It’s been a long three days, but Ross is finally back at home again. As I wrote before, Ross woke up on Sunday with horrific pain in his side, and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. He had a severe bladder infection that spread to his kidneys. The doctors put him on an antibiotic IV drip, and today, Wednesday, he was released around 4 p.m.

Seeing Rossi in that much pain was hard. He said that the pain from the infection was actually worse than the pain of breaking his back. I am very, very, glad that it has passed. I don’t ever want to see my brother in pain like that again.

At home, Ross was greeted with his new bathroom. The guys who volunteered to help did a great job, and so did the tile guys. (Whom  we paid with money raised from T-shirt sales!!!) The new shower is pretty cool, with plenty of room for Ross to get into with his wheelchair. While we were checking it out, we noticed that the head was mounted perfectly for Ross, but too low for his wife Eileen to use. Hmmm…maybe she will have to use the shower bench, too!

It was great to see Ross return home, and tomorrow he will resume his hyperbaric oxygen therapy at the Whitaker Wellness Institute. It was a spall speedbump in his road to recovery, but I know he will get to the destination he desires…

To leave Ross a message, CLICK HERE

Yesterday (Sunday) I had a great morning of riding with my buddies out at Perris Raceway. On my way home, I got a phone call from Rossi’s good friend Damon, who informed me that Ross was in the hospital again. When Ross was first injured, my friend Mike Young warned me that Ross would likely have a few bladder infections when he first got home…apparently, they are pretty common for those bound to a wheelchair.

So, Ross woke up at 3 a.m. on Sunday in excruciating pain. His regular pain meds did nothing to help, and his home health nurse advised his daughter Nikki to get him into the hospital asap. Turns out Ross has a kidney infection, and the docs are pumping antibiotics through him to kill the infection. They also discovered a broken rib on his left side, which may be causing much of the pain. Ross says that when he breathes in, the pain is of a stabbing nature, and he believes that when he inhales, the broken rib may be pressing on his swollen, infected insides.

I got to the hospital around 5 or so, and was super bummed to see how much pain Ross was in. When I arrived, Nikki took that opportunity to run home to get dinner for Ross and grab a few things. During the time I was there, Ross and I watched some horrible movie with Jet Li and Jackie Chan, and that goony kid from Transformers, I think. By the end of the movie, Ross suddenly seemed to feel a little better. We are all hoping that the antibiotics were kicking in and fighting whatever is giving him the pain.

I am headed to the office now - today is the last day to read magazine layouts before it goes to the proofer. I plan to drop in on Ross a couple times, and to hopefully take him home again.

A big thanks to everyone who bought a shirt, bracelet or sticker at Perris yesterday. I was amazed at how supportive everyone is. Thanks to all of you, we raised enough to pay for the tile work in Ross’ remodeled shower!

If you are interested in a Rossi support tee or bracelet, please read my earlier blogs to learn how to get some for yourself.

Thanks to everyone!

Ross is home! We brought him home on Thursday afternoon and he seems pretty pumped to be in familiar surroundings. Johnny Severin from True Torch built some cool ramps for his doorways, and a couple of Ross’ customers from enzo are rebuilding his bathroom. Tile gets laid today, I believe. It looks pretty sano…

Thanks to everyone who has helped!

Today, we took Ross to the Whitaker Wellness Institute. My friend Jake “The Ladle” Williams knows the Whitakers, and was able to set Ross up with some hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments. CLICK HERE if you want to know more scientific details… Basically,  Ross goes into a pressurized chamber that simulates being deep under the sea. This tricks the body into absorbing the concentrates oxygen into your bloodstream, which has great healing effects. Yes, this is the same type of chamber that Michael Jackson went into when his afro sheen caught on fire making that Pepsi commercial.

I have heard lots of great things about this type of treatment, and at this point, Ross has nothing to lose and everything to gain, so why not? Ross has a couple pressure sores that, at the very least, can benefit from this type of treatment. Stoked! Ross was in a good mood today, and I think he was happy to go on a little outside adventure.

