April 5, 2005
7:02am

From Jill:
"We went to Grammy's house in San Rafael for Easter. Not as many family members were there-- we only had about 15 people, which is small for us! Dan and I sat with Val and Mike during dinner. It was great to see everyone there. The next day, we stopped at the hospital in San Jose and I got to see Dr. Duong, Theresa, Erin, Dr. Kim, Vicky, Scott, Ron, Mary Anne, and lots of the nurses. We went to lunch at the place across the street. We also left Dan's car at Danh's house and got to see Tyler and Mariska. We went to San Luis Obispo afterwards and stayed at The Spyglass in Shell Beach. We drove on the sand dunes [ed. something that we never would have done before the accident, but it sure was great to be able to bring Jill out there], went down to the beach, in the hot tub, out to dinner three nights and saw lots of friends and family including Matt, Tatiana, Melanie, Geoff, Christina, Susan, Roland, and Murph.

"This weekend, I got 1:28 on my time trial on the driveway so I'm getting a little faster on that. Last night I also went to dinner at Margaritas with Natalie. Mom and Dad went to dinner with Holly and Cliff. We had a great time. My auntie Carol called today so it was great to talk to her! My memory has not been serving me well lately so it's very frustrating because I used to be sharp as a tack, as they say. Today, Mom and I are going to the Nordstrom Rack in Auburn to find some cute clothes, I hope."

-Dan

April 1, 2005
6:56pm

From Jill:
"My cousin Brian got married to Crystal and we went to their small wedding in Davis at my cousins' house (Suzanne and Chris). The next morning we went to breakfast with my aunt Jan, Maureen, Cory, and Josh. The weekend after, Alan's mom (Rita Wells) came to visit us. It was really nice to see her. We also had a reporter visit us from The Press Democrat-- a Santa Rosa paper-- to do a follow up on the story about a year from the accident. We also went to my good friends' Greg and Katie's wedding shower. We played lots of games that were so fun. Mom and I also went shopping downtown for Easter clothes. I bought a dress and two skirts. Our friends Callie, Jason, Susie and Terry also came over for hors d' oeuvres and it was great to see them."

-Dan

March 23, 2005
3:48pm

From Jill:
"Today I worked out for about an hour and a half. Yesterday, Karen and Stymie came over to see me. It was great to see them. Today, my friend Kay from my trip to Spain and Italy emailed me so I wrote her back. There are tornado warnings today on the radio so the weather is nuts! Therapy is going well. Tomorrow, I have a reporter's photographer from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat coming to take pictures of me at therapy."

-Dan

March 16, 2005
4:59pm

From Jill:
"Another fun part about the week before last was that we got to see Dan's new apartment. It's on Nob Hill and it's so cute! It is a one bedroom and has the bedroom separate from the living area. He doesn't have much of a view but it's a nice building."

-Dan

March 15, 2005
1:55pm

From Jill:
"I forgot to say that I went to Heidi's baby shower at the California Cub in South San Francisco the weekend before last. I was in charge of the games. We played 1) guess how big Heidi's tummy is, 2) if you say baby, you give your baby pin away to whoever hears you and 3) remember all the baby items on a tray. It was great to see everyone at the shower. We also went to dinner with Dahn, Erin, and Jeff and it was great to see them."

-Dan

March 11, 2005
4:21pm

From Jill:
"This week has been pretty good. I talked to my good friend Natalie today and we'll continue our conversation tonight. This week I also started playing the piano again which is really good for my right hand. I also left a message for my friend and professor from SJSU, Dr. Craig. I transferred on my own for the first time without the board and the way I'm not used to [from the other side of the bed] so that was huge. I also called UC Davis to ask them about their spinal cord program so I can get better faster."

-Dan

February 27, 2005
1:13pm

From Jill:
"I'm getting a little faster at swimming. The way I do it, is I have a floatie on my stomach and I do elementary backstroke. I try to get my right hand up as high as I can and I move my hip flexors to move my legs. I'm still scared to put my face in, I think because I can't control my legs to move my body. Slowly I'm gaining confidence to put my head in more. We went to the wheelchair trail and I pushed the whole way to the lookout. Everyone said I was faster than the last time. In therapy, I transferred for the first time without the board. Mom and the therapist were excited about this accomplishment. We went out to dinner at New Moon in Nevada City on Saturday night and had a great time. Dan and I ordered the same thing without talking about it. I did my time trial up the driveway in my wheelchair today and it was 1:43. My old time was 1:58, so I'm slowly getting faster. Thank you everyone for your calls and continued support. This time is very hard for me so it helps to know how much you all care."

