Cross posted from the Community Quilt Project
Otteray Scribe's quilt top
Jester was hit by an IED while driving in an armored vehicle in Afghanistan last year. His left leg was terribly injured. Now, many surgeries later, he is preparing to have it amputated. He is alone in a military hospital and could really use some cheer and support from us. Here is what his fiancee, Keori, wrote about the situation:
Jester was driving an MATV, an armored vehicle, in a convoy in Marja on April 5th. The vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Because of the leg room, Jester was driving with his left leg straightened rather than bent. The concussion wave from the bomb went straight through the armor and shattered his left leg before throwing him through the dash. He had to unbuckle his flak jacket and crawl on his back over the radio mount out through the back pass and onto the waiting litter. In addition to the shattered limb, he suffered a major concussion, and will always have short-term memory problems because of it.
In the year since the blast Jester and his medical team have worked hard at limb salvage. Fourteen surgeries have finally helped the bones re-knit themselves. Jester has suffered multiple infections at the site, one nearly killing him after the bone graft from a cadaver donor went bad. He has dealt with life-threatening blood clots due to the extensive vascular damage in the leg. He has been on blood thinners for 7 months, and nearly died twice. His lungs are spotted from the blood clots having traveled from his leg to his lungs. The nerve damage means he experiences chronic debilitating pain and severe edema from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). He has spent this past year either in a hospital bed or at home on convalescent leave, his mother his primary caregiver. There is no way to describe Mom's patience, her tenacity, her willingness to fight hard for her son's health. An Air Force veteran, she knows her way around the military medical system, and is an absolute lioness. It is a hard thing she has done. She's an amazing person.
Nurse Kelley's quilt
Clearly, this brave man has been through a lot. But the story is not done. He has awhile to wait for amputation. And then there will be more recovery and physical therapy before he moves forward again. Let us give him some support in the form of messages to be included in a Love Catcher quilt, something he can hold onto and remind him that we are all with him. I will write your messages in archival ink on muslin -- Jester will be able to literally wrap himself in your love and respect.
Lt. Choi's quilt
Leave your message in the comments below -- I'll be looking for at least 68 of them (if we have more, that is even better). It is not necessary to donate to leave a message -- but if you can, you will really help us with this project. Here is a PayPal link if you would like to help support us and cover the cost of materials and some of our time. Or send me a message if you prefer to send a check. We appreciate it!
DaNang65's quilt
These are the Community Quilts we have completed to date:
othniel (cellulitis and ensuing complications)
exmearden (cancer of heart and lung, RIP)
MsSpentyouth (brain tumor)
Moe99 (lung cancer)
Michelle Caudle (ovarian cancer)
BFSkinner (lupus)
Kitsap River (long wait for kidney donor that ended 2/18/11)
Frederick Clarkson (blood clots)
Dreaming of Better Days (lymphoma)
one bite at a time (lost house and belongings to fire)
Timroff (cellulitis)
Sol Fed Joe (multiple cancers and health problems)
Brubs (AIDS, immune reconstitution syndrome)
rserven (gall bladder infection with dangerous complications)
grndrush (brain tumor, RIP)
ImpeachKingBushII (needs liver transplant)
andsarahtoo (lupus)
Frank Cocozzelli (muscular dystrophy)
luvsathoroughbred (breast cancer)
Predictor (stroke and HIV)
Austex54 (caretaker to othniel)
Theodore Olbermann, RIP
cskendrick (antibiotic resistant infection)
Keith Olbermann (caregiver to father)
Juan (cancer)
Ana (a young horse belonging to Juan, hit by truck)
MA Liberal’s mother (Alzheimer’s)
Charles CurtisStanley (caretaker to Kitsap River)
Lorikeet (cervical cancer)
Dr. Lori (metastatic cancer)
ulookarmless (cancer, heart condition, stroke)
riverlover (caregiver to husband suffering from liver failure, now widowed)
Melody Townsel (caregiver to dying father, now deceased)
dadanation (AIDS)
Dr. William F. Harrison (leukemia, RIP)
Larry Bailey (sudden loss of partner to heart attack)
ramara (adopted son with fetal alcohol syndrome)
Noor B (herniated disk from car accident)
Louisiana 1976 (fibromyalgia, severe arthritis, depression)
stumpy (MS, stroke, RIP)
bleeding heart's niece (cancer, RIP)
escapee (failure of corneal surgery)
SarahLee (lymphoma, Lyme Disease)
Bustergirl (ovarian cancer)
mimi's niece (cancer)
ZenTrainer (breast cancer)
Miss Blue (severe injury to shoulder, anxiety over coverage for surgery)
Granny Doc (bladder cancer)
mango (heart attack)
nudger (ovarian cancer, RIP)
DaNang65 (heart condition)
Lt. Choi (exhaustion)
Nurse Kelley (spinal stenosis)
Ben Masel (lung cancer, RIP)
Detail from DaNang65's quilt -- red poppies are a symbol for veterans everywhere
We are completing Otteray Scribe's quilt now and will be putting Aji's quilt on the design wall soon. We are still short a few messages for DavidW. If you have a message for DavidW, please send it to me in a message!
Detail of Ben Masel's quilt
Future Community Quilts are planned for:
Peregrine Kate (endometrial cancer)
Sensible Shoes (caring for sister with brain cancer)
Plutonium Page (pulmonary embolisms, pulmonary infarction)
MsGrin (life long heart problems requiring multiple surgeries)
UnaSpensor (Lyme disease)
MA Liberal (caretaker to her mother who has dementia)
labwitchy (diffuse scleroderma)
paradox (cyclical vomiting syndrome, PTSD, depression)
Stranded Wind (Lyme Disease and other health issues)
woodtick (caretaker to mother who has Alzheimer's)
Ellinorianne (rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia)
Joanneleon (Lyme disease)
Goldie inspects Larry Bailey's quilt
One more announcement -- the first meeting of the Community Quilt Project non profit, whose mission it will be to organize quilting for other good causes, will be on May 18, 2011, 10:30am, at Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, 4028 SE 34th Str (corner of SE 34th and SE Gladstone), Portland, OR, 97202. The public is welcome.
Boots says, "Thank you for supporting the Community Quilt Project!"
PAYPAL LINK FOR JESTER'S QUILT -- THANK YOU!
Namaste