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March 5, 2011

Sorry that it’s been so long since our last post, I keep telling myself that I have to do a better job of it, but I never seem to get to it.  Allot has happened since January, some good, some bad but we’re still here and still looking forward to the future.

Brendan’s right leg has been better, no surgery was needed.  He stayed off of it for a while and was re-casted for a new socket and he’s been able to walk on it.  Obviously we’re very happy that he’s been walking on it, but the doctors and therapists are keeping a close watch on it.  We’re hoping that it will not flare up again and only gets better.

Although it’s been a pretty bad winter here, work on Brendan’s house has continued.  There was finally enough of a break in the snow and cold that we were able to install the roof shingles.  It seems that it’s windy and about 5 to 10 degrees colder on his block than it is on the rest of the island.  In the meantime, work inside has continued.  The rough plumbing and air conditioning are just about done, the sprinkler system is in, the electrical will start next week and that will be followed by the alarm system and the automation.  The windows will be delivered next week and hopefully once they’re installed it will look like a real house and not just a box.  I can’t wait, I’m tired of driving up to the house and seeing it all boarded up…LOL   After the windows go in, the exterior walls can be finished.  The first floor will be stone and the second will be stucco.  In the next couple of months we should be able to see allot of progress.  I’ll try to post some more pictures once the windows go in.

On a not so bright note, Brendan just spent about two weeks in the hospital.  He was having some pain in his right arm, that’s the arm that was amputated above the elbow.  It turned out to be infected and required surgery.  He had two surgeries on it, consequently he lost some bone and the arm is now about an inch shorter.  He did well through the surgeries and was discharged from the hospital this past Monday.  He’s now doing the antibiotic treatment for six weeks and trying to get back to his regular schedule of physical therapy.    He was scheduled to have bone graft surgery on his upper and lower jaw next week, but that has now been cancelled and will be rescheduled later….Alex

January 2, 2011

Hello everyone.  First and foremost, we’d  like to wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year!!   May 2011 bring you health, happiness and success.  Secondly, we’d like to thank you all for the support you’ve given Brendan and our family this past year.  I tell everyone I meet that in the  twenty months since Brendan was hurt, we’ve never been alone.  Whether it’s been an organization supporting Brendan and Michael at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Tom and Elinor bringing home baked cookies to Brendan and other wounded warriors at WRAMC or single individuals like yourselves, we’ve always felt your love and support.  It’s you and your support that keep us focused on the future and keep us moving forward.  I honestly believe that we would not be where we are today without you and for that we are grateful.  There’s way too many of you to mention here, but you know who you are and we love you all!!

We were fortunate and thankful to have Brendan and Michael home for Christmas.  They had planned on staying home until after the new year, but unfortuantely their visit was cut short.  In the last couple of weeks Brendan’s right leg had developed some swelling and discoloration and that brought on some pain.  We spent Christmas Eve in our local emergency room to have it looked at.  They did some testing and ruled out some things but other than fluid in the leg, there was not much more they could say.  Over the next several days it got progressively worse and more painful so Brendan decided to go back to WRAMC and have it looked at by the orthopedists that have been treating him for the past twenty months.  Next week the leg will be examined by Brendan’s surgeon and hopefully we’ll have a plan to deal with it.

Thanks to FDNY firefighters, the house is standing tall!!!  It was framed in eight or nine days.  Hopefully the roof shingles will go on next week.  Right now the plumbing contractor is running piping and the air conditioning contractor is scheduled to start next week.  I’ll try to get some pictures and keep you better updated as progress is made….Alex

December 20, 2010

Good Evening everyone.  We hope you’re all doing well and are enjoying the holiday shopping. 

Brendan and Michael came home this past Saturday, just in time to see the house go up.  Since last Monday there have been anywhere from 20 to 25 FDNY firefighters framing the house.  They worked six days last week and today was the seventh.  So far they’ve framed the first and second floors and today they completed about 80% of the roof.  I expect them to finish the roof tomorrow and most likely will finish with all the odds and ends on Wednesday.  The big thing left for them will be the roof on the detached garage when the garage is built.

I spent three days working with them and it was great.  They were cold days, I don’t think the temperature got much over thirty degrees on any given day, but there were a few days that it didn’t even get out of the twenties.  The drum fire and hot soup was a hit each day at lunch time.  No one complained about the cold though, and it was amazing watching that many guys work and not step all over each other.  Everyone worked great with one another given the fact that for some of them it was the first time they had met.

Most guys had never met Brendan, so today I brought him there and he had a chance to meet the men.  The guys and Brendan both enjoyed it as they spent some time joking with one another.  He spent a few hours there.  It also gave him an opportunity to see exactly what he’s going to have and see just how big the rooms are.  The framers had  a few questions and we made some minor changes, but otherwise, everything is as it was designed.

Tonight we met with John and Anthony.  John is doing the automation on the house and Anthony is the designer.  Anthony brought Brendan a number of samples and he was able to make some decisions.  Brendan  settled on the type and color of the stone to be used on the exterior, the color of the stucco and the type and color of roof shingles. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for the phenomenal support you’ve given all of us during the past twenty months.  It’s your support that keeps us moving forward and focused on the future.  Here’s wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Healthy New Year….Alex

November 28, 2010

We hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.  Ours was great, Michael and Brendan were home for five days, they left yesterday afternoon to return to WRAMC.  They will not be coming home now until Christmas, Brendan wants to get back to physical therapy and build his endurance.

Today Brendan got back to walking.  He walked for about an hour and a half with little pain.  I haven’t seen him walk in a long time, I think I’ll go visit him this week and spend a day with him just to watch him walk.  He’s going to love that….NOT!!  LOL

Several weeks ago they moved out of WRAMC.  They’re now living in a  two bedroom apartment in Silver Spring, MD.  They’re only about a mile away from WRAMC but they are on their own.  The really like it.  It gives them allot more privacy and there’s a clear break from “work” and “home”.