Hahaha. It’s good to see that he hasn’t lost his sense of humor!

Last Friday, I paid a visit to Project Walk. What an amazing facility. CLICK HERE to see what they are all about. It looks as if we will be able to get Rossi in there in early December. I am positive that they can help Ross get more movement out of his legs. Which reminds me…

GOOD NEWS! This morning, Ross noticed that he has regained feeling in his left thigh! Last week, he regained feeling in his right side, and now he has both! AWESOME!

Ok, that’s all for now. I have to get cleaned up and head down to Pala Casino for the inagural AFMXA Awards. I am presenting the award for best spread in a magazine, I think… Siiiiick! Should I wear my old MAEDA MULISHA tee shirt? HAHA. Nah, I think I will wear the new Rossi shirts I had made.

Speaking of those… Check it out. Now, you have two choices if you want to support Ross: the shirts made by the crew at enzo racing (CLICK HERE to see them), or these, that I made with help from my old friend Dominic “The Scoop” Gaytan, from T&K Printing. Here’s the deal: I have adult S-XXL, plus a ladies baby doll in S only. (I figure that if you are not a ladies S, you can wear a regular adult S, right?) A minimum donation of $25 gets you one, shipping included. You can send a check made out to EILEEN MAEDA to TransWorld MX, Attn: Help Rossi, 1421 Edinger Ave, Suite D, Tustin, CA 92780, or send me a payment via Paypal to swap@sbcglobal.net BE SURE TO SEND YOUR ADDRESS AND T SHIRT SIZE!

Thanks!

After four weeks at St. Jude’s Hospital for rehab, Ross goes home today. It’s been almost six weeks since his injury, but it feels like much, much longer for all of us. I visited Ross last night for the last time in a hospital, and at 10 am today, we will have ne last family meeting with his doctors, then take him home. Ross continues to gain some muscle function in his lower extremeties. Though he can’t feel it himself, the trainers at the gym have him doing various exercises, and they report that they can feel his muscles firing in his legs and butt cheeks.

As I wrote before, due to some red tape and insurance hassles, there is a chance that Ross may not be able to get into an outpatient therapy program for up to four weeks. Earlier this week, through my friend Mike Young, I met a very inspirational family - the Goodwins, from Rancho Cucamonga - whose son Brian was paralyzed in an accident at the beach. They told me about a program called Project Walk, where they specialize in therapy not intended solely to help you get on with your life with a spinal cord injury, but therapy that helps you regain control of your body and ultimately, to walk again. Tomorrow, I am planning on taking a trip to Project Walk, and am going to try to enroll Ross in the program, at least two days per week. Project Walk, you see, is located in Carlsbad, only a few minutes from the new TransWorld Motocross offices. At the VERY least, I’d like to get Rossi in to work with their therapists for the first month he is home, and unable to get into Hoag for his outpatient sessions. Project Walk, of course, is not covered by insurance, and it is very expensive. Fortunately, we’ve actually rasied about half of what we need for a month’s session at Project Walk. The support bracelets have been popular (see older blog below for more information about them.) and many friends have made contributions. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to each and every one of you. I haven’t even been to the office in a few days, so I don’t know what bracelet orders have come via the U.S. Postal Service - the Paypal.com orders alone have been amazing. (Shameless plug: to order a Ross support bracelet, send a donation via Paypal to swap@sbcglobal.net and be sure to include your address!)

I know I’m rambling… sorry. Anyway, I made another short video with Rossi last night!

