Sunday Afternoon

What a week Mighty MikeyD had. On Thursday we all went to CHOP with MikeyD his first appointment was for an Echo Cardiogram and his second was for an EKG which all went well. MikeyD's third appointment was with Dr.Vetter she was very happy to see MikeyD's progress and said everything looks good. when we were down with Dr.Vetter in the Cardiac center we met Martha who was the nurse that discharged MikeyD the day we left she is also nurse Sarah's sister she was amazed at how good MikeyD looked. Unfortunately we missed Sarah she was off. His fourth appointment was with Hematology to see when he can get off the needles for the Lovenox which is a medicine that is used to help prevent blood clots he has to get the shots every day. After the appointment with the Hematology doctors it was determined that MikeyD will be getting the shots for another 30 days and after that he will be free from the needles one more medicine out of the way. After that we took MikeyD up to the Critical cardiac ICU to see his old room and visit with some of the doctors and nurses who took such great care of him. He did not remember his room at all. We wheeled MikeyD in his wheelchair up to the nurses station and Dr.Naim was standing there she is one of the doctors who helped save MikeyD's life.

She is in the picture above with MikeyD.  Dr.Naim is the Critical care doctor who started working on MikeyD that night when he landed on the roof in the helicopter. When he looked at her he said Hi Dr.Naim she had never heard MikeyD's voice before and she said Hi MikeyD she walked over to him in the wheelchair and he stood up and gave her a big hug. Dr Naim was so happy that she had tears  in her eyes and said thank you so much for bringing MikeyD to see us all he just made my day. we met with a lot more of the nurses and some of the other doctors who took care of MikeyD   to many to list each one and  some of the  others had tears in their eyes as well. Everyone was amazed to hear him speak and see him walk for a little bit and all were so happy to see how much he has fought back and beat the odds. Who says miracles don't happen this miracle continues. We cannot thank everyone at CHOP enough for all the care and support they have given MikeyD you  have all become like an extended  family to us.

On Friday MikeyD spent a full day at the Children’s Hospital going through Speech,PT , OT and Cognitive evaluations to start his next step in this recovery process. Yesterday was Ciara’s birthday  Moya took them all to lunch and they met Mike Dunn he almost fell over when he seen MikeyD the last time he seen MikeyD was in CHOP and he could not even move his hands or arms I only wish Peggy was with him she was home not feeling well and he was picking up soup for her.  The other night MikeyD had his cousins over and they were all out playing in the yard as he watched them out the window he said mom I want to be able to go out and play with my friends and cousins again one day. You could tell he was sad. Moya said keep fighting and working hard the way you are now and one day you will be able to play outside and run around with your friends and cousins. We truly believe that MikeyD will learn to read, write and spell again one day. We really do believe that his miracle recovery will continue due the  determination  that he has and all the prayers and support he has from all of you.

We want to thank each and every one of you for all your prayers and support of MikeyD and our family.

We also want to wish all of you a Happy, Healthy new year !

Keep the faith.

We believe in miracles and we believe that this miracle will continue !!!

Wednesday Night

MikeyD had a great Christmas.

He wants us to thank you all for your Christmas wishes and Kind words of support.

MikeyD  went to mass for Christmas  in his new wheelchair.

Today MikeyD went to Children's Hospital for PT evaluations.

MikeyD is going back to CHOP in Philly tomorrow  for a full day of follow up testing with Cardiology, Neurology and Hematology. We will post more tonight with some pictures.

we hope all of you had a great Christmas.

Thursday Night

Christmas Miracle !!!

                                           A true Christmas Miracle !!!
Mighty MikeyD received three early Christmas presents today. one is a custom fit wheelchair that is faster than any of the other wheelchairs he has had before the other was a real nice shower chair,  and last but not least was sent to the hospital from the Kelly's which he has not seen yet and  Moya is putting under the Christmas tree. Believe it or not he is happy and grateful for both presents that he ha seen. Mighty MikeyD the Fighter  really loves his new wheelchair he was racing around the hospital tonight in his new wheelchair like never before. The good news is he is fighting to come back to us every day. MikeyD is so determined to beat the odds I have never seen anyone this determined since my brother Seamus. One of MikeyD's nurses Sarah from CHOP posted again today and I am sure that even she is amazed at how hard he is fighting to come back to us. Sarah seen MikeyD in his darkest days when he arrived on the roof  of the hospital in the helicopter that tragic Friday night. When he arrived they said it is highly unlikely that he will live until Monday. He beat those odds. Once  he beat that fight the neurology team came in after that with more bad news telling us that the only thing hurting Mighty MikeyD now  is the amount of down time he had been down  due to the poor response time from that 911 call . Because of the amount of time that he was down with no response  he had no  blood or oxygen to the brain  he would never do this or that again. MikeyD the fighter proved them wrong as well. they were correct he did suffer a traumatic brain injury from being down so long he has since  fought back beyond the belief of all the medical professionals. I need to mention that had it not been for the fact that Bob Mc Cann and Rob De Stefano were not  there and had not started CPR right away Mighty MikeyD would not be here with us this Christmas. With that said  his  own determination and all your prayers have proven that miracles do exist. a lot of doctors and nurses follow this blog and can post at any time they all know and tell me it is a miracle. I spoke with another doctor on Wednesday that told me that meeting Mighty MikeyD and my family was a life changing experience. The good news  after this long battle is that Mighty Mikeyd is coming home to us for Christmas even though it will only be for a few days before he starts another intense battle with a new program as an outpatient which will include cognitive rehabilitation , speech therapy. occupational therapy, Physical therapy and some sort of schooling he is proving to us all how hard he is fighting to come back to us. I want to ask all of you one small  favor over this Christmas weekend even though I know how busy everyone is   please post here and or on care pages over the next few days and wish mighty MikeyD a Merry Christmas so we can sit down at home with him on Christmas morning and read your Christmas wishes to him.. I know that  Julia and Ciara will love reading them to him one by one and  Moya and I will  find comfort in it as well just like we have from all your past post and support. From all the Doherty family to all of your family we wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year !!!
for those who cannot post here this is the lonk for the care page.
http://www.carepages.com/carepages/MikeyD 

