Tristan Van Wieringen

[50ccMoM]

Eight year old Tristan Van Wieringen was very badly injured at Baja MX in Michigan this past weekend. At this time he is awaiting surgery to repair a broken jar and an injured trachea.

Tristan and his family are from Canada. They are looking at at-least a one month stay in MI. They are lucky to have numerous friends who want to help.

Tristan has a younger sibling who needs to return to Canada to go back to school.

Please keep this family in your prayers. This is going to be very financially and emotionally draining for them.

Angie

[Tatonka]

Thanks for posting this Angie.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tristan & his family. That's got to be tough going through everything that they are and to be so far away from home too. Hang tough Tristan - we're pulling for you!

[Gatlin5]

Our thoughts and prayers will be going out from here for Tristan and his family.

God Bless!

[Tatonka]

This post was copied with permission of Janine Van Wieringen -

First and foremost, I must thank the girl that saved Tristan's life and all the others that helped. Tristan is a MIRACLE boy since he should have died on Saturday. The doctor's have no idea how she was able to get the breathing tube down his throat. I also need to really thank Dawn Boyle who really took care of me when I needed it the most. I was a real handful and her kindness and caring compassion got me through the horrible situation. Wendy Harrison and Joy Knight have also been here at the hospital throughout the past few days. Their medical knowledge and love have been unbelievable. Karen Crown was also here the 1st night with a care package to help us out. Thanks Tracy & Jordan for looking after Nimbus at the track and for your care packages. Thanks to the sisters for getting posters and shirts signed by the racers and they also raised money to help him out. Our entire motocross family has gone above and beyond the call of duty. I appreciate all the help and the offerings of help that we have received. Tristan started crying yesterday when he heard about all the love that was coming his way. Tears of joy and not of sadness.

We are at Hurley in Flint Michigan which is a level1 Trauma center. They have been kind enough to give me a laptop so I can communicate with others. He is in the Pediatric Intensive care unit and is in good hands. I'm not going to get into the details of his accident, since I will let Murray explain that. He saw the entire accident and I only saw a portion of it.

Currently we are still waiting for 3 different surgeons to decide what actions they are going to take with his injuries. He has a fully collasped left lung and has a chest tube working to fix that problem. His last xray should some spots that might be pneumonia. He has a broken jaw in 2 places and a surgeon should be in today to look at that. The most serious injury is to his trach. The trach has some serious damage and will be scoped this week to see all the damages. Hopefully he will not need surgery and it can repair itself. He did not suffer any brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

Today he looks the best yet. His is getting frustrated that he cannot talk or move. They are trying not to knock his out so that he will not move. Yep, he's getting it right now. I will keep you all up to date with his progress and treatments.

If any of the kids are wanting to see him, let them know that there are no kids allowed in his ICU unit. On top of that he is not a pretty sight being hooked up to many machines with a lot of tubes and wires. Any parents are welcome to come and visit on their behalf or their kids behalf.

Today is our Canadian Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for.

Any pictures, notes and cards would be greatly appreciated. I want to make his room look as homey as possible since we are going to be here for a long time.

Thanks everyone for all the love and prayers,
Janine Van Wieringen

This post has been edited by VanWieringen on Oct 9 2006, 07:36 AM

[Tatonka]

Also posted by Janine -

Sorry, I forgot the address. I'm not all together yet. None of the surgeons have come in yet today.

Hurley Medical Center - PICU
1 Hurley Plaza
Flint, MI
48503-5993

Attn: PICU Room 215 Bed 1

[Tatonka]

Copied with permission & originally posted by Murray Van Wieringen

The Tragedy

Like all tradegies there are a number of factors that align to make the event happen. The track has a shorten version of the big track for the 50s. The practice order had the 65 class after the 50 practice, which Tristan had just completed. When he returned to the trailer he had some issues with the track and I spoke to him on how he could address them. When he arrived at the start area the field had already left for their practice. He had completed one lap and was in clear traffic when he approached the area where the 50 and regular track divert. With the fresh tracks going both ways he made the tragic decision to go on the 50 track. A short distance from the divertion was a walk way for spectators to view from the infield, which crosses the 50 track. Tristan ran into the roped off pathway at a very high rate of speed, resulting in him being pulled off the bike by his neck. Without going into the details it was painfully obvious that my little man was going to die without some serious help.

This is what happened.

Measures have been taken to address the possibilities of this situation happening again. This track is very conscious of track safety and is one of the safeties track we have run during our motocross tenure with DVW and TVW. We will be back to the track to enjoy the sport again. Infact, Tristan is really doing very well given the situation. He asked if he could play with his friends at Baja. God willing, he will be able to do this at the Monster Mash. Perhaps he can win at the video game runoffs, provided his video bud Zack is still grounded from Xbox. In addition, he asked (via pointing at the alphabet constructing sentences) if DVW was going to ride and I indicate that she would. Of course we will have to bring out the old hardware as the 150 is forbidden by the AMA.

For everyone's information he has progressed extremely well and we hope that there will not be any complications during his recovery. All your prayers and thoughts have been greatly appreciated.

As Janine had indicated in the previous email I would like to thank all the folks who were so supportive at the event. I will not list the names as I dare not forget someone with the exceptions of the EMTs and medical people involved in saving Tristan's life. Thanks everyone. We hope to see all of you, with Tristan, at the Monster Mash later this month.

Finally, I would ask that people not feel guilty about the tradegy,hindsight is 20/20, but rather understand how important track, bike, and rider safety is with respect to this sport. We all can learn from this situations to make this sport safer, forsight preventing similar tragedies.

Remember to tell your children you love them, you may miss the opportunity.

Murray

[Tatonka]

Posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Mon Oct 9, 9:30 pm

Tristan is at Hurley Medical Center in Flint Michign.

I started this update a few hours ago, but a whole bunch of our MX relatives came by. The Harrison's, Boyles, Braun's, Espler's, and Harold from Cobra were all kind enough to check in on Tristan. It made me cry to see all these people here to help us out. We love you all!! The kids made these great posters up and everyone brought something to make our stay here more comfortable. It's too bad he was sedated when they were here. I think the nursing staff was going to have a fit when they all showed up.

The ear, nose & throat specialist showed up just before they arrived. Tomorrow he is going in for another Cat Scan to see how the swelling is around his trach. The plan is in the next few days is to take him off the ventilator. They are doing in this the OR since it will be a sink or swim process. They will not be able to tell if the trach is broken until they take out the airway. If it is broken they will immediately put in a temp trach allowing the area to heal. This will allow him to get off some of the drugs. Sounds kind of scary, but it made sense when the surgeon explained.

Still waiting for the surgeon to get an update on his broken jaw. We have been told 4 different stories as to what and where the actual break or breaks are. The only way to get the whole story is from the surgeon. This may also be something that may need surgery.

Otherwise, he looks real good today and was much better at spelling by pointing at the letters. This is the only was he can communicate. If you know Tristan, this really sucks since there is rarely a time he is quiet. I was told that he kicked one of the nurses today, I'm sure when the were not getting to him fast enough. He puts up his hand like in school when he wants your attention.

He understands where he is is and what happenned. He asked me if he broke anything and of course I said yes. Tristan is real good at dealing with all the crap they are doing to him since he understands that there is a process of getting from point a to b. Just like his training in mx. He actually spelled out to one of the nurses "I love this place". I think he knows he is hurt and they are making him better.

One of the medics came by today for a visit and Tristan started to cry when he was here. I asked if he was sad or tears of joy. Of course it was tears of joy since he knew that man was one of the people that saved his life.

Thanks for all your love and prayers. When he gets off the vent I can read these all to him since I know he will get all worked up if I do it while still on the ventilator.

[Tatonka]

http://www.tristanmx.com/images/tvw-bg.JPG

I spoke with Janine a couple times today. Tristan is a tough little guy and she has an amazing attitude! This is one true blue MX family and they care deeply about the sport. He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning - my thoughts and prayers are with them.

[Gatlin5]

Janine, Murray and Family,

I can't begin to tell you how inspirational you are to the rest of us. To be going through something like this with your son, every parents worse fear hanging in the balence and to be so patient, forgiving and loving is quite remarkable. With so much positive energy flowing from your family only good things will surely be returned.

All our thoughts and prayers will be of Tristan and your family. If there is anything we can do we are just a post or a phone call away.

God Bless!

[50ccMoM]

Tristan is a fighter ! This is an amazing family who have obviously touched a lot of people. They have friends from all over !

Tristan should be in surgery now. I'm praying that they keep him comfortable and that everything goes smoothly.


Hang in there little man ! We are pulling for you. :wink:



Angie

[Tatonka]

Posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Wednesday October 11, 1:10am

I started to write this earlier today, but Dawn & Julie arrived. It's been a long day today as I was awaiting his surgery that did not happen. Late last night the surgeon arrived and filled me in on his jaw. He has multiple fractures in both sides near his ears that are non-displaced. The other fracture is just below his incisor tooth and is slightly displaced. These conclusions were made off the xrays from when he first arrived in the ER. He is concerned that since that time the 2 lines going through his mouth have displaced the fractures even more. Depending on the level of dispacement he will will either just have a soft diet or his jaw will be wired shut. He will be joining the other 2 surgeons in the OR tomorrow.

Tristan was a very active boy today and just plain has worn everyone out. It is so important that he remain still to help his neck heal. Well for most of today he had just about enough of that. At one point today he ripped out one of his IV lines and was about to go for the vent. That vent line is his life line and I don't even want to talk about the what if's had he ripped it out. Needless to say, he was heavily sedated today and was not even allowed to come out of it before he had it again. The nurse has never had to sedate any kids at this level in her career. He just plain fought all these drugs as much as he could.

Finally early this evening he finally decided that he wanted to behave. He had a major coughing episode that was a little intense. He then was able to watch a little tv after visiting with some special mx moms. Along with his mommy, Austin Dodd was also here tonight and was mad he couldn't visit with Tristan. He brought some great gifts and some posters for Tristan's room. Tracey brought some really cool pictures of Jacob and Tristan that brought back some wonderful memories. The nurses all loved them since they could see what he normally is like. Michelle also came by this afternoon and had some great Star Wars figures that he also just loved. Star Wars, Motocross, and video games are his favourite things. If you know Tristan you know how he loves to play with his dirt bikes and build his tracks. He has gotten a bunch of bikes that he is dying to play with. I can hardly wait to read him all his books since if I do it now he gets all wound up. McKinzie made this incredible blanket for Tristan that he has not let go of since he received it. Dawn brought some food and a few items that I was in need of. Along with taking care of Dominique and Nimbus everyday. Rosie dropped by this morning with Tim Horton's coffee and treats. Murray's eyes lit up when he saw the coffee since I'm sure this is something he was dying to have.

Sorry I haven't returned some of your phone calls as my days have been so intense and I often forget until it is too late in the day or I don't have access to a phone.

Again, I had to take a break from this update since Tristan has decided he wants to rip his vent line out again. Now I'm scard to even go to sleep since you have no idea when he is going to wake up. He was good for a few hours then is at it again. Before that he was spelling out his letters for me and I had trouble figuring out what he wanted. Then I finally figured it out. He wanted to have a sleep over. He has been asking me if he could go to Jacob, John, Bradley, and McKinzie's house. He also asked to have a sleep over at Alex Ransom's house. He has gone there a few times to ride their track and even got to swim in their pool once.

He is getting real itchy now with all the tape all over his body. I was scratching his back this evening and I told him when he gets home he is going to have to scratch my back. After I was done he told me to come close to him then he started to scratch my back. Bless his heart!! About an hour ago he moved over in his bed and padded the bed for me to come in and sleep with him. I would love nothing more, but with all the IV lines and vent lines it would be too risky.

About an hour ago I had to sign off on his surgery. That being the 1st time for me and a little scary. He is scheduled for 7:30am and will leave his room at about 7am. So if you are up at that time give him a little thought and a prayer. He can't go on much longer like this so I hope he can get that line out of his mouth without a trach.

Again, thanks for all your love and prayers. I appreciate all your posts and look forward to reading them when I get a chance. I love reading your funny little stories about Tristan since it always brings back such fun memories.

[KTMissouri]

All of our thoughts and prayers are with you guys today. Please update us as soon as you can.

Shawn in Missouri

[50ccMoM]

Good news! They won't have to wire Tristans jaw shut ! There is an update and I will post it next ! He is such a brave little man.


As soon as I heard of this tragedy I knew I had met Tristan somewhere before. Of course, it was at the races ! Tristan and my son have raced together numerous times. Just goes to show what a small world it really is.


Angie

[50ccMoM]

Posted with permission from Janine


UPDATE: Wednesday October 11, 9:00pm

I tried to go to our room and sleep, but I'm a suck and got scard being by myself so I'm back in his room. Right now Tristan is playing Xbox and probably feeling a lot better about himself. I'm sure this makes him feel more human or like himself. He is finally being more quiet and content.

I'm glad I came back to the room since the oral surgeon just dropped by. He had a good look and got Tristan to bite down on his teeth. Tristan claims that his bite is the same as before and there is no pain. So we got the best news I've had all week......NO SURGERY TOMORROW!! Since he cannot eat due to his throat for several weeks, the bite seems to be okay, and the pain is minimal he feels there is no need to go in a put the arch bars in and wire him shut. He will keep doing follow-ups and make sure all is okay.

The other surgeon just came by and is expecting to put in his feeding tube on Friday. He didn't get into any particulars since he was just assigned the case. Will hear more in the next day or so since I'm not sure what is involved in this process.

Rod, it's so nice to hear from you guys. I'm sure you have let Henri and Erin know as well. Maybe tell them about this site so they can keep udated on his progress since I know that will be so concerned.

We are so thankful to be blessed with such wonderful children who are so strong. We are also so very thankful to be truley blessed with the most wonderful friends and family. There are many things that could have been much worse, but all the prayers and best wishes have helped make things so much better. When I think about all of you out there , it just makes me cry with tears of joy. Thanks for making a difference in this world.

[Tatonka]

Please make sure you check out the post in the fundraising section for "Helping Tristan Up"

!=!

[Tatonka]

Posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Friday October 13, 12:00am

Today has been a real rollercoster day. I'm sitting in my cot by Tristan's bed with tears rolling down my cheeks. These are both tears of joy and tears of sadness.

The rollercoaster started up today by being thankful that he was not going into surgery today. Then Tom Gaines arrived with wonderful smiles, love, and gifts for Tristan. A few hours later Pat, Rosie, and Jacob arrived and another friend of Tristan's was sad not to be able to see Tristan. They also brought this real cool Nicco Izzi jersey and some Baja hats and shirts. Until about 3pm the day seemed a little more relaxed and calmer than before. Around that time me and the nurse had a little spat about me getting used to seeing and caring with his injuries. To be frank, hospitals, ambulances, and any type of injury scares me to death. I can't explain the fear I feel and I wish I did not have these emotions. I never thought that in my lifetime that I would ever have to deal with such an experience. When I decided to become a mother I took on that probability of this happenning. So as parents we learn how to somehow deal with all this. Shortly there after, one of the Doctor's assistants arrived to check on Tristan. This is when the rollercoaster rider started heading down. For some reason I thought that he was going to walk out of this place after a month looking and feeling pretty much the same as he did when he left the line for his 60 practice. Well reality sometimes stinks and that is not going to be. Without having the entire story from the ENT surgeon, he will have the trach for at least 2 months with possibly the feeding tube as well. Luckily Murray's mom is a nurse and will be with us for as long as needed because having the responsibility of caring with the trach and feeding tube scares the crap out of me. Then right after that the surgeon came in and explained the surgery and had me sign the papers. I just hate signing those surgery papers.

After the coaster dropping down it starts to climb back up again. Austin & Angie Dodd arrived and this has been the best visit yet for Tristan. I didn't get to see since I was talking with the nurse, but Austin snuck into Tristan's room and his face lit up like the 4th of July. It was so cute when Tristan moved all the way over on the bed and motioned for Austin to get into bed with him to play xbox. Had one of the mom's not stopped him, he would of jumped right in. There are just way too many iv's on that side of his bed that he could of pulled one out.

