It is time now to order THE wheelchair.  It will be a decision that no-one ever thinks about making.  How about a car, or a house….,but a wheelchair?  It takes a lot of consideration and expertise to decide on the size, material, shape, and -in case of a woman:) - the colour of a chair.  Someone along the way must make a pretty profit on a $5,000 chair…..  The insurance picks up a chunk of it in our case - BUT if you are looking for a sales position it must give you an idea of field:)   It is 4 wheels and a frame, nothing robotic.  I guess Wall-Mart didn’t get the right approach to it yet.

At this time the source of most problems actually comes from her room mate.  It is more and more clear to me now that Jitka suffers from sleep deprivation.  Between the regular 4hr interval of care (8PM, 12 and 4 AM) she has to wake to the sound breaking, barking snore of her neighbour.  Fortunately, it will make her appreciate my gentle, nightly “serenade”. chraa…..brrrrr

For two days we have Teresa and Jess visiting from Greenville, NC.  If you follow this blog you sure have had a chance to read about them.  They both have been a tremendous help to me personally, especially looking after Rowan and Encsi when I needed it. The children are the driving force of this process.  I feel guilty of the times when I thought they slow me down. I know it is actually I, and this horrible situation, that has slowing effect on them. I am looking very hard to find a caring, loving nanny for them.  They deserve more attention.  I think I am just a little bit worn out.  Fortunately, Jitka just absolutely adores having them around regardless the chaos we three carry along to her…..   It is wonderful to see.   

I mention one more thing before calling it a night: Love and THANKS to my family. Thank you for your help.  Love to Jitka’s brother and his family. and to her parents, many thanks.  There are neighbours who turn into friends. There are friends who turn into family.  And there is family which becomes an ever closer and stronger entity. It is too bad Jitka has to pay the sacrifice for it, and I am so limited in sharing the burden.  With all my love, thank you ALL!  Jani

We had Bill and Rachel Anderson here for a quick visit.  I hope you all know them, so I won’t need to tell you how wonderful people they are:)  They were our friends/neighbours in Seabrook, TX.  I didn’t tell Jitka about their visit ahead of time.  It was really exciting to see her face drop when she noticed them!!!  I wish I had the camera there with me.  Under this Seabrook entry I would like to thank Susan and Kevin for the special event for Jitka.  And thank you all who visited us via them! (and helped Kevin emptying the keg)   

Jitka has no break from the hard work she is doing.  Her really wonderful nurses and caretakers are helping and doing a great job.  I will need to dedicate a very special page to mention the medical stuff at Pitt County Memorial Hospital and at the Shepherd Center for their “job well done”.  Will make a “Page of our heroes”! 

Magyarul a vegere forditottam

Arriving on a “day pass” to friends’ house - H-Megerkezes az ismerosok hazaba

Roro playing with the wheelchair - H -Roro jatszik a toloszekkel

The pretty smile is back - H - A visszatert mosoly

Colour matching what? - H - Meg a  szinvak is megdorzsoli a szemet ettol…

I was allowed to take Jitka from the hospital for the afternoon.  We used our newly learned chair-to-car transfer skills.  After a long struggle of moving her into the car we drove to our friends’ house.  Jitka’s biggest treat ever!  She loved sitting on the couch.  We had a wonderful afternoon with a great dinner.  Encsi and Roro were very happy to open their presents.  I think all this made Jitka a little more homesick if that is possible…..  I am so happy we are able to be together like this.  It was very special in many ways.  She cried through opening her cards and presents.  Thank you for your thoughts, gifts, and spirit! You help us all not to look at the past, but to look toward the future with greater hope and stronger courage.  What a wonderful feeling to have such a great support behind us.  It makes a GREAT difference.

Hungarian :

Megengedtek hogy kivigyem Jitkat a korhazbol ma delutan.  A nemreg tanult toloszekbol valo atmaszast az autoba most hasznaltuk.  Talan fel ora amig elkeszulunk az indulasra.  Utanna egy baratunk hazaba mentunk.  Jitka nagyon orult neki.  Kulonosen a heveron valo lazitasnak.  Gyonyoru delutanunk es vacsorank volt.  A gyerekek kibontottak az ajandekokat.  Ez az egesz nagy honvagyat ebresztett Jitkaban.  Boldog vagyok hogy igy ossze tudtunk jonni, nagyon kulonleges volt sok ertelemben.  Jitka sirt amikor a lapokat olvasta es az ajandekbontas kozben.