Keep the faith.. We believe in Miracles.

please keep praying and posting.

Christmas Triduum Prayer.

O Divine Jesus, the Heavenly message at your birth was "peace on earth and  goodwill to all" bring your peace , your joy , your happiness, into our home this Christmas, bless all the members of our family and friends reading this, those at home and those who  will be absent this Christmas. Inflame our hearts with your love . Keep us close to you and each other now and throughout the year ahead.

Amen !!!

Sunday Night

With Christmas fast approaching us most kids are counting the days to Christmas morning. MikeyD and my family are counting the days to get MikeyD out of the hospital and home again with us so we can be one family again instead of two different units. Since you cannot come home and stay overnight as an inpatient we are trying to get MikeyD home for Christmas. Moya and I have a meeting with the doctors and all the therapist tomorrow to see if we can get MikeyD home before Christmas eve and then have him start five days a week as an outpatient for all his therapies right after Christmas. We will have to give MikeyD his needles and all his other medication at home . Moya has started giving him the needles in the hospital already she is brave I do not have the heart to give him the needles yet I am going to try and give him one tomorrow.

Julia and Ciara have been out spending all their money on buying Christmas presents for their little brother he will be spoiled for sure. When I asked Julia and Ciara a few weeks ago what they wanted for Christmas they both said they do not want anything for themselves they just want their brother home. This has been a difficult time for everyone in our family it seems even more difficult with the Christmas right around the corner. MikeyD is starting to walk more with his braces as long as someone is holding him or standing behind him to keep his balance. We need to watch him even closer now as he tries to get out of the wheelchair and start walking on his own. We took him home for a few hours on the day pass and had him sit in the recliner and he tried to get up a few times on his own and start walking. MikeyD keeps fighting the fight he tries not to use his wheelchair as much as possible despite the fact that he still needs it.I walked him around the hospital the other night and you could see in his face how proud he was to be walking I held the back of his shirt behind his back and he walked up to the nurses’  station with a big smile on his face the nurses started clapping and cheering him on. One of the girls in rec therapy seen him walking and she started crying she couldn't believe it she reads the blog all the time as well. Here’s to everyone hoping that MikeyD will be home with his family for Christmas !

 Keep the faith. We believe in Miracles !!!

Please keep praying and posting.

Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony

"Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints."

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, you love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me A Full Recovery for MikeyD that he will be able to run and play with his friends again one day like he use to. The answer to my prayer may require a miracle, even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Thursday Night

Mighty MikeyD finally got the permanent cast off and has the removable casts that can come on and off for this week, He has his new braces and they are working with him to get use to the braces so he is wearing the removable casts half the time and the braces for the other half.We are trying our best right now to get MikeyD home for Christmas, Although he is doing great physically he still has a long way to go hopefully he will regain his balance and learn how to walk all over again now without the cast and the help of the braces we may get that miracle sooner than later.The hard part now will be learning  all over again things that he use to know little things like what day of the week it is and what the next day is. Learning to tell time again on top of a lot of other things kind of like starting all over again. MikeyD will need some intense cognitive rehabilitation in the new year. The next phase of this Journey for MikeyD and the rest of our family is to get him out of the hospiatl and into a five day outpatient program which will include PT,OT Speech, and cognitive rehabilitation.  Right now MikeyD is making the best of where he is at this monent he cruises around the hospital in his wheel chair non-stop he will not sit still all the nurses love him he cruises from the front nurses station to the back nurses station pulls up and talks to them he even winks at some of them and then takes off again. MikeyD is becoming very restless ans does not want to sit still at all. This week since he has the removable  casts he started having some physical Therapy in the pool you can see him in the pool in the picture above. He loved the pool so much he did not want to come out he had two therapists in the pool with him one was helping him with balance and the other was throwing him the basketball he was even shooting some hoops in the pool.

Just in case anyone was planning on coming to visit MikeyD this weekend he will not be there on Saturday or Sunday he has an outside appointment on Saturday and we will be taking him out on a day pass a this Sunday. It really made MikeyD’s day when Regina Price posted We are all here rooting you on....THOUSANDS of us, yes THOUSANDS!!!   And then right after that Scott Capro  posted Mikey D never stops amazing me... Keep going buddy! It is ironic that this time last year MikeyD and Chris were shooting 3’s against St. Jerome’s

MikeyD still really needs your prayers.