The coaster continued on up with the fun and laughs us girls had tonight. Dawn (who has been here almost everyday) and Joy (who also tries to be here everyday) told stories of Joy's experience's today in her surgery room studies. It's nice to laugh once in a while and helps keep me sane. The girls tonight, along with Austin made that coaster ride quit going down and started up again. Without all you guys I would simply be lost. You are all my life lines that I will forever be greatful for. Every word, smile, hug, prayer, etc helps to keep my coaster on the tracks.

Tonight, there is another new patient coming into this crowded room. The good part about this is that the new patients vent was to be right beside my bed. As they were setting it up and testing the vent it nearly broke my eardrums when it's alarms went off. Our nurse Heather helped move all our stuff around so I could get away from the vent. Now I'm right beside Tristan's bed being only a few feet away from him. Not only that, I won't be freezing every night since my other spot was beside the window with a real bad cold draft. Right now I'm typing away (in between re organizing our space) while Tristan is playing xbox.

Tomorrow around 10:30am Tristan will be back in the OR getting his feeding tube in. This operation will not be as stressful as the last since we know the outcome will be.

Now I had to save the best news for last. Today, Tristan got off his vent and is completely breathing on his own through the trach. All the doctors and nurses have come in today and are jumping up and down when they see that.

Hopefully tomorrow we will have a little more news as to what the next steps are in his recovery. Like Murray said, his progress is excellent and he is handling all this pretty darn good for an 8 year old boy. Thank you for all that each and everyone one of you do. There is nothing more special than the relationships between motocross families. Nothing you can even explain to anyone who has never been part of this intercircle of friendships.

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

Here are some of my favourite pictures of Tristan.

PONCA 2005 - TRISTAN'S 1ST NATIONAL TOP 10

http://216.165.194.66/ktmtalk/photogallery/galleries/members/DSC_0630.jpg

PA ANQ 2005 - CAN YOU SEE HOW INTENSE HE LOOKS? HE WON THAT DAY AND IS STILL THAT INTENSE AND WILL WIN THIS BATTLE.

http://216.165.194.66/ktmtalk/photogallery/galleries/members/tristan_pa_3.jpg

FYI

Top photo by Greg @ Road and Dirt
Bottom photo by Tony Scavo

[Gatlin5]

Bruce,

Thanks for keeping us updated. I think we have all been there before worry about our children and feeling so helpless for what they are having to deal with.

Those are some great pictures too. The amazing thing is the hardest part about all this will be trying to keep Tristan off the bike long enough for everyone to be comfortable again.

Our thoughts and prayers are still going out from here.

[char393]

You know, this just breaks my heart, reading Janine's thoughts and emotions as she deals with this is something that I find particularly difficult. I cannot imagine all that they, as a family are going through.

After meeting Cody Strout a couple weeks ago, I have no doubt that Tristan will make a full recovery. The inner strength and determination that kids possess will never cease to amaze me. I think in many ways they are far stronger than we as adults could ever be.

[Tatonka]

Posted by Murray -

My parents have landed in the area to help out, they are from Western Canada. This should make it easier as I am getting really behind on my work. Interestingly, he has come out of OR this afternoon in good spirits. We now need to be patient as we wait for his throat to heal. We have been extremely blessed by all the support we have received from the MX community.

I have seen posts of people who have been hurt and often haven't sent a quick message. I believed that it wouldn't make a difference not knowing them, wow what a difference this make.... We have been blessed with help from riderdown and others.

Finally, during my time here at the hospital I created a collage video with scenes from Tristan’s racing. It does have a couple of scenes from this hospital stay that may be a bit much for people, Tristan lying in the hospital bed. The link is not on a super high speed server connection so be patient.

http://www.tristanmx.com/mov/TVW.wmv

Murray

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Saturday October 14, 11:00pm

While I start typing this out tonight I hope to end this still having such a good record today. It's hard to believe that it was a week ago today that he had his terrible accident. At this time a week ago, we were still unsure if he had any brain damage. We have come a long way since that day.

Today has been a day of 95% ups and 5% downs. Only had one spat with the nurses when they kept me out of his room for an hour today while doing reports. When I did get back to the room he wasn't a mess like last night. It's much worse at night to be left alone since he is scared of the dark. That was the only time today that he was ever left without one of us.

Tristan started the day in a similiar mood as yesterday. Even with Rosie coming to visit this morning it didn't lift his spirits. He is now down to 1 IV pump and another IV pump for his feeding tube. That means that I could get into bed with him which was one of our goals. You can only imagine how we both felt being able to snuggle together even though it's in a hospital. I think that for the majority of the day today he has shared his bed. What did lift his spirts was having his dad in bed with him watching movies and playing games. Murray being the dad has not had the time with Tristan that I have. My only priority has been caring for Tristan. Unfortunately, he has had to deal with all our other issues. So Tristan really started to smile and give those thumbs up. I actually left the hospital today with his parents for the 1st time (besides our field trip to get the MRI). Murray's parents and I went and did a little shopping today. I wanted to stop at Walmart and get a few things. Tristan really wanted this video game and since it's an older game that meant hitting 3 other stores until I was able to find it. Murray had insisted to his parents that they were to take me out for a nice meal. Of course after taking longer that I wanted looking for this game I was not interested in a nice meal. I finally gave in and we had a nice lunch/dinner together. I wasn't able to eat as much as usual since the anxiety had set in as I was away from Tristan way longer that I was comfortable with. Having been gone for about 3 hours was a little more than my comfort level could handle.

It was exciting to get back and show him the neat games and movies that I found him. I found him some really cool pj's and a pair of shoes. When we arrived back in his room they were both snuggled into his bed watching a movie. Tristan was happy to see me and just wanted to touch me. That feels so good!! Then Murray and Tristan showed me something new that he had learned to do while I was gone. He motioned me close to the bed then proceded to tell me clearly that "I can talk". By taking a breath and covering the hole on his trach he got his few precious words out. It was so exciting. Also while I was gone he managed to go to the bathroom for the 1st time. I tried this out this morning and after the nurse managed to get that bed pan under his butt, he then worked at bit and got it out and threw it on the end of the bed. He wanted no part of this bed pan. Cant say I blame him.

A little while later, Murray took his parents back to Boyle's house so I was lucky enough to get back in his bed again. We watched a movie then sat and talked for awhile. Sometimes I feel bad to just sit and talk with him. It must be so crappy just having to sit and listen and not contribute to the conversation. With him not being able to talk (he can only do a few words every once in awhile since it puts strain on his injuries) it makes it real difficult to understand what is going on in that little head. Since he is so alert now I so want to be able to talk with him about his accident. I'm not going to do that until he can communicate back to me.

After an hour or so I noticed him being a little quiet again. He got all uptight at one point because he had to go to the bathroom again. Once again, he tried the bedpan, but didn't want anything to do with it. The nurses noticed this and proceded to call the doctors to see if there was a better way of doing this. Well, today for the very 1st time since his accident, Tristan was able to get up and walk to the bathroom. Another milestone reached today. He can't do this himself since he needs to be unplugged from the oxygen monitors, and IV's and is not stable enough to do this on his own. While we were in the bathroom he started to cry again. When he starts crying and tries to mouth the words to me, they are pretty much impossible to figure out. So I tried to calm him down to figure out what he was upset about. He was upset that he was not able to jump up and run on down to the bathroom. He did see that he is not going to be in a wheechain which was something he feared was his fate. Now after that experience it has brought him a little ways back into the sadness. I think until he can really do it, will he ever believe me.

The majority of the people read these updates in Ktm Talk, but there are a few people that I send this update to via email. For those people, you can go into this site and read all the incredible posts that everyone has made. When I get home I will have to print them all off so we can have them for wonderful memories. So this is where you go to read these posts.
http://ktmtalk.com/index.php?showtopic=192102&st=0

Okay, now I had to save the best news for last. When I got back Tristan tried to tell me this, but it was too much for me to understand. He then wrote this out for me, "They will let me go out of here in a wheelchair soon!!" When Murray came back in the room I asked him what this was all about. When I was gone, the doctor came in and told them he could go out of the room in a wheelchair. So if there are any Tristan's friends that are not busy tomorrow and would like to visit, please drop on down. Just remember that he has a trach and that may scare some kids. It doesn't look too bad, but I wouldn't want to scare anyone. I'm so excited for him, but I also think he is a little worried about it. Maybe he is worried what he friends might think of him not being able to talk too much and having the trach and neck brace. Like I said before, it's really hard to know what's going on inside. I just have to keep reassuring him of the positives and let him know that he is going to be okay. I also tried to explain to him that some of his friends might have some real scary images in their heads of what he looks like. They may also wonder if he is really okay since they have not been able to see him. I feel that the kids will feel so much better when they can see him. So l'm so excited about tomorrow which will be such a huge day for everyone!!!!!!

Again, thanks to all our MX family for all that they do to help and support us.

[Motodad393]

I am so very grateful that an organization such a RiderDown.org exists and is there for riders who need help. My prayers will go out to his family for strength. I know that "attitude" is a small word that can make a HUGE difference in the life of a Tristan. You can do it young man! I like the pictures of you riding. I wish I could ride like that! :wink:

May the family have strength as they face this challenge - they can prevail.

Thanks to ALL THOSE who support RiderDown.org.

Sincerely,

Mike Berg
"Motodad393"

[Wildchild]

Our prayer's and thought's are with you and Tristan !!!

[Tatonka]

Posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Monday October 16, 12:45am

Today was a big day for Tristan. Mostly all ups with his downs being his moods. This being his 9th day here and being a far cry from the last Sunday he was here.

He now has no IV's and only has his feeding tube pump and steamer for his trach. His lungs are all better and I made them show me to be for sure.

Later this morning Joy and Bailey arrived here and Bailey knew he was finally going to see Tristan. He was able to come into his room and spent many hours playing cards and Xbox with Tristan. This was the 1st time I have seen that huge smile and laughs from him. Everyone was just thrilled. His moods were great with him.

Later in the afternoon he had a group of his buddies arrive from Freelin. By this time he had a little less energy and his moods suddenly dropped. He seems fine 1 on 1, but when there are a group he gets real sad because he cannot talk or do the things that his buddies are doing. He was so happy to see them, but was also sad as well. When they were all leaving I explained to him that he was going to heal back to 100% and all the parents and myself are not lying just to make him feel better. I think he somewhat believes this but is so scared that it makes him unsure. Thanks guys for taking the time today to bring in your kids to see Tristan. Even though he looked sad, he was really glad to see him.

Everytime the doctors came today it was Murray that was in the room. It sounds like he is getting a different trach tomorrow and will be put into a ICU step down room. The doctors hope this will help his spirits. Now we are about to go into the process of getting ready to go home. Of course I'm real scared about this since we responsible for all his care is a bit overwhelming. I guess I just have to take this day by day.

Today he walked all the way down to the playroom with Bailey. This is good size walk since you have to go through ICU then the Ped ward. After everyone was gone I had to get something from the room and he would not let me out of his sight. The nurse unhooked him so he could come along. This was good and bad since I really wanted to get something to eat. I cant bear to have him watch me eat so we just ended up going for the walk. When we arrived back at the room he insisted that we go for 2 more rounds around the the 2 wards. He has that hunger and fight in him and he is determined to get back up to speed. It reminded me of the other day at home when he was practicing with his dad. Murray has this one corner section of our track that he makes Tristan do over and over again on both the 50 and 65. Sometimes he gets tired of doing it and will complain about it. This time he was out by himself doing that corner over and over again without Murray or Kyle having to even ask. That boy never stops amazing me.

After everyone left we watched a few movies and snuggled in his bed. I'm eating this up right now since I know this will not last forever. He is normally way to busy and active to sit and snuggle with his mom. When the nurses do their shift change I have to leave the room to allow them privacy. He is already stressed out about me having to leave in the morning for that. He fought and fought going to sleep in fear that I will step out for a minute. He finally fell asleep about an hour ago since he could no longer fight it. I'm going to finish this and climb back in bed with him.

I wouldn't worry about any specific times to visit. I think that he can meet the kids in the playroom at anytime. When you get here, just let them know that we are supposed to meet you at the doors. Tonight when he was walking the halls I could hear all the nurses talking as we went by. They are all so thrilled and amazed to see him up and walking about.

My friend Tracey Edison sent me a gift today which was so touching. It's a music box with angels and an incredible poem about worrying. Of course upon opening this gift it truly made me cry. I hope you guys are realize how much all the things they say and do mean so much to us. Thanks again for all you guys do.

[Dirtbikindad393]

Thank you for the updates. District 37 is pulling for Tristan to get well soon, and we know he will.

Dane

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Tuesday October 17, 7:30am

I normally do my updates at the end of the day when everyone is gone. Yesterday was a real tiring day since I was alone all day until the evening when Pat & Rosie dropped by. Then while they were here Murray arrived. Murray was able to stay overnight and slept with Tristan in his bed. This morning he left for Trenton, Ontario where he is working a big job there. He has been away from the plant for the past week and needed to go back. We were supposed to have gone to Branson last week so he had already made plans for one of his guys to take over the lead last week.

It looks like this will be the last morning that we will have to spend in ICU since he is supposed to move to the regular Ped ward today. Normally he would have had his trach changed today, but since his trach is in such an unusual spot (they had to get it below the injury) they are waiting 7-14 days to do this. All his medical procedures are all done now so we are just in the recovery process. There is supposed to be a meeting set up today with all the doctors and myself to determine the game plan. I would like to know what the target date is for his discharge. I would think the longest he wil be in here now is 12 days.

Yesterday I requested Psychology to get involved with Tristans's recovery. He is having a hard time mentally. Since Murray has gone back to work and both his parents went to our farm, I'm here alone 24/7 unless someone drops by. This normally would be fine, but Tristan will not let me out of his sight. It's so bad that he won't sleep at night in fear that if he does I won't be there when he wakes up. He won't even let me sleep with my back to him (in his bed) and insists that I have to face him. I need to go and eat and make a few calls everyday for my survival. The doctor has prescribed some medicine for him to sleep at night. On Sunday they figure he only slept maybe 2 hours that night. When he does sleep it's so light you just have to walk near the bed to wake him up.

In the short time she was with him she got a few things out of him that I couldn't. He told us that this accident had no pain unlike when he broke his arm in May. He didn't have any pain until he was here. He doesn't remember the accident. The only thing he remembers is hearing his dad yelling that he was dying. Since Murray had seen the entire event he knew he was going to need to be air-lifted and was trying to get someone to listen to him. Had you not seen the whole thing and saw Tristan you would have not realized that right off the bat. The doctor says that we are going to work and his sadness and how scared he is of me leaving him. After that she says we will work on him being able to not have any fear of riding and racing so he can go back and do the things that he loves. She says that I was right in calling them in since he really needs the help.

So I will let you all know what the plan is once I find out. Thanks again for everything!!!

[RRsis]

Does anyone have Tristan's shirt size? (and the parents too?) I have some Reynard shirts (and stickers) sitting here that would love to go make a little boy smile. Plus she mentioned something about PJ's. I have an idea on that too. If anyone can get sizes for me. Thanks and a new hospital room number would be great since he is coming out of ICU! YEA! How old is he? From everything I have seen/read so far he looks pretty young.

**This really hits home for me cause I had a really close friend that messed his trachea, voice box, and jaw up many years ago. The greatest thing for me was when I finally got to talk to him on the phone again. (It was in a whisper, but man i remember that day (14 yrs ago!) My mom hung up on him thinking he was a prevert asking for me in a whispering voice! LOL )

Get well Tristan!!!

[Tatonka]

Cherie I'm working on getting all of that info!

!=!

Hang Tough Tristan!!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Tuesday October 17, 11:00pm

This life changing experience seems to have lots of ups and downs, humps, bumps, and whoops. We are now moved into the regular ped ward in room 223. Don't worry if you sent anything to the other room since he is kind of like the poster child on this floor and everyone knows where he is. Anyone who has ever nursed him including student nurses always come and check up on him. They tell me he is one of the best patients they have ever had.

