I think that we can all have a small celebration today, a little fist clenching "YESSS" will do the trick. You know the kind you do when England score a goal, a small victory but you know you're still a long way from the final whistle, and anything can happen! That's what I did when Janie and Dad returned from their morning visit. It seemed that Justin, who has "slept" through most of our visits since being at the Nusi, finally decided to open his eyes again when Janie asked him to, then very so lightly squeezed her hand. Dad also experienced a similar reaction when he was with him and even saw Justin try to communicate something with his lips. He's done this before but for some reason it seemed more real this time. He's probably saying "What the fuck was I doing on the set of MASH for so long"
It's important to not get too carried away though, Janie spoke to the Doctor about the latest developments, he was cautious but confident that repeat signs of a similar nature would clearly signify that his responses and awareness are SLOWLY coming back. We'll stick it in the bank thank you very much and watch that grow with interest!
As promised yesterday, I shaved off my hair in solidarity. It was getting a bit long anyway since Jessica is not around to cut it. There are many symbolic meanings behind the shaving of ones head, in many religious practices it's considered an act of devotion. Well there's no question about that in my case, but I did it because like many people, I just wanted to look like Justin. Simple! It's not completely bald, Justin's is about a 5 so I went for the same. Now i'm not suggesting that we all go out and shave our heads but if you are planning on a new look, get the clippers out and dedicate it to our man on the front line, he'd like that!
I was excited to see him for the afternoon visit, especially after hearing about the morning's mini breakthrough. Mum, Anita and Talo came too, Anita hadn't seen him up to today and as much as Talo would love to see Justin and climb all over him, he's too young and not even allowed in the visiting section of the hospital. Mum went in first, typically Justin was "asleep" again, I say asleep because he looks so peaceful and rested but it's important to know that he is still very much in a coma. Periods of eyes opening, voluntary movement of limbs, squeezing of the hand and attempts to communicate are all signs of a rising towards some level of consciousness. What is difficult to tell at this stage is how much comprehension he has or will have when he wakes. Only time will tell and for that we are keeping everything crossed. In some ways, it's more comforting to see him asleep, or at least with his eyes closed. He doesn't look so confused, he has a placid expression on his face a look of calmness, as if to say, "I'm healing, leave me be, just for now" Needless to say that Mum wasn't treated to a little hand squeeze, in fact neither was I when it was my turn.
They were still doing some physio with him when I entered, that didn't wake him either. I tried my special "C'MON JUSTIN" healing mantra but I couldn't quite dig deep enough for some reason, there seemed to be a bit more going on in there than usual. Before I knew it, I was being asked to leave by the security nurse who thought that my time was up and Anita wanted in. Well Anita did want to see him but not at the expense of my time with him, the nurse got a bit confused. Anyway Anita spent some quality time with Justin for the first time since our wedding in April where Justin was my best man. She has a calming nature and a gentle touch so i'm sure Justin was pleased to see her. She did have to witness the chest clearing which gave her some insight as to what we had to deal with when we were extras on the set of MASH ward 108. We left Justin listening to a playlist of some of mine and his favourite artists, with a few random tunes thrown in that just might jolt his senses, does that make me a bad person?
Justin and I chose to live slightly alternative lives, well according the "Book of Options" when leaving Mayesbrook Comprehensive School in Dagenham. Of course there is no such book because quite frankly there were not that many options. We both had stints in banking on leaving school but gradually worked towards doing jobs we enjoyed such as working in the music business in various different forms. Eventually we promoted ourselves to choosing lifestyles that would satisfy our desire to be free from corporate England. I remember skimming through a book once by a philosopher named Juji Krishnamurti. I can't really remember what the book was about but the essence of his teaching was "Do what makes you happy to do, and you will do right" that phrase changed my life, I decided to leave the rat race and stride on through as many open doors as I could find.
Several years on, during Justin's best man speech at mine and Anita's wedding, he reminded me of something that I once said to him, "Do what makes you happy to do, then figure out a way of making a living out of it". I eventually went on to train birds of prey to fly with Paragliders in Nepal and he went on to become a pioneering DJ. We both love our lives but it comes at a price and we have had to make a number of sacrifices. Being away from our old friends and families is one of the hardest to bare but on a practical level can also have massive consequences. One of these consequences is that when it goes wrong, it goes royally wrong. We would be in a whole different situation if this accident would have happened at home in the UK. As a loving family we have found ourselves in a difficult situation with very few options. On the one hand, yes Justin did receive free medical carte, the government hospital saved his life but beyond that, in order for him to have the best chance of survival, he had to be moved to the facility where he is now. With no option to fly him back home to the UK for several months, this is where he will stay, and that comes at a price.
Our friend Max Chandra has taken it upon himself to help alleviate the financial burden that Justin's recovery and rehabilitation will have. Max has set up a CareForJustin campaign to raise funds for Justin's healing and we can't thank him enough for his efforts. This is difficult for me to do as I have always been someone who can pay my way but ultimately this is not for me, all we want is what's best for Justin. I know that many of Justin's friends old and new, near and far want to see Justin back up on his feet again so if you would like to help, please contact Max - careforjustin@gmail.com - Max will guide you through the process in complete confidence.
