IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE BREAKS AN ARM...

Johnny and his broken arm
Joel and Crissy
Joel with Johnny and Sophie
Southside Skate Park
Will
Barrett and the Boys
Johnny
Dominick
Slater hanging out with Mikey
Johnny
Mikey and the Green Machine

Our weekend in G-town was great. It started Friday night with a farewell party for our friend Barrett. He is moving to Portland, Maine and some friends made a bon fire on the beach and had a small get together for him before his long ride to the East Coast. It was nice to see everyone, although it was a little chilly the kids loved being on the beach at night, roasting marshmallows and running around. We will miss Barrett, but we also know that he will come and visit, and he knows that he will always have a place to stay when he comes to Galveston!

Saturday was my Granny's birthday party at my sister's house in Humble. The kids were crazy but had a great time. Mike, my Dad and Craig all watched the UT game, which didn't have a happy ending if your a UT fan. There is always next year... Granny is doing well -- she just turned 85!

After the party we headed south -- it was the P.U.S.H. (Public Urban Skatepark of Houston) fund raiser at Southside Skate Park, Johnny was invited as one of the local "pros", and was asked to donate a board for the silent auction. He and Joey had a great time, and skated for almost two hours before we headed back to Galveston.

Sunday was a "clean the house, and mow the yard" kind of day for Mike and me. It seems like we have been gone so long that the beach house needed some TLC. The kids were skating outside, and were doing really well, but eventually got bored and went to the park. Joey came skating home 45 minutes later and said that Johnny fell and needed us to get him. Mike brought him home and carried him up the stairs, packed his arm in ice, but we didn't think it looked to serious, -- maybe just a sprain. Mike really wanted to take him to the ER, but I didn't -- he is more likely to catch something far worse at the ER on a Sunday night, than just a broken arm. I promised I would take him first thing in the morning, I had a speaking engagement at TCH anyway, I'll just pop up to the clinic before then and be on our way.

I told the nurses and doctors, it probably wasn't anything serious, -- he's done this before, but we wanted to make sure. I also had to hustle because I had to be somewhere at 10am -- I did the speaking engagement for the Blood Center, took Johnny to x-ray, and went back to the clinic to wait for the results. And waited. And waited, and waited. We watched the entire movie of Shrek 2, I asked the nurse if she had heard anything, and then she told me -- it was broke. WHAT?!?! We were all shocked. When we all initially looked at the xray, we agreed with our extremely limited radiology/orthopedic experience, that none of us saw a break, but we were just waiting for the official call from the radiologist.

We had to go to the ER and have a temporary splint (they call it a sugar tong splint) wrapped on his type I supra condylar break (basically he broke his elbow, or his humorous bone, closest to his elbow). The stuff they wrapped it in is pretty high tech -- white and about 1/4 inch thick and about 3 inches wide. The outside layers are soft, like a fleece blanket, and the inside is the typical mesh cast stuff you see. It is soaked in water, and put on the break, when it dries it is almost as hard as a regular cast. This was done until the swelling goes down, and then a permanent one will be put on Wednesday. CRAZY STUFF! I asked the doctor if his arm broke due to his illness and meds he is on. She said "No. He broke it due to skateboarding, we see this all the time, it's pretty common...". I asked again just to make sure it wasn't the steroids "Nope, skateboarding". She also added, "Nothing with wheels for six weeks... no skateboarding, bike riding, roller blading..." OUCH!

At first he was excited that he broke his first bone, but once he found out he will be in a cast for 6 weeks, he was bummed. There are two surfing contests he wanted to do this month, and it looks like both of them will be out of the question. I will ask the orthopedic doctor on Wednesday for a water proof cast and see if he can compete anyway...

When we came home after the ER, Johnny was getting out of the car and asked if he could skateboard! Of course I told him "NO! Are you crazy", and he said very sheepishly with a grin "oh yeah, I forgot..." Mike was afraid that Johnny would be reluctant to skate again, but I think he will be just fine... Mike's friend Barry told him "You're not a really skater until you come back from an injury". That made Johnny smile.