So this afternoon me and Tammy took down all the awesome stuff that everyone has been sending him to take to his new room. Meanwhile Dawn is looking after Tristan and John in the playroom. I then went outside to call Brian back when Dawn came out to get me. A bunch of doctors came into the playroom and took Tristan and wanted me to come back to his room asap. My heartrate starts to climb thinking now what. Well it appears that a week ago Sunday one of the people tending to Tristan exposed him to the chicken pox virus. I can't remember for sure and be 100% positive that a Doctor confirmed that he had this. My memory is of him having this as an infant and getting it from Dominique. So now he is in airborne isolation but at least it is in a private room. They put in another IV site and took blood samples to test to see if he has had this virus. In Canada the vacination is not mandatory and when it came about my doctor was not a big fan of it. My kids have never had the shot. What does suck about this is that he can't do his walking laps around the floor anymore. Last night he did 5 laps with his dad. We were about to do some laps today when John came, but he wanted to go and see John first.

The doctor did tell me that ortho wants to do an xray on his neck this Friday and no earlier. He then advised me that my insurance company is starting to get anxious about sending him to Canada. The doctors don't want to send him to Canada and neither do we. That's all that kid needs now is to go through all the tests and all new doctors messing with the procedures that other doctors have performed. At least being out of ICU must be a lot cheaper. Maybe the new doctor can write in about the trauma of a move and it's effect on his mental health. At this point it's okay so I guess we will cross that bridge if it happens. He then told me that he has no idea when he will be released yet. At least he was honest and I know that he will be here the rest of the week.

Murray left around 4:30 this morning for work. I then climbed into bed with Tristan. I awoke at 6:55 and thought that Tristan was falling out of his bed. I started to scream for help and all the nurses ran in and helped me. It was not until the Psych doc was in with Tristan and he told he that we both had bad dreams. I went after and asked the nurses and they don't think he really was falling out of the bed. That whole thing just freaked me out.

In his new room we have our own bathroom with a shower. I cleaned out the little family room they gave us so that another family could use it. I don't use it anymore since I'm usually here by myself and spend more time in his room now that he is alert and not sedated. This room is also on the side where the helicopters come in. About an hour ago I dozed off and woke to an helicopter arriving and got that huge sick feeling in my stomache with the flashbacks of that Saturday. Then you could even smell the fuel in his room. I guess I'm going to have to get used to that real soon.

This was a positive move since it is one step closer to going home. His spirts are a wee bit better today as he continues to heal everyday. Thanks to everyone for all your support!!!!!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Wednesday October 18, 10:30pm

I think this is one of my earliest end of day updates yet. Now that he is in his own room and not in the ICU things have been a little calmer. Being in ICU can be a little hardcore at times. There is always something going on with bells and whistles going off all the time. He was able to sleep a little better and so could I. It's a little tight in the bed for the both of us, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

As you read earlier, he was taken off airborne isolation today since I was correct in Tristan having already had the chickenpox. It was just so long ago and it's hard to remember all the details. He was able to do his 5 laps this afternoon. He knew he had done 5 laps the day before and had to at least do the 5 laps today.

They started teaching me trach care today which is really tough for me. It still makes me real light headed, but I'm trying. I have to know how to do all that before he can go home.

Tonight, Bailey, Bradley, and Mitchell came up to visit Tristan. They were able to hang out and play video games together and had a good time. He was big smiles the whole time they were here until they started to get ready to go. We got Tristan to get unhooked so that he could walk them to the double doors. They all high-fived and headed home. Tristan and I held hands and went for a walk to ICU to say hi to the nurses. As we got near the nurses station he burst out in tears and I stopped. He tried to tell me that he wanted to go home and be with his friends. I wrapped my arms around him and told him I understood. I explained to him that all his friends missed him too and we need to make sure he is all better before we leave so we don't have to come back as a patient. It's always so nice to see your friends, but it hurts when they leave. If he didn't have such great friends he wouldn't have anything to cry or be sad about.

There is no doubt that Tristan is a miracle boy. From the people that saw what happenned, to the people that saw his life slipping away at the track, to the medical staff at the hospital, they are all so amazed at his outcome and process. When I sit at night and type these updates it's my way of coping and dealing with all this. Kind of like a journal where I can describe all the things that go on everyday as well as how I'm feeling. Guess it's my way of venting my day away. I have always found inspiration from others sharing their life changing experiences in hope of learning something along the way. This experience has taught me many many things that I will hold in my heart forever. It helps me to sit and talk with you all everynight because I know you all care. And when I type this, I truly feel like I'm sitting around the campfire chatting like we do at the races. This is a bit of my therapy. When all is said and done I will save all this for Tristan when he is older so he can understand how special he is and how special all of you are to us. I don't think you even know how much you all mean to us and how without you all, I don't think we could have gotten through all this. This has been a real motocross team effort!!! We will be forever in your debt.

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

I just received a call and they are in the process of getting Tristan transported to Canada. Tomorrow he is getting the tests on his neck and then he may be on his way to London Ontario. The doctors are prepared for him and can deal with all his injuries. If you want to see Tristan I would suggest you come down tonight. If not you would have to come to London to visit. Not that we would mind that. I will do my daily update later today.

[Tatonka]

Right on Tristan! Glad to hear you're keeping up on the studies...:wink:

[RRsis]

That is great news!!! PLease give us an address to the hospital or his home address in Canada..I will send my Reynard shirts there. PLus he is getting some cool PJ's (Pastrana) from Smooth Industries..so he will be styling in the hospital.

[TwinTurbos]

Glad to hear the updates on Tristan. Sounds like a strong young man!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Friday October 20, 12:30am

I'm really starting this on Thursday, but by the time I finish it will Friday. It's hard to believe that it's almost been 2 weeks since we arrived here. Looking like this might be our last night here at Hurley here in Flint, Michigan. The tenative plan is for Tristan to be transported to London, Ontario to the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario. We have not been given confirmation yet. Tristan has to have some tests done on his neck tomorrow and I'm not sure exactly what they are doing.

We were able to sleep until 8:30 this morning which was really sleeping in compared to the ICU. Early this afternoon the Baja girls dropped in which is always so nice. Then a little while later Dawn dropped by for a visit and to bring me a couple of things. She like many others has been a goodsend and has taken such incredible care of us. Then Murray showed up and brought those huge smiles to Tristan's face.

Around suppertime is when the crowds started to arrive. First our good friends the Williams from Canada showed up. They only found out late last night about Tristan and spent hours reading through all the posts on both mxforum.com and ktmtalk.com to get up to speed. Was nice to see them and please do not feel bad for not being here earlier. Then Austin and Angie showed up to help brighten up the room. Austin is a regular and just jumps in bed with Tristan and gets right down to business playing games. Then the Edison's arrive being the 1st time that Jacob was able to see Tristan since the accident. Jacob and Tristan are dear friends who haved played, raced, and travelled many hours together. I must say that Jordan is starting to look so much older every time I see her. Then along arrives Bob and Tricia with Tristan's loaded-up Xbox hard drive. They have been out of town on business and have not been able to drop by.

Well all the kids had so much fun playing and visiting together. Of course us adults enjoyed seeing each other. The Williams left first then Austin left afterwards. Since there were still kids to play with he did not feel the impact of those boys leaving. Then time finally came when everyone had to go home. This of course being a sad time for Tristan. I went and got the nurse and got him unplugged so he could walk his friends out. While this was being done I could already see the sadness in Tristan's face. I told Jacob he was sad and the 2 boys held hands and walked out to the doors. They may be fierce competitors on the track and a couple of pretty fast boys, but in the end they are still little boys who are dear friends. Bless their hearts! As Tristan stood at the doorway with his sad face, the Edison's made their walk to the elevator. It broke my heart to see both Tristan and Jacob in tears as they had to go their own ways. Again, another display of the incredible friendships and bonds that are created through the sport of motocross.

The doctors did not poke and prod Tristan today and he had a little break from the medical stuff he has being going through. Tomorrow will be a whole new day that will likely bring a lot of doctors poking and proding him. It's a little scary to be leaving here, since this place has made us feel safe and well taken care of. I can only hope that he will receive the same care and attention that he has received here. I'm also not looking forward to the 2-3 hour ambulance ride to London. I'm more used to the 2-20 hour drives to the racetrack and those are usually spent behind the wheel. That's one of my contributions to their racing since it would be a scary thought of me with a wrench. Tristan's past the lift your leg and stand-up stage of training so I'm not much help there.

As I type this, Murray is asleep on the cot beside Tristan's bed. Of course my little night owl has been busy coloring and reading and waiting for me to join him. I hope tomorrow we will get a little more info on the progress of his recovery. I will let you all know when and where he goes as soon as I find out and can get to my computer.

Thanks again everyone for all your thoughts and prayers and for taking the time to do all the special things that you d

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Saturday October 21, 12:30am

Another night of starting on one day and ending on another. Well yesterday was supposed to be our last night here in Michigan, but we are still here. There was a bit of confusion with his tests this morning and everything took way longer than it should have. The latest is that we are leaving on Saturday morning as long as they don't have a huge volume of trauma cases tonight. I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, but I'm sure it will all be okay. At least we won't be at a hospital in the hood which is a little scary at times.

Tristan had his neck flex xrays today and it appears that his neck is a little out of alignment. This could have been like this from birth, but I'm guessing it was from the accident. They have not yet advised us that he can remove the collar so I'm thinking they are thinking the same thing.

The trauma doctor leading Tristan's case came up today and gave us the latest. The surgeon that put in the trach does not want to touch it until at least 2 weeks after it was put in. I thought that Tristan was done with surgery, but he still has 1 more to go. He figures that at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week he will go into the OR and be scoped and hopefully a smaller trach will be put in. The one he currently has is too big for him to even think about any attempt of eating or drinking normally. He claims it would be way to uncomfortable and feel like a huge lump in your throat. At this point they have not advised when either the trach or feeding tube will be gone. Guess we will have to see what the doctors also say in Canada.

Was pretty quiet around here today as only Dawn briefly dropped in to give Murray the keys to our RV and had to go since they were parked downstairs with the RV and trailer. Later tonight Joy and Bailey dropped in and they were able to stay until about 11pm. The nurses were real good about that since they know how much Tristan loves to see his friends. I even let Tristan walk them past the double doors and to the elevator.

While we were sitting in the hall waiting for Joy and Bailey, Tristan for the 1st time started talking about his accident. He caught me totally off guard. He said something about not seeing the rope then bam. I then tried to explain the details and how it was an accident and not his fault. I then told him how the other kids were a little confused as well. Then I told him how Hunter was behind him and he almost followed Tristan down the same path, but slowed in question and watched Tristan hit the rope. Tristan then looked at me and said that he saved Hunter's life. Then he told me that he would do anything to keep his friends safe. Those comments just broke my heart. I guess I must be doing a few things right. I really push the safety aspect of racing with the kids all the time. We often discuss different safety issues with racing.

So I think tomorrow will be our big move day and another big step in his recovery. I'm really going to miss our Michigan MX family visits. Thank you all so much for taking the time to drop by and help us out. All the phone calls, emails and posts have made this situation much easier to deal with. I will let you all know where we are and the address once we arrive and are settled. Thanks again and have a great weekend!!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Sunday October 22, 10:00pm

Sorry I have not been able to give any updates since we left Michigan. We are now over in Canada and the amenities are not anywhere near the same as the US.

We left Michigan yesterday afternoon via ambulance and got here in London in good time. I'm thinking it maybe took a couple of hours and the guy in the ambulance in the back was really nice to talk to. Helped to pass the time. He read a bunch of Tristan's files and just couldn't believe what he was reading. Kept saying that he was a very lucky boy and he can't believe how he has progressed considering his accident and injuries. Tristan is definately a miracle and we are grateful for that.

When we arrived he was placed in the ICU so that they could evaluate him before sending him to the floor. All the info they have ever had was just verbal on the phone. We were put in this ICU room that looked like something from CSI and was very high tech. There is definately a few bucks worth of equipment in those rooms. I started to feel a lot better about having to come to Canada after seeing the ICU. In Canada we have Socialized medicine and anything that the government pays for is going to have some real big issues. Our health care system has some real problems. So they checked him out and he was to stay in ICU until the morning and be moved up to the floor. They then received a bunch of trauma patients and needed his bed. So at 11pm we were moved upstairs to our room.

They call this a Children's Hospital, but it really is not. There is one floor with ped's (7th floor) and a section downstairs for ped's ICU and all the floors between are everything else. So now we are in a 4 bed ward since this is where the kids with trach's go. It's a regular circus in here and is kind of like being in ICU. There is no internet and for parents there are no showers, no fridge, no where to wash your clothes, and the list goes on and on. I would rather be worrying about being shot in Flint than this. They have also advised us that we should be here for a least 2 or more weeks yet. Welcome to Canada!! I pray that the medical care is good.

So far we have only seen a couple of doctors. We have to go through the whole song and dance for everyone of them. It's sucks to have to keep reliving the accident every couple of hours. Worse for Murray since he saw the entire thing. His type of injuries are not cut and dry which is tough enough never mind changing hospitals and getting all new doctors. The insurance company must have been advised of how long it was going to be and wanted us here asap so they didn't have to keep paying the bills in Michigan.

A couple of hours before we left Mitchell and Brian came so it was nice for Tristan to have one of his buddies with him up until we left. Last night Murray brought Dominique with him and she stayed here until 6pm tonight when her grandparents came and took her back home. Her and I did a little running around this afternoon and got to spend some time together. I was able to get her a few things and get her halloween costume all together for her since I won't be home before that to get her all set up. Austin Wolfe's aunt and cousin from London dropped by tonight and the boys really hit it off. They played Xbox and built star wars lego sets together.

Today the E&T doctor did a small scope in his throat and it is still really swollen. They plan on doing that a couple of times a week. He has no idea when that swelling will go down. I'm still confused on what is going on, but at least he is doing well and is not in any pain. This living in hospitals is really starting to get old. Doing housework, laundry, cutting acres and acres of grass, and pulling weeds on the motocross and supercross track are all jobs that are staring to look real good right now. But we still have our Tristan alive and well and I will live at the hospital for as long as it takes to get him better. I have far more to be greatful for than to complain about. It's just nice to vent once in awhile.

So I went out and rented a bunch of movies and bought a bunch of things to eat that do not need to be in the fridge. Tomorrow I will decorate his room again and get ourselves organized. I need to find the library since I can use the internet there. Murray got set up in the Ronald McDonald house today so he has somewhere to sleep when he comes. It would be great for me as well, but that is way to far for me to be away from Tristan. I will check it out tomorrow.

If anyone wants to send anything you can send it to the following:

Children's Hospital
800 Commissioners Road East
London, ON
N6A 5W9

Attn: Tristan Van Wieringen D7401C

If you are sending any gifts from out of Canada make sure you mark it as a gift. If you have time we would love to have postcards from your home town's. I will try to put updates on as much as possible, but don't worry if I miss since I don't have the same internet access. Thanks for your support!!

[RRsis]

Thanks for the new address...got a few things to send out tomorrow!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Monday October 23, 11:59pm

I'm starting this with great expectations in finishing before midnight. Right now I'm sitting in the Ronald McDonald House. Your thoughts and prayers have all blessed us with a room here with the facilities that were not available in the hospital. Murray has gone back to Trenton (Ontario) to work for a few days so I'm on my own. I'm going to try and get some sleep here tonight, but we'll see how long I last. I have this huge guilt not being at his bedside, but I'm only about a 5 minute run back to his room. They have my numbers if he wakes up.

Our room is a full house tonight and really crazy. Probably wouldn't sleep there much anyway. I came here this morning and had a bath and thought I died and went to heaven. I'm really going to try to sleep here if my stomache allows it.