Since Ross was injured, hundreds of people have volunteered to help, should Ross need anything. Furthermore, several people have inquired about a fundraiser for my brother. To be honest, I have waited to learn exactly what my brother is up against before taking any action. As luck would have it, Ross’ HMO insurance isn’t as great as we had hoped it would be. There are many, many expenses that are not covered. Furthermore, red tape and poor planning on the hospital’s part is going to leave Ross without any physical therapy sessions for several weeks, once he is sent home this coming Thursday.
There is a crew of amazing guys working on Ross’ home right now,. remodeling the bathroom so that he will be able to access the shower and commode. Our friend Mike Young - also a paraplegic - has been super helpful with advice and equipment, and has also put us in touch with the good people at Colours wheelchairs. At the moment, Ross has a loaner from Colours, but he will need to purchase his own, soon enough. As best I understand it, insurance covers $5000 for “equipment,” and that includes all of the stuff already used and billed to the insurance company at the hospital. That said, there’s a pretty good chance that Ross’ chair might not even be covered by insurance. Being his little brother, I obviously want to get Ross the baddest-ass chair possible, and I am fully willing to take care of this for him. Beyond that, though, there are obvious smaller costs to get his home set up for his day-to-day life. (Until he is up and walking, that is!)
I have a fundraiser/ride day in the works for December 6th at Perris Raceway, and more details will follow shortly. In the short term, however, I’ve had these support bracelets made up for Ross. One side says “Rossi,” and the other has a saying that he has so often told me when I was looking for advice: “Try Hard.” Ross is trying hard, harder than any of us probably understand, in his quest to get better. Want to support Ross and help him with some of his initial expenses this week as he goes home?
Send a minimum donation of $5.00 (oh yes, you can send more if you’d like), and I will send a bracelet and a support sticker. Amazingly, we’ve already gone through 600 of the stickers…I wish I had the foresight to ask for a donation before (haha). Again, I thank all of you for your support of Ross. He has been overwhelmed by the cards, letters, well wishes, and posts on his CARING BRIDGE guestbook.

Donations for bracelets may be sent to:

TransWorld Motocross

Dept. Help Rossi

1421 Edinger Ave., Suite D

Tustin, CA 92780

Checks for more than $5.00 should be made out to Eileen Maeda. That’s right, Ross’ wife is also named Eileen. Damn, I’ve been trying to be like him forever…

I had to spend the day working in our Carlsbad office today, so I didn’t make it to St. Jude’s to visit Rossi, but his friend Damon sent me this camera phone pic of him during therapy.

Apparently, the apparatus that Ross is strapped into props him upright and helps his legs get the blood flowing through them. This was the first time he “stood” in four weeks. They said that most patients become dizzy and can only take it for a short amount of time, but Ross stayed in it for 15 minutes until they decided that it was best not to overdo it on the first try. After that…well, I will just post a quote from Ross himself…

“Then today (Monday) they put me in this machine that stood me up like I was standing. The therapist told me that it stimulates blood flow and muscle function just standing upright. It felt like I was doing nothing. When I got back to bed, she was moving my legs, and I tried to move my ankles and she said they were moving very slightly!! SHIT IS STARTING TO HAPPEN!”

To say that I am thrilled for Ross would be an understatement.

Since he was hurt, I’ve shed many tears of sadness for my brother. Today, I shed some because I was happy.

It’s early Monday morning, and I just got home from visiting Ross in the hospital. I was super stoked last night after visiting him because he had the good news about the new feeling he has in his hip, but the news he had for me tonight blows that away! You can see what he wrote on his Caring Bridge message board RIGHT HERE or you can see him tell the story in the video below. I took my new Vado pocket cam with me tonight and asked Ross if he had anything to say to his family and friends. To quote Ryan Dungey, “I’m SUPER PUMPED!”

I went to see Ross last night after a few days away. Magazine deadlines are hell…
I was pumped to hear some GREAT NEWS! Ross has regained some more feeling in his lower abdominal region. Now, he can sense much more, including when his bladder is full, etc. In the beginning, he had no sensation like this. Another bit of great news is that when the nurses had him on his side and were checking his incision, they laid a cold, wet towel on his hip and he could feel it! Previously, Ross has no sensations in his hip, but now he can feel temperatures.
The following is from his personal blog, that only family members and close friends can see:

“A few days ago, I recovered some feeling in my lower stomach where I had no feeling before, and the doctor was very happy about it (so I was pumped, even though it is more uncomfortable!), I get a full bladder feeling much more than before and it sucks, but I’ll take it! Then yesterday, I was laying on my side while the nurses were cleaning me up and changing a bandage, and I felt a cold towel on my hip. I had no feeling there before! ”

