Good Morning

First of all Thank you everyone for your concern about my health. Chuck wrote such a nice update about Jen and I our "right hand " people Deanna and Brian. But while we're giving Chris medical and loving attention , Chuck is working 12 - 14 hours a day to try to bring our business back up to where it was when this happened. So he has a very big resposablity.

I got home from the hospital last Sunday and everyone was determined I didn't lift Chris and that I ate and took medicine. Actually I never felt bad at all. I just thought I had the flu. But it turned out to be bleeding ulcers. I've never been in the hospital myself only with Chris. And I truly never want to return. My sympathy for Chris' daily struggle for life has greatly increased.

Were gearing up for the big here. Wednesday is press day for the Benefit at the Santa Fe. Thursday is the actual Benefit and of course the Busch on Saturday and the Winston Cup on Sunday. We plan to take Chris and he has a garage pass , or we're going to try and get him down there. The traffic will be awful so I'm not sure. Also the family will start coming in except Darla, Darrel, and Ann. There are 24 relatives coming in that I know of and many will be staying at our house and in motor homes. We are looking forward to all the love and closeness you always have at family gatherings. Especially when you have a kitchen full of people cooking , eating, telling stories, and Chris will be there in the middle. Maybe we'll get some positive response from all the stimulation.

We're expecting special guests as well - Bob Gardner , Jason, and Dr. Friedman - whom we haven't seen since leaving Daniel Freeman. It will be a great week end.

Someone E-Mailed the local police department about Chris' wallet and we were able to go pick it up apparently, there was something about evidence if something happened to Chris before the year was up. It would have been a murder case. Thankfully ,we still have him and and we are still confident that he will emerge from his " Black Hole ". Anyway , Jen got his Half Moon Club Card out and he held it in his hand all the way home.

Chris has remained healthy during this past month. We are trying new food supplements and we've just been contacted by a local Doctor about anther one we want to try. We continue with the electric stimulator ( Dr. Cooper is so great - he calls every couple of days to check on Chris ) We'll keep trying and praying.

Barb

Good Morning

Well today I will write the letter ( Chuck, Chris' father and Barbara's husband and very proud of it!) because we've had some serious problems. But not with Chris. Barb had to go to the hospital and was in for 3 days. On Friday the 13th she started getting dizzy and was very pale. She went to the doctor and found out she was passing blood thru her stool. They admitted her to the Emergency Room immediately and found she had lost 1 1/2 pints of blood. She was moved to 4 different rooms in 3 days and given numerous tests, including putting a scope down her throat. After talking to 3 doctors and 4 nurses and 6 different opinions the final prognosis was that she had a Bacterial infection which made her Ulcers bleed. Thats the way I understand it!

Chris is fine and he has moments that I know he is very close to talking. When I talk to him he will turn his head and twitch his lips and move his eyes. He is fighting harder than any one on this earth. We didn't tell Chris that Barb was in the hospital, but he knew because Jen said he was very restless.

I'm not much of a writing and I hope you can read everything. I have to go but , I want to thank every body very very much and especially Barb and Jen who give Chris that special something that no one else can give. Also Brian and Deanna who are more like a son and daughter than they are friends.

Thanks Please keep Praying for Chris

Chuck

Good Morning

I realize our Website has been up and down the past few days ( just like our lives ) but keep trying when that happens. Ajay ( our Samies' husband ) and Terry will always be sure it gets " booted " up again. Terry created the site - isn't it great? He's always coming up with new ideas Thanks Terry.

Chris had an EEG yesterday. We don't know yet if it indicates more brain activity then previously, but we have our fingers crossed. We won't know till next Tuesday.

We had an early morning delivery the 9th - our one year mark- flowers a dozen red roses from Bob Gardner, of course. He always thinks of everything. Thank you Bob. They are really beautiful. Then we had anther flower delivery my brother. Sheet and his family. They are beautiful wild flowers. Sue and Sheet are so thoughtful, thank you. We also received many phone calls that day - local and long distance and Marshell and his family came over to spend the evening. They took our mind off the gloom of the day with the cutest pictures of their baby, Alypsa, dressed up for Valentines Day. She is so sweat.

Speaking of Valentines Day - What a sad holiday at our house - especially for Jen. It's difficult every day - but a day set aside for people in love is really tough. Just buying Valentines is a sad experience but she bravely carries on. She and Chris,Calvin and Michelle are going to dinner on Valentines Day. It will be the first time Chris has been away from me in months! I'm having a hard time with that. The kids joke that I will be peeking at them through potted plants or from behind a menu! It's like Chris going on his first date. I'm sure I'll survive though- Jen is quite capable of taking care of him.

I hope everyone who Travels to Vegas for the big race week which include the Winston Cup Race, will have a chance to see Chris or come out to the house. We're covering the walls of one room with all the wonderful posters, cards, pictures, etc that Chris has received. It's quite a tribute - not only to him - but to the public that has stood beside a young man that many of you barely knew. It's all this energy that we are displaying for all to see. Please stop by if your in town for the race.