He was seen by a few doctors today and so far they have another set of CT scans for tomorrow. They don't have a lot to say yet since they have to go through all the info that came from Hurley. All they did say is that he will be here for a minimum of 2 weeks. They told him he would be here for Halloween, but should be home for Christmas. He wants so bad to go home and to eat. He is so brave and wants me to eat with him. I feel so bad, but he wants me to be with him all the time.

Today we built a big star wars lego set and that took a good part of the day. Before he went to bed we watched a movie together in his bed. I then tried to get him settled and off to sleep so I could sneak off here. He must of sensed this since he would not go to sleep. I finally had to pretend to also go to sleep so he would feel more safe and secure. He was playing MX Unleashed today and told me he misses riding. I would never push my kids one way or another to ride, but racing and riding has been such a big part of his life. If he so chooses not to ride again I will support that 100%. I really don't want him to have any fears about it since this was such a passion for him.

Anyone that wants to come and visit is most always welcome with open arms. I'm sure if there are any things sent to Hurley they would contact us. I'm sure that Dawn could also drop by and pick anything up and get it to Tristan. I also decorated his room today with all the great stuff that you have been sending. I also got a bunch of Halloween decorations and his little area looks so great. I try and make his room look as at home as possible. Just lacks all those trophies that clutter up his floor, etc.

In the next few days I may have more answers to his next steps. It appears that him going to the Monster Mash is not going to happen. I'm hoping that Dominique can still go and hang out with her friends. That's such a great and fun weekend and I'm sure she would hate to miss it. I know that Tristan and I are sure going to miss being there. Tomorrow he is going to attend the hospital school for a bit and a teacher is going to work with us and his teacher at home to get him all caught up with his work. He is not so thrilled about that.

I just watched that video that Murray just made and it made me cry. To think he almost died a few weeks ago to today being able to walk around and do his homework is a real miracle.

I want to thank you all for everything you have all done for us. Can't tell you how much I miss all our Michigan & Canadian friends visits. Tristan and I are determined to make a difference in motocross racing once this is all said and done. We are going to turn a negative into a positive not just for him, but for all motocross kids across both nations. As I sit sometimes in silence my wheels are turning. Take good care!!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Wednesday October 25, 1:30am

Didn't even make it close to starting this before midnight tonight. Tristan knew that I was coming here to get some work done for his dad on the computer. He didn't want me to go until he fell asleep. I then gathered my stuff up and headed to RMH. I spent the 1st hour trying to figure out how to get the wireless connection to work on my lap top. I need to do payroll on this computer and I just couldn't figure it out. I went upstairs and found another parent still up and he was able to get me up and going. Now I can do all my work and have some privacy and not hog the computer while I sit and type my updates.

Today was not a great day for Tristan. Me and a few doctors and nurses had it out today since they were redoing all his tests and we needed clarification as to why this was necessary. If they think they are going to do anything to Tristan without us asking a ton of questions, they are sadly mistaken. Our American friends have taught us to speak up and demand the proper care. As Canadians we are used to getting whatever care that they throw at us. Since our health care is a socialized government system, we do not have the same options that Americans have.

He first went down in the morning for another neck flex test. After all the tests were done and all the doctors and specialists took a look, they cleared Tristan of the C-Spine neck collar. So he is not collarless. His neck was sore today since it's been about 2 1/2 weeks since he has had to fully support his own head. Another part of the recovery with a check beside it. They will continue to monitor him and make sure that all is okay. One of those doctors that I had it out with is coming back tomorrow to play Halo with Tristan on his Xbox. I sure hope he shows up since told me he can hardly wait until he comes.

This afternoon he had to get another Cat Scan. When you get one of these you have to have an IV since they inject dye into your bloodstream. Since he doesn't have any IV's they had to put another one it. They were advised that they needed a larger IV since they have to inject the dye at a certain speed and a larger line is needed for that. They tried to get the IV in his left arm and couldn't find it after poking around in his arm for 5 minutes. They then went into the right arm and tried again. This time they got it in then blew the vein and had to remove it. It's a good thing he had the trach in because he would have burst our eardrums screaming. It was clearly obvious that he was going through a lot of pain. After they were unsuccessful in getting the IV in they called and cancelled the scan until tomorrow. They then called back and told them to bring him down anyway and they would try to get it in. Well, Tristan was having no part of that and refused to get onto the stretcher to go downstairs. He is in no physical shape to even attempt to force him since he is going to fight back. With a weak neck, a trach, and feeding tube this would not have been a safe fight to have. We let him calm down then I sat for 10 minutes trying to talk him into it. Finally he agreed and down we went. When we arrived they advised us that they could insert the smaller size IV which is far less painful. He screamed and cried a bit, but it was all over in less than a minute. Have not had any feedback on the results yet.

Tonight while I ran back to RMH Tristan had a few visitors. First, Racer X Canada showed up with a few gifts and a visit. Then Brett Lee came up after he heard that Tristan was here. He was in for ankle surgery and looked to be in a whole lot more pain than Tristan. It was nice for him to have some visitors.

Otherwise, all is well and cold here. Can't believe that it was snowing here again today. It's way to early for snow which I could live without. Probably forgetting some things, but it's getting late and I like to be back in his room around 5am or 6am which is only 4 hours away. Maybe during the day tomorrow I can run down to the RMH and put in another update. Thanks again one and all.

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Wednesday October 25, 11:30pm

Today is Day 19 of our journey. It's hard to believe that we are going on almost 3 weeks now. When doctors ask me dates I find it hard to remember without using my fingers to do the calculations. Today was an uneventful day, but my body and soul is feeling all the stress. It's hard to manage your life from the side of a bed in a hospital. Like any other parent, we do what we have to do and make it work somehow. It's not always right or perfect, but we do the best we can.

I'm hoping that Tristan fell asleep after I left. I couldn't wait for him to fall asleep before I left since there were a few things that I had to do by a certain time today. He spent the day playing Xbox and doing homework. Around supertime, one of the doctors that I had it out with the day before dropped by and played Halo with Tristan for about an hour today. He was so looking forward to this since yesterday and I was starting to get worried that he would be a no show. It was so nice for him to take the time to bring the game into work and spend the time playing with him. I almost feel bad now for getting in his face yesterday. Then after that we watched a movie together. I love watching movies and with mx there usually isn't much time for that.

The speech doctor came in while I was back here today taking care of some business. Tristan told me that on Friday they are planning on doing that swallowing test to see if he is ready to eat yet. The concern is that with the trauma to his airway may cause the flap the covers the windpipe not to work properly. Thus causing any liquids or solids to go down the windpipe instead of the food pipe. He so badly wants to eat and would be thrilled if he could. I have already warned him that this may or may not be successful. Maybe after this I won't have so much trouble getting him to eat at the track. As well tomorrow he is going to see the E&T specialists and we will see what progress he has made in his neck.

There was something else that was brought to my attention yesterday, but I was too tired to discuss it in my update last night. I thought that I should get this issue straight and out in the open so that there is no room for any speculation or rumors. It appears that someone has put forth the statement that we have hired lawyers with intentions of suing Baja MX complete with the name of the attorney. Let me make this loud and clear that we are NOT suing Baja MX. That has got to be one of the stupidist things I have heard yet. Baja is one of the safest tracks that we have ever raced at. They are more concerned with safety than any other promoters that I have ever met. This was an accident that was never even thought to be able to happen. They are parents too and care about our kids just as much as the rest of us do. It's sad to think that someone would even have the nerve to even suggest that we made this comment or have started the process. There would be nothing to gain from doing this, but there would be a lot to lose. Murray said that day that of all tracks for this to happen at it had to be Baja. There was are a couple of reasons it happened at Baja. The 1st being that they had the proper medical people on site to deal with this type of serious injury. The 2nd reason is that they will are willing to work to help make racing safer for all our kids. They had already started the wheel in motion before Tristan's accident. No, Baja is not perfect, but they are willing to make the efforts to improve and make things better. Yes, there are a few things that we can learn from this. This sport of ours needs some real overhauling in the safety department. I'm not even going to waste any of my time trying to argue with anyone on this issue. My son has now been bit twice hard this year. Both of his big injuries have been directly related to track safety. I'm really crossing my fingers and toes that there are going to be some real good changes made to the safety of our great sport. Once Tristan is back on his feet, I'm going to be directly involved in that process. Through this ordeal, I have met a few people that I feel can help us make things better.

So I must thank you all again for you being the special people that you are. We are so blessed to be part of this great big MX family that is like no other!!

[Tatonka]

UPDATE: Thursday October 26, 11:30pm

Murray arrived about an hour or so ago. Tristan and I were watching a movie when he walked in. Tristan screamed in excitment since I had not told him that Murray was coming so it was a surprise. Right now they are hanging out together while I do a load of laundry and do my update.

Well we went to see the ENT doctor today and I sat and watched a few things that I never thought I would ever witness. If I had to make a list of my dream occupations I can tell you that any position in the medical field would be at the very bottom. I totally admire anyone that works in that field. Frankly my stomach cannot tolerate and it scares me to death. When he scoped him today it was up on a computer monitor in full color. I had to sit down for that. I'm trying to get myself used to all this and it's not easy. First he put the scope down his trach. Okay that was not too bad since there is really no problems below the trach. You could just see the walls of the trach and where it breaks off to go into each lung. The next thing he did was take a flexible scope and inserted it down his nose all the way down into the vocal cord area which is just above where the trach is. He numbed his nose and throat to do this, but it is still no Sunday picnic for Tristan. Now it took me a few minutes to get the guts to look at the screen for this since I know this is the area of concern. It was real nasty looking and I'm glad I was sitting down. He then took pictures as well so when he was explaining things to me after I could have a better understanding. This was just like some of those shows on TV that when I hit I quickly keep going. He then changed his trach (still the same size) and removed the outer and inner stitches. I admit, I was sitting beside Tristan so I could hold his hand but I didn't lean around and watch him change the trach. I'm taking baby steps and watching the other stuff was one of my baby steps. It doesn't hurt to change the trach, but is uncomfortable and really makes him cough which is not as easy since he coughs through his neck. At this point my tears started to pour. I would have given anything to be the one having the trach changed. He's only 8 years old and has to go through all this agony. It just seems so wrong. He then took out the 2 stitches on the outside of the trach. They were there to keep the hole from closing up too much. The body naturally will close up any holes that are not normally there. That hurt a wee bit and he was already feeling tense. The doctor then asked him if he wanted the other inner stitches taken out as well. These are dissolving stitches that had not dissolved yet. He felt it was best to take them out now to risk infection. After all that crap they did to him he still agreed and let him take the other stitches out. He is such a strong and brave little boy. I sure wish Murray could have been there since that kind of stuff does not bother him. It's the needles he doesn't like which don't bother me.

Now I'm going to try and explain the next part the best I can. My medical knowledge sucks so I may not word this all right. The vocal cords and area around them are still quite swollen. As well there is only a very very slight airway right now. He advised me that this swelling should have been gone by now so it appears that there could be more problems than we thought. From what I understand, the issues he has there are now the result of him being intubated at the track (this is when they inserted a tube down his mouth into his lungs so he was able to breathe). There is still a lot of speculation since there is so much swelling and he is not able to really determine what the real issues are yet. He is not sure yet if the vocal cords are damaged. One problem can be that the joints on each side of the vocal cords are dislocated. This would be a serious problem. He cannot tell yet if this is the case. The other problem is the cartlidge between the vocal cords and the trachea which is cartlidge that is a complete formed circle. Unlike the cartlidge in the trachea which is in the shape of a U. If this cartlidge has been intubated and the tube was tight and created blood lose to that area there can be some damage done there as well. This is a bit of a concern since the tube used for intubation was on the larger size. The fact still remains that had he not been intubated at the track I would not be even discussing this with you now because he would have died. There is absolutely no question about that. So the procedures that were performed to save his life have possibly now caused other problems. It sucks, but it was a life or death situation and a necessary evil. After we left and we were going back to his room all these other questions popped into my head. Then Murray thought of some which I'm sure you are thinking now as well. He did not go into detail as what would or could be done if any of these problems exist. It was so much to take in that I forgot to ask those questions. At this point he wants to see him in another 2 weeks. He advised me that we would for sure be here at the least another 2 weeks. I have yet to see any light at the end of the tunnel as far as getting out of the hospital. They have no idea yet when we would be able to go home.

The doctor also approved Tristan have the swallowing tests tomorrow to see if he is capable of eating or drinking. Since he has the trach in this also can create problems trying to eat. If you take your fingers and put them over your adam's apple and then swallow you can feel how hour adam's apple goes up when you swallow. With a trach it's difficult for this to go up and down therefore any food or drink has the chance of going down the windpipe. Even though he has almost no airway anyway, this may still be a possibility. There is also concern that when the vocal cords and trachea receive trauma there is a chance that the closing operations of the windpipe during eating may not function properly. He will be swallowing liquids with a dye in them while being watched through this xray machine that shows how all these functions are or are not working. This will determine whether or not he can start to eat. Of course he still has many fractures in his jaw so it would be likely that he would only be able to have soft blender type foods. After tomorrow we should have a better idea about this situation.

My head starts to spin with all this info. Like "Doctors for Dummies" in 3 short weeks. Hope this made a little bit of sense. Will let you all know how his test goes tomorrow.

Tristan and I are both sad that we will not be able to go to the Monster Mash. He told me that I could go and do the treasure hunt if his Dad stayed with him. Will have to think about that since I have never been away from him for more than a few hours. Dominique will be going with friends which will be great fun for her. She won't be racing since we won't be there. I don't think she really wants to ride her 85 anymore and they won't allow her to ride her 150 anyway. There will be so many things to do that she will have such a great time. I know that all you guys will take good care of her. I will try and remind Murray take all my decorations when he drops off Dominique so they can be put to good use.

Well I had better get the rest of my things done so I can get back to the hospital so that Murray can come back here to sleep. It's quite a circus in his room and I don't think he would sleep well in his room. I hope that back door is open so I don't have to walk around the hospital again.

A few people asked about the address and if you go back to the beginning of my week posts you should find it there. Murray took some footage of his room today and I would imagine that he will be making up another video. Again, thanks for all your support. Keep all your posts still coming cause we love them all so much. Even if it's just to say hi. Have a great day!!!

[Tatonka]

UPDATE: Friday October 27, 1:00pm

Today has been the best day ever yet for Tristan. He went down this morning and did his swallowing test. HE PASSED!!!!! Right now he is eating his lunch for the 1st time in 3 weeks. He was so excited and felt like he just won Mini-O's. He can only eat soft things like yogurt, soup, bread, puree foods, noodles, etc. They brought up his lunch and I'm glad he had to eat it because it looked disgusting to me. They keep having to tell him to slow down. Now how do you tell a Motocrosser to slow down?? Today was a giant leap towards his recovery.

Before he went for his test today he was telling what he was going to do when he was cleared to ride again. He started to tell me that he is going to work on his corners. Telling me that he is going to work hard on banked corners, flat corners and rutted corners. Isn't it funny how he is already making his plan of attack on improving his riding skills. He also needs to work on riding on the balls of his feet. That seems to be one of those skills that is harder to master. During spring break I was told by Murray that I was not to come back from Florida until he was consistently riding with his elbows up. We spent the whole week working on that and he started to get the hang of it. That was also the week that we were finally able to get him to ride his 65. It took about 10 people and 2 hours of convincing and bribing to finally get him to try it out. Then I remember him whinning to me that the 65 was bogging. The 1st time I gave him the benefit of the doubt and took the bike back to Kyle to check out. The bike was fine, it was just him. Then the next time he tried that I told him that he needed to shift down. Of course he told me he was shifting. I asked what gear he was in and he told me he was in 1st. Then I asked if he still was in 1st and he said yes. This is when he got busted since I took the bike and showed him how he was in 4th not 1st. The light must have came on then since he never complained that it was bogging again. It's nice to remember some of those special memories of them growing and learning and being a part of that process.

