Hi Gang,
I know it's been a while since there's been an update on Joe...I spent the weekend with Joe and a large group of friends on the central Oregon coast this last weekend...many of us rode in the surf and Joe was able to visit with people he had not come into contact with for quite some time. I was honestly a little worried how he would react to being on the beach while everyone else was doing what he did so very well...but he handled it beautifully!
Saturday evening, most of us headed to the local brew pub and partook in a lot of adult beverages (Joe cannot have alcohol, so many rounds of O'Doul's were enjoyed by him) before a wild parade of jet skiers took up space on the stage and began making it sound as if someone were swinging a cat by it's tail (in Japan, they call this Kareoke)
Joe hung with us for the entire evening (a real milestone considering how easily he tired just a few short weeks ago) and got to reconnect with dozens of his friends and acquiantances...almost all of whom spoke to him about how much of an inspriation he's been to them on and off the water. I was pleasantly surprised when he called me "LiLi"...his nic name for me when I came up behind in in a loud dark bar and spoke into his ear - He easily recognized me - another milestone!
It was a fitting way to spend time with the guy we all love....Joe and his brother Shawn hung out with us before heading back to Stanford University Hospital in the Bay Area of Northern California.... where he underwent reconstructive surgery yesterday to repair the bone they were unable to save after his initial emergency brain surgery.
Normally surgeons remove a patch of skull to relieve pressure on the brian and allow for swelling, then store it between the layer of fat and muscle in the patient's abdomen to keep it healthy for reimplantation...in Joe's case, the bone was not viable after the extended period of time needed for his brain swelling to go down. They eventually had to remove it from his abdomen, and simply covered over the hole in his skull with his skin and hair. But you could still see his brain moving underneath...it was pretty weird.
I just spoke with Jacquie, Joe's mom and though he's still in ICU at Stanford, he's doing great and is expected to be moved to a normal surgical room tomorrow, and then home in a day or so. I'll be going to see him one night this week, and will let you know how he's doing at that time.
In the meantime...if anyone who rode with us this weekend happened to come across a stray Jet Pilot heavy duty windbreaker, it's Joes...and he's super bummed to have misplaced it. If you have it or know who does, please PM me and I'll send you my DHL account info so you can ship it back to Joe for free.
Thanks!