Keep the faith We believe in miracles.

Please keep prying and Posting.

Do not forget if you have children playing basketball please get them an ECG , Echocardiogram and Blood chemistries test (to check electrolytes, especially sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate levels) for Christmas another player from Utah ST Danny Berger went into cardiac arrest on the court last Wednesday night story on the link below. Hopefully everyone will turn up with no problem but if anyone does show anything please contact me and I will contact Dr. Vetter and make sure you are taken care of by the best she really is the best!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/basketball/ncaa/wires/12/05/2060.ap.bkc.basketball.player.collapse.5th.ld.writethru.0859/index.htm 

Saturday Night another Miracle

Mighty MikeyD is doing it again more greats news and another  Miracle.

MikeyD started taking some steps this week and is now able to walk even with the casts on his legs if you help balance him.

He has a pair of shoes on his casts and  with assistance if you stand behind  or on the side and hold him to help him keep his balance  he can walk.

Last week when Anthony and Barbara came to visit him he was able to take a few small steps. Last night Ciara  came to visit MikeyD she walked alongside him and walked him around the floor. Today when Sean came to see him he was able  to push  Sean down the hall in his wheelchair. Another sign that all your prayers are working please keep praying. I spoke to the physical therapist today about the casts next week he will be getting a pair of removable casts that you can take off and on  this will be the last of the cast.

The week after he will be wearing the braces and they will be working with getting MikeyD on the road to walking on his own again.We were asking about taking MikeyD home for Christmas day and

now because of the amazing recovery that MikeyD is making in the past two weeks we are allowed to take him out of the hospital for a few hours tomorrow on a day pass it will be great for him after being in the hospital these last few months to get out in the fresh air we will now be able to take him out every Sunday for a few hours. This morning when I was standing over his bed getting ready to feed him his breakfast he looked at me and said Dad how long have I been in the hospital for four years now  I said no and before I could tell him how long he said five years I tried to explain that it was going on four months. I felt so bad for him as I tried to explain the time line to him  because it does feel like four years to Moya, Julia, Ciara and myself as well.

Keep the faith. We believe in Miracles !!!

Please keep praying and posting.
http://www.carepages.com/carepages/MikeyD/updates/3435877?update_messages=yes 
you can see Ciara walking him down the hall in the hospital in the picture and see him pushing Sean in the wheelchair in the other picture.

Friday Morning

MikeyD got his cast off on Monday again and was fitted for Leg Braces he will need these to learn how to walk again and may need them for a long time. This is the countdown to hopefully the end of a long 10 week casting process two more weeks to go. MikeyD said I have two more weeks to go and then  these bad boys come off he is looking forward to it. Hopefully the week before Christmas they will be gone for good.

MikeyD also asked me tonight why he has to have this Defibrillator in his chest for the rest of his life because it is lumpy and sore he said, I tried to explain to him that the soreness should go away but the lump in your chest will not I also tried to explain that you heart is fine now and that it is there just as a precaution.

it is really hard to explain all  this to a 12 year old boy who a few months ago was healthy as a horse and playing sports pitching in All Star Baseball games and shooting hoops for five different teams and then  he wakes up out of a coma in a broken down body .

Despite all of this he is defying all odds last week coach Greg came to visit MikeyD and we had to push him down the halls this week MikeyD cannot sit still and pushes himself down the hall. Today Dr Y seen MikeyD in the gym and shook his head in disbelief after watching what MikeyD can accomplish compared to looking at his brain scan on an MRI. Dr. Y walked over to Moya and said it is amazing what this little boy can do he is so strong and he is defying all odds. According to the MRI he should and could not be doing what he is doing. Believe it or not a lot of the doctors follow the MikeyD blog and are on care pages and they read the post everyday they will tell you MikeyD is the fighter and he is a true miracle boy.

He did say that he will need intense Cognitive therapy after this which they do not offer. Believe me Moya and I will find him the best Cognitive therapy we can find no matter what. Believe it or since my post Tuesday night we have saved one kid maybe two as of next week after their parents read the blog and or the care pages they had the kids screened one was not allowed to play basketball anymore and one is waiting for further test results I will take one for now and one later. I know God saved MikeyD  for a reason to go on to do great things not sure of the whole how and why right now but I will accept him saving one life at a time slowly for now as a sign from above.

Please keep the faith and believe in miracles.

Please keep praying and posting.

Please continue to visit MikeyD he needs all the company he can get right now.

God Bless.

Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony

"Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints."

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, you love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me A Full Recovery for MikeyD that he will be able to run and play with his friends again one day like he use to. The answer to my prayer may require a miracle, even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Tuesday Night

A dedication to Albert Martin

I received a call yesterday regarding Albert Martin see article below this is what happened to MikeyD and everyone there at the time thought he had a seizure at first. I reached out to Dr.Vetter right away  and spoke to her regarding this tragedy and I have reached out to get in touch with the family.Alberts sister should at leat be tested right away. Some testing of Albert should be done so the family may know the cause and other kids playing basketball might be saved. This happens a lot more to kids playing basketball every year than you think just ask Dr.Vetter.

As soon as MikeyD is back on his feet I am going on a crusade and going to work with Dr. Vetter to make sure all parks where kids play basketball have an AED.

I would also like to see a law where kids playing sports have to at least get an EKG to look for an arrhythmia.

