teamMarius

We wanted to update you on the arrival of Marius and some of the things we have been doing and of course the progress on the surgical front!! Let's start out with the arrival! Most of the Team Marius members were at the airport excitedly awaiting the arrival of the three Romanians. We could hardly believe it was actually here! Marius, Teo and Ionut arrived at about 5:30 and were a little overwhelmed and a lot exhausted but they were good sports about our enthusiasm! We had a fellow Romanian, Georgetta Bostean, who came to meet them as well. She endured the long wait with us and was able to welcome them properly in Romanian! We are grateful for her efforts to come and meet them.

We whisked them out of the airport and down to the Woodward home in San Diego for some dinner and much needed sleep. Tuesday was a joy! We started the day out with some outdoor activities. Marius was anxious to try everything. He walked with some help, across the yard to the play area. We were all so excited when we saw him get on the tramp and do a little somersault! He tried out the swings and even did a little slip and sliding! You can imagine the smiles all the way around! I spent most of my time watching their faces, a real treat! The children surrounding him were an amazing sight to watch as well--each one so accepting and so willing to carry, sacrifice for, and entertain however they could. We enjoyed a water fight of epic proportions complete with water balloons during the warmer part of the day and I think Ionut got the better end of that deal! All smiles and lots of laughter!

On Wednesday morning we went swimming. I was nervous about Marius because he had never been swimming before. There is no fear in this child whatsoever. He was on a boogie board w/close supervision at first, and then everyone began playing and he was independently getting himself everywhere! He must have played for nearly 2 hours. We pulled him out in time to eat lunch and head to Seaworld. We enjoyed a complimentary VIP tour of behind the scenes fun and loved it. We were able to pet sharks and stingrays, feed sea turtles and flamingos and of course enjoy the Shamu show and the rides. We think the Rapids ride was Marius' favorite--they went down a whopping four times down and were soaked to the bone by the time they got out.

Thursday was a whirlwind. We woke early to head to LA to Shriners for a full evaluation. We left home @ 7:00 a.m. didn't return until 9:00 p.m. We met w/ lots of doctors and it was an amazing experience. This is where Teo really shined. It is a hard thing to translate all day in a relaxed setting, but she had to explain complex medical treatment to both Ionut and Marius. We will be sad to see her go. We will definitely be a poor substitute.

The doctors are working on scheduling the first surgery for the last week in August and that would be on his eyelids and on the scarring from bedsores on the back of his head. A more complex surgery would be on September 17th. The doctors are suggesting a procedure called a toe to hand transfer. They would take Marius first and second toe on each foot to make a finger and a thumb for each hand. This had to be difficult to absorb. The only perfect physical part of this sweet little boy are his feet. I think it was difficult for Ionut to absorb this, I know it was for me. The doctors did explain that the feet would be fine and they would leave enough toe for push off capacity and with good shoes he won't even miss them, but the superiority of having two working hands, far outweighed the loss of toes. It is a seven surgery process and would be stretched out over a years time. Of course that doesn't touch all the nose reconstruction and scarring on the face, but I'm sure they will double up as much as they can.

The physical therapist was amazing. She gave Marius a walker so he can spend more time on his feet and less time in the wheelchair. He's been given exercises for stretching the muscle in his leg to help him walk on his right leg and create a more even gait. Marius is VERY independent and likes walking around couches, to the bathroom and various other places by himself. He was all for doing both hands (four toes) and generally just has the most impressive attitude. The logistics of this whole process are much more complex than I thought they would be. I'm not sure how I missed it, but I realize I was probably so focused on getting them here, that I missed some of the reality of having him in the hospital in LA (and NOT having the Team in LA) would pose. We are certain everything will work out, but cant' help but wish we were closer to the hospital.

Our last day all together was spent at the beach in La Jolla. Marius loved the waves and being out in the water. One of the bigger helpers would stand and hold him while the waves broke and he loved that and didn't tire easily. He got involved in the building of a sand castle and filled a bucket by himself. He enjoyed learning about sand crabs and seaweed and I think overall had a really lovely day.

One of my favorite moments came when we were traveling in the car the morning of the doctor and asking Marius if he was happy--Teo translated and he quickly, and w/o a moments delay said, of course, how could I be anything but happy. That pretty much sums up his attitude. In the midst of so much heartache, he truly has an indomitable spirit. Ionut has also shown an amazing tenderness to his brother. We are thrilled with his maturity and love. And of course we can't say enough about Teo. I wish each of you had the opportunity to meet and love her as we do. She is just the rock around which this has all rested and I know personally and as a team, we can't quite fathom what we will do w/o her.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed a week in the life of Marius..... We know we did. A TON of thanks goes out to the Woodward/Ludlow family for housing all of us and generally making the most perfect backdrop to some pretty amazing moments. There is nothing like helping Marius eat, watching him play all of the DS games with the children, applying lotions and creams to tender wounds and skin, packing and unpacking wheelchairs, and just generally serving in whatever capacity was available. Truly to serve is to love! And we have grown to love deeply and richly this little boy and his brother and our fellow team member Teo. We thank them for letting us be a part of their lives.

Love Kristin