I just posted some more photos from the last few weeks. The first ones are from yesterday's trip to the Independence Trail. There is also a good shot from Danh and Erin's visit last weekend.

-Dan

February 24, 2005
10:57am

From Jill:
"This weekend was good. Danh and Erin came to visit and it was great to see them! I remembered Utah skiing after talking to them about it so that was good. My memory is starting to come back but it's too slow for me, like everything! This week was good too. I plan to go swimming tomorrow so that should be fun. Believe it or not, my hair is growing fast so I won't have short hair for too much longer!"

-Dan

February 12, 2005
4:22pm

Paula and Bill are here this weekend hanging out with Jill and I. Our parents are in Calistoga taking a well deserved break with a group of their neighbor buddies. They certainly have earned some rest and relaxation time over the past 10 months. I just posted some pictures from this morning of Jill pushing herself up the driveway. She is getting faster every week.

-Dan

February 11, 2005
4:22pm

From Jill on Monday the 7th:
"This weekend, my good friend Natalie and I went to dinner together at Tofinelli's. She came home for the weekend and it was good to see her. We had a great time together. I also went to the Fairgrounds and pushed around. I am slowly getting faster so that is good. Today, I started researching houses to buy in the Bay Area so it's one step. My goal is to be on my own a year from now."

February 1, 2005
4:40pm

From Jill:
"This weekend was great. Grammy and my brother Daniel came to visit us. I'm practicing going faster in my chair on the driveway, which is a bit up hill. So very small steps to becoming independent again. We had a good time together. We also had other visitors this weekend: Karen, Diana, and Mary. It was great to see all of them! My aunt Carr Stone is coming tomorrow so that will be fun. I'm starting to think about how much I will have to do to whatever place I live in on my own to make it more accessible for me."

Jill really has been making impressive physical improvements lately. She can now push herself vertically up off of her chair a bit using only her arms (normal transfers only require sliding). Her transfers continue to improve as well. She has been talking a lot about getting back down to the Penninsula lately. Despite the fact that we all know it will be a while before she'll be able to pull it off...it's nice to see her keeping the goal in mind.

-Dan

January 25, 2005
5:26pm

From Jill:
"I am slowly improving my transfer from wheelchair to bed and from bed to wheelchair so that's good. I also do exercises each day to get the muscles back that I had before. On Sunday night, Mom and Dad and I watched Rudy which was so fun to see. I can't wait to live on my own again. I know it will be a while but it's a goal."

January 18, 2005
7:38am

From Jill:
"This weekend was super fun. We stayed at Rita and Dane's bed and breakfast in Healdsberg and it was great to see them! They made yummy food for us and we had a great time chatting with them. Alli (my freshman roomate from SCU) and her new husband Ben also came to see me on Saturday. I rode down to Cordelia with Dan on Saturday then I went with my parents the rest of the way. Today, I had a doctor's appointment in Santa Rosa then went to lunch with Ben, a nice guy who was in a ski accident. We compared chairs and he even did a few wheelies for me. Someday I'll be able to do that too!"

January 10, 2005
8:45pm

After all of the excitement of the holidays, the Mason family is back into the normal routine these days. Jill got her new standing frame last Friday. Her first comments were quite amusing..."I am so tall!". I can't imagine how exciting it must be for her to be vertical for the first time in so many months. The standing frame is a device that sort of props her up so that she can bear weight on her lower body. It's good for her lower body and circulatory system to have to deal with being in a standing position.

From Jill:
"I wanted to thank everyone who has sent cards to us and I also want to thank my family for all the great Christmas gifts! My family has been unbelievable through this whole thing! This weekend, my great friend Erin came to visit me and we got to see many of her pictures from her travels with Jeff in New Zealand. We also had a great dinner of soup, bread, and salad at the Bringolfs on Friday night. Susie made the yummy dinner for us. (Callie, you would have loved it!"

Also...just in case you haven't checked the photos section of the site...I posted some Christmas pictures a few days ago for your viewing pleasure.

-Dan

January 2, 2005
12:26pm

From Jill:
"This weekend, the Loefflers came for New Years Eve. We also got about 6 inches of snow! It was great to see them! We took a walk down the road to the Davis' house and it was great to see them. Dan came on New Years Day after bringing in the new year down in the bay area with the Feldman boys. Also, thanks to everyone who has given to my trust fund. It's been so great that I don't know what to say!"