You are so right Tracey about the bond the 2 boys have. Remember that time after the Red Bud national last year when Tristan rode with you guys on the way to Victory Lane? When we got there the 2 boys were asleep in your RV and they were spooning. It was so cute and we were trying to find a camera to take a picture when the guys walked in and made a fuss about the boys spooning. They semi woke them up and we were not able to get a picture. I'm sure like me, you still have that image in your mind that will forever be there. I really love those slipper socks that you guys got Tristan. Do you think you could grab a bunch more pairs of those since there is no way that I will be able to get them in Canada? I'm not sure when I will be able to get to the US to pick any up. Dominique will be at Baja this weekend and maybe if you have time you could pick some up and give them to her? I would really appreciate that.

That video was really funny, but it's too bad it didn't have any shots of us doing Kong. Maybe he can email me that so I can have a little laugh. It was nice to see the odd shot of Tristan in those videos.

The Monster Mash is always one of the events that we look forward to every year. I was really looking forward to watching Murray race the day the Tristan had his accident. He looked pretty good in practice and seems to be getting used to that 450. I love watching the kids ride, but it's a little stressful. I really love watching Murray ride and I don't have to watch with that lump in my stomach. Was looking forward to see how he stacked up against the others now that he is in the appropriate class with the real competition. I was also looking forward to having some crazy night time fun at the track this weekend. We seem to know how to have some fun. You guys need to go this weekend and have a real good time. Tristan is in good hands and is on his way to a full recovery.

I would love it if all you guys could be here all the time, but I totally understand that this is hard to do. The great thing is that it feels like you are all little people sitting on my shoulders giving me the strength and encouragement to deal with all this. Thank you all for giving me that!!

[Tatonka]

UPDATE: Sunday October 29, 1:00am

Tristan had a great day yesterday and was able to have lunch and supper. When they brought his dinner it was meat, potatoes, and veggies that were a puree. I'm glad that I didn't have to eat that since it looked terrible. We have to log all the food and drink he consumes and today had the same purees and Murray wrote down the meat as catfood. The nurses got a laugh about that, but that's what it kind of looks like.

Last night his new Canadian friends (relatives of the Wolf's) came down and Damon played Xbox with Tristan for a few hours. He really loves that. Murray came back later last night and gave me the rest of the night off. I was able to come back to the RMH and watch tv and just relax. I almost felt a little normal for a bit. This morning I got up and went across the street and had my hair cut. Then thanks to Darlene's sister I was treated to having my nails done. After that I felt like a whole new person. Now I can take on the next 3 weeks here.

Murray's mom and dad dropped by today and it was cute watching Murray's dad playing a Military Xbox game with Tristan. It was an appropriate game since Murray's dad is a real military buff. Then later in the afternoon Kyle, Brandy, and Wendy showed up and hung out with us for the rest of the day and evening. They also brought for Tristan both a Jersey from Kyle and Kory to add to his collection. He also received some gifts from our neighbors and had fun playing with them.

Yesterday Tristan had to wait all day until his dad arrived to open a special gift that was sent to him. I didn't have a camera with me so we had to wait for Murray to arrive to open up the gift. To his surprise he opened up the box and inside was an autographed Jeremy McGrath Jersey. He was completely stunned as well Murray was also stunned. I had known already what was in the box, but left it a surprise for both Tristan and Murray. We want to send a big thanks to Mike Burkeen (mattsdad) for taking the time to get this autographed jersey special for Tristan. Tristan now would like to start a collection of jerseys like Travis has. So far he is up to 5 jerseys.

I'm really looking forward to hearing about the events at Baja this weekend. Not sure all the things they have planned for Tristan, but we are starting to hear bits and pieces of what all our wonderful friends are doing. Really looking forward to seeing the video of the weekend since we could not be there. Hope everyone is keeping warm since the weather around here this weekend is nasty. It's really cold and really windy and has been raining most of the day. It's too bad the weather sucks for such a great fun weekend for the kids and parents too. It's just not the same not being at the event since in Michigan this is one you don't want to miss. For this weekend the folks at Baja go all out to make as much fun as they can for everyone.

Well, Murray is staying with Tristan again tonight so I'm going to get under the covers and watch a little tv before I get some sleep. I noticed today that Murray is in the process of working on another video again, but I don't usually know about it until I see it posted. Thanks again one and all for everything! Looking so forward to getting home one day and having a somewhat normal life. At least as normal as we MX families lives can be. Hope you all have a fun and safe weekend.

[Tatonka]

posted by Murray -

Here is the latest video. We really appreciate the support.

http://www.tristanmx.com/mov/TVW1.wmv

Murray

[Tatonka]

UPDATE: Sunday October 29, 12:45pm

Today was a very mellow day. Tristan, Murray and myself spent the day together as we had no visitors today. We played Xbox, read books, built lego, and just hung out. Tristan is eating up a storm and we had a bit of a spat tonight as they brought him pepperoni pizza for dinner. That is not on his soft food diet unless it had been put through the blender. I can tell you that he really wanted to eat that pizza and I would not let him. He wanted me to put it through the blender, but I don't have one with me. They called down to the kitchen and brought up some noodles.

Murray is spending the night again with Tristan and will be back here at 4:30am to have a shower and leave for work. I will head back to his room then and get a bit more sleep there before coming back here to get cleaned up for the day. I'll wait until the doctors come and when he is in the playroom. Looks like Murray be coming back here a couple of nights early this week as he has some training sessions to put on at one of the plants that he worked at early this year. That will be nice for Tristan to see him a few more days during the week.

We sure missed not being at Baja this weekend. I hope everyone had a great time even though the weather sucked. Was it too windy to really decorate the trailers? It was like that a couple of years ago and it was really hard to decorate with the wind so strong. That was the year I sliced my head open on the slide of our RV and spent the evening in the hospital getting 10 stitches. It was cold that weekend as well. Did you guys do anything real fun and crazy that I missed out on?

Murray told me yesterday about the bracelets for Tristan. Can anyone scan a picture in of one of them so I can see what they look like? The Snelgroves asked if they could buy a bunch of them. I can't believe that you guys actually were able to get those made in such a short time. I wish we could have been there to be part of all the events. Thanks to all you Michigan riders and families that helped out and gave your support this weekend. It means so much to us. Tristan and I were talking tonight a bit about the work we have ahead of us improving the safety of the riders. We can hardly wait to start working on that.

There is no real new medical news as most of his doctors are not in during the weekend. Most of the work is done during the week. He has been eating so much that they had to stop his tube feedings during the night as it was making him feel sick. They called the doctor and he said it was okay to stop during the weekend and they would re-evaluate it on Monday. I doubt they will take the feeding tube out until he is all better. There is still the chance once the swelling goes down in his vocal cords that his food and drink may then start to go down the windpipe. I'm sure I will find out more this week.

I can hardly wait to go home since this is starting to get real old. I'm so used to going at 100 mph everyday and now I'm not doing a whole lot. I try not to think about all the work I have piling up at home with our businesses. I'm sure our grass is a foot high and the tracks needs some work as well. Not like it's not going to be waiting for me when I get home. It's nice to be able to be here with Tristan 24/7 which makes him feel more secure and safe and allows me the chance to talk with him about everything that has happenned.

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend. Thanks again for all your support. As you can see on the video, Tristan really appreciates it and it has helped him so much!!!

P.S. Dawn, how many more sleeps till you are able to come???

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Tuesday October 31, 11:45pm

Sorry I haven't had much of an update for the last few days. Murray is working at one of the plants he was working at earlier this year doing some training for them. That allows him to be here at night which Tristan just loves. Last night we both ended up sleeping in his room with him. Luckily I got the cot and Murray took the bed. Tonight Tristan wanted Murray to stay with him so I decided to come back here to the RMH and catch up on my updates and make a few calls.

Today at the hospital they had a little Halloween party for the kids. Tristan had a pretty good time, but near the end he got a little bored. Not the usual high pace type of activities that he is normally used to. As well, he tried to sneak a few gummie worms after I told him that he couldn't have any. He tried to argue that he didn't have to chew them, but luckily a nurse advised him that this was a no-no. When we were still at Hurley I ordered him a Star Wars Clone Trooper costume. He looked so darn cute in his costume. When he wore the mask you could hardly even tell there was anything wrong with him since you couldn't see his trach. He really missed going trick or treating, but since he is not a real candy freak he got over it pretty well. I hope that Dominique had fun tonight since I wasn't there to be with her.

Not too many things go on anymore since we are more in the recovery stage right now. He has not had to have any feedings with his G-Tube so that is kind of nice. He will have to have this feeding tube in for as long as he has his trach. In case he has to more surgery on his neck or if the swelling goes down and he no longer can eat orally. Today he received a device that can pop onto his trach that makes it easier to talk. Instead of him having to cover the trach when he wants to talk, this little device does it for him. He tried it out today and says he can't breath with it on. I was out of the room when they 1st came so I didn't see how it went. They are going to come in everyday and try to practice with him to see if this would be easier for him.

The Psychology Doctor also came in today to speak with both Tristan and myself. After she was finished speaking with Tristan, she advised me that he was doing really well. His spirts have come a long way and he seems to be in a much better emotional place now. He advised her that he is not having nightmare, flashbacks, or any anxiety with this accident. As well he does not feel scared about any of it either. She told me things to look out for in case that condition changes.

This week I will start my formal training on his trach care. Right now she is trying to get the area looking a little prettier. Usually they make one horizontal incision, but for his they made both a horizontal and vertical incision and it looks a lot more nastier than usual. I have to be able to clean in and around the trach as well as due regular suctioning and deep suctioning. They claim that also have to be able to change the trach. Normally I wouldn never have to change the trach, but I need to know in case the trach was to come out. He has a cuffless trach and it is only held in by velcro straps around his neck. All this stuff makes we a little weak at the knees so they have to take baby steps with me. He cannot go home until I am completely able and comfortable doing all these tasks. I also think that there has to be 2 people with him at all times that are trained for looking after this. Right now we are in the process of figuring out who else is going to help us since it appears that his parents are going home next week.

This weekend both Murray and myself have to get CPR certified to be able to take him home with us. I have never done this before so I'm a little nervous about that as well.

Currently the plan is for Tristan to be going home at the end of next week after he has visited the ENT (Ear, Nose, & Throat) specialist. If this is the case we will have had to spend 5 weeks in the hospital. I'm not holding my breath since this has not been cast in stone. As well as receiving all this training, we must also got all the equipment and supplies ordered and set up prior to us leaving. Plus in home care will also have to be set up. Sounds like this will be either a daily or few times of week care from a nurse. Not real sure how that is going to work yet.

This week a teacher from the hospital has been in contact with his teacher at school. She now comes and spends 30 minutes a day going through all his homework and answering any questions. By the end of tomorrow he should have all his homework done. This teacher here helps since some of the notes on his homework are hard to understand.

So I hope all the kids had a great time trick or treating tonight. Hope it wasn't too cold or wet for the kids. Today it was really nice here today. Yesterday was even nicer with blue skies and warmer temperatures. I'm not looking forward to winter since this is not my favourite time of year.

Thanks again for all your support. Murray continues to take footage for his next video. Take care and Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Thursday November 2, 7:30pm

Last night I quickly ran back here to do a few things, then ran back to the room to spend the night with Tristan. I had perfect timing as when I walked in the room he had just got up to go pee. He didn't have to get stressed out wondering where I was.

Nothing much is different since he is just in the healing process and I'm in the training process. Next Tuesday morning he has an appointment with the ENT for another flexible scope. Lets hope the swelling has started to go down. He really appears to be the same as before to me, but I'm not doctor. Tristan and I had a look today at the CT scans that were done here. This time we saw the images in color. That was really cool and looked like something you would see on CSI. You could see where the fractures are, but they all look like they are healing well. They are going to check with the docs to see if they can change his diet to more solid foods.

Yesterday, I did my 1st deep suctioning was I was real nervous about. He rarely has to have this done since he usually coughs up the gunk. I also did a little cleaning on the area of the skin surrounding the trach. Not that area is still nasty since there is a big section (about the size of a dime) that is still growing and filling in. It kinds of looks like a big gob of buggers (snot). Of course the nurses and doctors think it looks great and is healing well. The nurse that trains me is off on Friday and Monday (and her usual weekend) so my training will start again on Tuesday. I'm suppossed to change the dressing around the trach while she is gone. My big training next week will be changing his trach. I'm still not all warm and fuzzy about that. When he had it changed by the ENT a week ago he got quite excited and was moving all over the place and coughing. It doesn't hurt, but is real uncomfortable and makes him cough. This is what worries me when I do it. Since I will already be all nervous, if he starts to flail around I'm concerned that I will not be able to do it. I could change an earring, but this trach thing really weirds me out. I'm sure there are quite a few other things that I still need to learn so that I can take him home and care for him myself. All the equipment and supplies for home have been ordered and are in the process of being delivered and set up so it's ready to go when we get there. Then there will be more training on how to use that equipment.

The nurse also suggested to me today that if I don't feel comfortable when they are ready to send him home, we can be transferred to the hospital in Windsor until I feel okay with all this. It's kind of scary thinking about being the sole caregiver since for the last month I have always had the nurses to look after him or at least help me if needed. We live in the country so I don't have a ton of neighbors right next door. So if there are any nurses out there that would like to come live with us for awhile, just let me know.

When we meet with the ENT doctor next week I will ask him what his restrictions will be. I'm sure for fun if Murray is there he will be asking if he will be able to race at Mini-O's this month just to see what kind of reaction he can get out of the doctors. I know that until he gets that trach out he will be home schooled. Otherwise, I would have to go to school with him everyday and that's not going to happen. We can still go there everyday and get all his new work, and he can even write any test there if required. This isn't exactly how I visioned his home schooling. The nurse suggested that he might not be allowed to travel to the US which would really suck. He is dying to see all his friends. Maybe if we are in Windsor it will be a bit more easier for his friends to come and visit. She also said that he should not be at the track. Good thing the racing is almost done for the year up here, since this would have been a good time for Murray to do a bunch of racing without having to worry about Tristan. As well, Dominique would have still wanted to ride and I would rather be at the track than anywhere else.

Tristan has received some great gifts from his MX friends. Yesterday and today he received Star Wars lego and some awesome pictures from friends in Reno, Nevada and a package from Ronnie Renard. He also had a visit from some Canadian mx friends from the TVR racing series that brought his a hugs Star Wars Lego set that we have been building for the last 2 days. It was great for Tristan have a few visitors. He portion of the room is really something else. Anyone new that comes in to see him can't believe all the stuff that he has. Every card, letter, and pictures that is sent gets put up on the wall. He only has 2 walls so they are covered with all your love and support. Even the one curtain has 3 jerseys hanging from it. Thanks everyone for helping make his area look so great and postive. We love when you send pictures of yourselves.

So right now I'm just waiting for my load of laundry to dry so I can go back. There have been a lot of people that have come into his area and are not involved in motocross. Of course they ask a lot of questions, since they are not used to seeing all this stuff that is sent to the patients. We have been described as being like Gypsies, something like a cult, and similiar to a religion. It's funny that each of those comparisons have similiar qualities as our sport. When you are right in the middle of it you don't really see these features. You really see them when you look from the outside in or you are in a position like we are where we are receiving such a huge amount of support from our mx community. You have to be proud to be part of such a great sport. Thanks again for everything!!!!

[char393]

Just curious are there any new updates? I hope Tristan's visit with the ENT doc and the flexible scope well today.

[beleza]

Hello,

I check on Tristan's progress every day and just wanted to send my support once again. I know how much of an adjustment this must be for your family - it's hard to have to learn new skills (like suctioning trachs) but you will do fine. We are all thinking of you and praying for Tristan every day. Just take it one day at a time - you sound like very strong people and you will do well with whatever your task.
Just know you are cared about even by people who have never met you. Sending healing wishes.
Tera Crisalida

[Administrator]

Thank you for the update

As Always We at RiderDown are praying and hoping the best for Tristan and Family !=!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Monday November 6, 8:30am

We have now hit week 5 of this journey. I hope I have the strength and courage to be able to do all the medical tasks that are required for him to be able to go home. Tomorrow morning he gets a scope again to see how the swelling is doing. We did our CPR this past weekend and that went fine. Now just to receive all the other training and be comfortable with it all and then we can go home.