The house is progressing.   The foundations for the house and garage are in.  The piping has been run under the slab, the sewer connection has been made and hopefully the slab will be poured this week.  If that gets done this week then framing will start next week.  Can’t wait to see it go up!!  Our hope is that the house is framed and closed up before the winter weather gets here that way winter will be spent working inside.

If you’d like, go to YOUTUBE and search for Brendan Marrocco Project, you’ll be able to see a video that was posted by Jerry.

Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends…Here are some of the many things we’re thankful for…in no particular order.

We’re thankful that Brendan and Michael got home safe for the Thanksgiving holiday.

We’re thankful that Brendan is back to walking after surgery to his right leg, hopefully he’ll get into a regular routine in the next several weeks and continue to progress.

We’re thankful to be living in America, the greatest country in the world where anything is possible.

We’re thankful for our family and friends for their help, unwavering support and encouragement during the past nineteen months.

We’re thankful that Brendan’s house has been started and is being built by some of the best people on Staten Island.

We’re thankful for the doctors, surgeons, nurses and therapists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for their dedication and committment to Brendan’s success.  He wouldn’t be where he is without them.

Wishing you and your family a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving…Alex

September 26, 2010

Thank you everyone for all the well wishes. Brendan was hospitalized last week for surgery on his right leg to remove some bone growth. Fortunately the surgery went well with no complications, unfortunately he was in considerable pain for a few days following the surgery and consequently was kept in the hospital several days longer. He was in the hospital for nine days this time around. 

He’s now back at Mologne House at WRAMC and will continue with Occupational Therapy in the next coming weeks.  Walking will have to wait for the next six to eight weeks until the leg heals.  He has 20 stitches on the leg and is in some pain but he’s trying to manage it with oral medications.  Our goal is to stay out of the emergency room for pain management this weekend and upcoming week.  Been there, done that and we don’t want to do it again…LOL

Unfotunately we missed the 9th Annual Tunnel to Towers Run today in NYC and the Building Homes forHeroes Golf Outing tomorrow.  We were going to be there but the surgery got in the way of it.  Sorry we missed the events, we hope to see a video of them later and hopefully we’ll be at next year’s events.

September 18, 2010

Sorry that it’s been a while since we’ve posted, but it’s been difficult to write about Brendan and Michael when they’re down at Walter Reed doing their same routine.  It seems that the only time we’re posting new things is when they make a trip home.

Yes, you guessed it, last week they made a trip home and it was great having them here.  They got home Saturday afternoon and Mike took a three day vacation.  I think that from Sunday through Wednesday morning I may have seen him three times.  I would have liked to have spent more time with him, but I’m glad he got a chance to see his friends and spend some time with them.

Sunday, Brendan and I did a motorcycle run here on Staten Island that is sponsored annually by a local motorcycle club.  The club has been a great supporter of Brendan and our family during the past seventeen months, and they truly welcomed Brendan with open arms.  Although the weather decided not to cooperate, there were still plenty of riders and lots of company.  The party after the run was excellent with great food, great music and plenty to drink.   Everyone that wanted to,  got a chance to meet Brendan and speak and spend time with him.  He truly enjoyed the event, he got a chance to have a few beers and relax a bit.  I know he enjoyed it because he was laughing  the entire time and at one point he said to me “Dad, I’m with my people.”  He said it not because he was with a bunch of bikers, but because most of those bikers are veterans and most of the veterans are wounded veterans.  He asked me to get his dogtags and he wore them for the first time in seventeen months….Yeah he enjoyed it, rain or no rain!!

Monday we went to a charity function in NYC.  We were invited by Building Homes for Heroes to go to the offices of BGC Partners for their annual Charity Day.  For one day, BGC Partners donates their proceeds to charity.  There we met a slew of personalities, from actors, sports figures, radio personalities to TV anchors.  While there, Brendan and Matthew Modine did a live interview with Liz Clayman that was broadcast live over the Fox Business Channel.  In case anyone saw the interview, I was in the background…I was video bombing…If you don’t know what video bombing is, ask your teenage son….LOL

Tuesday was a really busy day.  We started out at Brendan’s lawyer’s office first thing in the morning to sign some documents related to the house.  After that was done, we stopped and visited a branch of Northfield Bank.  The employees at that branch have been raising money for Brendan’s house by asking for donations from customers and writing the customer’s name on a small paper house.  Well, they’ve decorated the inside of the bank with hundreds of paper houses…they’ve been phenominal, and they truly enjoyed meeting Brendan.  Tuesday afternoon we drove to North Jersey and met with the people that are providing the automation equipment for Brendan’s house.  They gave us a tour of their facility and showed us all the things that they can do for controlling lighting, heating, cooling, video systems, alarm systems and a whole lot more.  Brendan really enjoyed it and it opened his eyes as to the possibilities of what can be installed in his house.  Tuesday night Brendan went out with his friend David and they went to the local Tuesday night car show at Target.  There they hooked up with a whole lot of other friends and spent a good night out.

Wednesday Michael, Brendan and their mom, Michelle, returned to Walter Reed.  It was back to the routine, except that the routine has changed for the next several months.  Wednesday night Brendan was admitted to the hospital and Thursday he underwent surgery on his right leg to correct some abnormal bone growth.  The surgery went well and Brendan, other than being in some pain, is also doing well.  Barring any complications, we expect him to be in the hospital for about a week and then be discharged.  He’s expected to be sidelined for about 6 to 8 weeks, following that he’ll restart physical therapy.

That’s about it for now, I’ll try to do a better job on this!!!!!