Barb

Good Morning

Well here we are - one year- I guess it will be a really hard time for us. But as Jet says - can it really be worse than all the other days? The horror and sadness that struck us one year ago today can never be experienced! But if we always think about that we could never take care of Chris with a positive attitude. And that is what we need to do - start each day like a new day - always expecting and looking forward to a break through in Chris' condition. And there will be a break through, we know it.

Everyone who meets Chris has a feeling that he is just behind a screen or veil and he just needs that final push over the edge to get his life back. You can see the frustration on his face and sometimes he just starts crying.
It tears your heart out because you just can't help him.

We have several different "things" happening - just subtle little things. He has been more awake - more alert lately. He has tried to turn over, he has been extending his hands and fingers instead of clenching them, he has had many many muscle spasms in his right arm, and he has been more emotional. So we finally got the order and approval for a new EEG. Well actually we got an order but not insurance approval. But I felt like we couldn't wait any longer so we had the test done today. The neurologist will read it and talk to us about it next week. We're hoping for a change that will show increased brain activity. That would be good.

We had had a wonderful experience this past week involving a very thoughtful lady from Rhode Island. Her name is Joanne and she is not a race car fan - at least she wasn't. She was checking on something for a friend on the internet and came across our story. She tells me that she thinks of Chris from the minute she gets up in the morning and again at night. She had Polio over 30 years ago and unfortunately she has a lot of health problems resulting from recurring symptoms. But she has put a lot of her energy into Chris' recovery.She actually came to Las Vegas to visit her sister and they both came to our house to meet Chris. Both Joanne and Annette feel "Good" about his chances of recovery. On the evening of 2/9 the organized a special pray with approximentely 1000 people ! Thank you Joanne and we wish you all the best in your fight for good health.

Cards, letters, and well wishes continue to come to us. We can never thank everyone enough.

Barb

Good Morning

It's been several days since I sent anything out. I'm sorry about that. I know there are many of you out there who check on us to see how we're doing. So I'll try to be a little more constant.

Again I wish I had fantastic news about Chris - he's not talking - yet. But we know he will. He is definitely more awake and alert - turning more to voices and sounds. This past week we went to his friend Marshals house for dinner. Marshall has a great wife, Tango, and a 6 month old baby girl. His mom, Carmelle, made everyone Italian food and several of Chris' friends were there also. We had taken Chris and his friends to Jamaica a few years ago. They all got to talking while at Marshals and found out they all still carried their black membership cards to the golf club there. As they all whipped them out of their wallets , Chris started crying. It was the saddest thing you ever say. Whams worse is Chris' wallet also has his membership card in it. But we can't get his wallet back from the police. They are keeping it - perhaps to prove it wasn't robbery. However , anyone knows Chris never carried money. He once used a credit card to pay for 2 slurries!

It was great to have Bob Gardner here for a couple of days. He is now a hoer lift expert. A hoer lift is like a engine hoist and it is the way we have to move Chris from his bed , to his chair and to the mat for exercise. We're hoping to be able to make the transfer without it soon. But Chris has to be able to help stand up for a few seconds to go from one to the other..

Bob also enjoyed Charmless Italian cooking. I bet he's still telling people how great it was. Bob also went to Chris' therapy sessions and to the lab to draw blood ( he does not do well with needles ). We had a great visit and he got to spend a lot of time with Chris. Thanks , Bob

The crew all traveled to Phoenix for the Copper Classic last week end. It was pretty emotional for us because the 1997 Copper Classic was the last race Chris participated in. Brian brought back a poster and a great T-shirt for Chris. Thanks to Brian and Deanna.

Speaking of T-shirts Paula Becker made Chris 2 wonderful shirts. They have huge Trickle Hearts in the center and in the center of the hearts is Chris in his tuxedo at the 1996 Southwest Tour Banquet. Not only that she got everyone at the race to sign the shirt. Thanks Paula. Chris will certainly wear the shirt- We'll keep it always.

Paula has great ideas for Trickle Hearts. She even made several sets of earing with hearts and #70 - they are so great. She could have a hole new line of jewelry! Thank you Don and Paula - you have been so kind and wonderful to Chris.

It seems like were surrounded by bad news this week. Chucks uncle, Cole who has always been special to us - passed away at the age of 85. He was gambling with a group of senior citizens in Bilxi, so he was active and doing what he wanted to do. Tats a good thing.

Chucks father is also very ill and in the hospital in Wisconsin. His sister is keeping us informed of his condition. We're hoping he will recover soon.

The Santa Fe Hotel here in Las Vegas is planning a special night to benefit Chris' medical fund. It will be Thursday night before the big race week end in March when Winston Cup comes in to town for the first time. It will be a dance, barbecue, and auction. Chucks mom has made a home made king size quilt to raffle or auction off. It has 18 squares with Dick's different car #s over the years- each one signed by Dick - and a square Chuck will sign on behalf of Chris and one she will sign and date. Its a wonderful quilt - she' quite an artist when it comes to making quilts. See you at the benefit.

Barbara