On Friday the Pym's dropped by for a visit and the boys were able to go down to the Child Life room and play air hockey and game cube. Was a nice break for Tristan since he doesn't get a lot of visitors here in London. Late at night Murray came back from Trenton, then left that morning to go back home to gather a few things and get Dominique. They both showed up in the early evening and Tristan had a kid to hang with. Later on Sunday morning I took Dominique with me to do a little shopping, then took her out for lunch. When we arrived back at the hospital mid afternoon, Murray's parents were there to take her back home. She was quite upset about leaving and that really broke my heart. On Sunday Cormeister showed up with the kids and Tristan had a lot of fun playing board games, video games, and just hanging out with the kids. Was great to have an adult visitor as well. Really breaks up the day which can be a little slow some days.

Cormeister also brought a tshirt from the Thompson's MX Schools and a jersey from one of the Thompson brothers who is a pro rider. Tristan really loved that. Cole Thompson has 4 older brothers who have all raced at some time or another. A few of them still race at the pro level. They also have a real cool motocross school/camp in Sarnia. In the winter they are in Panama City and they do private training at County Line. We hope that he gets better real soon so we can head down to Panama City to do some riding at County Line. Tristan and I can hardly wait to go there. It's such a great track to train at and we love going there.

So otherwise, just the same old same old. Looking forward to going home and seeing my dog Nimbus who I haven't seen in almost 5 weeks. He is having a sleep over at Brian Harrison's house until I get home. Thanks to the Christie's for taking care of Dominique for us at the Monster Mash. I'm really hoping to see Dawn this week as last week she had a cold and could not come. Tristan cannot be exposed to any kind of illness. I know that it is a lot more difficult for you guys to visit us now that we are in London, Canada. On top of the extra hour and a half, you also have to deal with the wait times at the border. We totally understand so don't worry. Thanks for all your love and support. We are getting there, slowly but surely!!!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Tuesday November 7, 7:00pm

I bring you this update today with a very heavy heart. It's hard to believe that it has been a month today since his accident, Day 32. I came back today to the RMH to do some business work and a load of laundry. Kind of weird only doing 1 load since I only have my stuff and I wash on cold with everything together. Don't have time to do each load seperately. Soon as I finish this it should be all dry and I can head back to his room for the night.

Well today we went to visit the ENT doc and he decided that he wasn't going to do any tests or scopes. Tristan was happy about that. He feels that there is no need to do the scope since he is not going to find anything that will change our current status. No use putting him through that for nothing. So it was just an information session. I guess we are going to learn a little bit about the voice box through all this. I will try to explain what I was told today.

On Thursday (yes in 2 days) Tristan is going home. That's great news and a little scary for me as well. He is going to stay home with me for the next 3-4 weeks until he returns back to London to get scoped again. He is to stay around home and cannot venture off to the US to visit his friends. You guys will have to come to us. Until the swelling goes down he has no idea what if any damages there are to the cartilage or the voice box since he cannot see any of that with the swelling. As well, he has no idea how long it will take for the swelling to go down. My next question was what is the minimum time that he will have the trach. He then tells me that it will be at least 3 months. This is when my heart hit the floor. There is a rare chance that the swelling may never go down. This is extremely rare and if so he would have to perform a surgical procedure to repair this. This would be the last resort since once one operate on the voice box it will never be the same. meaning that he may never be able to raise his voice or his voice may change, etc. He will wait until the end of next summer before he would consider doing this if required. They have again decided to keep in the feeding tube since he would have to be put under to take this out and there is a chance that he may need more surgery and might still need this feeding tube. He was also cleared today to eat anything that he wants. The fractures are still evident, but not enough to keep him on a soft diet. If eating all foods gives him pain then he would have to go back to a soft diet. Like he would ever tell me that. He has a huge pain tolerance and would just "suck it up".

So we headed (the nurse & resident doctor who came along) headed back to his room. This hospital consists of multiple buildings that are joined together so it is a little bit of a hike back. I'm feeling like we just got knocked down again and I'm really quiet as we walk. Waiting to get back to his room so I can ask the nurse if there is somewhere that I can go to unload. As the elevator starts to climb to the 7th floor I feel the tears starting to form. I'm holding it in when the elevator opens at our floor. I let Tristan, the doc, and the nurse out and I slowly start to walk out the elevator. Didn't get 1 foot past the door (they are already around the corner out of ear and eye range) when I totally loose it. I guess the nurse had a feeling I wasn't okay and she came running around and found me. I just couldn't stop crying and as I type this I'm starting again. I'm so scard and feel so bad that he has to have this darn trach for such a long time. I don't mean to feel ungrateful that he is alive, but it still makes me so sad. When you look at him he looks so normal (excluding the trach). He's really a good boy and Murray has spent so much time trying to teach him proper rider techniques to keep him safe. Twice now this year he has had bad injuries that were for the most part not even his fault. He tries so hard and does all those drills over and over and over again. I try and remind myself that there is a reason for all of this. I know that I need to keep my faith and be positive. This is only the 2nd time I have done this (the other time was when he got the trach) so I guess that it's okay. Guess I was just hoping that this would all be over soon and we could head to County Line in Florida for Christmas so he could get ready for the 2007 season. Lets all pray that he is better real quick and maybe he can still go down and train in time for Oak Hill and start the LLQ process. This is his last year on a 50 and if he works real hard he has a good chance of making it again. After all he has gone through this year it would be so special if he could.

Once the morning arrives I'm sure that I will feel better and will come to accept what is in front of us. I'm so grateful for his survival and for all the people that have supported us through this journey. I hope that his scope is before the Toronto Supercross, since we are going no matter what. I will figure a way to take him there and still have his humidity. We love going to that event to watch all the pros and support our Canadian riders.

So if anyone wants to come and visit Tristan this weekend we will be back at the farm. Much closer to most of you guys. We have had some positive news today and I will focus my energy on that. Here is our address at home:

7510 County Road 18 RR4
Harrow, ON
N0R 1G0
519-738-1003

On top of all this today, when we got back from the doctor I had to do my 1st trach change. Yes, I did it!!!! It's not real hard, the tough part is just getting past what you are doing. The nurse pulled it out and I put the new one in. She had to get after me to hurry up, but said I did just fine. Three weeks ago I would have told you that I was never going to do it. It's not fun though, since you stick this plastic piece in a hole that looks like someone just shot a bullet in his neck. And I'm not kidding about that. I feel more comfortable driving our 30' motorhome with our 24' enclosed trailer behind to Florida than doing this. Even more comfortable backing the thing up. Isn't that crazy but that's what I was thinking afterwards. That has got to be the nastiest thing that I have ever done, but I did it.

Thanks for everything and I will keep reminding myself of all the positive things that you have told me. We are going to get through all this it's just going to take some time. Tristan is not effected by this the way that Murray and I are. He is excited about going home and eating everything!!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Wednesday November 8, 4:30pm

I'm not sure if I will be able to do an update again until we get home. At this point I don't know exactly when we are leaving tomorrow. Tristan is so excited.

Right now he is sitting on the bed here at the RMH. He was given permission today to go on a little field trip to the RMH. He had trouble with his eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight since it has been almost 5 weeks since he has been oustide. Can't even imagine being inside for that long. It's so nice out today and perfect for his little trip. I showed him around the RMH and he thought it was pretty fancy here. It is really nice here and it makes life at the hospital much more comfortable. We played foosball for a while, then he played on the organ in the playroom. I just finished getting our stuff organized to take home. You can only imagine how much stuff he has. I'm not going to take the stuff down in his room until we are close to leaving. I have done it a few times now and it doesn't take to long. It would look so sad without all that stuff.

Well I did it again today and it was a lot easier today. Yes, I changed his trach for the 2nd time. He really hates this and she says that I don't have to do it again since I did so well and he hates it so much. I felt like Tristan when he wins a race when he pumps his arm in the air. That's exactly what I did today when I did my 2nd trach change. He also visited the plastic surgeon who cleared his jaw and doesn't require him to visit him again. We are to follow up in the next few years with the dentist and orthodontist. It is still possible that his jaw may not grow properly, but not expected.

Well, we should get back to the room since we have to be back by 4:30 and I will be in big trouble if we are late. Like I expected, I feel a better today and don't feel like I'm going to cry every minute. I have a lot more confidence in going home since I did a pretty good job with the trach change today. When I did deep suctioning I know that I did awesome and even Tristan said it was perfect. It's quite amazing what you can do if you have to do it. I never thought 12 years ago when I was pregnant with Dominique that this is what I would have to do as a parent. Your life can make a huge change in a matter of a second whether you wanted the change or not. I'm not doing anything more than any other parent would do for their children. I have seen a lot of really bad things in both hospitals that put Tristan's problems to shame. There are a lot of parents that are going through a lot more issues than we are. God Bless Them All!!!

Thanks again for being the awesome MX Family that one could only ever wish for. We look forward to seeing you all soon.

[Tatonka]

posted by janine -

UPDATE: Friday November 10, 3:30pm

While after almost 5 weeks of living in 2 different hospitals in 2 different countries we are finally home. We arrived yesterday in the afternoon. It even felt weird driving those couple hours home. Considering how many hours I have logged behind the wheel driving from one track to another it should have been 2nd nature.

A while after we arrived home a respitory therapist arrived to check Tristan out and show me how to use all the home equipment. Tristan was so excited waiting for Dominique to arrive home from school. Of course it didn't take but a few hours until they were at each other. We quickly had to run to town and get his prescription as a nurse was coming by to get us set up and check him out. While I was gone, Wendy Snelgrove spent the day completely cleaning my house. My mother in law has kept it up. Tristan said that he has never seen our house so clean before. That made coming home so much nicer. The night we left for Baja was such a rush since I had spent the day driving to Ohio to pick up his new 65 and then to Michigan to pick up his new 50. We needed the bikes for Branson and he only got the chance to ride the 50 since Murray didn't have enough time to get the suspension switched over. Needless to say, I had 20 minutes to get out the door.

Last night I ended up sleeping with him again as he could not get comfortable and would not fall asleep. Tristan and Dominique had to trade rooms as Tristan has a bunkbed/desk and she just has a mates bed. There is no way he is climbing in and out of that bed with his trach and feeding tube. The cool mist machine is really loud and I thought I would never fall asleep. Luckily I had only had a couple of hours sleep the night before so I had no problems.

This morning I took him to his school since they were having a rememberance day assembly. He really didn't want to go, but I convinced him that he would enjoy the visit. In Harrow we have 2 elementary schools since there are so many kids. They had both schools at the assembly. Everyone was so excited to see him. I had warned him that kids were going to stare at him since most have never seen a kid with a trach. I also made him wear a mask so that he would not catch anything that the other kids had. He was able to see his favourite grade 1 teacher who had no idea that he had an accident. That was a double bonus to see her as well. After the assembly we went back to his class. We then talked to all the kids and explained to them what happenned and where he was at now. Of course not to any great detail since I was concerned that we might scare someone. I thought it was important they understand what is going on since at some point he will be going back to school with his trach. One girl asked since he has already gotten hurt would he be racing again. Yes, I told her but I had a hard time trying to explain why. That is much easily explained to an adult than a child. If anyone has any ideas on how to explain this to a kid, let me know.

It was pizza day at school and they had extra so I was able to buy him a few slices. He then had lunch with his class and we headed home. On the way home I asked him if he had a good time. He told me he did and was glad that I got him to go. They were all so excited to see him and can't wait till he returns again.

Yesterday when we were leaving the hospital and I was saying goodbye to the nurses I couldn't help but start to cry. Again while we were at his school the same emotions came over me. I can still see him lying on that table gasping for air and thinking at that time that he was going to die. I have never been so scard in my life. Now this week we are able to go home and he is able to go and visit his school friends. He has come a long way and I'm so happy and grateful to still have him with us today. They were tears of joy!! Thanks to everyone that was at the track that day. There were many people that had a part of his survival and I'm grateful that you were all there. It was a total group effort!

I'm also looking forward to getting my dog Nimbus back. Brian has been so helpful by looking after him while I was gone. It just doesn't feel the same without him here under my feet. Looks like tomorrow Murray will go and get him and our RV that the Boyles have so kindly taken care of for us. It's still a little wet here, but Murray is dying to ride his 450 again now that Tristan is home and safe.

We are looking forward to seeing our MX family now that we are home. That will be such a treat for both Tristan and ourselves. I can't express enough thanks for all that each and everyone of you have done for us. You guys are the very best!!!!!!

[RRsis]

YEA Tristan is HOME!!! THat is good news and if they are coming all the way down to OAK Hill (that is 30 mins from my house) I will be the welcoming committee! :-)

OK can someone PM me her email address....If they are going to the Toronto (sp?) SX this next month then I would like to see if I can get some strings pulled for passes :lol: And can you ask her if she recieved my shirts yet? REYNARD shirts..LOL

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Wednesday November 22, 1:50am

I'm so sorry I haven't been able to get in an update lately. Since we have been home I have had so many things to get caught up on. I lost 5 weeks being at the hospital and between our personal stuff and all the business stuff, I'm a little swamped. Thinking I probably got more sleep in the hospital than I do now that I'm at home.

Saturday, Nov 11 Tristan had one of his best days yet. We still had to pick up our motorhome from Boyle's and also to pick up Nimbus (my dog) from Brian's house. Tristan convinced Murray to let him go along on this trip to the US. He wasn't supposed to go to the US, but Murray was convinced to let him go. Of course I'm his shadow now and I must always be with him since I'm the only one trained on his care. So off we went to the Boyle's to pick up the RV. It was so nice to see the Boyle's again. I was used to seeing them almost everyday and I really missed them. Tristan was able to hang out with John for awhile which he really loved. Since that took a couple of hours he had to be on his humidity for awhile before we left for Brian's house. Murray set up his GPS in my truck so I followed those directions. I think it must have been the longest route to Brian's since I must of hit about 50 lights along the way. I was getting a little frustrated. I finally hit I96 and could finally make up some time by being on the freeway. I didn't get but a half mile when the highway came to a complete stop. So much for it taking about 45 minutes to get there since it took me about 3 hours. We finally arrived at the Harrison's and Nimbus was so excited to see us. Again, Tristan had to be on his humidity for awhile before we could head home. This was great for all of us since Tristan got to hang out with Mitchell for awhile and I was able to visit with Wendy and Brian. Finally around 4 or 5 we headed back home to Canada. As I was heading down our highway back home in Canada I came up behind the Christie's who were headed to our house for a visit. Such perfect timing and again Trisan was able to hang out with DJ, Dominique was able to hang with Sydney, and I was able to visit with Tammy. Was such a great day for all except for the traffic.

We are all happy to be home now and seem to have gotten adjusted to the changes that we had to make for Tristan. I was lucky enough to have Wendy S. to clean my house before anyone arrived home and Murray's mom kept it up as well. When we arrived home and unloaded all his stuff it looked like it did before anyone cleaned up. Needless to say I have spent the past week trying to get this place in order. Since it hasn't stopped raining here there was no way I was able to cut any of the grass. I can't even get out on our MX & SX tracks to see what kind of mess they are in either. That's okay since only Murray is crazy enough to go out there and ride on the tracks when it mudfest. He had to get in his riding fix so he ripped off a few laps on Dominique's 150. Wouldn't want to get his 450 all covered in mud. While I was away Murray's dad got our tractor all fixed up so I was able to finish leveling the gravel on the driveway/parking areas.

So as you can see we have been quite busy. Last week Murray's parents went away during the week and Murray also left to work for the week up north. When his parents were here I made sure to cook as much as I could for everyone since that is one of my strong points. I tried to make a few dishes that Tristan really loves and spent time with his parents. On Monday they left to head back home to Alberta.

