Make it a Happy New Year!

Lots of parties and social gatherings tonight,

BE safe!

I'm not even saying don't drink.

Knock yourself out.

But PLEASE don't drink and drive.

 

This is NOT fun AT ALL.

It only takes one time. 

I had done it hundreds of times before.

But just one night

Got me a lifetime of frustration and hardships.

Don't risk it.

 

Have a Happy New Year!

Please Pray

Yet ANOTHER swallow test scheduled for this Thursday.

Last week, even though I knew I might not like my answer (I really can't remember the last circumstance that I faced and questioned in recent years where I liked my answer), Haha 'twas a pretty intricately laced sentence I just wrote. Anyways, I asked "Will I have a feeding tube forever?" My speech therapist has always been pretty straightforward with me, not negative but more realistic. I shouldn't even be alive presently. I am, thank God for that. She responded: "Í can't answer that honestly without seeing the results from your next swallow study."

So please, please pray for good results. Pray again, if need be. I would like to model underwear someday, but that's not possible with a feeding tube. HA HA!  I'm really worried about this test on Thursday.  It takes literally two seconds to pray. 

"God please help Superman eat!"   Period.

Prayer works. I'm a living testament to that.

Thanksgiving

A close friend suggested I do a blog about Thanksgiving. I agreed wholeheartedly, so here we go. Thanksgiving is a time of thankfulness, note THANKSgiving.

I have a multitude of things to be thankful for, my superfluous life for starters. Every single moment is a gift from God, EVERY.  More so in this particular time of my life, haha. I'm also thankful for my amazing family and remote friends, that have stuck by me, in this my gravest hour. It perplexes me really, I didn't do a single thing to deserve this desolation, yet nobody wants to sacrifice their precious time. It's all very relative though, I have my life to be thankful for. 

My family depended on your prayer and I thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart. If you've seen my video, it's obvious without your prayers, I would be dead. Without question, someone's body could not undertake that much damage.

Live as I have. We should ALL be thankful at the very least to have the ability to draw in breath. Thanksgiving is upon us so loosen your belts and eat heartily. The birth of our Savior is right around the corner, so save some room!

 

  Sent from my iPhone

Speech Update

Just recently, I started speech therapy for the fall semester at Baylor. As long as I'm making progress, I'm permitted to attend the program, please pray I continue to successfully navigate said peaks and nail biting terraces. Only with God is any of this even conceivable. Baylor is helping me talk once more, while my speech therapists over at Hillcrest are working diligently with the woman who invented DPNS (deep pharyngeal neurological stimulus or something like that) on my swallowing whole foods capability, fairly productively I'd wager. Along with the arduous task my throat needs, they are torturing me with some facial nerve device for my drooling.  Just kidding, although it does have a biting characteristic.  Pretty recently, I had yet ANOTHER swallow test. It seems that therapy has no end, in this my darkest hour. Yet, I continuously press on, as I don't really have an option, to achieve my very distant goal of being fully recovered and living in LA. Tis surely improbable, but definitely not impossible. From the swallow study, the Hillcrest therapists realized I needed to go to an ENT doctor (ear, nose, and throat). I saw Dr. Holland and he will do a procedure to dilate my esophagus and put Botox on a muscle that is not opening like it should on Thursday, October 10th. 
PLEASE pray all goes well.

New therapist at Baylor.  She's great.  

With La Tante at Baylor.



 At Dr. Holland's -

 

Thank you for the prayers.  

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

Things Could Always Be ...

I have ventured on a myriad of treks and journeys through Texas, but in my
"stays" in around about five brain injury clinics I was faced with some brutally
lethargic cases. People that were so victimized by said injuries, pity never
even asked to come out and play. Nay, 'twas forced out of me, like vomit. It was
all of us young, athletic, and charming men. Two of which were undoubtedly
college football players, pretty good from what I hear. It wasn't an injury from
football that did them in, surprisingly. Alcohol was the leading cause in their
injuries as well, funny how that works.

One was boisterously drunk, running around, making a complete fool of himself, I
reckon. He stupidly decided the best course of action, would be to latch on to a
moving vehicle while riding on a skateboard. Must I go into detail about what
happened next? Today, he is nothing more than a five year old. Good decision,
wouldn't you say? I don't think so.

Yet another of my companions, was floating down the Comal River, inevitably drinking.
Something which all of us has done, at one time or another.
But he ran into a couple, where the guy was being excessively
abusive to his girlfriend.  My compadre, a stand up kinda guy, I guess, told the
jerk to give it a rest.  BAD idea. The guy beat the heck out of my friend,
I mean really bad. ALMOST to the brink
of death, but he made it out the other end of the long, dark, and decrepit
tunnel. Mentally intact, but FAR from physically okay. Yes, mentally fine, but
paralyzed from the neck down. Really now?
How evil can you be?  To do that to someone?
Bludgeon them mercilessly, until they are cringing under
your steadily rising furious blows. Probably bleeding LONG before you've
finished. I believe that an act such as this is so heinous, so the death penalty
should, at least be considered. I mean why not? Their subliminal actions weren't
murder, but they might as well have been. My buddy, can NEVER walk again, really NEVER
in fact do anything. Also extremely doubtful he'll ever talk again.  