We go back to the clinic on Wednesday for chemo and a new cast. I will update more later!


j.grom@yahoo.com

QUICK UPDATE...

All is well, just busy, busy, busy.

The other day Johnny taught Sophie how to skate, it was really sweet to watch, even with some big kids around, Johnny had no problem showing his little sister how to skate. Now she's hooked. She wakes up every morning and asks if I can take her to the skate park. I can't wait for her to get on a surf board this summer!

Also, if you tried to order a Johnny Romano skateboard, but found out they were already sold out, they are in stock again. Jim also made some t-shirts with the same logo. I'm not sure if they will ever make it to a skate shop near you, because the first run of boards sold out before they were shipped to stores. I think Ohana was the only shop in TEXAS to get the boards, and Boog only had 5, all promised to kids in JB. Get 'em while they are hot!

Today Johnny was able to go to school for a quick awards ceremony, one award was for straight A's, and the other was for citizenship -- (they obviously didn't talk to us!). It was fun, Johnny was able to see all of his friends, and when the Principal called his name, you could hear all the kids say "there's Johnny!', or "Hi, Johnny!". Thursday was his first day at Religion class, this year he makes his first communion, and since he has been on maintenance for so long, I thought it would be okay for him to go, it's only one hour a week. I thought he was going to cry when I dropped him off. He REALLY didn't want to go. He is SO shy. I know the folks who know him well, DO NOT think of him as shy, but he is. Especially in situations like this. I almost gave in to him, but I'm glad I didn't -- when I picked him up he was so happy and all smiles. We will start slowly with just once a week, then move on to regular school. Everyone knows the restrictions, and that he CANNOT be around anyone with a cough or runny nose. We will see how it goes.

We are going to Galveston tonight. A friend of ours is moving to MAINE! YIKES! They are having a going away bon fire on the beach for him, should be pretty fun. We will spend the night at the beach house, then we go to my sisters (in Humble) for my Granny's b-day Saturday afternoon, then Saturday night we will be at a fundraiser at Southside Skate Park for a new Public (free) Houston skate park. Mike's friend Barry, is raising money for PUSH Houston (the only BIG public skate park in Houston). Barry called Mike and asked if Johnny could come and be a "local celeb", and donate a signed board. Of course Johnny said "YES!".

I will update on Monday!

MORE SPRING BREAK PHOTOS...

the kids
Johnny and his first big drop in
"At first, your really scared to do it, but then you tell yourself "I just have to do it", and then your glad you did" Johnny, after his first big drop in.
Leaving for Houston in the Green Machine
Sarita and Johnny
Joey at Adio
Showing off...
Joey, Matthew, Johnny, and Demetri
Johnny ripping at Adio
Adio, the boys with a pro
Grace
Joey
Keith and Johnny

SPRING BREAK

Veg truck
From L to R: Rebecca, Joel, Mikey, Joey, Keith Malloy, Johnny, Dan Malloy, Gracie, Sophie
Finding the perfect shoe at Adio
Keith and Mikey
Grace, Dan, Rebecca and Joel
GiGi and Baby Mia at the Zouvas' house in San Diego
Adio meeting room
On the way, a short stop in Palm Springs
Palm Springs
Palm Springs
Lunch with PoPo
Grace, Matthew and his new board, Johnny

We finally tracked Craig and Kelly down in Summerland, CA

We all had an amazing time in CA. We left early (6:30 AM -- YIKES!) on Saturday morning -- but it was worth it. It gave us the whole day to play once we got there. It was great seeing PoPo again, Johnny and I haven't seen him in almost 2 years -- so it was like a mini family reunion for us. Of course as soon as we made it to the house, Johnny wanted to hit the local skate park. In CA, they have parks with the typical swings and slides, but usually next to each play area is a mini cement skate park, and there just happens to be one within walking distances from dad's house.

