These are the sisters(nurses) from the clinic all dressed up performing a dance at their annual celebration.

My father and I out infront of the clinic on Christmas day. A guy was selling pictures with his cow that he had all dressed up.

Uncle Freddie at the monument.

This is a good close-up of the tower. Remember every stone was hand carved. Not bad for nine hundred years ago.

This is another part of the monument.

Picture of the monument Qutb Minar.

Week Three

Well, week number three has come and gone. It sure doesn't seem like we've been here that long, but I'm sure that feeling will eventually wear off. Nothing like being gone for the holidays to make you start feeling a little home sick. This weeks improvements were not quite as earth shattering as last weeks, but are still very noticeable. All the improvements I have made so far just keep getting stronger with everyday and that is exactly what I need to happen. In order for me to be able to get out of this wheelchair and walk I need the strength to support myself first. The best part of my day by far is getting in my my leg calipers and practicing standing. Imagine that huh... While standing I practice leaning forward and pulling myself back upright. This will strengthen my back and stomach muscles which will enable to stand on my own. The muscles are still very week and they tire quickly, but the important part is that I can feel them getting tired. This means the muscles are working and of course working them will make them grow stronger. It's just a matter of time before I have all the strengtho put it all together. I am still doing my yoga and accupressure four times a week and beleive this is helping a lot as well. My yoga instructor is very knowledgeable and i enjoy the time he spends with me.
The three of us did venture out last Sunday and went and did ac few things. First stop was the Big Bazzar. We were expecting maybe something similar to a Wal-Mart or something along those lines. We were wrong. It turned out to be pretty much to be a giant empty building. It was set up like a mall with three floors but where all the stores and shops would be they were all empty. Their was one small store that had three floors. It was like a very small Target. Their was also a shoe store, which is why we made the stop in the first place so i guess the trip served it's purpose. Second stop was at an archaeological monument called Qutb Minar. A king of India had it constructed nearly nine hundred years ago for his daughter. The monument consists of a stone tower over two hundred and seventy feet high. Built with no concrete or mortar, each stone was hand carved and made to interlock with the other stones. It was surrounded by a number of other stone ruins that also have a lot of archaeological significance. To many details to get into. The third and last stop of the day was to a place called the Shopping Emporium. Here their were different items for sale from all the different states of India. They had everything from jewelery, handbags, woodcarved items and so on. They had a very nice selection and we will probably make our way back to buy some souvenirs. It was a nice afternoon but by the time we made it back to the clinic we were all pretty wore slick.
It was a short work week due to a couple of occasions. Of course Christmas was on Thursday which we celebrated with the r5est of the patients. We gathered down in the lobby and ordered out Italian for lunch. The meal and company was very good. Not near like being at home but everybody made the best of it and it turned out fine. The second occasion was the clinics end of the year celebration. The celebration consisted of live entertainment ranging from live singing, a fashion show, different dance performances, and even a guitar solo of Santana played by Dr. Shroff's husband. This turned out to be the highlight of the week by far. All the different acts were performed by members of the staff and were amazing. It was really neat to see the staff kind of cut loose and have a fun time. Everybody had a blast. At the end of the show they had a buffet of traditional Indian cuisine for everyone to eat. In attendance were al the patients, staff, family members and even two members of the National Medical Board. What a good time had by all.
Last but not least on my list to tell you about is my first major procedure that takes place on Monday and will run through Wednesday. This procedure will consist of them placing a catheter in the thoracic region of my back. This enables them to inject millions of stem cells twice a day towards the injury area of my spine and kind of let the cells saturate the area. I am looking forward to having the procedure and eagerly await the results. Wish me luck and talk to everyone soon. Lucas

Another rooftop pic.

Pictures from the clinic rooftop.

Another pic of me standing. Happy times

Picture of me standing with my leg calipers on. That is Dipen my physical therapist standing behind me.