Even though it would not have helped in MikeyD’s case the EKG will help save a lot of other children.  

 I am also begging all of you again if you have kids playing sports especially Basketball this is much more common to basketball players please have them tested start with a simple EKG and also have them tested for Dehydration as well.
This story breaks my heart.

 As reported by the Newark Star-Ledger, Red Bank (N.J.) Regional High senior Albert Martin, a starting forward on the school's basketball team, collapsed during his team's Monday afternoon preseason scrimmage against Point Pleasant Beach (N.J.) High. Martin had reportedly been sitting on the bench when a timeout was called and the forward was told to get ready to return to the game. He took a sip of Gatorade, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor.

A school trainer who was on-site rushed to Martin's side and attempted but ultimately failed to revive him. Paramedics who arrived shortly thereafter were similarly unsuccessful, and the teenager was pronounced dead at Riverview Hospital within hours of his initial collapse.

"We knew it was bad right away," Scott Martin, the Red Bank head basketball coach (who is of no relation to the deceased) told the Star-Ledger. "His eyes rolled to the back of his head, he was having some sort of seizure."

Though there has been no official announcement about Martin's cause of death, it seems highly likely to be connected to a heart arrhythmia or another heart abnormality. Martin's mother, Tracy Dixon, confirmed that her son had never received any type of heart screening.

 May he rest in Peace !!!

God bless his Family.

please have your kids tested.

Friday Night

The MikeyD 3 on 3 basketball tournament at Bayshore yesterday was a great event.

MikeyD was in the hospital in the bed with the laptop and everyone at Bayshore got to see  him via Skype.

My family and I would like to thank everyone involved.

Tonight I told MikeyD that a lot of people were praying for him again at the healing mass. We said our prayers at 8 PM  and when we were done he looked at me and said please tell everyone at the healing mass I wish I could be there with them. Moya was at the healing mass tonight and she called me and said it was very uplifting and spiritual. Peggy she asked me to let you know she was sorry she did not get to speak with you .It really is a miracle this little boy who barely escaped death 3 months ago was gone, came back and a few weeks ago he could not even swallow,eat or speak can now look at me and say please tell everyone I wih I could be there with them. Over 97% of people who suffer a traumatic brain injury like MikeyD's do not recover like this. I know it is because thousands of you have come together and have been praying for him we cannot thank all of you enough. MikeyD is really getting strong now he started using his left hand pretty good now last week  he was moving his wheel chair forward and back with one hand in the same spot I asked him what are you doing you are only moving back and forth a little bit with one hand and you are not going anywhere he said I am working on building the  strength in my left arm tonight he is able to go all around the hospital in his wheel chair using both arms and making turns he feels independent being able to roll the halls without having to have someone push him around. When the nurse came into to give him his shots tonight she asked him where do you want it they move them around from left leg to right leg and in his stomach because of the bruises tonight he told her to give him the needle in the stomach she asked  him doesn’t that hurt a lot to get the needle  in the stomach ? he looked at her and said yes it does but I just take it like a man. every day now MikeyD is making progress and the doctors I speak with are amazed at his recovery he is doing things that Moya and I were told he would never be able to do.

God Bless all of you for your continued  prayers for MikeyD and continued  support for my family !

Keep the faith We believe in Miracles ! (we are witnessing them)

Please keep Praying and posting.

Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony

"Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints."

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, you love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me A Full Recovery for MikeyD that he will be able to run and play with his friends again one day like he use to. The answer to my prayer may require a miracle, even so, you are the Saint of Miracles.

O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Wednesday Night

MikeyD got his new casts put on again this Monday. now they are saying he will be in casts for another three weeks that will now be a total of ten weeks in casts.

We are hoping that will be the end of the casts for good, We feel so bad for him because every week he thinks it is going to be the last week in casts. MikeyD is eating good and has gained Back three pounds of the twenty six pounds that he lost. He is talking a little bit more now but his voice is still very low. Today MikeyD had a great visit with coach Greg he delivered two great presents to MikeyD  one from Kansas and one from Rhode Island. It was two signed basketballs that all the players and coaches signed. Then MikeyD and coach Greg started passing the ball around to each other MikeyD even showed coach Greg his form for the 3 point shot it was really nice and made MikeyD  very happy.

Tomorrow at the Bayshore 3 on 3 they are going to have a Skype connection set up to the hospital so the kids in school at the event can speak to MikeyD live in the hospital and he will also be able to watch the event.

They will also be posting on the blog at that time for him. Today from the hospital I tested the connection with Mr. Botti and Donna who were at the school.

I plan on being at the event. Ciara’s team is the  turtles and Brendan’s team is the hoops I did it again,

I need to cheer for both of them. I look forward to seeing a lot of you tomorrow.

Keep the faith we believe in miracles.

Please keep praying and posting.

A Post from Bayshore School

MikeyD 3 v 3 Basketball Tournament this Thursday Nov. 29

On September 7^th the Bayshore Staff received word that one of our students was stricken with sudden cardiac arrest while playing basketball with his travel team. He was airlifted to CHOP in Philadelphia and remained in critical condition. Doctors raced against time to save this sweet boy. His parents and sisters sat vigil while he was in an induced coma.