A sok szep gondolat es joakarat nagyon segit bennunket hogy ne a multat sajnaljuk, hanem a jovot nezzuk nagyobb remennyel es erosebb batorsaggal.  Ez nagyon jo erzes hogy ilyen sokfelol es ilyen nagy mertekben kapunk segitseget.  Ebbol tudunk a valtoztatashoz erot meriteni.

We would like to take this opportunity and wish you - the wonderful, caring people - a very merry Christmas!  We wish you get to hug those you love, and feel the love in and around you!  Thanks for being there when we needed you.  Thank you for caring about us.  Thank you for the hope.  Thanks for the love. 

Jitka, Janos, Rowan and Encsi

Here we are ganging up on Jitka for Christmas.  Her parents are here as well and she certainly has lots of attention.  Now we make our dinner time like a family should: We bring food to an area with tables and spend some nice time together.  Jitka has OK appetite - eats more than mouse, but less than a kitten….

She had her neuropsych testing done and it seems like everything is all right in the memory department. I am a little disappointed about it though: For a while I was hoping that some things I have done in the past she would be grateful enough not to recall:) 

Fortunately her fluid waisting problem has improved greatly as well.  She does not need a constant catheter any more.  This makes moving around more plesent.  As a great disappiontment, this morning the catheter had to be reinstalled because the of a likely new infection.

Jitka and I started to practice moving into a vehicle.  I need to learn how to help her transferring on a slide board.  If we get signed off on it we will have a chance to get a pass to leave the hospital for a few ours.  That would be just absolutely great!  I am planning to use the time to have a nice meal together at our friends house here in Atlanta, and to open presents by their Christmas tree.   

We had such a nice tine yesterday evening.  Jitka, Papa, Nana, a friend from Seattle Monja, Todd, Melissa, Charlie, Rowan, Encsi, and I were all together.  Had some great meal from Wholefoods - (thanks Kurt:)) - and took lots of pictures.

I was back at home in NC for a few days.  It is still absolutely amazing how much support we get from our friends there.  Someone is looking after our house, Niki at Kidstown is looking after the children if it is needed.  Neighbors gave us food/presents/offered help with work on the house.  We built a ramp with Jitka colleague Dr. Ray to the back of the house.  At this time we are waiting to get get our application approved to purchase a house with full wheelchair accessibility.  It is difficult because we can’t sell our current house before the purchase of the new one.  Too many details to mention here…  The ramp is needed to our current home for Jitka to go home to the house she knows is home.  She won’t be able to live there, but I think it is very important to take her home there first, even if it is for an hour.

I hope I get to update this site one more time before Christmas, but if you don’t get to read it for a while, Merry Christmas to you from us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I found out why my mother keeps cutting our conversations short when I call her. She abruptly says bye and rushes to end nearly every time we talk.  She still can’t talk about Jitka without crying.  Today, she didn’t hang up, but she could not keep her tears either.  I knew this tragedy has been wearing her thin, but have not heard her cry since I left Hungary two days after the accident happened.  She said she feels Jitka will stand up again, maybe she won’t walk well, but she will stand.  She also told me that her strong feelings sooner or later are always right.  It would be hard for me to say “yes, that is true” after years and years of disagreement.  And I need to say yes.  I need to say yes, because her big heart never failed us.  My mother is truly one who has suffered greatly and crossed hardship with the greatest strength I have ever seen.  I like to feel she is right again.  She said she cries as she prays every night for Jitka to walk again.  She said better times will come.  Mother, I hope so much you are right.

My wife wants to come home so much.  She says it now every day that she wants to come home with us.  Rowan said we all need to eat more now to be strong, and able to carry mummy.  I guess we all have opportunity to do our best now. This horrible accident has brought a tremendous amount of good out of family, friends, neighbours, colleagues.  Jitka cries when reminded of our 15 year old neighbour Walker who held her bleeding head up until the responders arrived.  Thank you Walker. From that moment on so many people helped to save her life.  I wish to thank you all. 