Things could ALWAYS be worse.
MUCH worse.

Shibby Movie Reviews II

Presumably We're the Millers was sick (means good). Definitely a party boy movie with quite funny
scenes. Makes me chuckle just thinking about it. Obviously a high school movie,
with an edge to it.

The Conjuring was not a real nail biter, but definitely one of the scarier movies I've seen. More high
packed suspense, it left you wondering just what was in that door ajar closet.

Obviously 2 Guns was inexorably a guy movie.  Mom liked it a lot, while I thought it was
okay. Definitely not the best, but then again not the worst.

Elysium is one of my faves out of the movies playing. A lot of edge of the seat action, fairly good
storyline, although I find Matt Damon repulsive. It's not really his acting that
bothers me, it's just his demeanor drives me insane.  But Elysium is one of those exceptional movies.

Shibby
or "cool" to the uneducated. 

Just to Mention ...

All of this engrossing trouble drives me practically up the wall with
insanity.  But I have to mention a very few family members that have quite a large role in keeping my two feet planted firmly and wholly on Earth.

My sweet and dear grandmother
sacrifices a LOT of her spare time for my recovery. Also, my favorite Tante,
Mindy, "tante" means hooker in French.  LOL!  Kidding it means AUNT in French..
Honestly, while Grandmother takes me to Hillcrest therapy three times a week,
La Tante takes me to Baylor most days.
Interlapping days sometimes. 
Once I'm fully recovered I owe them quite a bit.

Lately

My schedule is pretty hectic right now
with ALL the therapy up at Hillcrest.
PT, OT, and very good Speech therapy three times a week.
My Hillcrest speech therapists are working dilegently with me on swallowing. 
I also started again at Baylor for a four week speech therapy stint. 
I go there four times a week for intensive therapy on my speech. 

I don't normally take naps, but with everything vying for my attention
I don't really have much choice in the matter.
It's go, go, go.
That keeps me busy though.

I've been to quite a few brain injury clinics, and
I've been told other patients are really tired.
Thank God, I've never experienced this.
Until now.

Three Year Anniversary

I don't see why today (July 25) can't be considered my second birthday?
I mean God kept me alive as I entered this decrepit and woeful world such as
this through birth. Yet, I believe, and through absolutely no actions of my
own, God obviously had something more important for my life.

At we'll say five in the morning three yrs ago, my brain was rattled and jell-ofied in a wreck,
after a rip and roaring night of stripping at a bachelorette party.  Lol.
My roommate and I were well intoxicated. Then, very unfortunately, we decided to drive home.
BIG mistake.
We hit a tree on the way home.
The result in an instant:
A catastrophic brain injury.
Utterly consuming.
Now my days are consumed with inexorable never ending therapy time and working unreasonably hard to man handle my life back into whence it came.
Overall, it has been a little more than slightly difficult.
Unprecedentedly difficult is a vastly more understandable term.

Three years ago 'til today. 
ONLY through God's grace, I have lived and succeeded. 

Faces of Drunk Driving Interview

I am really proud the TxDOT program in Texas chose me to represent them.
All I can say is:
Please don't drink and drive.
It's not worth it.
Honestly.

If you wanna spend the next five years in recovery,
go ahead and take the risk of drinking and driving.
No girlfriend/boyfriend.
No friends.
Everything is just such a gigantic mess.

The other day Matt Howerton, a news reporter with KWTX News 10, noticed me on the Faces of Drunk Driving
website (www.facesofdrunkdriving.com) and he wanted to interview me again. 
So, I did.
I hope I get my message out.  

Since I can't talk yet,

I'm using my iPad to tell people

how it's not worth it to drink and drive. 

Walking.  I was told I'd never walk again. 

Matt and James from KWTX are awesome.

I appreciate these guys for helping to get my story out. 

Shibby Movie Reviews

I didn't have a good blog idea, so I figured I'd try my hand at movie reviews.

To get started, I watched the movie World War Z.
When I heard about this movie, from the name,
I wrongly pictured some advanced warfare movie. I guess that would be Star Wars,
or maybe Star Trek.
So, I guess not. LOL
NOT freakin zombies
Anyway, not a bad movie...
Slightly unbelievable, how in the heck could people be reduced to that?
Overall though, pretty good.

White House Down was next. 
An epic movie - a good comedy with some laughs that make you think a little bit.
Definitely a guy movie.

The Lone Ranger
A bit of a let down, in the comedy department.
With Pirates of the Carribean being released a few years ago, Johnny Depp's Mona
Lisa, I most definitely can see the audience using that as a diving point.
Thus, people thinking Johnny Depp to have an outstanding acting performance has occurred. 
'Twas ok.

Man of Steel
I know I'm pretty much expected to give an outstanding review on said film.
I've seen quite a few movies over the years, and
Man of Steel was most definitely one of the better movies I've seen out of the hundreds,
if not thousands, I've seen. 
'Twas VERY meaningful and
gave a great message.