Nothing much new to report on Tristan's medical condition. Most things remain the same. When we go out I notice a lot of people staring at him. I warned him of this before we left the hospital since at the hospital people are used to seeing people with different medical conditions. Out in the public it's different. It's not often you see an 8 year old boy with a trach. I don't think he notices it as much as I do. When he has his coat all zipped up you can't even tell there is anything wrong with him. Once the coat is unzipped you are quickly reminded on how sick he still is. I'm thinking that the swelling has gone down a wee bit. He is trying so hard to talk without covering his trach. He wants so bad to get rid of that trach and feeding tube. In 2 weeks we go back to the ENT doc for another scope. That will be the true answer.

I have tried to make sure that I let people know of the packages we have received. This way you all know if they have arrived safe and sound. I'm sorry if I have ever missed anyone's package, and send me a pm if I have so I can let you know if we received it. The day we left to go home we received a package from Big Air Graphics and the Tannenbaums. I loved the letter that was sent and they also sent a package of Tristan mini numberplates. If anyone would like some, please send me a pm with your address and I will send them out to you in the mail. They were made to hand out to all his friends. When we got home he received a package from the Windgassen's that appeared to have been sent to Flint then sent on to us here in Canada. Such a great package and we loved the cards the kids made. As well we finally got the package from the Walsh's. This was sent to London then was forwarded on to us at home. As well as a few postcards from California and Australia. The Walsh's spent a lot of time putting together this package for Tristan. He couldn't believe his eyes when he opened it up and saw all the cool things you gave him. We could tell that Trisan was on your minds while you were racing down in Vegas. My favourite thing in all the things in the box was the jersey. Tristan now has another jersey to add to his new collection. Darren sent one of his jerseys just the way that he likes. Tristan loves when they are "used" jerseys and when they are signed especially to him. I have yet to figure out what I'm going to do with all these jerseys. I want to make sure that they are well looked after, but somehow display them at the same time. He also received a bunch of pictures from Photos of You which are just awesome. I can't thank you guys all enough for all the kind gifts, cards, letters, emails, pictures and posts you have all sent. I have kept everything little thing that was ever given to him.

My homeschooling is a little different than "real" homeschooling as I get the work they do in class and bring it home and instruct Tristan and ensure he gets the work done. He is very smart, but needs to keep up with what they are doing in class everday. We hope next year he will get that trach out and be back at the track. For him to miss any days he will need to be caught up and on top of all his school work. It's a real chore for me to get him to do any work. His idea of homeschooling right now is playing Xbox. So he gets little time on Xbox now and plenty of time doing school work. Of course along with a lot of complaining and dragging his feet. I have to bribe him with racing to get him to get all the work done.

I hope everyone is having a great time at Mini-O's this week. So far it sound like our Michigan boys are doing a great job as usual. Tristan is so bummed out that he is not able to be racing there this week. I'm even starting to feel the MX withdrawals myself. In a couple of weeks we will get in a little fix at the Toronto SX race the 1st week of December. It's looking like the people from Racer X Canada are making arrangements to have Tristan set up with his humidity machine so he can watch the race. Without having that machine there is no way that he could of been able to watch the race. Kyle S is also racing there as well so he would have been really upset if he was not able to go. He is counting down the sleeps until we get to go. So if any of you guys are planning on being at Toronto, let us know so we can hook up.

Right now Murray's job is real busy and crazy. Once we get things a little more settled we will get a bunch of pictures posted. Especially the ones with him receiving some of his gifts. For those of you that asked for the pictures, we have them and will send them soon.

Well I think I have got you all up to date now. One day rolls into the next and it's hard to keep track some days. Thanks again for all your support through this journey. I've been hearing some real positive things about Chase Borders and James Marshall lately. All your thoughts and prayers for these riders have really made a huge difference and we thank you for that!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Monday, December 4, 2006

Well I think I'm beyond the time of day for my updates since I only seem to get around to doing them every week or so. Tried to get the energy to do one last night when we got home, but it didn't happen.

First and foremost I must send a huge thanks to Racer X Canada and Live Nation for allowing Tristan to attend the Toronto Supercross race this past weekend. They told me we were not getting the red carpet, but it sure felt like it. They provided us with VIP Press Box tickets that allowed us to sit in the press box with electricity for his equipment. The tickets gave us the ability to go everywhere except for on the track. Tristan was able to watch the race with his humidity and out of the dust of the track. I'm alergic to dust and I noticed in the industry seating that there was quite a bit of dust that you wouldn't notice unless you had an allergy. Let me tell you how our weekend went.

Tristan's big brother Kyle Snelgrove was racing in the Lites division at Toronto. Tristan found out he was leaving on Thursday and he had to leave then too. The weather looked like it might be rough driving on Friday with possible freezing rain. It suck to drive through Toronto in bad weather. Since Murray has quite a few hotel points I was able to book a nice hotel downtown. Tristan developed the start of an infection last week and I had to take him to the doctor that Thursday. The doc thinks it's not bacterial so it will have to take its course. So we didn't leave until about 6pm arriving in Toronto at around 9/10pm. We drove around for a bit then checked into the hotel. Watched a bit of tv then off to sleep.

The next morning we got up and headed to Eaton's Center which is a big mall in downtown Toronto. When we 1st arrived there was a Nintendo Wii set up on demo. Tristan eyed that up in a real hurry and got in line to try it out. Tristan and Dominique played a game of baseball and had a riot. They wanted to ride every elevator and escalator they had. They both got their hair cut and I was able to get my nails done. We found a store call Tristan and America and they gave us a one of their bags. We walked around outside and looked at all the billboards and signage. We then headed back to the hotel to check out and head to the Skydome where Murray was waiting for us. After checking out of one hotel we then checked into the skydome hotel for Friday night. Once checked in I went and got our tickets for the event. Once we had the tickets, Tristan and I took the parking elevator and stopped at the green room floor. At this point we were not sure what access our passes gave us. That's when we found out that we could go on the "field" level which is only for the riders and teams. We walked all the way around the track and arrived at the pits. I was kind of surprised how the pits are set up. No different then us amateurs pitting at an indoor event. It's way to cold to pit outside and there is limited room inside. We were able to hook up with some friends and find Kyle Snelgrove and Kyle Keast. These are 2 of Tristan's favourite Canadian pro riders. After practice was over we walked a few blocks down with Snelgroves and had dinner. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and Dominique and the others went swimming. Tristan and I went with them, but ended up in the gym. He loves walking/running on the treadmill so he had to go and do that. He actually broke out in a sweat then started to cough and had to call it quits. We then headed back to the room, watched some tv and got some sleep.

We woke up Saturday and had to pack up to check out of the hotel. They didn't have any rooms left on Saturday so we headed backed to the other hotel. We packed up then headed down for breakfast. It's always fun having breakfast the morning of the race. A lot of the riders are also having breakfast at the same time so the kids have fun seeing all the riders. After breakfast, Murray and Dominique went and checked into the hotel and Tristan and I started to head to the "Field" to see the riders and some friends. Practice didn't start until about 12/1 so there was not a lot going on. I had the pleasure to meet Zack Osbourne's dad since he struck a conversation with Tristan. We had a nice talk for some time until he headed back to the pits. At the time I had no idea who he was, just that he took a lot of interest in Tristan and that's how we started to talk. Shortly before practice begun the security guys escorted us up to the press box since it was not offically open yet. It's 2 levels with the TV and timing and scoring on the top level and the balance on the lower level. We decided to sit on the lower level since it was easier for Tristan to see without getting too close to the edge since it's a long way down. We sat up there and watched practice then headed down to the field. He was able to find a bunch of friends but was sad that he wasn't able to catch up with his friend Hayden. I forgot their seat location in my bag in the hotel and couldn't remember where they sat. About 30 minutes before the race we headed back to our press box seats to have some pizza and get ready for the race. Our seats for the race were excellent and we could see the whole track. Of course the race was great to watch in person. We had so much fun being around the racing again since it's been a few months that we have been away. Since Murray came down from Trenton and we came up from Windsor, we had2 vehicles. My truck was already at the other hotel, but Murray's was still at the Skydome. We decided to walk to the hotel instead of driving his truck. That was a great choice since the traffic was at a standstill. The kids had fun walking and watching all the crazy people and the people playing music for money on the streets. It was late so we got back and headed to bed.

Then next morning we went down in the hotel and had breakfast. We then checked out and I took the kids for a drive along the lake. Explained to them approx where the Indy car race is run on the streets. Then we headed off to Ikea which is a Swedish furniture store that only is in Toronto (and other large Canadian cities). I had fun looking at all the neat stuff since this was more of a fun thing for me than anyone else. We then headed to the Playdium which is a huge video game play zone. They have over 200 games to play and this is just up the kids alley. There was a book store next door so Murray was happy too. The kids had fun playing games for a few hours. I have always wanted to take them there, but have never had the chance with all the racing. We then all had a nice dinner together before heading our seperate ways. Murray left back to work in Trenton and we headed back home to Windsor.

So as you can see we had a pretty adventurous weekend packed with lots of activities. Tristan is limited in his activities that it was real nice for him to get out and do a few things. We enjoyed being able to see a bunch of friends a meet a few new ones.

I have saved comments about the race until the end. On Saturday night after we got back to the hotel, I stepped out of the room for a bit and ended up running into the Racer X guys. We stopped and talked about the race and weekend for awhile. They asked me if we enjoyed the race. I can say that we did enjoy the race, but I was quite disturbed with the amount of injuries. We sat there and watched both the Kyles have pretty scary crashes. Kyle S had his bike kick him over the bars at the end of the whoops causing the bike to hit him giving him a concussion. This was during practice and he was done for the event. Then during the LCQ in the Supercross class we watched Kyle K hit a kicker after the finish line jump causing him to flip over the berm and land right on the concrete with his bike also landing on him. This crash made Tristan burst into tears and Murray's tears were starting to well up as well. Earlier we also watched Tedesco break his hand and one of our other Canadian pro riders broke his ankle in Friday's practice. Then to witness the crash with James and the post event situation. I'm sure there were most incidents that I'm not even aware of. I think I'll save my thoughts and opinions on this topic for the Mini-O Topic that is hot right now.

Again, thanks again Racer X and Live Nation for the great experience. Cross your fingers and say a few prayers since Tristan is going in tomorrow for another scope. I'm hoping and praying for some positive news. They said he would have the trach for at least 3 months and it's only been 1 so far. Some days I don't know how I'll manage for that long or longer. but I know I will. Next week his is starting back at school since they finally found a nurse to sit with him at school. On Wednesday we have a meeting about that with the nursing and the school. I will let you all know how the scope goes once we get back from London.

[Tatonka]

Sounds like Tristan is really do well! We need to get some current pics up on this board.

Keep up the good work! :grin:

[RRsis]

AWESOME. Sounds like he had a great time and was treated well. Racer X and LiveNation do a great job in the helping others department from my experience. I am hoping and praying everything went well with the Dr aptmts.

Cherie

[Tatonka]

posted by Murray -

Things are looking up as the first of what is to be at least 3 surgeries has been rescheduled to an earlier date. It was supposed to be sometime in Feb without any confirmation of whether there was an opening. I had contacted the Doctor to indicate that we were in no position to wait for an opening. They indicated that they did not like to schedule appointments during January as Tristan may get a cold. Well that didn’t fly with this cowboy. We indicated that we would take any available opening, we would only need a 4 hour notice and we would be there. In addition, we were concerns that the condition would get worse over time, his vocal chords have grown together. We have just been informed that he will have his first surgery Jan 15.

We are really hoping that this is very successful. I would like to believe that he will heal quickly. It really is difficult to deal with as he appears to be in excellent shape. It is an internal injury which makes it difficult to see the degree of the injury. Broken arms are WAY easier to deal with relative to this issue. However, in light of all this we are in better shape than others who have had a far more difficult time with their injuries. We are blessed that it isn’t as bad as it could have been.

On a positive note, it is staggering to see how much money we spent on this sport. WOW. We would be getting ready to go down South to our favorite spots to practice. Somehow, it was quite enjoyable spend the money on racing. However, it has been nice to regroup and understand how things have changed.

Janine is keen on going to LL next year; however with Tristan’s condition he will not be able to make it without a miracle healing. It appears he will have a trac until sometime mid to late summer. Looks like the old man may have to practice and see if he can make the fossil class. Been trying to get ready / setup, changing eating habits etc. Will see, the most difficult part for me is getting enough practice. It is impossible to ride at any decent rate of speed without practice. Plus all those old injuries are begging to remind me of days when we were invincible, knees, back, etc.

[mmrfc]

I just wanted to stop by and say that i am glad things are going well. I work for the air ambulance (lifenet) that took Tristan to Hurley, i was working that day, and am very glad to hear that he is doing well. That was a tough day for me, but i'm sure nothing compared to what family and friends were feeling.

I know it has been a while, but if there is anything i can do please let me know!

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine

UPDATE: Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Well it seems a long time since I have been able to put in an update. I promised myself that I would take the time to write one before we left for London for his next operation. Tonight is the eve of our return back to the hospital. We are leaving at around 8:30am since I have to drop the dog off at the kennel on the way out. We have to be at the hospital at 11am and his surgery is scheduled for 1pm. They have the OR booked up for 2 hours so he should be out at the latest at 3pm.

Tonight we dropped Dominique off at a friend’s house where she will be staying while we are in the hospital. That should be a lot of fun for her. We have a spare cell phone for Murray’s business and we had it activated for her to have while we are gone. She was so excited about having a cell phone. I bought her a bunch of books, comics, and magazines for her to take along with her.

We have gone through the usual chaos with the doctors and the school. A couple of weeks ago we had to go to London for a pre-op appointment. While speaking with a few people we discovered that the removal of the feeding tube was not on the slate tomorrow. After making numerous calls, having people hang up on me, and arguing our case, they finally got the removal set up for tomorrow. It’s only a 5 minute job, but he really needs to get that thing out. He has not used it since the end of the 4th week. The feeding tube causes more trouble than the trach. His body does not like it and is trying to grow extra skin around it in hopes of closing up the hole. If it gets banged around or anything it starts to bleed. As well it needs constant cleaning and is just a big pain in the rear. Murray has explained to the ENT doctor that we are going to do whatever it takes to get the best care in the fastest amount of time. If he doesn’t like us being all over them, then he had best refer us to another doctor that will tolerate us. Well, we still have the same doctor so I guess he’s up for the challenge. You have to understand how bad our health care system is here in Canada. People die waiting to get the medical care they need. There is no such thing as getting a second opinion since getting the 1st takes forever. We have had a few issues at school since it appears that his teacher does not like his humidity machine because of the noise it makes. We have a great case worker and we had a big meeting last week and put this whole issue to bed. We have also had a few problems with Tristan’s behavior both at school and at home. Even though he still has some major medical issues, over the last month we have tried to get back to normal. This is a big adjustment for Tristan since he is being treated the same as the other kids. He became accustomed to people all over him, showering him with gifts and many treats. We are in the process of getting his some physiological assistance.

Our Christmas was pretty good considering the circumstances. He would have much rather been in Florida training and playing with his friends in the warmer weather. I got him a pair of Heely’s which he has really enjoyed. They help make him feel a little more normal than usual. Since none of Murray’s employee’s wanted to work over the holidays he was stuck having to go back to Trenton to work. We went along with Murray so that we could keep him company at night and get to spend more time with him. It was a little bit of a holiday for me since I didn’t have to cook or clean. Took the kid bowling and to a bunch of movies which was a lot of fun. Murray really enjoyed our company over those 2 weeks. I think he really loved me doing the 5 hour drive there, and 5 hour drive back. This allowed him to sit and relax while working on his laptop. He hates that drive and I don’t mind driving.

On Christmas Eve I almost had to take Murray into the hospital for stitches. It was nice out that day and wasn’t too wet, so he decided that he wanted to take a few laps around the track. Me and Dominique had gone into Harrow to rent a few movies when he called me to come back home since he had just hurt himself. He kicked his 450 for about 5 or 10 minutes and was not able to get it started. He then decided he would take Dominique’s 150 out instead. So again he started to kick away at the four stroke. On one kick his foot slipped off the kick starter and it came back and took a huge hunk out of his leg. Since he had been kicking these bikes for some time, he was exhausted and this huge cut took a lot out of him. Another good reason to wear your boots. After relaxing for a while he sucked it up and decided not to get any stitches.