Hello all, we hope you are well.  It has been a little bit eventful for Jitka the past couple of days.  Jitka has had a real problem with the fluid restriction of 1500ml.  With her spinal cord injury she has to drain her bladder manually and this should not be done extremely frequently to avoid complications.  Therefore the patient should not drink excessively.  Unfortunately her urine output did not decrease much with the fluid restriction and therefore it looks like she has something called “diabetes insipidus”.  It is a condition that can happen with brain trauma that reduces the levels of “antidiuretic hormone” or “ADH”.  This hormone acts on the kidneys to allow them to reabsorb water so that it is not lost into the urine and is the reason we don’t drink and pee constantly.  In any case, Jitka is being treated for this, and actually the over production of another hormone called “prolactin”-I’ll let you figure out what that one does.  She had a pretty nasty response to one of the medications and was vomiting quite a bit.  I spoke with Dr. Beauman and it looks like they are going to stop or cut back significantly on the med that made her sick.  Hopefully that will do the trick and there is nothing else going on.  Dr. Beauman was extremely kind.  He even gave me his cell phone number! I promise not to abuse it!  It is just so hard to try to understand what is happening through little tidbits from Jitka.  She has enough on her mind.

Jitka has been fortunate to have so many visitors from out of town.  It means alot to her that so many would come from so far.  I think that it is good for everyone.  I know that seeing her improvement at my last visit set my own heart at ease.  Hers too, I hope.

Otherwise, Jani is back in Greenville, trying to make arrangements for Jitka’s return.  We are still working on trying to buy that house next door-hopefully things will progress expeditiously as Jitka’s projected discharge is toward the end of January.  There’s alot of work to do between now and then.  Thank you to all that have offered help.  Right now, it is just a matter of waiting on the paper work.  Our friend, David Lever  is in real estate and has been working tirelessly with Jani to arrange the purchase and repair of the home.  David has done so much; I don’t know how to thank him.  God bless you, David, if you are reading this.

Well, I think I’ll stop there.  We’ll keep you posted on any new developments.  For now, I think that no news is good news.  I think that I have had all of the “news” that my coronary arteries can handle in the past two months.  I have been comforted by the tremendous outpouring of support.  We all have.  Thank you all so very, very much.

Have fun Christmas shopping!  Take care,

Kal

Hello Everyone,

I can’t log on with the lap top for the time being and the promised pictures are still to come….

Jitka is working on transfer form chair to bed moving.  She had craft class, and tomorrow she will be taken out of the hospital the first time.  Hopefully to the cinema.  Shepherd Center is making an excellent job making it available for people to do what they love doing. 

She is very seriously thinking having her hair cut very short.  The lock in her hair from the blood and being bed ridden just don’t want to go away.  That will be a different look for sure!

Rowan went to eat pizza today with his new friend Cali today.  Encsi is being looked after by Megan.  It has been a wonderful two hours with the children screaming around!

I will be back in Greenville to get some stuff done.  Will do a nice update with pictures here from there.  In the mean time, THANK YOU for everything!!!

I am tired of Kal’s bad English again.  So here I am sending out a quick update.  It is a such a happiness for me to see Jitka looking forward to things. She is so happy to hear friends coming to visit her. Today Marsha and Steve flew down from MA to visit. This was perfect timing for me since today I had to spend time in training to learn how to take care of daily activities that her injury requires tending to.  Also I had an opportunity to spend more time with her today since Megan and Melissa were looking after the kids. I need to mention here that Jitka’s water intake has been restricted again. She’s been taking in more than necessary fluids and we have to keep an eye on how much she drinks. Her appetite is fair, and she is happy to roll down to the cafeteria to spend lunchtime with us. I have a picture later for you of Rowan pushing her wheelchair (to be posted later). Her bones are nearly healed (with occasional pain still), but unfortunately there is a recurring wound from a skin graft on her leg that was accidently ripped open that continues to weep. Hopefully that will heal soon as well. Now we have to start thinking about what she will need once she leaves the hospital setting. It is amazing how many issues there are to think of. Soon we will need a to-do list. Jitka just realized today that she would need a wheelchair once she reaches Greenville. Part of her thought that she had time to shop around for awhile. She enjoys the attention and daily emails and cards she gets from people and she repeatedly asks me to thank you all for your kindness. I believe her memory is improving greatly now. She showed me how to erase pictures from our digital camera and we will have more pictures to upload soon.

 Please forgive me for the infrequent updates. At this point her progress is slower as she learns to power herself in a wheelchair and gains the strength to move her body with her upper arms. So medically we are not seeing the rapid improvement on a daily basis that we were seeing before, but important progress is still being made. She has made friends with many of the staff at the Shepherd Center.