So obviously, things are looking up for my big brother. His spirits are much, much better, and he says that his therapy sessions - although tough - are getting better by the day. A couple days ago, the doctors let Eileen take Ross out of the hospital for a bit to return home with a case worker. At home, they made an assessment of what needs to be done around the house to make it wheelchair friendly. The biggest obstacle is Ross’ bathroom, which needs to be completely remodeled. Ross’ good friend Damon has really stepped up and taking the project by the horns, recruiting people to help with the remodel. The door needs to be widened, the old bathtub must be ripped out and replaced with a shower with a seat and grab bars, and some additional bars need to be mounted around the toilet. We’ve had a ton of friends and well-wishers offer their help, and this is GREATLY appreciated.

The next step is getting a chair for Ross, as the one he uses at the hospital is only a loaner. Insurance kicks in $1500, but the trick Colours Razor Blade I’ve peeped on the Internet is substantially more. My friend Mike Young is gonna put us in touch with someone from Colours…

I’m going to visit Ross this evening (Sunday) after all of my kids’ soccer games and such. I told him I was going to bring my flip cam to make a video, so stay tuned!
Again, you can leave a message for Ross on his Caringbridge web site guest book. I know that he checks them daily, and also posts his own updates there. Please leave a message! CLICK HERE

- Donn

Yesterday, at our 2009 250cc Shootout, our web master Chris Kinman got BUCK WILD in the whoops at Racetown and went off the following jump completely sideways, with the throttle in full whiskey mode. I didn’t personally get to witness the spectacle, but from what I’m told, I may no longer be the flashiest crasher on staff. When I got to Skinny, he was frolicking with Bambi and Thumper somewhere in LaLa Land, and remained in his dream-like state for at least a minute more. When he awoke, he spoke in tongues and didn’t know where he was or what day it was. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was at least a little scared. After all, with my brother’s recent injury, I held me breath until he was coherent enough to say that he could feel his feet, legs, etc.
Chris didn’t seem too bummed that the paramedics stripped him of his boots, pants and knee braces right there, in the front straightaway dirt of Racetown 395. I think he might have been embarrassed if he had realized that Vicki Golden and her friend were standing there watching, but hey…at least we all know that Chris is more than just left handed now.
While the rest of the testing staff carried on with the shootout, I chased the ambulance down the road and broke a couple laws along the way. 1. I was speeding, obviously. and 2. I talked on my cell phone while driving. (Gasp!) Had to call in the worker’s compensation claim to the HR lady, after all, and also inform Chris’ brother Shane of the news.
At the hospital, Chris was already complaining about the uncomfortable neck brace, and worried that he had scratched the tattoos on his arm. As soon as I heard that, I knew he was okay. After a quick set of X Rays and having his cat scanned (yes, I’m joking), Skinny was discharged in record time. The final tally? A mild concussion and a sprained neck.
Nothing bad enough to keep us from hitting PF Chang’s on the way home, of course…
Get better quickly, Chris. A Day in the Dirt is just around the corner, and you don’t want to be the weak link in the Kinman and Kinman Moto a Go Go team race!

Even with his forehead duct taped to a backboard, Chris is a happy boy.

Does this guy really think his hair looks dope? I mean, come on… When I was younger, my brother Ross used to warn me about different trends that I would buy into. “Dude,” he said. “The more outrageous the trend, the more you will look back and regret it later on.” I wonder if this guy will regret this haircut in a few years.

Now, I don’t think he has this intentional SKULLET for religious purposes. If he was a Hari Hari, I think he’d have to wear a sheet and sell flowers or something, not Apple computers.When balding dudes try to overcompensate with a curtain of long hair, that is technically classified as a SKULLET. (Skull+mullet=skullet) But this is different. This was intentional. I am stumped. I don’t even know what to call this one. Except maybe doodoo.