Jo was actually supposed to have her first hip surgery last Thursday, but due to several factors, most notably the feud between United Healthcare and the Health One Hospital Network in Denver, things have been delayed. Jo's first hip surgery is now scheduled for November 9th. It's hard to believe that in barely over 2 weeks, the process or regaining mobility could begin.
Of course, Jo has the most amazing attitude you could ever imagine, and she would probably never admit the truth, but for the sake of accuracy, I will share with you how tough her hip problem has become. From a standing position, Jo can bend down toward her feet no more than about 45 degrees. Try putting your socks on while only bending 45 degrees. It cannot be done.
Jo uses a cane to get around the house and that helps a lot. When she goes outside of the house, she still uses her crutches, which come with their own hazards. Yesterday, we were at the Park Meadows Mall, taking Anna for a little walk. Jo's crutch slipped on the marble floor and Jo was instantly headed for the floor. Fortunately, before coming to a rest on the floor, she landed partially on our new nanny, Emily. We were all scared to death, but when it was over, Jo was okay - a little more sore than normal, but no pain that would indicate bone damage.
Some of the toughest things for Jo are getting in and out of the car, getting in and out of the bath tub and picking something up off the floor. Back in February, when we were at the NIH, they gave us a bunch of "tools" to help with daily activities and we are now becoming more and more dependent on those tools.
Jo's blood counts are very good and they are holding steady. She is still taking Cyclosporine, which is an anti-rejection drug normally given to transplant patients. She will not be completely off of the Cyclosporine until sometime around August of 2007. It's amazing how non-threatening Jo's life-threatening blood disorder seems compared to the problems she has with her hips.
Our nanny, Emily, came to live with us from England at the beginning of October and she and Anna are already best friends. Emily has been absolutely tremendous and we are extremely lucky to have been put in touch with her. Emily is a very good friend of Rachael McEnaney, one of the top line dance instructors in the world and a very good friend of Jo. Thank you Rachael for getting us in touch with Emily.
We are coming up on 2 full years under the care of Dr. Alvarez and to commemorate this anniversary, we have something very special in the works for him. Believe it or not, The Pussycat Dolls are working on a remake of one of the hit songs that will be dedicated to him on the two-year anniversary. I have personally volunteered my time to try to make it possible for them to come and sing to him in person. Stay tuned...