She is very thankful of all the encouragement from her co-workers from the Brody School of Medicine. She is looking forward to being back on the job again. Today for the first time she had her contact lenses again so she can start typing more easily. Thanks to all of the medical school faculty and students for their support!

It will take a long time for us to thank everyone individually for all their acts of kindiness. I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to our neighborhood, MacGregor Downs, for their wonderful support. They have given us so much in these past weeks. Watch out I’m coming home for a few days soon! 

I would very much like to thank Susan and Kevin in Seabrook, TX for organizing a benefit concert/party for Jitka. They were our neighbors when Jitka worked at NASA. Please see below info if you are in the Houston area.

  A Christmas Charity Benefit for

Jitka Virag 

December 22, 2007  from 7 pm until …

2409 Duhon Place, Lake Cove

Seabrook, Texas

 281-326-0193       sukreag@yahoo.com 

 In October of the year, our dear friend Jitka was badly injured when she was struck by a car while bicycling.  She has suffered T4-5 spinal cord injury damage and is currently in Rehabilitation in Atlanta, Georgia. 

On December 22^nd we will be having our Third Annual Christmas Party.  As in the past we will have appetizers and cocktails, as well as live music, caroling and a hayride with Santa.  This year we request that you allow us to provide you with all of the festivities and in return we would like you to open your hearts and make a donation that we can send to the Jitka Virag Recovery Fund. 

We will be holding a Silent Auction from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. with donated items including a brand new Nintendo WII, original art work, and professional services.  Donations can also be made directly to : The Jitka Virag Recovery Fund Trust, RBC Centura Bank, 2390 Stantonsburg Road, Greenville, NC 27834.  Routing #053 100 850, Acct #0255412250. 

Please join us for an evening of Christmas Cheer and in the opportunity of helping the Virag family this Holiday Season!

Hello all, this is Kal again. 

Well, as soon as I finished writing the last update, I went back downstairs and spent some time with Jitka while she did her occupational therapy.  Essentially, they are teaching her to do all the things that she will need to do to survive at home.  Monday, it was “learn to put on pants day”.  They had an elastic band tied around her legs to simulate pants, and she had to pull it up from the ankles to her waste, and then back down.  She tried so, so hard.  Imagine doing that without the use of your abdominal or low back muscles-let alone your legs.  She struggled for about 15 minutes with it, and then tears welled up in her eyes.  She had the choice of balancing on a barely healed fractured left elbow, or wiggling around her healing right shoulder blade.  She blamed the tears on pain in those bones and her shoulders, but I  suspect they came from a deeper place.    I smiled and kissed her on the forehead and told her she was doing a magnificent job.  She truly was.  Inside, my heart was crinkling like a tin can.  Fortunately, her will is iron.

I would like to take a moment to talk about the “Beauman team”.  Headed by Dr. Brock Beauman, these folks at Shepherd know what they are doing.  More importantly, Jitka adores them.  They have her in therapy starting early in the morning and going straight through into the late afternoon.  They meticulously and compassionately address each and every need she may have for a successful and expeditious recovery.  In the beginning I wondered if we needed her to make the trip to Atlanta, but now I know there is no place any of us would rather she be.  Thank you to all of the wonderful doctors, nurses and physical and occupational therapists whom I had the pleasure of meeting this weekend.  Especially the “Tylenol girls” as Jitka has endearingly named them.  (She needs tylenol shortly after her sessions with them.)  Everyone at Shepherd Center is so skilled, and we were met at every corner with a smile. Thank you for taking care of our precious Jitka.  God bless you all.

I received an e-mail invitation to a benefit dance on Wolfe Island for Jitka.  It will take place on January 25th, which happens to be Jitka’s 38th birthday.  I would like to thank Jitka’s dear friends Mandy and Lori for organizing that. I am amazed at the wonderful things that everyone is doing to help out.  When something like this happens, it is overwhelming.  I honestly don’t know what we would do without everyone’s support.  We sincerely thank you.

Yesterday, the last remnants of the ICU were removed.  On monday, her ”button” was removed, and the wound in her neck from the tracheostomy is expected to heal quickly over the next week or two.  Yesterday, they removed her feeding tube which went directly into her stomach through the skin.  She was pleased with that-no doubt.