December 31, 2004
3:39pm

From Jill:
"This week has been good. I had therapy on Tuesday and Thursday, like usual. They said I am getting better but it's hard for me to see. And Dan and my cousins from Maryland were here. We all went out to dinner at the Willo (ed. a quirky old restaraunt in Nevada City) together two nights ago which was so fun! For New Years Eve, my aunt Paula and uncle Bill are coming so we'll bring in the new year together. Happy New Years to everyone!"

December 23, 2004
12:45pm

Jill has been doing well keeping up with the hectic holiday season these days. She still has her ups and downs of course, but overall she seems to be in good spirits. Yesterday Jill and I went out on the traditional brother/sister Christmas shopping trip. Jill handled the crowds quite well. Despite the fact that the rest of the family is taking time off for the next few weeks, Jill still has her normal Tuesday/Thursday therapy routine to deal with. She has been working extremely hard on her physical strength and every day she needs less help in tasks like moving herself around. Her physical and occupational therapists work primarily on her core strength and balance. The speech therapist is working on methods for Jill to take more control over managing her daily routine. We're very excited about the standing frame that Jill just ordered. It is an apparatus that will allow Jill to be supported in the upright position. In addition to allowing her to see the world like she used to, it is good for her skin, bones, and circulation as well. After a long battle trying to get the insurance company to buy it, Jean Mason (our step-grandmother from North Carolina) stepped in to foot the bill for it as a big Christmas present for Jill. We are very grateful. On that note...on behalf of the whole family I'd like to thank all of the great people that surround us and who have supported us in so many ways. Please have a safe enjoyable holiday season.

And now this from Jill:
"This morning Ashlyn and Taylor (ed. some family friends) came over and we had a nice visit with them. Daniel and I went shopping in Roseville on Wednesday. Mom and Dad enjoyed their day alone without worrying about me! It's great to have Daniel here. I'm just thinking a lot about what I'm going to do with my life now. Everything is different and I get so much advice from everyone. I loved my life before the accident and it's hard to imagine that I have a new life now. Happy holidays and thank you to everyone who has supported us in these last 8 months!"

-Dan

December 13, 2004
7:38am

From Jill:
"Today was good. I showed my new attendant, Christie, my website that Dan is keeping up for me. (One that I will eventually keep up.) I also showed her some pictures from Seattle and camping with the Carbones. My overall condition is okay. It's so hard not being able to walk anymore. I hate it! I also miss Alan every day and my job as a Marketing Communications Specialist at Lowney Associates! But I can now transfer to bed on my own and am working on transferring from bed to the wheelchair. I'm just so glad I did everything I did when I was younger. Thank you to everyone for your unending support and for being my friends through this whole thing."

December 5, 2004
3:12pm

Jill has been doing very well lately. She had her standard Tuesday - Thursday therapy schedule last week. The therapists continue to work on strength, flexibility, and memory for the most part. All of her work seems to be geared towards getting back out on her own some day.

We had a pretty big event to attend yesterday...Jill took me to the annual Lowney holiday party at a hotel down in Palo Alto. We had a very entertaining evening. Jill held up extremely well into the late hours of the night. We were both having such a good time that we ended up staying pretty much until they kicked us out...! I was very happy to get to see/meet all of her great coworkers and their families. They have all been such supportive and loyal friends for her (plus my parents and I of course). Spending time with them seems to be great motivation for Jill to work on getting back down to live on the peninsula some day soon.

-Dan

November 28, 2004
7:16pm

From Jill:
"This week was great. I got to see lots of relatives for Thanksgiving, which was so fun! We had dinner at auntie Paula and uncle Bill's house in San Rafael. I got to see almost all of the Carbone cousins on Thursday night. Per usual, we ate tons of food before and after dinner! At Barbara's on Friday, we ate really good food that Greg made and had more fun with the family. We stayed at the Embassy Suites by Grammy's and had great food for breakfast. I also got to go in the hot tub and pool together with Dan and Dad. The Fords showed up for Barbara's house and it was fun to see them. We got home in the afternoon yesterday."

Jill did really well with the hectic holiday schedule over the past few days. It was great to spend time with so many of the people who have supported us so much over the past ~7.5 months.