Shibby
or "cool" to the uneducated.

4th of July

Thursday is July 4th. 

A lot of wild dudes and dudettes.
There's gonna be pressure to drink...
But DON'T DRIVE!

Plain and simple.
NOT worth it.

In fact, check out the newest campain from TxDot's Faces of Drunk Driving at www.facesofdrunkdriving.com.  Unfortunately you might notice a familiar face specifically at http://www.facesofdrunkdriving.com/stories?name=Travis. 

Never Say Never

I had LOADS of doctors tell Mom and Dad that I would NEVER again do certain things. It was a long journey, through years of rehab clinics, but I always kept my faith.

My parents were told on numerous occasions that I would never walk.  On my first break at home, mom told me, "If only you could go to the bathroom alone, this would be astoundingly easier." With a treadmill that had hand grips, I practiced and accomplished that goal. 'Twas very scary, because if I go to fall, I have a long way to go.  LONG.  By the way, I just walked into this room. 

At TLC in Galveston, I had a speech therapist tell Mom, "Travis will NEVER eat again unless there is new technology in the next ten years."  WOW.  I'm pretty sure I've been eating since about a month before coalescing on the Texas coast.  It was December 20, 2012, to be exact.  Currently it's just pureed foods, but I'm eating. 

Another thing the experts said that I would NEVER do again was see.  Really, WOW. 20/20 vision.
Anything else?

Oh yeah, I wasn't even supposed to survive the ambulance ride to the hospital.

I could have easily believed what these doctors and experts said.  Sure they were just going by what they saw - textbook wise I suppose I shouldn't be able to do any of these things.  Sometimes there is more to it.  That's why I've always kept my faith and determination.  I just might be a little stubborn, too. 

No pain, No gain. 

"Don't"

Graduation season is upon us, especially this weekend.  I'm sure there will be a few graduation parties.  These are a chance to unwind or to do whatever floats your boat.  To act a fool, if you will. 

Please don't drink and drive.  Not only are you putting your own life at risk but also everyone else on the road.  You don't want to die or kill someone or be severely injured (trust me).

So don't do it.  I'm not really saying don't drink.
But I am emphatically saying don't drive. 

Little Bro is Graduating

Tonight our family went to Cantina, a Mexican food restaurant in town, to celebrate my brother's upcoming graduation from Midway on Saturday.  I don't remember much from my days of storming those familiar halls of Midway High.  But I do remember plaguing my brother with foolish jokes!

That said, I'm kinda proud of the little guy (not so little now).  He's turned into a fantastic man (no thanks to me).  He's unprecedentedly smart, has a ridiculous wit, and yeah, I guess kinda cute.  LOL

I love you, Bro.  EVEN though you are still kinda annoying.  LOL

Speech Therapy

I must thank some very close family members greatly for being able to eat a little bit now. I've always absolutely loathed speech therapy. Instead I have concentrated on physical therapy.

I always thought to myself that the one thing that excluded me from everybody else on a journey like this was walking.  So I figured if I could master that everything else would come in time.   

My close family members got in contact with the inventor of DPNS.  This stands for Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation. Google it if you wish. It's quite a process/procedure. We are so grateful that the creator of this would take the time to look at my records. She's truly an expert. 

Every single brain injury clinic gave me little hope that I'd ever eat again?
That's funny because I've been eating some pureed foods since December 20.

Completely baffles me.
Weird.

But thanks to some really close family members, the two speech therapists I'm working with presently at Hillcrest talk directly to the DPNS lady every fourteen days. How cool is that?  God really does work in mysterious ways as they say. I've been at four brain injury clinics across the state of Texas, but yet I end up in WACO with these two awesome therapists providing me with more hope and encouragement than I've had anywhere else.

Basically, DPNS uses lemon swabs to "retrain" my brain in the function of swallowing correctly.  I don't know the proper terminology.  It's not a quick or easy process.  But no pain, no gain.

So, July, that's the month I'm hoping I SHOULD be eating.
Wow! Lol.
Just some good old sarcasm, to start the week off right.   

Please continue to pray for my speech and swallowing. I appreciate it. 

Superman Has Something to Say

Having a brain injury is a very mesmerizing ordeal.  It completely conquers your entire life.  Please do not drink and drive.   Just call your mom or dad to pick you up.  Would they rather be picking out your coffin?  No.

One quick decision to drink and drive OR to ride with someone who has been drinking could very likely mean your death or quite possibly you could sustain devastating injuries.  No more video games.  No more hanging out with friends.  No more talking on the phone with anyone.  No more school football games.  You could be completely cut off from the rest of the world.  Sure you can recover, maybe better than before.  But it's a very long and arduous process with no guarantees. 

This may sound harsh but this is my current reality.  And it's all because I made the choice, after a night of partying, to ride with someone who had been drinking. 

Take it from me:  your entire life can alter from its present course to a drastic and highly difficult one.  Nothing will ever be the same.  NOTHING.  If you wish to play the odds that dramatically, then by all means knock yourself out although I truly hope you don't.