More Exciting News

Well, where do I start? It seems like every time I sit down to do my blog I have so much new and exciting news I just don't know where to begin. Since my last blog on Sunday I believe I have had the most exciting five days of my whole entire life. With every new day it seems my stem cells awaken a new part of my body and allow me to reach one step closer to my ultimate goal of being able to walk again. It is amazing at how quickly the stem cells are taking affect and I believe that it is safe to say that everyone, even the doctors, are impressed with the progress. Every improvement I mentioned in my last blog has continued and all have grown stronger. I have also added a few new tricks to my repertoire as well. I am now able to bring my thumb and index finger together to touch on both of my hands. It is a slow process and the muscles in the hands exhaust quickly but it is there. The whole week showed steady progress during my physical therapy sessions. My physio sessions have also been moved to twice daily due to the completion of my standing calipers. One session for table work and another for working on standing. Dipen, my physical therapist, is very competent and pushes me to work hard as well. Friday came and with it the most exciting development in my recovery yet. The morning started with a small conference in my room. Dr. Sudeep, Dr. Ashish, Dr. Shroff and Dr. Rohit were present. Dr. Sudeep and Dr. Rohit are the two doctors we are in contact with daily. Dr. Sudeep is usually our go to guy. He is young, always smiling and very witty. The meaning of the conference was simple. We have been reporting all of my progress to Doctors Sudeep and Rohit and in turn they have been reporting it to Docotrs Ashish and Shroff. We had a small discussion to kind of confirm all the progress that has been mentioned. Afterwards I headed down to physical therapy to start my workout. I hadn't been on the table five minutes and there were the doctors ready to see for themselves. On Dr. Shroff's command I moved both sets of toes. I was able to move the fingers on my hand. Upon seeing the strength I have regained in my hips she immediately asked for my leg calipers to be put to do some standing. Once in place at the parallel bars I was told to shift weight to one side and try to use my hips to move my leg forward. While my balance was being assisted I am proud to say I took my first two steps. One step with each leg. Everyone was amazed. As I looked up at my father I could tell that it was a very emotional moment for him to see his son on his feet once again. Like I said the doctors couldn't be happier with my progress and for now we are just going to keep with what we are doing. No new procedures are scheduled for now but I will keep everybody updated. I have more to tell but fingers are getting weak. Talk to everyone real soon. I appreciate all the comments. Lucas

P.S. Fred and dad are doing great. I will discuss the three of us in the next blog a little more.

Week Two

It's the end of week two and the three of us are pretty much settled in and are starting to get into a normal routine. Finding our groove is how I like to put it. I believe the three of us have adjusted very well considering the circumstances. You never know what you are going to get when you throw three corn fed, homegrown, country boys into an environment like this, but I think we're going to make it. I know one thing I couldn't be doing this without my dad and fred. I hope they know how much I love them and appreciate everything they do for me.
Well, enough of that on to the exciting stuff. As you all know I had my first spinal procedure last Thursday. Everything went well and as planned. Their really wasn't much to it. I stayed in bed until they came with a gurney to take me to the operating room. Once in the operating room they transferred me from my back to my stomach onto the operating table. Of course while all of this is going on I am practicing my breathing techniques and focusing where I am wanting to direct the stem cells that are getting ready to be injected into my body. As I prepare my mind Dr. Ashish preps the site at where the injection will take place. The injection will take place right above the coccyx area. In the matter of minutes the procedure is over with. Millions of stem cells have been injected and are hopefully in route to the injured area of my spine. A few moments later I am taken back to my room where I am to lay in bed on my back for four hours. Dr. Ashish swings by the room a little later to check up on me and make sure everything is fine. That is the only spinal procedure I have received so far. I have still been receiving my a.m. and p.m. stem cell shots in the arm daily. They did however switch it up today and I received my stem cells by I.V. This allows the stem cells to be injected directly into the blood stream which enables them to reach the injury site that much quicker.
I have saved the best part for last. I have been here for two weeks now and have been receiving stem cell injections for twelve days. All last week during my physical therapy sessions I noticed some amazing changes happening in my body. In my arms, my wrist flexors and tricep muscles have gotten noticeably stronger. My sitting balance the best it has been since my accident. I can now feel my left hip as it is being stretched out. My over all sensation throughout the lower half of my body has been greatly increased. After my procedure on Thursday my feet had a strong tingly sensation for a couple of hours. This all great stuff, but hold on it gets even better. Starting on Saturday evening I am now able to move my toes on both of my feet. How cool is that? Now, I don't think I will be up and dancing tomorrow but my toes are definitely moving, And if that wasn't enough. Today in physical therapy I started moving my hands as well. Small movements with the fingers on both hands but very noticeable as I try to make a fist. Incredible!!!!!! It's amazing what doctor Shroff and her team of doctors are doing over here. Well, gotta go for now. I hope this gets everybody as excited as we are. Talk to everyone soon.