-Dan

November 18, 2004
3:10pm

As Jill said earlier...she had quite a busy day today. She got to meet many of her new therapists at the hospital while they did all of their initial evaluations. Also, the swimming session went well. My dad took her down to a local "therapy" pool that is wheelchair accessible. Floating around and attempting to propel herself in the water is a good way for her to loosen up her muscles, which are still pretty stiff (especially her right arm) as a result of the initial brain injury. She uses a flotation device for safety and really seems to enjoy being in the water. It's also a good way for her to get a bit of low-impact aerobic activity.

-Dan

November 18, 2004
3:10pm

From Jill:
"Today was my first day of therapy at the hospital and it was good. I'm also going swimming this afternoon with Dad at his pool so that should be fun! I am really looking forward to this weekend at Vern's house for our annual Thanksgiving."

-Dan

November 12, 2004
10:48pm

From Jill:
"This week, I got my new wheelchair which is great! I can push it on the carpet. I also decided to start writing a book about my experiences so far. And, I can now transfer myself to the bed occasionally, but it's really hard. So lots of things are going on. I also met Dr. Jensen for the first time on my parents' day off on Thursday."

Some friends of ours are throwing another fundraiser for Jill at Lamppost Pizza in Grass Valley next Tuesday (11/16) from 11am-9pm (on Olympia Park Road - near Brunswick Rd./Hwy 49 intersection). The first one was lots of fun apparently so they're having another go at it...

-Dan

November 12, 2004
6:45pm

So the wheelchair issue seems to be solved for the time being. Her new rig was delivered around the beginning of last week and is working out pretty well so far. She is much more excited about pushing herself in it since the geometry is right for her body. In addition, the chair is much lighter than the old low-quality rental (and it's titanium so it looks fast). Jill and my parents spent the holiday on Thursday trekking around to some doctors’ appointments in town. One big thing that the doctors stress to us is that this is only the beginning of Jill's recovery. Patients who suffer this type of injury can, in most cases, expect to see steady improvement for 2-5 YEARS after the initial injury. Everyone is very impressed with the progress that Jill has made over the last 7 months...and she continues to improve everyday...

-Dan

November 9, 2004
7:45am

Jill has been doing well lately. We are still struggling to get her on the right wheelchair...it will be a relief when that finally gets sorted out. On Friday we went out to eat with some cousins in Sacramento (after a failed wheelchair pickup attempt). Saturday and Sunday were full of visitors as well. College buddies on Saturday and then a high school friend and Grammy on Sunday.

Jill's been working very hard on her chair --> bed transfers lately. As you can imagine, this is an extremely hard skill to get the hang of given the effects of her original spinal and brain injuries. She is slowly regaining the upper body strength and balance required to pull it off.

-Dan

November 3, 2004
7:22am

From Jill via email last night:
"Today was a good day. I went to Lyon's today for breakfast and it was good! It reminded me of going there in high school with my friends after football games. I also had therapy which was hard. I transferred from the wheelchair to my bed with little help. It was hard work but good for me."

-Dan

November 1, 2004
7:38am

From Jill via email:
"Thanks to all who attended the fundraiser at The Holiday on Thursday night! It was so fun! A lot of people donated presents for the raffle and auction. A lot of people helped with the event. And it was great to see everyone who came. This weekend, we've been great. We went to a coffee shop and got bagels today. Tonight, we're going to town for dinner. Mexican food. Mmmm. I'm doing more on my own including pushing the wheelchair, brushing my hair, and putting on my makeup."

-Dan

October 26, 2004
12:25pm

Last weekend was pretty nice for the family. Jill and I got to spend some time down in Sacramento visiting cousins on Saturday. I think that it was nice for Jill to get out into the real world without my parents for once (and it was very good for my parents to get some time to themselves). Sunday Jill had some visitors from SCU. The past week of traveling around and relaxing with my parents was definitely nice...but it's back to the regular therapy grind now.

On the events calendar: Some of Jill's local friends are throwing a little get-together/fundraiser this Thursday October 28th. It will be at the Holiday Cabaret in Grass Valley (1255 E. Main) from 6-9pm. It will include all sorts of fun including karaoke for those of you feeling bold (I think that some of Jill's old NUHS Chamber Choir cohorts will be there to show how it's supposed to be done). There will be a little auction associated with the event in addition to the socializing. Tour of Nevada City even donated a bike to auction off! Should be entertaining...I think that there is even a chance that Jill and my parents will make it out there for a little while. -Dan

October 22, 2004
7:40am

From Jill via email:
"We enjoyed our time at the hospital, at Lowney, and in Monterey this week. I got to see MANY of my therapists and that was so fun! I got to see Jerrad too. I got to see Dr. Duong - but not Marylou. I also got to see Julie and her family-- which was great! At Lowney, Danh and Erin got us lunch and me some chocolate milk (thanks guys!) and we visited with lots of people there. Also, thanks to my brother for keeping this site going for me!"