He has since been transferred to Robert Wood Johnson and improving “slow and steady” as they say-but he has a long, long recovery ahead.

Please join the students and staff at Bayshore as we come together to honor this brave boy and his family. Bayshore Middle School will be hosting a 3 v 3 basketball tournament on November 29^th both gyms at Bayshore Middle School. The event will take place from 3-5 pm. Admission to this event is $5. Shirts will be available for $10. Come watch thirty-nine different student teams such as The Spaztastics vs. The Smiling Bananas fight to win the trophy!

We would like to thank Party Fair in Middletown, Costco in Hazlet, Beacon Awards in Middletown, the Middletown Teacher's Association, the MYAA and Zeek's Tees in Atlantic Highlands for helping to sponsor this event.

 

Bayshore Loves Mighty Mike !
http://middletown-nj.patch.com/blog_posts/mikeyd-3-v-3-basketball-tournament

always a new yorker at heart
12:21 pm on Thursday, November 22, 2012
What a great community! Thanks Middletown for supporting one of our own through such a difficult time. I know MikeyD will be there in all our hearts.

BEACHAHOLIC
6:48 pm on Thursday, November 22, 2012
Children coming together is what this generation needs! This family deserves EVERYONE'S support, so please come to show you care....because children lead by example. Please remember MikeyD in your prayers tonight on this Thanksgiving, and hug your child tightly. Let's show this family how much we care. God Bless MikeyD!

Saturday Night

What a great Thanksgiving. Even though we had our family Thanksgiving dinner in a hospital it was really nice. The Auditorium which is the room we had booked was just perfect. We would like to thank everyone for coming. My sister Diane had the great idea to have all the kids wear their shooting 3’s for Mighty MikeyD shirts. Mighty MikeyD was so happy to see all his cousins that he wanted to get out of the wheelchair we took him out and he started crawling around on the floor to be with his cousins that is also how we got the family photo above of all the cousins. The Fighter as he is known around here and CHOP is really determined to get moving again he was wearing basketball shorts and even though his knees were red and getting torn up he did not want to go back in the wheelchair. Uncle Seamus picked MikeyD up stood behind him to hold him up and even had him take a few steps walking with the casts on, it is hard to beat a kid that never gives up. God bless Mighty MikeyD the fighter !!!!

Then on Friday night Mikeyd had a great visit from the AWG group about 25 members showed up for a huddle it was AWGsome. Thank you guys for coming to see MikeyD did you see the glow on his face ? It really meant a lot to him you guys really made him so happy and we all had a lot of fun.

Keep the Faith We believe in Miracles.

Please keep praying and posting

Prayer for today.

In our culture today, people are used to getting things right away. We’ve been programmed for immediacy. People don’t like to wait. But the scripture says, “It’s through faith and patience that we inherit God’s promises.” Sometimes, it’s easy for people to have faith. We declare, God, I believe I’m going to accomplish my dreams. God, I believe I’m going to overcome this obstacle. But, it gets harder when you have to walk in patience. When you pray, can you say, “God, I not only believe in big things for little MikeyD, but I trust Your timing. God, I’m not going to get discouraged that a full recovery doesn’t happen for little MikeyD immediately. I’m not going to give up because it’s taken a week, a month or five years. I know the set time is already in little MikeyD’s future, so I’m going to wait with faith and patience because I know that you have a full recovery  on the way for little MikeyD.” Remember, through faith and patience we inherit His promises. Trust His Word, trust His timing and trust that God has little MikeyD’s recovery  on its way!

Thanksgiving Morning

Today we are having Thanksgiving at the hospital with all our Family.
we will have about 36 people joining in we reserved the auditorium in the hospital for our get together.
we would like to thank all our family for coming on this day to be with Mighty MikeyD.
My Mom, Dad ,brothers ,sister, brother in law, sister in laws and nieces and nephews.

In this the hardest time of my Family's life we have a lot to be Thankful for.
We are most Thankful that Mighty MikeyD is still with us.
We are thankful that MikeyD has started talking again.
We are thankful that MikeyD is able to eat again.
We are thankful for Dr.Vetter who has also become a  friend.
We are thankful for CHOP and all the doctors and nurses.
We are thankful for all of you and your prayers and support
We are thankful for St.Mary's parish and your healing Mass.
We are thankful for the Gas in a time of need.
We are thankful for AWG group.
We are thankful for the long distance shootout.
We are thankful for the NMBC
We are thankful for the green riboons.
We are thankful for the shooting 3's for MikeyD
We are thankful for the Bayshore School 3 on 3.
We are thankful for the Laundry being done what a major help.
We are thankful for the Fairview community.
We are thankful for the Middletown community joining together for us.
We are thankful for all the meals that were prepared for us you know idea how great that was for us.
AWG group will be all coming to visit MikeyD Friday night 6:30 to 8:30
My Family would like to wish all of you and your family’s a Happy,Healthy Thanksgiving.

With heartfelt thanks from the Doherty’s

If anyone would like to wish MikeyD a Happy Thanksgiving you can post it here and we will read the wishes to him over the weekend.

Keep the faith /we believe in Miracles

Please keep praying and posting.

Help Me Thanksgiving Day Prayer

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.

Tuesday Night.