I kind of excited and looking forward to his surgery tomorrow. Maybe we can finally find out what is really going on in his neck. They are going to scope him, laser out some of the scar tissue, and do as much work as they can unless it gets too complicated. It would be nice to really know what is wrong with him since they have never been able to tell us. It would be even nicer to get an idea of some time frames, but I don’t expect to get that kind of info. Tristan is nervous about the surgery, but we have tried to explain that this is one more step closer to getting back to normal. I haven’t told him that he is going to feel a lot worse when he gets out of surgery then when he went in. I’m afraid that would make him even more scared. Depending on what they do will probably determine the amount of pain that he is going to experience when he gets out of surgery.

So we will fill you on in after he gets out of surgery. Remember that we are in London and do not have the same access to a computer wireless connection so it might take a few hours longer. I know that Tristan will be in all your thoughts and prayers and really appreciate that. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

P.S. It really all started on October 7th

[Tatonka]

posted by Murray

Tristan is out of OR and recovering in the same room we were in last year. Seeing him in tremendous pain again did sit well with me. However, we hope to be on the road home tomorrow.

The cartilage was ok, but the voice box is severely damaged and will require a more surgeries to correct. There is a potential of one of the most difficult report to surface, it is too early to till with the degree of issues with the voice box. Questioning of the doctor revealed that his airway will never be the same. Potentially he will suffer the affects of a smaller airway. I will let Janine write the details of the day as I tend to be a little short on the details, always focusing on the results. ;-)

Damn he is one tough dude.

Murray

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine

UPDATE: Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Tristan is resting well up in his old room on the 7th floor. He is in a lot of pain and I hope that he can sleep it off. Like last time the surgery made him sick to his stomach. All in all he is doing just fine. Seeing him in recovery brought back memories of when he 1st had his accident. His face is all swollen and he looks crappy. He has to speak with his lips only or writes down his thoughts on paper just like he did when he was 1st injured. I didn’t prepare him for the pain he was going to experience with the surgery since I didn’t want to cause him any more anxiety than he was already feeling.

Well I’m not sure how I feel about the surgery. His vocal chords have in fact grown together. The cricoids cartilage is in good shape and due to the fusion of the vocal chords, he is not sure if the vocal chord joints are dislocated. His current injury is the 2nd worst type of problem that he could have. The worst problem has not yet been ruled out until they see the progress of the work he did today. The doctor was hoping that he wasn’t going to find this problem. His feeding tube was removed so that is some positive news.

After he discovered that the chords were fused together he came and discussed his plans. The doctor then went back into the OR and proceeded to laser away the scar tissue and separate the chords. He could only do a certain portion since he was starting to bleed quite a bit. He is hoping that this laser will work, but has warned us that the chords can grow back together again. If that does happen, he will have to go back into he OR and he will have to open him up at the neck and separate the chords again and put in a stint (or something of that sort) that will stop the chords from growing back together again. He is going to do a flexible scope in his office in a month to see what the progress is. He will booked back into the OR in 2 months tomorrow since no matter what, he still will need a lot more treatment. The ENT also says that he will never have the same airway again. I’m not quite sure what that means. The doctor also said that this problem was mainly due to the intubation which was a necessary evil in his initial survival. Perhaps Murray can explain this better since he has a better grasp on all the info that we received today.

Anyway, if he is feeling better tomorrow and we can get the pain under control he will be able to go home. Maybe he will feel better this weekend and we can go to Matt’s party this weekend. I’m sure he would love to see his friends, but I’m not sure that he will be up to it yet.

Thanks for all your love, prayers, and support. This journey has only been a little more than 3 months, but it feels like 3 years. We will get through this with the help and support you all give us.

Janine

[Tatonka]

posted by Janine

UPDATE: Thursday, January 18, 2007

Just a quick update since I need to feed the boys. We are back home now and Tristan is feeling much better today. He was sent home with pain killers, antacid, and antibiotics and was told to keep on his humidity as much as possible over the next 4 days. He was also told he is not allowed to yell, scream, or raise his voice and to keep his talking quiet and to a minimum. Like that will be easy for him. We left this afternoon after he finished his last dose of steroids through his IV.

They took off the dressing where they removed his feeding tube and I was a little nervous at what it might look like. I was surprised that it just looked like a black bullet hole. The black is from where she burnt off the granulation tissue (extra tissue that was growing and trying to heal up the hole). When we got home the hospital had already called with the date for his next surgery which will be on March 22 at 2pm. It seems that all our hounding and complaining is now getting us results. We will find out next month whether he will be just doing more laser or he will be opening him up at the neck, cutting open the chords again, and then inserting a piece of prosthetics so that the chords cannot grow back together again. He has not gone into much detail about that procedure, but it sounds like it’s pretty major. Let’s hope the vocal chord joints are not dislocated either since this is the #1 worst problem and most complicated procedure.

Thanks for keeping Tristan in your thoughts and prayers. He is going to really need them again over the next few months. Playing with that voice box also carries the risk of permanently loosing his ability to talk. Just remember that this type of accident can happen to anyone. If you think something is wrong or not safe, make sure you stand up and get the problem resolved. Let’s hope that this year brings us more safety and fewer injuries!

[RRsis]

oo so glad that everything went well with the surgery. :-D Just hoping that everything goes the way it supose to go and they have no more set backs.

[quad17dad]

It's wonderful to hear the Tristan is making progress. Sounds like a great kid... and tough too. Please know that all of you will be in our prayers. We know personally what it is like to have your world turned upside down. Ours is better and prayer is the most powerful thing we have. Remember, God answers prayers in his own way and in his own time, but he is always listening and always loves us. God Bless You and thank you for taking the time to keep us updated.

[50ccMoM]

Im glad Tristan is once again back home. Heal up quick buddy !

-A

[TwinTurbos]

Glad to hear Tristan is back home. I hope everything turns out okay with his vocal cords. Everyone is still pulling for you Tristan!!!

[Tatonka]

as posted by Janine -

UPDATE: Monday, March 5, 2007

After meeting with the doctor last week we were supposed to do some research into a drug called Mitomycin since he is considering using this in his next operation. This drug is still experiemental and they have no idea what the long term effects may be. They have been using it for 20 years in the eyes and 5 years in the airway. This is cancer related drug that can reduce the growth of scar tissue which is the main problems that he has right now. Considering how little the change was after his last operation, this may take many years to fix so that he can have that trach out. Even longer since we need to make sure that he has a good airway so he can participate in any sports. So after doing all this research on the internet I soon discovered how real serious this injury has become. The more I read the more I had concerns about the process of his treatments. This type of injury must be dealt with by experts only since if any surgeons mess up, he will end up having that trach for the rest of his life. That would mean he could never participate in any sports of activities that involve using a lot of energy, nor could he ever swim again, etc, etc. While reading the info on the internet I have read many times about this Dr. Robbin Cotton who is the #1 doctor in this area of medicine in the world. He has had the degree of airway scales named after him. I had assumed that he was older and possibly retired. Upon reading one website I discovered that he is not old and is still in practice. Better yet, he is in practice in Cincinnati, Ohio which is only about 6 hours from here. I then quickly starting searching and found the hospital and website for his practice. On Thursday I sent his department and email asking for some advice. On Friday night I received an email back from Dr. Cotton himself and I nearly jumped through the roof. His 1st comment was that Tristan has a very serious injury. He also advised me that he has worked with our Health Care system before with success with them paying for his services. He would like to help us make sure that Tristan is properly treated. After jumping around the room for a few moments I quickly sent him back an email answering a few questions and advising him to let me know what he needs and that we can be at his office with a days notice. This doctor is the very best in the world for these types of injuries and I will do what ever I can to make sure that he is the one treating Tristan. We still have the donations given to Tristan in a bank account minus some payments made to cover his respiratory supplies that are not covered under our insurance. Even if we have to pay for this ourselves, I think it would be money well spent. We also have a handful of his bikes we could sell, retirement investments, and I'm sure I could find some ways to raise some money. Lets hope that our health care will help pay for this considering the seriousness of his injury. I'm anxiously waiting for his reply and will let you know how that goes. This is the best news I have heard in a long time. I'm so scared that he is going to either have that trach for life, loose his childhood years with the trach, or take many years to get that trach out. He is so limited in what he can do which is really hard on him. We haven't hit the summer months yet where his restrictions will really pay a toll on him. He's learning that it's sometimes easier to avoid situations where he can only watch and not participate. He finds that it's easier not to be around others doing things that he is not able to do. So it would be great if you all could say a few prayers and cross your fingers that Tristan is able to have this doctor treat his injuries. As well on Friday, I ordered Tristan's, Dominique's, and Murray neck braces. They are coming out of Alberta and should be here this week. Murray is trying to be optimistic and wanted me to order Tristan's as well. It's funny that Tristan told me that the 1st bike he wants to ride is his 50. It's sad that a kid that truely loves riding his 50 is not able. At least he still can walk, use his arms and is still alive. My thoughts and prayers are going out to all the riders at Whitney this week. That event usually has a lot of injuries with a few serious ones. Lets hope that there year is different and safer.

Janine

[mxsMom]

It's a tough situation for any young child to be dealing with.
I know of some adults that don't handle it nearly as well.

What a refreshing example of strength and optimism.

[Tatonka]

We haven't had an update on Tristan in a long time - It's great to hear from Janine!

UPDATE: Thursday, May 01, 2008

It has been a long time since I have posted any updates on Tristan. I thought I would take a few minutes to let everyone know how he is doing. Since I haven’t done an update since before Christmas I will do a Reader’s Digest version.

Tristan has been loving his trach free days since he had his trach removed on Dec. 1. We also find things a little more normal with not having to bring all his medical equipment along with us and not having to drive him to school. Unfortunately, the removal of trach has not solved his breathing problems while participating in any physical activities. Tristan still has major difficulty breathing when he engages in any physical activities. When he does get physical you will often see him lying on the ground trying to get his breath back. He still remains a physically disabled child. Without getting this fixed he will never be able to take part in physical exercise which will affect his personal life and his professional life once he becomes an adult. This disability will limit him in many “fun” activities as well as give him limited choices in his chosen career.

For the 1st time since his accident, Murray and I are on the same page with what we feel needs to be medically done to correct this problem. I have spent long hours on the computer doing research, talking with medical specialists and other families who are or have dealt with these issues. With his injury being uncommon it’s hard to find all the answers. Next Thursday he has an appointment with the doctor at Sick Kids where he will have a pulmonary function test then we will sit with the doctor to hear out our options. The bottom line is that Tristan is going to require a surgical open reconstruction procedure. Yes, this is the big operation that can be described as being similar to probably open heart surgery. The question becomes if the doctor in Toronto can do this procedure without damaging his voice quality. As well, we need to ensure that he is doing the correct procedure that will finally fix this problem and not create another future procedure. In the past Forte (Toronto) has mentioned doing a different procedure than Cotton (Cincinnati) which brings some concern to us. Since Cotton was originally correct in claiming the laser wouldn’t work, would he not also be correct in his methods of the open reconstruction? Forte also mentioned doing a double stage procedure which would mean he would be trached again for a couple of months. Another concern since Tristan does not want to have that trach back in again. After we see Forte next week we should have enough answers to start making some tough decisions.

It’s getting real old having to fight with the system to ensure that he has the best medical care possible. I have also been in touch with some lawyers in Toronto that deal with going after OHIP to pay for any out of country health care costs. That sounds pretty slim since our Government medical insurance only is concerned about costs and not giving the best care available. If some type of procedure can be done here then that’s what you get, even if he is only fixed so-so. I’ll prepare an update once we have more information.

We took the kids out of school a couple days before Christmas break and headed to Ocala, Florida for a few days of practice. Then we headed to Daytona for a few days of camping during Christmas. It was about 50-60 out the 1st day in Daytona, but that didn’t stop Tristan from jumping into an unheated outdoor swimming pool. Everyone commented how they knew we were from Canada since who else would get in that pool. I think had there been ice on the top of the water that he still would have gotten in. The kids also swam in the ocean and did the Slingshot that launches you 300 feet into the air at 100 mph (this is the 2nd time for Tristan). I can’t tell you how exciting it was driving into the infield at Daytona International Speedway at Christmas. We camped right on Lake Lloyd and enjoyed the whole experience. Both kids qualified and ended up finishing with so-so results. Even Jamie McMurray was racing karts with us that weekend. The next week we headed to Cape Canaveral for the next few days. The kids were able to bring their friend Cody Robinson with us since we could drop him off at home in Daytona, Ohio on the way home. We toured the Space station, swam, fished, watched the ocean animals, played on the beach, etc. What a fun time we had!

http://65.57.254.60/ktmtalk/photogallery/galleries/members/daytona07.jpg
Kart Track at Daytona

Next stop was Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC the end of February. Dominique had a pretty good weekend of racing, but Tristan did not. We purchased him another kart so he can race the Cadet class. Being out of the kart for 2 months and the wrong setup didn’t allow him to qualify for any classes. He received some quality seat time but had a few tears when didn’t make the field. Dominique even won the LCQ in one of the classes which was the weekend highlight for her that weekend.. On Saturday night Tristan was given the chance to ride in one of Jeff Gordon’s race cars at 180 mph around the track being his highlight of the weekend. All the other kids were so jealous that only he was able to go, but quickly put that aside when they remembered what he has gone through in the last few years.

http://65.57.254.60/ktmtalk/photogallery/galleries/members/lowes01.jpg
Tristan at Lowes sound asleep just before his heat race.

http://http://65.57.254.60/ktmtalk/photogallery/galleries/members/lowes02.jpg
Tristan getting ready for his ride at Lowes at 180mph.

This past weekend we traveled to Centerville, OH for a Regional event. We had some ups and downs but achieved some huge results. On Saturday Tristan raced both the Cadet and Yamaha classes. He qualified in the top 5 but spun on the 1st lap in both feature events. He was the old Tristan that we all know and put his head down and started dead last and worked his way up to a 5th place and 7th place positions. He was the kid to watch as he drove his way to the front. He had lap times that were within a few 10th of a second of some of the top national kids. Dominique’s kart was not set up right and she didn’t have the results she wanted. On Sunday Tristan only raced the HPV class and had trouble getting it together. Lack of experience caused him to go through 3 sprockets that day and only finished 7th and 10th. Dominique’s drove her other kart on Sunday which was set up far better than the day before. In one of her heat races she was able to beat Cody Robinson (finishing 3rd) which is a huge accomplishment. Cody is a 2007 WKA National Triple Crown winner due to his ability to win the Championship in 3 different classes. Beating Cody is like beating any top amateur in any series. She even qualified in one class a 10th of a second off his times. In her last feature race she started 3rd beside Cody and beat him off the start when she nicely slammed the door on him going through the 1st turn. The next turn he slammed the door on her and she ended up spinning off the track and throwing a chain. She was able to keep her kart going and then got out and some how got her chain back on to finish the race. Normally you have to take off the rear wheel to get that chain back on. She was at the other end of the track when this happened since had she been closer Murray would have had a fit if he knew what she was doing since this was way to dangerous. We were so proud of both kids since they drove their butts off.

I think now that people might not be thinking we are so crazy anymore taking the kids right to nationals and regional’s right off the bat. They don’t realize all the prior racing experience that Tristan has under his belt racing nationals and regional’s in motocross. Dominique has just plain blown us away with her love of the sport and her incredible driving skills. We have met some great people who have helped us so much along the way. Even Cody’s dad was helping Murray change Dominique’s gear on the grid before her last race. There is no doubt that we made the right choice changing over to Karting.

We are looking forward to getting more valuable seat time in the karts as well as some testing between different types of chassis for Dominique. Every weekend we get a little better. Our next regional is in South Bend, IN on May 23-25 and the next national is in Dousman, WI on June 13-15 and we can hardly wait. I hope and pray that we can get the answers we want and finally get Tristan as close to medically normal as possible. I have a feeling it’s going to be a tough haul. Hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

Janine