in her right arm.  We don't have the results of the test, but the doctors are trying to determine why she's having trouble using all of the muscle groups in her arm.  We should know soon what the diagnosis is and the plan to help this come back if it's possible.  This is Kelli's biggest physical challenge at this point.  I remain optimistic that her arm will continue to improve and the muscles that are firing are strengthening with therapy and her persistence.  We continue to support each other through the challenges that we face and things seem to be continually improving.  More information to share as it comes.  Take care.   --Chauncy

****Don't forget to take your pictures for the Team Johnson Photo Collage due Feb. 8th.  If you need more info, check the Jan 25th update!  Thank you to all those that have participated, we can't wait for Chauncy and Kelli to see it!****** 

Steady Progress

 

We had visits this weekend from some good friends and family.  Kelli was able to spend time with us at the apartment and really enjoyed visiting.  Her energy runs out quickly and she needs rest frequently so I tried to make sure that she was able to get in a couple of naps when I could see that she was worn out.  Her energy levels should improve as her injuries heal but her energy is used up for healing first and even conversation can wear her out quickly.  I was able to walk her around the nurse's station today for about 4 laps and she really enjoyed this.  She loves to be up and walking.  I know that this week will bring more big improvements as she continues to get the pieces back.  Her schedule is full of therapy sessions with periods of rest time this week.  I'm excited to see her improvements for the week.  I continue to get passed off on things to help us both be more independent.  This is due to learning new things as well as Kelli's ability to work with me as her injuries heal and she progresses.  I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.    --Chauncy 

Time With Family and Friends

Today was a great day!  Kelli was able to come to the apartment and spend time with family and a few friends.  She got to spend time with Milli and feed Logan which I know she really enjoyed.  We also got some pizza and she had a piece... this was a relief since she has been eating cafeteria food for so long.  She was able to come to the apartment intermittently between naps and I think it was good for her to get to visit a bit.  I have to keep close track of her and make sure she doesn't get very fatigued.  When she starts to show signs of fatigue, I try to get her back to take a nap.  It's vital for her to get sleep in order to heal.  Tomorrow she'll get to come and spend time again and I know she really enjoys the feeling of normalcy that this brings.  More tomorrow, take care.   --Chauncy

Keep your comments coming!  We find much strength and encouragement from your thoughts.  We know that Kelli and Chauncy appreciate the time you take to leave a comment.