Mighty MikeyD has 2 new cast on his legs. We hope and pray that they are the last cast he ever has on his legs again. They said they may have to do some more casting after this and will not know until they take them off next week. I personally know that  they made a big mistake here when they started this whole casting process this is a major setback. I will have a talk with them tomorrow and get all the detail as to why and do all that I can to see if they can come up with a better procedure for MikeyD to start to learn how to walk again. This casting was supposed to be for three weeks and now it has turned into six weeks and it has become a major setback. I spoke to another doctor today who agrees with me about this casting mess.  MikeyD started school today  here in the hospital. He will have to relearn a lot of things that he knew before it will not be easy . I asked him how he liked school and he said it was good.

I asked him if he had any homework and he gave me that big smile and shook his head No !!!

I hope everyone liked the picture of Mighty MikeyD from Friday night post I will try and put some more up as we post.

We want to get MikeyD a therapy dog  when he gets out of the hospital I heard that they help promote healing. Does anyone  know  anything about or what kind of dog will be a good therapy dog for MikeyD let me know I would appreciate it.

Most people have been posting on care pages it must be easier. Here is the link if you want to read some.

http://www.carepages.com/carepages/MikeyD/updates/3424164?update_messages=yes

 
Keep the faith and believe in miracles.

Please keep praying and posting.

A Prayer for Today.

Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, you gave hope to our people in a time of distress and comforted them in sorrow. You have inspired countless pilgrims to pray with confidence to your divine Son, remembering His promise: "Ask and you shall receive, Seek and you shall find". Help me to remember that we are all pilgrims on the road to heaven. Fill me with love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who live with me. Comfort me when I am sick or lonely or depressed. Teach me how to take part ever more reverently in the holy Mass. Pray for me now, and at the hour of my death. Amen.

Friday Night

Mighty MikeyD the miracle boy is doing better much better these last few days Thank God.

he has been eating well and not having any more problems with his stomach.

He has been sleeping for about two hours at a time and waking up for a little bit but not in as much pain as last week

And then going back to sleep for two more hours.

He still has some pain in his legs with some muscle spasms but not as bad and his back his hurting him a little bit I think it is from being in bed and wheelchair for so long and not being able to walk

at least now he can tell us where the pain is.

Mikeyd is starting to talk a little bit more even though it still hurts him to talk.

I spoke to a few doctors this week and they think it is amazing that he has started talking.

please keep praying for MikeyD all of your prayers are working I do believe that is how he has started talking some said he might never speak again.

After this week MikeyD will only have one week left of the six weeks of being in casts.

he will get both casts off the week after Thanksgiving it will be a big relief for him to get rid of those casts after having them for so long. He was fitted for leg braces and will be wearing them to support his legs and ankles. I can't wait for him to learn how to walk again.

We would like to thank the Middletown South Soccer team and coaches for dedicating their season to MikeyD they made it to the State Championship.

there was a nice article in the Asbury Park Press Sports section on Wednesday there was a typo in the article but the heartfelt meaning was 100 % accurate and really appreciated by all my family. Coach Petretta said we have been playing some inspired soccer because of  MikeyD and we just want him to know we are all pulling for him.

Thanks and good luck Eagles in the rest of the State championship.

If you can come visit Mikeyd this weekend it will be greatly appreciated he really does love the company and it really cheers him up.

Keep the faith and believe in miracles.

Please keep Praying and Posting.

  A Prayer for Today.

Father, today I declare that I trust You. I trust Your faithfulness. I trust Your goodness. I know that You are working things out in MikeyD’s  favor and in Your timing. I declare that through faith and patience MikeyD will inherit every promise You have for him in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Tuesday Night

Now that MikeyD is starting to talk it is much easier to know what he needs and when he is in pain where the pain is. Even though he is not talking much and it is low and hard to understand you can ask him again and he will tell you. The other night at 2AM he said I am cold I got him another blanket right away ,I now wonder how many nights he was cold in the last two months and could not tell us. then at 4 AM he said Pain in my back even though it is not good that he has pain in his back it is good that he can tell us so we can help him. Thank you God for letting us start to hear his voice again ! We are praying that his speech will continue to come back and improve everyday

I feel like we are onto the next phase of recovery which will be learning how to walk and feed himself.

MikeyD has 2 new cast on his legs he has two more weeks of casts to go now for a total of six weeks.

originally it was supposed to be three weeks so that is a setback.

Hopefully in two more weeks the cast will be off for good then he has to learn how to walk all over again.

we can't wait for the cast to come off his legs are getting smaller and smaller and weaker  form the atrophy.

Every day that you are not weigh bearing and laying around causes many other problems with your legs, feet and back.

as well as learning to walk again MikeyD will need to learn how to feed himself and brush his teeth. We hope that he will regain full control of both hands and arms. The pain in his legs seems to be easing he only gets cramps in his left leg now and not the right. MikeyD had a lot of laughs with the company that came to see him last weekend. If you can come visit Mikeyd it will be greatly appreciated he really does love the company and it really cheers him up.

Keep the faith and believe in miracles.

Please keep Praying and Posting.

O ever-Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy,
health of the sick, refuge of sinners,
comforter of the afflicted,
you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings;
look with mercy on me.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes,
you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary,
whence you dispense your favors;
and already many sufferers have obtained
the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal.

I come, therefore, with complete confidence
to implore your maternal intercession.

Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests.
Through gratitude for your favors,
I will endeavor to imitate your virtues,
that I may one day share your glory. Amen.

Saturday Afternoon

We Believe in Miracles !!!

MikeyD is starting to talk. he is really trying hard he started out on Wednesday trying real hard to say some words at speech therapy Melissa and Jennifer were working with him together they laid him on a therapy table and Mellissa massaged his vocal cords while Jennifer sat over him and had him trying to breathe and say the alphabet he then tried saying Mom. When he got to CHOP on Thursday he started saying some words to Dr.Vetter and Meredith from CHOP we did not want to say anything yet because he was trying to speak a few times before  and nothing was ever said again. Last night when my Mom came to visit MikeyD she came in and started talking to him  for a while and as he was smiling at her and all of a sudden out of nowhere he said Hi Nanny I Love you !!!
My Mom started crying tears of Joy !!!

Even though it was long and slow and does not sound like him yet he sounds kind of like a computer voice his speech is definitely coming back after 2 months and one week !!!

We are all so very happy .

Peggy please do not stop praying yet not until MikeyD can say I am healed !!!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

 

Keep the Faith and believe in Miracles !

 

Please keep praying and posting.

 

Thus says the Lord….

“ I have heard your Prayers and I have seen your tears.

I will heal you. “

Thursday Night

MikeyD had a long busy day today.

The ambulance took him to CHOP to see Dr. Vetter and she said it is OK to take off the brace from the surgery that was wrapped around his chest to tie his left arm down around his side.

he is still not allowed to raise it above 90 or pull and lift anything on the left side. We hope that now his left side will get stronger and that he will feel some relief from being tied down. for those of you that seen it you will understand what I am talking about. they also did a genetic testing that takes six weeks for the results to come back and they all came back negative. As the doctor said he had a better chance of getting hit by lightning there is nothing wrong with his heart and never was. The doctors have been telling me

At this point it seems that he was dehydrated his potassium level was low and his electrolytes were off which caused a false alarm that set off an arrhythmia. I have been doing a lot of research and studying about this and have found out that dehydration has caused something like this in children that did not have any heart defect or disease and hope by  parents and coaches reading this that we can prevent something like this from happening to another child again.

 Ever danced so hard you thought you were going to pass out from exhaustion? Run so far or exercised so much that your heart was pounding in your chest as you dripped with sweat? Maybe you spent all day in the hot, summer sun and never drank any water?

What do these have in common? They can all cause sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) due to dehydration and loss of important electrolytes. SCA occurs when the heart begins contracting irregularly due to erratic electrical impulses and blood is not able to pump at its normal rate and rhythm. Once your heart stops pumping blood, you die. Little MikeyD was gone and came back. I know that MikeyD dumped a bucket of water over his head at the half and he was over heated at that time he was already dehydrated. Please keep an eye on your children playing any kind of sports in the heat if child goes for water because they are thirsty at a practice or a game it is too late.

Cardiac arrest has been in the news over the last few years especially in young athletes practicing in the heat of summer without adequate water and electrolyte replacement.

Let us pray that something like this never happens to another child again.

if you can come and visit MikeyD this weekend it will be greatly appreciated. He loves the company.

Let us pray for MikeyD to speak to us again.

 Keep the faith and believe in miracles.

Please keep praying and posting.

Wednesday Afternoon

It seems like MikeyD is having good days and real bad nights.

He had a good day yesterday and had a fun with Julia, Ciara, Sandy and kids early in the day.

Sandy thank you so much for taking the girls and for bringing MikeyD the Mac n Cheese and Chicken with Apple pie for everyone.

Then he had a good visit later in the day With Kyle Devaney, Sean Glenn ,Nikki and Catherine.

At night time it seems to be all downhill he seems to have settled into a pattern of sleeping only two hours a night last night he fell asleep at 9:30 and woke up at 11:30  he wakes up from the pain in his legs from the muscle cramps he was up the rest of the night Moaning real loud with severe pain and he was suffering badly you could hear him down the hall with the door closed. It is becoming unbearable for me to watch him suffer like this anymore there has to be some kind of end to this suffering in sight somewhere real soon I can tell you right now it is the hardest thing in the world for any parent to watch your child suffer like this with no relief it is really cruel. It got so bad that I videotaped him in pain moaning real loud last night so I could play it for the doctor today and make sure he could see the pain in his face and hear the screaming. The ambulance is coming in the morning to take MikeyD back down to CHOP to see Dr. Vetter and hopefully she can give him the OK to take the tie down around his chest and left arm off so he can start to use his left arm freely.

Please pray for an end to this pain and suffering for MikeyD it was bad enough that he went into cardiac arrest and worse that he was down for so long without a defibrillator that is the cause of all the problems he is having now his heart is fine, At least if he could talk he would be able to tell us how he is feeling and what we could do for him.

Please pray for MikeyD to not suffer so much anymore !

Worry eats away at my heart and anxiety chases any chance for rest. I pray I say my rosary I contemplate your image. My prayer is weak but I know your heart is full of tenderness and you understand my distraction.

Saint Anne I beg of you to stand vigil over MikeyD . Heal MikeyD  soothe MikeyD, console MikeyD and bless MikeyD keep each of us under your protection and guide us to our good Jesus our God Jesus he will understand me. 