The boys left, and the girls stayed home. I actually fell asleep, I went to bed late and hardly slept the night before because I was so afraid I would over sleep and miss the flight.

It was funny, when Johnny saw the bowl that he has been skating just about his whole life, he said "WOW. Looks smaller." I guess in his mind the last time he saw it (kindergarten), it was huge, and now it actually is smaller to him. He was able to skate the whole park, which really boosted his confidence level, he acted like he owned the place, and was grinning from ear to ear.

Sunday, we drove up of Ojai, California and Mike bought a truck. It's not new, it's actually a pick up -- Dodge to be exact. It runs on diesel and recycled vegetable oil. Crazy. But we love it. We decided that if we were going to move to the Island this summer, we CANNOT afford Mike's commute everyday into Houston.

Mike did some research (okay, he saw it in one of his surfing movies) and thought this is the way to go, and mentioned it to me a few months ago. Of course I shot his idea down right away. No way. I don't want a used truck with lots of miles, with some after market stuff on it we aren't even sure will work. No.

Then I read about it, and thought "what a great idea!", and told Mike about this new kind of alternate fuel truck, and that we should really look in to it. Mike called the owners of Veg Powered Systems, Joel and Rebecca, and started talking to them about converting a truck or possibly buying one that has already been converted. Turns out the exact same truck that Mikey saw in a surfing video was for sale, and he could buy it. So of course he did. It was Keith Malloy's (a pro surfer), he and his brother Dan came down on Sunday to meet Johnny and the rest of the crew. Dan put together a back pack full of DVD's, watches, sunglasses, hats, and stickers for Johnny, it was very thoughtful of him. Johnny LOVED everything too, I finally got the back pack off of him when he fell asleep that night. It weighed more than he did, but that didn't stop him from carrying it around all day long. It was a neat experience for all of us!

I drove all week on vegetable oil, and 1/4 tank of diesel. When you turn the truck off, it smells like fast food. Mike left for Houston on Monday, and returned on Friday to drive the truck home, and I flew home with the kids.

Tuesday we drove down to San Diego to see some friends and to stop by the Adio Headquarters. We met some guys through the Make A Wish event last November, that told us if we are ever in the area, to stop by. Travis is the Team Coordinator, and gave us the tour of the place. It was pretty cool, their offices all have sliding glass doors, and everything was new and clean -- not what you expect from a skate company. Most companies have perks for their employees, things they can do to relax on their breaks, like ping pong tables, gyms, etc., Adio has it's own indoor skate park. It's is pretty big, and will being the expansion of the park very soon. How cool is that -- to skate on your coffee break at work?

When we got there most of the pros (guys I had never heard of, no, it wasn't Bam or Tony Hawk -- those guys I have heard of) were getting ready to leave, so we waited until they were finished. While we waited Travis handed Grace, Joey and Johnny Adio catalogs and paper, and told them to write down whatever they wanted. Then Travis took their lists and came back with mountains of shoe boxes filled with the kids "orders" and tons of stickers. WHOA. Our eyes must have shot out of our heads, it was incredible.

By this time most of the pros left and Joey and Johnny had the run of the place. They skated for about two hours, and had a total ball. Johnny even got the courage to drop in on one of the taller ramps. Once he started that, there was no stopping him -- he was so excited, and proud of himself. Travis and I talked about our trip and what Johnny wanted to do while he was in CA for the week. I told Johnny a long time ago, that if the conditions were right, I would try and take them snowboarding. In the Spring, you can sometimes ski/snowboard with just jeans and a t-shirt -- but not this year. It was still snowing up in the mountains, and I thought it would be too cold for everyone. When I told Travis, he asked what size we all were, and that he would try and find stuff for us, but I told him that we weren't going this time, and he said "If you were to go, what size is everyone...". WOW! I told him maybe next Spring, but I wasn't prepared to take the kids this time. I guess Adio is under the K2 umbrella as well...

