Hello-
We posted new photos in the gallery of the Run for Robbie race and dinner as well as some of Rob standing today. Be sure to check out the previous photos of him standing because you will see a remarkable improvement. Yesterday, Rob had an awesome session with his trainer Eric. He was able to stand almost independently, only requiring support to keep his left leg from buckling. He has also noticed some increased spasms in his left leg and he feels he is on the verge of movement in his left leg. To date, he has only been able to move his left toes. We had the x-ray taken today of his hips to rule out ossification and should get the results next Wednesday. His blood work is still pending. We are still fighting with Cigna regarding thee standing frame. Although we won the appeal and the letter said it was effective 6-13, it took until yesterday for Cigna to ‘update’ their system. So typical.... Needless to say we have not yet received the standing frame or a call from the company that is going to provide it. AGGGHHHH. In other news, my (Mandy) back problems continue. I had an MRI this week which confirmed that I have degenerative disc disease with a herniation and small extruded fragment. Not sure what it all means yet (I have a drs appointment next week) but it is very frustrating because the physical therapists have been treating me as a patient who just had a muscular strain. So....11 weeks into treatment we finally know what’s going on and can now start working on it. Excellent timing since my PT benefit is about to run out with insurance! We are hanging in there. The week has been full of ups and downs and the weather is not helping. Thank goodness California is in sight!!
p.s. still working on Rob’s website.

Request for prayer…
Well, we knew the good news could only last so long. On Friday, during a routine follow-up with a wheelchair specialist (a person who specializes in the way the body functions in a wheelchair), it was determined that Rob may be suffering from a condition known as Heterotopic Ossification which is the development of new bone in abnormal areas. This condition develops most commonly in individuals who have spinal cord injury and normally in the hips, as is suspected in Rob’s case. One possible consequence of this diagnosis is permanent loss of range of motion in the affected joint. Some internet site say the diagnosis is common and some say it only occurs in 10-25% of spinal cord injured patients. Some sites say there are medications that can help with the condition, others say the only viable treatment option is surgery. So....Rob will undergo x-rays and blood work next week to see if the wheelchair specialist is correct about her suspicion. In my opinion, Rob does not seem to have any of the classic symptoms of ossification but he has noticed a horrible ‘popping’ sound in his hip when he is being stretched and they do say that losing range of motion is one of the symptoms. We’ve been very lucky thus far regarding Rob’s injury because he has not had too many complications. We probably won’t be getting the x-ray until late next week but we’ll send word when we know for sure.