Update

Justin is now out on his own.... He is living in SLC with his girlfriend, Ang. They are making it day by day and Justin thanks everyone who was able to help him through the past months. It has been a struggle but the words, prayers and donations have been more than he could have ever expected or asked for.

He is still having to walk on crutches or use his wheelchair. He is still on heavy pain meds and hoping to be able to get off them slowly but surely. His future is there and he is hopeful.

We, his family again want to thank everyone for all that you have done for him and us. We hope that things continue to go well and have learned that a positive attitude can do nothing but help the situation.

Donation Yard Sale Info

I just wanted to take a minute and let you know that we, Justin's family, will be holding a Donation Yard Sale for him on Saturday, September 6th from 7 am to 12 noon. He is still recovering, slowly. He is currently in a Care Center going through daily mental and physical therapy to help gain back partial use of his left hand and leg. He has also been diagnosed with a serious brain injury which has been extremely hard to deal with. He has tried so hard to be positive but after so much time, he is losing some of his good attitude.
We just found out that his medicaid request was denied.... not a good thing. He has no means to cover any of his bills, let alone the medical and because he did not have insurance (health or otherwise) at the time of the accident, it doesn't look good.
So if you possibly can, please let others know of his situation and hopefully we can get some support at the sale tomorrow.

The address is: 1704 South State Street in Orem. Located in the Spinal Rehab Specialists parking log, next to Family Dollar.

Update

Life in the care center has it's ups and downs....Justin loves being able to leave the facility on occasion. (only 3 times a week, 4 hours per outing)
Justin enjoys visiting with a couple of gentlemen from the care center. He reports that they have great stories to share. I am sure that they do! He is really trying to make the best of his unusual situation. He is truly the only "youngster" among many elderly. He got a room mate on Aug 5th, which was a big adjustment. He is sharing his space with a 65 year old who is pretty confined to his bed. I am sure that Justin's smiles will have him smiling in responce in no time!
Justin met with Dr Leonard on Aug 7th. He is going to give Justin's arm until November to heal. RIght now there is NO strength in it and no muscle. If it does not improve, Justin will be receiving muscle grafts to attempt to give him use of his arm.
On August 11th,Justin gained clearance to try and stand. To attempt to walk and to start to put weight on his leg. Only 1/2 of his weight for now, but still... It is wonderful news. Now the work begins for Justin. Now the test of how will his leg function begins....
Justin found out that he was DENIED Medicaid. This is so surprising to us. We are going to appeal this and hopefully it will be approved. In the meantime, we are going to be holding a Donation Yard Sale for Justin. It will be September 6th on State Street in Orem. Please email me if you have any donations at amanda_cosman@hotmail.com

Medical Update

MOVING DAY!!
Justin moved into the Care Facility today AND had his first big outing. He went to Walmart with mom for a few things....candy and Sprite being on the list. He was worn out after wheeling himself around that large store but it sounds like he had a great time.
From what we have been told, Justin will not be able to put any weight on his knee for at least another month. He is doing Physical and Occupational Therapy daily to help him be ready for this next step.

Justin is OFF insullin as of July 19th. It appears that his pancreas is going to function once again! Justin is still on a large amount of medications... a blood thinner, medication for lower his blood pressure, anti-anxiety, a mood stabalizer, nerve pain medication, a sleep aide, and opiates for pain. He looks forward to the day that he can be medication free. For now, it is needed. Justin is realistic about the journey that he is on. He knos that his life will not be back to pre-accident for some time. He is a trooper!!!

Justin has been a little stressed in the past weeks as he is worried about life once he leaves the rehab. His world has changed and his abilities are very limited. But he will do great. He is working on the skills to become independent. Learning how to get around in a wheel chair. But it is all so very different and sometimes overwhelming.

Medical Update

Justin and family waited until 7:00 PM for his doctor to arrive. We were able to get answers to our many questions. It appears that all 4 of the main nerves in Justin's arm are damaged. The doctor does not expect this to worsen. It is too early to tell if the damage is permanent. They will do more testing next week. Justin will also be evaluated to see if it is appropriate for him to be moved to the rehab unit. Justin earnestly is ready to work hard to regain use of his body.
Justin had a rough day. He had a chest xray done. Between running a fever today and a tight chest concern for pnuemonia was high. It appears that he is not breathing deeply enough, and fluid is beginning to collect. Justin's left thigh (donor site) is massively swollen and extemely painful. Dr Cheng and the wound care team will unveil this area tomorrow at noon to determine what is causing the problem. Justin was rarely able to get comfortable throughout the day.
At this point Justin still has his left leg...it looks like he may be able to keep it however, the use will be limited at best. He is able to move one of his toes but the doctors say he will not be able to bend his knee.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers... they are what get us through.