Jani is hanging in there.  He has come down with a little bit of a cold.  He blames it on me, jokingly, as I stood next to Rowan whose nose was running like the Mississippi.  Their friends Todd and Megan have been kind enough to give them the key to their home while Jitka is in Atlanta.  We are sincerely grateful for that too.  Not only that, but I am sure that many of you have received e-mails from them regarding what Jitka, Jani and the kids might need.  They have been instrumental in coordinating the efforts to help them out.  They’re awesome.

Okay.  I am long-winded again.  Sorry.  God bless everyone, and have a good night.  I hope everyone is looking forward to the holidays, and you will all certainly be in the prayers of the Virag and Ismail families.

A hetveget Jitka a tesverevel es ket barattal toltotte.  Vettek a fiuk neki egy karacsonyfat es ajandekokat ala a gyerekeknek.  Ezek a haverok akik ide jottek mindjart a baleset utan a Jitka felepulesere iranyulo alapitvanyt nyitottak ki.  Es szinten segitkeznek a hazvasarlassal.  Jo hogy vannak ilyen haverok. 

Ahol Texasban laktunk ott koncertet szerveztek december 22-re/itallal/tanccal/kajaval.  Az abbol befolyo osszeget is a Jitka helyzetenek javulasara kuldik.  Tovabba, ott ahol a a szulei laknak Kanadaban, Januar 25-en - Jitka szulinapjan lesz sajt es borkostolas, 2 koncert, es ital -etel.  Ezek az emberek is atutalasra szanjak a bevetelt. 

De remeljuk egy kis szerencsevel mar aprilisra en is tudok munkaba allni.  Meg itt kell lenni Atlantaban 5-6 hetet.  Utanna valahogy visszakolozunk egy napra a regi hazba.  Abba amit Jitka “otthonnak” tud.  Addigra rendbe kell tennunk egy masik hazat amelyik toloszekesnek van epetve es berendezve. 

Ma lett a torokcso kiveve belole veglegesen.  A gyomraban az etetocsovet meg bennehagytak.

De most elhagyhatja az emeletet.  Le is mentunk a kajaldaba.

Most szombaton kezdodik nekem az oktatasom itt a korhazban.  Megtanitjak hogyan kell rendben es tisztan tartani Jitkat. Es azontul a beontest es kateterezest is.  Ez 3 es fel napos kis talpalo, de nem tudom hova tenni minden alkalommal a gyerekeket. 

Egy jo fodraszt kuldjetek mert ha nem akkor levagatja a halyat total rovidre.  Osszecsomosodott a feje tetejen, es kihullott a tarkojan.  Ebbol lehet en jovok ki hosszabb hajjal:)

Minden jot

j

Hi everyone!  Sorry it has been so long, but I couldn’t pull myself away from Jitka.  We have had a wonderful weekend together.  I arrived Friday, and have spent pretty much every allowable hour with her since!  She is doing terrifically.  Initially, I was afraid that she was remaining so positive because she wanted to protect us.  Now, I know that she is just pure strength. Still, unbelievably, her main concern is that WE had to go through everything that we did with her.  I have not heard a complaint from her yet.

Last night, I brought “Panera Bread” for her and she had a chicken sandwich and a greek salad.  She was telling everybody for the next several hours, until this morning, actually, that she had a tomato yesterday and it was soooo good!  After the respiratory therapist left the room, she looked at me and said:  “He probably thinks I’ve lost my marbles, but that was a damn good tomato.”

My friends Lou and Neil came in late Friday and stayed all of Saturday.  We went and got a christmas tree for her room, and they bought a bunch of presents for the kids.  We sat and talked all day long and told stories and laughed.  It was so nice to hear her laugh.  She is just so happy to be alive.  She’ll decorate the tree with the kids when they get back today.

Well, our Jitka is with us.  She is wonderful.  I am inspired by her strength and positivity.  We were alone for most of the day friday and we talked about alot of things.  We shared laughter and tears; but tears of relief and gratefulness that we have this time together.  That we will have these times together.

Take care everyone.  Hopefully she will be updating this website herself very soon.

Thanks again for all of your love and support.

Kal

Don’t ask why, just wanted to put this picture here.  Might take it off soon.

Ne kerdezd miert, csak ezt ide akartam tenni. Lehet leveszem nem sokara.