All that's really left to say is…
C'MON JUSTIN...
It's important to not get too carried away though, Janie spoke to the Doctor about the latest developments, he was cautious but confident that repeat signs of a similar nature would clearly signify that his responses and awareness are SLOWLY coming back. We'll stick it in the bank thank you very much and watch that grow with interest!
As promised yesterday, I shaved off my hair in solidarity. It was getting a bit long anyway since Jessica is not around to cut it. There are many symbolic meanings behind the shaving of ones head, in many religious practices it's considered an act of devotion. Well there's no question about that in my case, but I did it because like many people, I just wanted to look like Justin. Simple! It's not completely bald, Justin's is about a 5 so I went for the same. Now i'm not suggesting that we all go out and shave our heads but if you are planning on a new look, get the clippers out and dedicate it to our man on the front line, he'd like that!
I was excited to see him for the afternoon visit, especially after hearing about the morning's mini breakthrough. Mum, Anita and Talo came too, Anita hadn't seen him up to today and as much as Talo would love to see Justin and climb all over him, he's too young and not even allowed in the visiting section of the hospital. Mum went in first, typically Justin was "asleep" again, I say asleep because he looks so peaceful and rested but it's important to know that he is still very much in a coma. Periods of eyes opening, voluntary movement of limbs, squeezing of the hand and attempts to communicate are all signs of a rising towards some level of consciousness. What is difficult to tell at this stage is how much comprehension he has or will have when he wakes. Only time will tell and for that we are keeping everything crossed. In some ways, it's more comforting to see him asleep, or at least with his eyes closed. He doesn't look so confused, he has a placid expression on his face a look of calmness, as if to say, "I'm healing, leave me be, just for now" Needless to say that Mum wasn't treated to a little hand squeeze, in fact neither was I when it was my turn.
They were still doing some physio with him when I entered, that didn't wake him either. I tried my special "C'MON JUSTIN" healing mantra but I couldn't quite dig deep enough for some reason, there seemed to be a bit more going on in there than usual. Before I knew it, I was being asked to leave by the security nurse who thought that my time was up and Anita wanted in. Well Anita did want to see him but not at the expense of my time with him, the nurse got a bit confused. Anyway Anita spent some quality time with Justin for the first time since our wedding in April where Justin was my best man. She has a calming nature and a gentle touch so i'm sure Justin was pleased to see her. She did have to witness the chest clearing which gave her some insight as to what we had to deal with when we were extras on the set of MASH ward 108. We left Justin listening to a playlist of some of mine and his favourite artists, with a few random tunes thrown in that just might jolt his senses, does that make me a bad person?
Justin and I chose to live slightly alternative lives, well according the "Book of Options" when leaving Mayesbrook Comprehensive School in Dagenham. Of course there is no such book because quite frankly there were not that many options. We both had stints in banking on leaving school but gradually worked towards doing jobs we enjoyed such as working in the music business in various different forms. Eventually we promoted ourselves to choosing lifestyles that would satisfy our desire to be free from corporate England. I remember skimming through a book once by a philosopher named Juji Krishnamurti. I can't really remember what the book was about but the essence of his teaching was "Do what makes you happy to do, and you will do right" that phrase changed my life, I decided to leave the rat race and stride on through as many open doors as I could find.
Several years on, during Justin's best man speech at mine and Anita's wedding, he reminded me of something that I once said to him, "Do what makes you happy to do, then figure out a way of making a living out of it". I eventually went on to train birds of prey to fly with Paragliders in Nepal and he went on to become a pioneering DJ. We both love our lives but it comes at a price and we have had to make a number of sacrifices. Being away from our old friends and families is one of the hardest to bare but on a practical level can also have massive consequences. One of these consequences is that when it goes wrong, it goes royally wrong. We would be in a whole different situation if this accident would have happened at home in the UK. As a loving family we have found ourselves in a difficult situation with very few options. On the one hand, yes Justin did receive free medical carte, the government hospital saved his life but beyond that, in order for him to have the best chance of survival, he had to be moved to the facility where he is now. With no option to fly him back home to the UK for several months, this is where he will stay, and that comes at a price.
Our friend Max Chandra has taken it upon himself to help alleviate the financial burden that Justin's recovery and rehabilitation will have. Max has set up a CareForJustin campaign to raise funds for Justin's healing and we can't thank him enough for his efforts. This is difficult for me to do as I have always been someone who can pay my way but ultimately this is not for me, all we want is what's best for Justin. I know that many of Justin's friends old and new, near and far want to see Justin back up on his feet again so if you would like to help, please contact Max - careforjustin@gmail.com - Max will guide you through the process in complete confidence.
All that's really left to say is…
C'MON JUSTIN...
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