After the kids skate session, we headed down to San Diego to see our friends, Sarita and Matthew. It was great to see them again! We had planned to spend the night, but Mia started a cough and runny nose the day before, and we decided to play it safe and just have dinner with them. Earlier that day I asked Johnny what he wanted to do and he seemed little reluctant to visit. He wanted to see them, but didn't want to get sick. I suggested just dinner, and he agreed but added "If I get sick, it's your fault...". WOW. Talk about pressure. Luckily, he is still doing well. The kids played and the adults caught up with each other, or tired to at least, with six kids running around. It was a great visit, and I hated to leave, but I knew it was for the best. This summer we will spend more time together. I wanted to thank them in person for the money they have raised for Johnny. Last summer, Sarita raised $2,500.00, which helped out tremendously -- it paid for our two months of COBRA, and just recently, she sent us another check! Most went to medical bills, but we kept some for our trip as well. It allowed us to do pretty much whatever we wanted, when we wanted.

The rest of the week was spent in Huntington and the park. Friday night came and everyone was sad knowing it was our last night in CA. We decided to start a count down for our next visit -- T- Minus 116 days and counting...

AWESOME!

Yesterday was Johnny's clinic visit. We were prepared for a bone marrow aspirate (BMA), but we were hoping that Johnny's counts came up enough that it wouldn't be necessary.

AND MAN, DID THEY! His platelets more than doubled, his red cells were normal, and his ANC was 1,280! Last week they were 240, so it was a HUGE jump for him! Of course we didn't need to go to PACU to get the procedure done -- oh yeah baby! We are going to adjust his dosage of oral meds for a few weeks, he will take 50% for now, then inch his way back up to 100%, if all goes well.

All of us were happy about the visit, but most of all Johnny, because I promised him that if he didn't need a BMA, on the way home I would take him to the skate park.

Before our visit I ran into Cara, one of the PA's, (who, by the way, is awesome), and asked her if Dr. Mahoney was being overly cautious with regards to the BMA. Cara's response was "No. Anytime counts are lower than expected for an extended period of time, it should be investigated". I piped in, "Even if he has a history of this?!?!" And Cara told me; "Yes, because he also has a history of leukemia..." . Oh yeah. I was still mad because I had to wait a week and OBSESS about what might be going on with Johnny -- is he still in remission, or is he making cancer again? I would talk myself into, and out-of each scenario daily (actually, hourly...). But now we can rest in peace at night knowing he is just fine.

Next week is Joey's Spring Break, so we are going out to CA to visit PoPo (Mike's dad). He lives in Orange County, and Johnny and I haven't been out in almost TWO YEARS! It's hard to believe. Should be pretty fun, we are bringing Grace, my cousin who is 17, and is super good with the kids. Mike will be coming out for part of the trip, but having Grace there will give me someone to talk to during the day, which is nice. We are going to be low key, just hang out, hopefully go down to San Diego and see some friends (Sarita and Matthew). I want take Johnny to the YMCA in Encinitas, because they are supposed to have a great skate park. We aren't going to bring any surf boards this time -- there always seems to be a bunch of beach closures due to toxins in the water in O.C., so we will wait until Johnny's counts are stabilized. Hopefully, we will be back this summer for the US Open of Surfing and the X Games, which are held in July/August -- back to back.

The last time Johnny and I (and the whole family, including Grace) were in CA, was 2004. We saw the X Games and the US Open, it literally was our best trip to CA! I think because the kids were old enough, and of course we had Grace to help with them as well. I had both the East Coast and West Coast surfing teams sign Johnny's surf board, while Grace and I sat on the beach in Hunnington and watch the best surfers in the world compete (actually practice) with hardly any on-lookers. It was pretty cool to be able to just walk right up to these guys you only see in movies (or PS2 games), and talk to them. Anyway, with that said, we have another trip to look forward to this summer.