(I promise that I didn't add that last sentence...) -Dan

October 20, 2004
4:45pm

Jill and my parents had a good trip down to Monterey yesterday. They stopped by the hospital (SCVMC) on the way down for a quick lunchtime visit. It was very nice for Jill to see everyone and check up on the progress of some of her friends that are still patients there. The doctors and therapists seemed to be impressed with her progress. They also stopped by Lowney for a visit. She got to spend some quality time with lots of her co-workers and also had an opportunity to remind herself of her old place. When I talked to them today they were hanging out on the beach enjoying the sun (yesterday the weather wasn't so good).

-Dan

October 18, 2004
5:34pm

Jill seemed to have a pretty nice weekend. A trip into town on Saturday to visit family friends and then some relatives came to visit on Sunday. I just talked to them a few hours ago and they were leaving the wheelchair store in Sacramento. I think that everything got all worked out and she will have a new chair in a few days that will be a better fit and lighter. Now it's off to Monterey for a short break from home.

-Dan

October 15, 2004
5:45pm

One little thing that I forgot from yesterday is that Jill can now get her right hand all the way up to touch her nose without any help from her left. That is a huge improvement in range of motion. This weekend should be nice and mellow.

-Dan

October 14, 2004
5:55pm

So...we're back in business... Sorry for the outage.

It has been so long that I've almost forgotten where I left off.. As I mentioned, Jill had an appointment with the main neurosurgeon from Santa Rosa who was involved with keeping her alive for the first few days and played a big role in the back surgery. The report seemed to be fairly optimistic given the things that we've faced in discussions with this doctor in the past (not that it was his fault...things looked bad). He stressed to Jill that patients who suffer this type of injury usually show steady improvement for 2-5 years following the accident...and he stressed that the healing could continue even longer than that if she stays focused on getting better. One exciting thing that we heard from him was the work "INDEPENDENCE". We have felt for a while now that Jill would be able to "continue" her previous life at some point in the near future...but this was the first time that we heard it from a real live medical professional. As I'm sure you can imagine - it was a great thing for my parents to hear. It will not be easy, of course, but the fact that it is probable - even possible, after what she has been through - is simply amazing.

In other news since then... Jill is still plugging away with therapy. She is still working hard to get her right arm back. She has improved strength and flexibility quite a bit since Santa Clara. She is able to do ~curls with a small watterbottle with it which is pretty impressive. Also, with only a little help from the left, she can write with her right hand again. Last Friday Jill got a new wheelchair...bit it isn't all that cool. The order came in all wrong. It doesn't fit her, it's heavy, it had some stuff that she didn't need, it's the wrong material...blah, blah, blah. This weekend we hope to have a new one that works a little better.

There are lots more things to talk about... I'll write again tomorrow. No more outages...I promise.

-Dan

October 4, 2004
5:39pm

The rest of the weekend went pretty well for Jill. On Sunday we took a hike on the "Independence Trail" down by the south fork of the Yuba River. It is nice trial along the river canyon that it wheelchair accessible. We had been on it many times in the past...but it was obviously a bit different this time. Jill worked extremely hard on pushing herself along in her wheelchair - even on the rocky and sometimes uneven trail surface. She must have pushed herself for over 1/2 hour during the time that we were out there. It was great to see such determination in her. She made extremely slow progress along the trail...but the fact that she could move at all shows how much her strength has improved.

Tomorrow my parents are taking Jill to Santa Rosa for an appointment with one of the surgeons that worked on her while she was in the ICU.

-Dan

October 1, 2004
10:34pm

Jill is doing pretty well today. She had busy day of therapy including a trip to town for a snack (no need for a nap today..!). This evening I was making some sort of obnoxious yawning noise and Jill tried to emulate it and found some strength in her voice that we haven't heard since the accident. It was amazing...in about 5 minutes her voice seemed to get stronger by a factor of 2. She doesn't really want to go to sleep now because she is too busy giggling and using her newly found loud voice...