Pictures

If you want to enlarge the pictures just click on them and it gives you a lot better view. I will be publishing A new blog tomorrow. All is well and talk to you soon.

This is one of the local market streets just down from the clinic. Different shops line both sides of the street. As you can see a lot is going on.

This is the hotel that fred and dad alternate staying at. It's right next door to the clinic. As you can see the hotel is above another clinic where you receive x-rays and scans.

Uncle Fred and I in front of the clinic.

Another view of the room. This would be my office area. As you can see the kitchen as well as my bedroom are ajoining.

Picture of the room. This is our kitchen area. This is where breakfest is made daily.

The mall we went to. Nothing to special.

This is just one of the lines of people waiting to get to the temple.

This is another shot of all the people going and coming to the temple.

One Week Down

We have managed to survive our first full week in India. What an experience!!! Being here only a week I have experienced very little of what Delhi has to offer but what I have seen has been quite an eye opener. The three of us loaded up and headed out on our first excursion this past weekend, our destination was the City Walk Mall. It was about a twenty minute cab ride, which turned out to be the highlight of the day. As our cab driver weaved in and out of traffic It was all you could do just to take everything in. The shear humanity is overwhelming. Cars,buses, and motorcycles in total chaos somehow manage to find their way without little our no accidents. I don't see how it's possible. The mall we made it to was nothing special. It was very similar to everyother mall i have been to. We had lunch, checked out the stores and that was that. When we left the mall we made our way to the Lotus Temple. As we approached the temple their were thousands of people waiting patiently in a line stretching for at least a mile long. Many of the women were dressed in such colorful clothing. It was a beautiful sight. It is amazing how they could be so patient and wait their own turn. You wouldn't see anything like that in the states that's for sure.
I have continued to receive my stem cell shots in the morning and evening daily but have yet to see any improvements. It is still very early so not to worry. Everyone hear at the clinic could not be nicer and try anyway possible to accommodate you. The room we are staying in could be about five times bigger but we are making due. The food, what can I say about the food? I hate vegetables and that seems to be all that they cook with. We are making do but loosing weight in the progress. Me and my father have started yoga and are in the process of convincing freddy to join. Our mission here is to not only heal the body but mind and soul as well. Sounds a little corny I know but might as well take full advantage of the situation. That is it for now. I will be in touch. Like I said thanks for the comments. I really appreciate them.

THIS JUST IN: I will be having my first spinal procedure in the morning. This is what we have made the trip for so here we go. Wish me luck.

Getting Started

Well I cam proud to say that I am now a carrier of human embryonic stem cells. After meeting with with the doctors and my physical therapist yesterday I received my first stem cell injection. It was a small dosage just to test my bodies reaction to the treatment but i am happy to say everything went well. I also started my physical therapy as well. The first couple of days have been long and tiresome but that is to be expected. Of course having my father and uncle freddie here have made everything go as smooth as possible. I have been visiting with other patients who have been here for awhile and love what I here. Everyone is making improvements. This has me eager and ready to get to work. This whole blogging deal is a little more difficult than I thought especially when my father and fred are whining in the background about how hungry they are. Kinda hard to concentrate so that's all for now. I promise I will keep you all posted. Also, I appreciate every one's comments. I enjoy reading them. Talk to you again real soon.

We have Arrived

After thirty hours of travel we have arrived safely in Delhi. As we stepped offthe plane we couldn't help but be overwhelmed. Wow!!! We are in India. We have been planning for this trip for months and are finally here. I will have plenty more to write about but am going to get some rest for now.