Update

Justin had surgery on Friday night again... He is in agony following this skin graft. One of the biggest challenges is that he cannot sit or lie on his leg without lying on an area that is weeping from being either a donor sight or that is raw from being a fresh graft site. He wails in pain, and then calmly wills the pain away.
He will be in the hospital for at 2 more months but they are taking it a day at a time and hoping that he can keep his leg. He still suffers from the infection but it is beginning to look better.
He has also paralyzed his voice box so he is still unable to talk as well as he would like. The paralization came from having the ventilator in for such a long time frame. The doctors said they will allow him to talk this way for 30 days before anything can be done. Justin doesn't like it but it is the least of his worries.
Thank you for all your support and prayers...

Medical Update

Justin was put back in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit after a late night in the operating room Friday night but was moved back to the Acute care Unit yesterday.
The plastic surgeon had encouraging news. The large wound behind his knee was not as bad as she had feared. It appears to be fairly clean. She did a tissue culture to determine if it is infected by the acinetabacter bumanii. It will take some time for this culture to show.
The doctor has moved on to grafting Jusin's calfs so Justin's pain has increased from the large donor site on his "good" (right) leg. He now has both legs that are hurting. But he is very eager to get the use of his leg back. He remains positive and fairly cheerful.

Medical Update

Saturday was another long day for Justin. He spent six hours in surgery again today. Dr. Hillyard was not able to repair the fracture in Justin's pelvis, since it is already day 14 and it had begun to heal. He WAS able to put screws into the bone to align the Sacroiliac joint. It had already twisted at a severe angle, giving Justin chronic pain. The doctor is disappointed that he was not able to give the pelvic fracture the attention he would have liked to, but is relieved to have adjusted the SI joint.
Justin was able to have his feeding tube removed Friday afternoon. That is huge progress. He is still on a limited diet and is restricted to hospital food. Justin has needed to be on insulin, so every calorie and carbohydrate that he consumes must be monitored. He looks forward to the day I can bring him an orangesicle shake.
As of today his WBC is dropping which is a great sing, especially since he just had surgery yesterday.

Medical Update

Justin underwent a wound vac change. It is a lengthy, grueling, painful process. The doctors (Pulmanologist, Infectious Wound Specialist, Critical Care Specialist, Orthopedic Surgeon, and Plastic Surgeon) all consulted for the second time today. The name of Justin's infection is "acinetabacter bumanii". The doc cultured 2 surfaces of his leg and aspirated fluid from Justin's knee. I received the news that Justin now has this bacteria in his sputem. Meaning, even if they amputate the infected leg, he does not qualify for the necessary surgery on his broken pelvis because they can not risk infection else where.
This will leave him in a lifetime of spinal damage and pain. All the more reason we seek your prayers at this time.

Update

Justin has developed a bacterial infection in the massive wound behind his knee. This is bad news, but it not a complete indicator that an amputation will need to be done. A specialist will be in later this evening to observe the wound.

He still struggles with high blood pressure and a fast heart beat. He is off of the ventilator and the doctors are backing his sedation off. He is obviously uncomfortable and experiencing pain. It is difficult to see him and feel so very helpless. He knows of your love and prayers. We each know of them, too. Thank you.... each of you.

Medical Update

Justin is heavily sedated and is on a ventilator. They will keep him in this state while he is going into the operating room frequently. He seemes to be comfortable, though the tubes and such look frightening. His has struggled with high blood pressure and a high heart rate, but seems slightly improved today. They are watching his temperature continually, since the risk of infection is so high. He will go to the OR today for a schedule bone reconstruction on the bones in his left leg.
He recieved a filter in his artery yesterday so if by chance he did get a blood clot, it would not go into his heart or lungs.

The surgery for his crushed pelvis and fractured hand are both being put on hold until his leg is more stable.
Justin is still in critical condition but we are hoping that he remains stable.

Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and support.
Justin's family

Accident Info

Thank you for checking out our blog and for helping us support Justin.

As you probably know Justin was in an accident May 3rd 2008 at approx 4:30pm. He was heading west on I-80 towards Salt Lake City and hit a trailer that had come undone from the SUV due to a ball that was an incorrect size for the hitch and was stationary in the middle of the road.
Unfortunately the vehicle did not have lights or hazards of any kind to worn Justin that it was stopped and he hit the back bumper.
This is what we have been told has happened and will know more after the police report is obtained. If any information changes, we will let you know.