Smiling JOe
SoWal Expert
Hi all. I just returned from a brief visit with Josi. For those of you who don't know, Josi is a friend of mine who was severely injured in a car wreck by a driver running a red light in Destin.
She is back at work, but confined to a wheel chair. She cannot bend over and has to remain at an eighty degree angle with her feet propped up in the air. She is still staying with her parents in Ft Walton and her two kids are staying with their Dad. Her mom is still having to dress her, and she is still dependent on her parents for many basic tasks.
Josi's kids, one 15 and the other 11, are doing pretty well. They tried to get Josi to allow them to hook up her wheelchair to their four-wheeler so they could take her for a ride. :shock: She did not let them.:funn:Josi tells me that her 15 yr old was two cars behind Josi and witnessed the accident. That has freaked the kid out a bit.
Josi is glad to be at work to get her mind off of the pain. She doesn't like taking pain medication and is suffering from the pain at times. In her left upper leg, from her hip to her knee, she has very little feeling, with mostly an electrical current that shoots up from her leg to her elbow instead of normal sensation. Any of you who have had a nerve injured, as I, can relate. The recent cold weather is causing her much pain. Josi has a walker, but cannot really stand on her own. She can be on her feet for only a few minutes at a time before her legs begin to swell and turn blue.
Costs? Josi has been, and currently is on her own. So far, her medical costs have totalled just over half a million dollars, and she still has more surgery needs in the near future. Neither her insurance, nor the other driver's insurance companies have paid. She tells me that Florida, being a "no-fault" state, has prevented even a traffic violation being written for the other lady even though there were witnesses to the accident who say the other driver was at fault. Josi said that the other driver told Josi that she(Josi) jumped the GREEN light." That is right - GREEN light. I told Josi that sounds very different than if she had said that Josi ran a RED light. If the light is "green," how does one jump it? Anyway, Josi has a lawyer working on it. Right now, Josi is having to rent all of her medical equipment, eg- hospital bed for the home, walker, fancy wheelchair, etc, because the cost is just too high to come out of pocket.
I took a photo of her today to share with you. Josi's smile is genuine. She suffers but is great to be alive, and feels that everything happens for a reason. She has moments where she breaks down and cries, but she understands that a bigger picture exists and that she may not know the reasons "why" as of yet. Josi is so grateful for all of the kindness of "my friends." She said that she has received so many cards, letters, books, etc from "friends of Smiling JOe." I almost broke into tears when she was telling me. Receiving so many cards and letters (she said she has a stack about two feet tall :shock
from so many people, is helping her get through all of the suffering. She is going to write back to everyone, but she says to let you know that it will take some time. She says to tell you all that she and her parents are so very grateful for all of the love and kindness being shown. Also, she says to tell "Kim(?)" (that would be KimmiFunn) that Josi has been blown away with your many cards and notes. Did I mention that Josi is still available to receive notes and cards?;-) (hint, hint).
I, too, say thank you to everyone who has put Josi in his or her thoughts. Truly, I appreciate you and consider you my friends.
She is back at work, but confined to a wheel chair. She cannot bend over and has to remain at an eighty degree angle with her feet propped up in the air. She is still staying with her parents in Ft Walton and her two kids are staying with their Dad. Her mom is still having to dress her, and she is still dependent on her parents for many basic tasks.
Josi's kids, one 15 and the other 11, are doing pretty well. They tried to get Josi to allow them to hook up her wheelchair to their four-wheeler so they could take her for a ride. :shock: She did not let them.:funn:Josi tells me that her 15 yr old was two cars behind Josi and witnessed the accident. That has freaked the kid out a bit.
Josi is glad to be at work to get her mind off of the pain. She doesn't like taking pain medication and is suffering from the pain at times. In her left upper leg, from her hip to her knee, she has very little feeling, with mostly an electrical current that shoots up from her leg to her elbow instead of normal sensation. Any of you who have had a nerve injured, as I, can relate. The recent cold weather is causing her much pain. Josi has a walker, but cannot really stand on her own. She can be on her feet for only a few minutes at a time before her legs begin to swell and turn blue.
Costs? Josi has been, and currently is on her own. So far, her medical costs have totalled just over half a million dollars, and she still has more surgery needs in the near future. Neither her insurance, nor the other driver's insurance companies have paid. She tells me that Florida, being a "no-fault" state, has prevented even a traffic violation being written for the other lady even though there were witnesses to the accident who say the other driver was at fault. Josi said that the other driver told Josi that she(Josi) jumped the GREEN light." That is right - GREEN light. I told Josi that sounds very different than if she had said that Josi ran a RED light. If the light is "green," how does one jump it? Anyway, Josi has a lawyer working on it. Right now, Josi is having to rent all of her medical equipment, eg- hospital bed for the home, walker, fancy wheelchair, etc, because the cost is just too high to come out of pocket.
I took a photo of her today to share with you. Josi's smile is genuine. She suffers but is great to be alive, and feels that everything happens for a reason. She has moments where she breaks down and cries, but she understands that a bigger picture exists and that she may not know the reasons "why" as of yet. Josi is so grateful for all of the kindness of "my friends." She said that she has received so many cards, letters, books, etc from "friends of Smiling JOe." I almost broke into tears when she was telling me. Receiving so many cards and letters (she said she has a stack about two feet tall :shock
from so many people, is helping her get through all of the suffering. She is going to write back to everyone, but she says to let you know that it will take some time. She says to tell you all that she and her parents are so very grateful for all of the love and kindness being shown. Also, she says to tell "Kim(?)" (that would be KimmiFunn) that Josi has been blown away with your many cards and notes. Did I mention that Josi is still available to receive notes and cards?;-) (hint, hint). I, too, say thank you to everyone who has put Josi in his or her thoughts. Truly, I appreciate you and consider you my friends.
