Thursday afternoon, February 25

This week, I received this email from Jamie Langsdorf, a Robbinsville resident: 

Steve:

      The RBA – Pump It Up Fundraiser took place last night.  We had a great turnout (83 kids).  Through the help of the coaches, my wife and kids, Erin Calabro and many others (obviously including the Owners of Pump It Up – Nancy and Jim Cavalo) we were able to raise approx. $1000.

      I will give Don D. the poster board which all of the kids signed for Sean, print out the photos that were taken and the money this week.  I know that you are very close with the family, so I’d appreciate it if you could give it to the Nemazie family on behalf of the RBA and Pump It Up.

       Thanks. I've included a photo of the kids.

 

To Jamie, his family, Erin, Don, the Robbinsville Basketball Association Board and Coaches….THANK YOU!  The Nemazies are absolutely blown away by your thoughtfulness and generosity. I know you were not looking for any fanfare or publicity on this selfless and generous act… but I felt it warranted everyone knowing. 

Also, to Nancy and Jim Cavalo and the staff at Pump It Up (the inflatable party zone), many thanks! Frank and Kathy have promised to come bounce around for a while if they can do so without breaking anything.  Someday soon we hope, Sean will be in there doing backflips! 

Sean is having another productive week. He is eating pretty regularly (nothing solid yet…but he is getting there). There was also a report of him playing blackjack with his therapist and winning!  He continues to work hard in his physical therapy and slowly but surely is getting stronger.

More to come….  Steve

SAUCY!

Shout out to the talented teens from Robbinsville High!


Alright, Sean fans.... a new blog bonus has been added to the right, under his pic. His good friends wrote and produced the song in his honor. I'm thinking if you don't get the meaning, just go with the chorus...  C'mon Sean!


(It takes a minute to load, but worth the wait). It makes great background music while you catch up on the blog and leave your encouraging comments. 


His recovery is gaining momentum, now. So keep those prayers going!

Friday Evening, February 19

It has been another good week for Sean!  He had very productive sessions in physical therapy.  He has begun to read letters and words off a board and understand what they said.  In one session, Sean's therapist asked him to point to spell out the name of a friend who had just been to see him.  Sean pointed to the letters M-I-K-E, referring to Mike Lorenzo who had been out to see him the day before.


Sean has also begun working with moving and stacking small blocks to continue to develop and relearn the use of his hands.

Later in the week, Sean was driven back to Mercer County to see Dr. Vez who had attended to Sean in his stay at Helene Fuld and had performed operations on Sean in the first couple days at the hospital. Dr. Vez felt that Sean was moving ahead at a very good rate.

On another note, I recieved an email today with a song written and performed by Brandon Fleming, Freddie Ulisse, and the aforementioned Mike Lorenzo about Sean. (I pride myself in my collection of Celine Dion, Donna Summer and Andy Gibb CDs, so it wasn't quite my style. BUT, it is very well done and if you prefer Little Wayne to Wayne Newton, you will dig it). Good hustle guys.  Let me know if you want to go public with that tune....it would make a nice fundraiser!

Keep up the good work Sean.

More good news to come.....Steve

Heart-warming article on Sean in the Robbinsville Advance

A new link has been posted in the right-side column. It's an article written by Rob Anthes for the Robbinsville Advance about the fundraiser Sean's alma mater held for his family. Click on the link and take a look. Anthes truly captured the emotion of the evening. Photos from the event accompanying the article are by Suzette J. Lucas.

Tuesday afternoon, February 16

This weekend was an exciting and uplifting one for Sean and the Nemazie clan!  Sean made some huge breakthroughs and has definitely begun his road back.  Nancy and I were up at Kessler to visit Sean early Sunday morning.  As many of you know, neither Sean nor Timmy nor Kathy for that matter, are “morning people”.  Frank is the only one you can talk to in that family before noon.  Anyhow, Sean may not have been happy to see us wander in his room at about 8am, but like the well mannered young man that he is, he stayed awake while we bugged him with questions and stories. 

Sean is definitely out of the minimally conscious state and is fully conscious.  As stated in the previous update, he is answering questions (when he chooses to) with hand signals.  And he answers in a quick manner which has shown that he is processing information quickly.  He is aware of his surroundings and has responded that he is aware that he was in an accident and that he knows where he is.  His eyes will focus on you when you are speaking to him (most of the time).

BUT…..this is not to say that he is alert at all times and, he still remains unable to talk or show expression in his face.  Sean remains in either his bed or his wheelchair as he does not have control of moving his legs or his arms (beyond hand signals) yet. 

Sean still has a lot of work ahead of him and bunch of walls to break down……so keep the prayers and the support coming strong. 

A special thank you to Sean’s Uncle Steve who returned to Florida on Sunday.  It is no coincidence that Sean progressed so greatly during your stay here in NJ.  Your positive spirit and energy came at just the right time.  Enjoy the sunshine down there (for a little while) and come back soon!!!!

More to come!      ….Steve

Friday Morning, February 12

Some really great news came in from Kessler this morning!   

Sean’s therapist called Frank very excited to tell him that Sean is communicating via hand signals.  They have taught Sean to use his hands to signal yes and no. 

The therapist asked Sean 20 questions this morning and Sean answered all 20 correctly! 

She did throw in some curve balls to try and trick Sean.  She asked if he grew up in Newark and Sean signaled “no”.  She asked if Sean grew up in Trenton and Sean signaled “no”.  She asked if Sean grew up in Robbinsville and Sean signaled “yes”.  She asked Sean if he knew he was at Kessler and Sean signaled “yes”.  She asked if Sean was in any pain and Sean signaled “no”. 

 If you want a complete list of the 20 questions and Sean’s responses, please ask Frank (JUST KIDDING!!!!!.....don’t bug Frankie for details).

Sean’s eyes were wide open during this morning’s session also…..which he has been doing more often.

Sean still has a long way to go, BUT this is a big step and hopefully the first of many breakthroughs. 

Way to go Sean!!!

More to come soon.  Steve

Saturday Night, February 6

Sean's Uncle Steve arrived from Florida this week and has spent alot of time with Sean at Kessler. Last night, Steve spent the night with Sean and stayed with him all day today.

Steve was very upbeat about his time with Sean. Sean showed signs of movement with his arms when reacting to touching. Steve was able to get Sean to engage in a little game of tug-o-war with a sock. Sean also began blinking his eyes when asked questions. Maybe a little of that Florida magic was just what the doctor ordered.

Sean's therapists and doctors remain positive although Sean is not awake or fully conscious yet. When asked if they thought he is where he should be progress-wise, the doctor responded that "it is never as fast a recovery as we want it to be". He went on to say that he has seen patients recover faster and he has seen patients recover slower....everybody is different.

Lets all keep praying that the road Sean is on is the road to full recovery.

More to come......Steve