-Dan

September 30, 2004
10:33am

Jill has been sort of taking it easy for the last few days. She actually got a day off from therapy on Wednesday. When she is not in therapy, she spends her days hanging out with our grandmother (who is staying up there for a few weeks to help around the house...she is great). It is still pretty tough for Jill to get around the house in her manual wheelchair - so she also spends some of her time doing exercises to improve the strength and range of motion in her arms. This weekend should be a bit more relaxing than the last. We will have some relatives visiting for the day on Saturday and then will probably try to get out of the house for a while on Sunday...that's about it.

-Dan

September 27, 2004
9:39am

Today was a big day for all of us. Finally a bit of closure for the Liu family...and a big step forward for Jill. The hearing went on as expected. Lots of family and friends came out to support Jill and Alan. It was obviously a pretty tense scene, but everyone held up pretty well. Harvey Hereford received the maximum sentence that the law allows for his crime - 8 years and 8 months in prison. Of course, no jail sentence can repair the damage done by his actions - but at least he will have lots of time to think about the speech that Jill gave today in court. He will also have lots of time to think about all of the kind words that were said about Alans life. The sad thing is that it didn't really seem to affect him as profoundly as it should have given the amount of pain for which he is responsible. He came across as a cold and empty old man.

But so it goes...and Jill's recovery proceeds. I was very impressed by how her stamina has improved over the past few weeks. Today was an extremely long day and Jill hung in there well even after the hearing, a long lunch with family/friends, a short doctor visit for some x-rays, and a trip to the ICU to see where she spent 5 weeks of her life in a coma. She was pretty tired for the drive home - but we all were. Speaking of tired.... I'll write again soon after some much needed rest...
-Dan

September 24, 2004
7:40am

Jill has been doing pretty well lately. She has been staying busy with the normal schedule of therapy, doctor appointments, etc. I think that her stamina is improving a bit as she seems to take fewer naps these days. This weekend should be a chance to relax a bit after a crazy few weeks.

Monday is the sentencing hearing for Hereford down in Santa Rosa. We will be there (with lots of family and friends) alongside Alan's family and friends. Jill plans to speak in front of the court. It is supposed to start around 9:30 or 10am. I have no idea how big the place is, but please feel free to come support Jill and Alan if you feel compelled to do so. I look forward to being back in the community that was so supportive for us during the first month of this journey. In addition to the hearing, we're going back to the hospital up there for a checkup on her back surgery (some x-rays and a short meeting with the docs that performed it).

-Dan

September 20, 2004
8:46pm

Things have been going ok back home for Jill lately. She had some visitors on Saturday and then rested lots on Sunday. Today she got to meet her attendant for the first time. They must have gotten along pretty well because Jill didn't seem too nervous about the whole idea. It is hard for her, however, because she is definitely not used to being so dependent upon others for her (previously) basic everyday needs. She also got her first full physical therapy session while at home. My parents seem to be hanging in there as well. While life is extremely busy and stressful for them at home now, they sure don't seem to be missing the drive back and forth to San Jose... We are so thankful that Jill has made it this far.

On a side note...all of the preparations for Jill's return that were taken care of by the thoughtful group of friends/family/neighbors a few weeks ago seem to be working out very well. It is amazing how many ways people have chipped in to help us get through these tough times.

-Dan

September 16, 2004
10:48pm

Jill is busy getting all settled in back up in Grass Valley these days. Things have been pretty hectic around the house as I'm sure you all can imagine. Some therapists that will be working with Jill have come to the house over the past few days to get a baseline on her current condition. It seems that the real intensive therapy will start back up again on Monday. Overall, Jill seems to be in pretty good spirits and she is definitely enjoying the comforts of home...

-Dan

September 14, 2004
4:33pm

As of 2:15pm this afternoon Jill is no longer a resident of SCVMC! She's currently with my parents on the road headed up to Grass Valley. We had a successful night in the "VIP House" yesterday with tons of visitors. The VIP House is a little 2-bedroom house on the grounds of the hospital that they sent patients, along with their families, to stay in for a trial run right before discharge. She has had two incredibly hectic days getting ready for the move. Just about every doctor that she has seen throughout her stay at SCVMC came to say goodbye in the morning. For lunch, she hung out with Jared (a fellow rehab patient) and Julie (a friend from rehab that was discharged a while ago, but came back to see Jill off). I'm guessing that tonight will be the most relaxing sleep session that Jill has experienced in ~5 months.

Administrative note...don't worry, I plan to update this page on about the same frequency that I have been for the last few months. Even though she is out of the hospital, Jill has lots of hard work ahead of her. I don't plan to stop updating this site until Jill decides to take it on for herself...

-Dan