My Visit With Jason...

My apologies, this blog entry arrives over a week late after returning home from D.C. on Thursday 12/8.

After spending nearly a week with Jason, Dow, and Katy at Walter Reed, I am amazed at Jason’s typical day, which is practically non-stop from the moment he wakes up to when he falls asleep. Between PT, OT, walking around the ward floors to build up his strength, meals, meeting visitors, medical staff visits, phone calls (especially from Jody); I don’t think he has ½ hour of uninterrupted down time.

While I am told there will be flat or down days in Jason’s PT / OT, his rate of progression is simply inspiring. Jason’s positive attitude and work ethic pushes him to walk farther each day and deal with tremendous pain often required to successfully complete his PT.

You cannot walk through the wards and therapy rooms at Walter Reed without realizing the sacrifices that these men and women have made, yet their spirits remain positive and as with Jason, they want to do what needs to be done and get on with their lives. You instantly realize that we can never fully repay them for what they have suffered and lost.

I want to thank Ron C. (parishioner at Holy Trinity) for graciously letting me stay at his home near WR and driving me to the hospital mornings / evenings, and to and from Reagan National. Staying so close to the base made a world of difference on what were long days. I still can’t image what it has been like for Katy and Dow since mid October. Thanks also to Cathy Quinn who has found places to stay for so many of Jason’s family and friends among the Holy Trinity parishioners.

I can’t recall a time in my life where I have experienced such generosity and kindness from so many strangers to Jason, his parents, and to me - proof, that often the most arduous of times brings out the best in all of us.

I hope and pray that Jason and his family experience a happy and peaceful Christmas and for Jason, a 2006 full of personal accomplishment and that he looks forward to pursuing the opportunities available to him after his Army career.