We do this song in concert called “Beatin the Odds.” I like playing that song because there are some awesome guitar solos. For the rest of our tour in Europe, when we play that song, I am going to tell the audience that “this next song goes out to Big E in Baltimore, the toughest guy that we know.” Rock on dude!” Bobby Ingram: lead guitarist of Molly Hatchet
Happy Holidays from Baltimore, Maryland!
Elan is almost 6 weeks out of surgery and still doing pretty well! For the first 2 weeks after surgery, we had to ‘distract’ Elan’s bones or pull the femur head down from the hip socket so that new bone growth can eventually take place. This is done manually by the external fixator implanted on Elan’s hip. The fixator also takes the pressure off the hip and holds the ball and socket in place. Each day, Jan & I have to turn the screws in the fixator to get the job done. Unfortunately, this is very painful for Elan- especially at night.
We stopped distraction for a few weeks but then the surgeon told us to continue for this past week. Hopefully, this part of the process is behind us. We’re also starting to taper off the meds used to manage the pain. His smile and laughter continue to light up our lives… The great news is that Elan is getting better and will walk without pain once again.
Now, we wait to see and pray that all of this works. We won’t know until Elan’s ball begins to regrow if it’s perfectly round or not. In the interim, we keep him off his feet. The Drs. are very optimistic that Elan has an excellent chance for success and won’t require additional surgeries.
Elan’s guts, determination and attitude continue to prevail. In part due to his athletic ability, Elan’s physical therapy is going great. We have to fight for pool time because they want to get other kids in there. He rarely uses the wheelchair, preferring the walker instead. Elan is also learning to use crutches on stairs. He has made lots of new friends at the Hackerman-Patz house at Sinai Hospital – our temporary home away from home. Many of these children are here for limb lengthening due to dwarfism. Janet & I are thankful for sure as we get to know some of the other families that are staying here. Simply put, this has been a life changing experience for all of us.
Elan’s blog traffic is off the charts with over 4,000 visits. It, along with his distance learning program, are being featured by his school’s technology dept. If you get a chance, stop by and visit elansahipguy for daily updates, pics and… *please don’t forget to sign the guestbook. While you’re at it, check out some of the wonderful messages Elan has received from friends, rock stars and other Perthes families. Elan is hearing from folks from all over the world! Elan has certainly made the most of this experience with live calls from CBS sports during a basketball game, and visits from friends, his baseball team, US soldiers stationed in Iraq, and even the hooters girls.
Thanks so much for staying in touch! The cards, gifts galore, e-mails and calls have been wonderful so many thanks for that. It’ll be great to see everyone when we get back to Washington. I know that Elan will appreciate the company. In the meantime, we hope that you have a great end of the year holiday. Lots of love, mitch/jan/elan