I won't have a computer with me in CA, so I will have to update when we get home -- I will take LOTS of photos too!

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragement!

xoxo
Jules

Real Vs. Anti-Hero

When we got back from Hawaii I spent some time catching up on all the news we missed while gone. When I checked the Deluxe site I noticed that two of the Deluxe skateboard brands would be doing a demo at the Skatepark of Austin on March 4th (last Saturday). When I mentioned it to Johnny he said he really wanted to go check it out. Julie though it would be fun too, so we started making plans to take the whole family to Austin for the day to check it out. As soon as I was pretty sure we would go (as always, all plans are pending Johnny's health) I emailed Jim to see if he would be there. He sounded pretty happy that we were going to be there, and said he would try to go and bring his son, Jack, with him. That sealed the deal for us. We would be there unless Johnny got sick before the date. Icing on the cake was when Neil called from the skatepark to ask if Johnny would be there. He said they wanted to do a collection for Make-A-Wish at the door, and maybe have a banner or something for Johnny. Pretty cool!

On Saturday we drove up to Austin a couple of hours early and stopped at the State Museum to see the history of Texas film. It's pretty short, but you get a lot of info. The kids liked it, and maybe it will help Joey on his next test.

We got to the skatepark about an hour before the doors were scheduled to open and there was a line of kids around the building. I wasn't sure if we needed to wait in line so I went to the door to ask for Neil and was shocked to see the guys working the door wearing Johnny Romano T-shirts! When Neil came out (also wearing his Johnny Romano T) he ushered us in and told Johnny he could skate until the doors open. Total VIP treatment! We were only there a few minutes before Jim showed up with his son. Jack, Joey, and Johnny immediately found a little mini bowl to skate around in until the demo started. Soon all the pros from the two teams started showing up to practice a little. There were probably 20 or 30 guys from all over the country there. Mostly guys you would only see in the magazines. Deluxe pulled out all the stops and put on a great event. One of the highlights of the night was when Ernie Torres (a pro for the Real team, and Johnny's favorite skater) showed up and greeted Johnny. It went like this; Ernie: "Hey Johnny. Glad you could make it." Johnny: Head nod (like "Yeah, you too").

When it got time to open the doors Jamie and Jon, the brothers who own the park, told us there was room at the top of the ramp where all the pros would be sitting. It was probably the best place for Johnny because at least it wasn't wall to wall kids like the rest of the building. The place was packed once everyone got it. There had to be 500 +. It took a little work to get us to the top of the ramp since there were no stairs, but we all made it (even Sophie). The view was great, but it was loud. Rock concert loud. The kids loved it, but I still can't hear out of my left ear. I think Johnny thought it was pretty cool to be rubbing elbows with all the guys you see in magazines, but after a while I think he would have rather been skating than watching other guys skate. No matter how good they are.

The best part of the night was at the end when they held a "product toss." It's when they open the floor to the crowd and all the pros stand at the top of the ramp and throw stickers, shirts, and even new skateboards into the crowd. The kids go crazy! It's the closest I've ever been to standing on the stage at a rock concert. Jim invited Johnny, Joey and Jack to join the pros in tossing out the goods. I think they all had a great time. It's like throwing raw meat into a pool of parahnas. Maybe a little scary, but you want to keep doing it. By the end there were a bunch of happy kids with new stuff. It was weird seeing a bunch of people wearing Johnny Romano T-shirts. Freaky.

By the end of the night everyone was super tired. Somehow Sophie fell asleep in the middle of everything, as loud as it was. Neither Joey or Johnny made it very far out of Austin before nodding out. A sure sign that everyone had a great time. It was really great to see Jim and Ernie again, and to meet Jaime and Jon, and a bunch of other really cool people. Deluxe and the park put on a really good event, and it seemed like everyone really enjoyed themselves. And I think the park collected quite a bit of money for Make-A-Wish. Very, very cool.

Mike