Sunday Night

First of all my family would like to thank all of you for your offers to help with the gas situation.

The support from all of you is unbelievable we cannot thank you enough. Offering us your cars, vans, gas cans, rides etc too many to mention all names. Bob and Barbara Cassin delivered some gas Saturday afternoon which is enough for now for the generator. We still have no power but we are hoping and praying it will be back any day now. Bob McCann who is one of the guys who helped save MikeyD life has offered us one of his cars, gas and a place to stay. The fact is we owe him something. When I get back on my feet I hope to be able to do something for him. We hope you and your families are all safe and recovered from the storm.

I know a lot of us have lost a lot of material things houses, cars and personal belongings myself and family members included but as long as you are all safe and unharmed all these things can be easily replaced. I was never afraid of this storm I went through  the worst storm of my life the night of September 7^th and after being up all night with Mighty MikeyD last night put the storm in perspective for me.

I know it was bad and I feel for a lot of people but we will clean up and rebuild better. We will have better cars and houses than the ones we lost. MikeyD had a good day Saturday with great company from his sisters , Uncle Charlie , Aunt Jean Marie cousins Erin and Brendan and the Butler family it seems like he has good days and bad nights. MikeyD was in severe pain from 11:30 last night until 7:30 in the morning he never slept and was moaning all night both his legs and feet were locked up in pain with cramps and spasms that he cannot control I stood over his bed and tried to work the cramps out and massage one leg at a time he was in pain and suffering like I have never seen anyone suffer.I did not know that a foot could bend in half but I seen it happen. I thought since they did the Botox treatment on Friday he would be better I had called for the resident doctor to get some help but they told us it could take up to five days before the treatment takes effect. I really hope and pray that it will give him some relief and let his little body heal and move onto the next phase. It seems right now that things are getting worse more like one step forward and ten steps back.

Keep the faith and believe in miracles.

Please keep praying and posting.

MikeyD had no visitors today.

Since the kids are still off school if anyone can make it to see him this week it will be great for him he loves to see everyone.Regular visiting hours are 1 pm to 8:30 PM  if you want to come earlier let me know.

Please pray for MikeyD to not suffer so much anymore !

Worry eats away at my heart and anxiety chases any chance for rest. I pray I say my rosary I contemplate your image. My prayer is weak but I know your heart is full of tenderness and you understand my distraction.

Saint Anne I beg of you to stand vigil over MikeyD . Heal MikeyD  soothe MikeyD, console MikeyD and bless MikeyD keep each of us under your protection and guide us to our good Jesus our God Jesus he will understand me. 

Amen.

Friday Night

I hope you and you families are all safe and sound and made it through the storm without a scratch.it was not so good here two of my brothers lost their houses due to the storm my office got wiped out and I lost my truck. I have not worked one day since that awful day on September 7^th and was supposed to return to work on Monday.

I came home the night before the storm so I could batten down the hatches and  on Monday while I was taking Julia and Ciara to  see their little brother MikeyD and we broke down on the parkway right near the top of the Driscoll Bridge we were delayed  for three hours we got towed off the Parkway  and had to have the Sullivan’s come and get us. Thank god for the Sullivan’s. The girls finally got to see MikeyD  and he was happy to see them. When we got to the hospital we took Moya’s van home and it was near empty I was driving the girls home in a state of emergency with no gas. The next day I told my neighbors about what happened they  could not believe it and said give me you empty gas cam and we are going on line to get

Ours filled and we will fill yours for you. For the next three days they used my gas can to fill their three cars and left me with no can and no gas. I could not even get to the hospital with the girls to see my son today because they were hiding my gas can and lying about it while using it for themselves. Last night my friend Harry came to help me out and said he will stand on line and fill the cans so I could take the girls to the hospital today. We went to their yard to get the empty can and found five full cans of gas no empty cans since I did not want to take one of their cans in a time of crisis I told Harry I am sorry buy I can’t figure this out they told me they had no gas. they were lying to me for days. they told me we are going to Philly to fill the gas can for you when I said what happened to the five full cans you had last night they lied again and said we had no gas.it is hard to believe that in such a hard time someone would do this to us. Julia and Ciara did not get to see their brother today our good neighbor called us and asked do you need any gas give us you empty cans I said someone took them four days ago. A good friend heard the story and was appalled he could not believe that a neighbor would do something like that and keep a father and two sisters from getting to see his son and their little brother. I hope they are ashamed of themselves.

 My van was filled with gas and I now have an unlimited supply  of gas. MikeyD has been suffering I will now be able to take the girls back to see him tomorrow.

I have seen a lot more good than bad through this tragedy.
I thank you all so much.

But what I have seen from my so called neighbors the last few days is the worst I have ever seen please pray for them.

Please let us know how you and your family did during the storm.

MikeyD has been having bad muscle spasms in his feet and legs Wednesday night he was up all night in pain I was trying to work the cramps out of one leg at a time by the time I got him some relief in one leg I would do the other leg and when i got done with that leg it was time to do the other leg again. He had the Botox procedure done yesterday afternoon they said it will take two days to kick in and by then it should give him some much needed relief. When this craziness is done we hope you guys can come and visit him.

Keep the faith and believe in miracles.

Please keep praying and posting.