07/29/2004 at 6:45 p.m.

As Kelsey said you have to have the rain to see the rainbow. We have had a bit of a downpour in the past few days and just can't wait for that rainbow to appear. A nurse told us that when you have a medical setback it takes at least 3 to 6 days to get back what we lost. So, we will just wait to get there and know that everything is going to get better. Love to all...Pam & Chris

07/28/2004 at 9:15 p.m.

Not much news today. We are still waiting for info regarding when and if we are moving to the Elks. The doctor said his lungs sound much better and that he only had a small infection. We do not want to leave the hospital until Jess is back where he was before we moved to the Hillcrest. He bit his lip again today and was pretty restless. We thank everyone for their encouraging words...I don't know what we do without them!

07/27/2004 at 8:30 p.m.

As Joey said in his update last night we did get some good news that they would take Jess to the Elk's for a 2 week trial. If Jess does not wake up enough to do simple physical therapy will have to move him to another facility until he does wake up. We visited one today called the Boise Samaritan Rehab Center. They only have 10 rooms for cases such as Jess and they have a waiting list. We are not sure what we will do if we can't get him in there. Jess went backwards a bit from the trauma he endured at Hillcrest. So one step back....two steps forward. If only we knew how to thank all of our friends, family, and people we have not had the pleasure to meet for all your love and support.

07/26/2004 at 10:45 P.M.

Today we received some good news, Jess has been accepted to the Elks Rehabilitation Center on a two week trial basis. He will probably be moved there by the end of the week. This is great news because they specialize in cases like Jess's. His lungs are starting to clear up which also a good thing. Jess is stable and we expect him to start taking steps forward again. As always thank you for the prayers and keep them coming. Until tommorrow, good night....

07/25/2004 at 8:30 P.M.

I spent the night with Jess because he is in a new room and in a new wing of the hospital. When someone has a brain injury it is very confusing to them to be moved or around unfamiliar sounds. We have learned that the brain is so complex and that no one really knows the outcome of a trauma such as Jess endured. So, we can't really get answers to many of our questions. He is agitated and has withdrawn again and just needs to heal from the respritory problems. For the last five days with the stress of the medicine that didn't work and the problems we had at the new facility Jess is tired and I am sure frustrated. We are just trying to keep him safe and comfortable. The prayers never stop....and we thank you!

07/24/2004

I am back in the cafeteria at St. Al's on their computer. Jess was transported back here by ambulance this morning. Unfortunately, the new facility we were at did not have adequate personnel to deal with his trachea. It resulted in respiratory problems that need to be dealt with at the hospital. Within a few hours they had him stable and he is resting. We are looking for a new facility and will be moving again in a few days. They have him on antibiotics just in case he has an infection. Thanks again for all the support and for checking up on Jess daily. Love to all...

07/23/2004 at 9:45 A.M.

Good morning, this is Joey again and I will be giving you the update for awhile until my mother can find an internet connection to use. I'm updating website from Minnesota, but hope to be in Boise sometime soon. The move to the new care facility went very well and my parents and Jess are all settled in now. Since they took Jess off the medication Provigil, he is doing much better. He must have had an allergic reaction to the medication. The doctors plugged the hole to his trachea and he has been breathing through his mouth and nose for over a day now which is a great step forward. Jess is going to meet with the Physical Therapist this morning to establish a regimen to facilitate his recovery. My mother asked me to explain Jess's current state so that everyone has a clear picture of where he is at in his recovery. It's hard to explain because when you hear things like he is sitting up in a wheelchair and that he is responsive to commands you might get a skewed view. Jess is still in a coma. He does respond to simple commands such as give us thumbs up, but not always. At times you can feel that he with you and then there are times when you feel he is not. Jess still has a way to go before he will be out of the hospital. I'm not telling everyone this to dampen your enthusiasm or positive energy, we need both very much. I just want everyone to be on the same page and know the severity of the accident. We know and feel that Jess will come out of his coma and heal to be complete and whole again. We appreciate from the bottom of our hearts the support that we are receiving from people around the globe. The car wash that Kelsey and friends put on for Jess's benefit was a smashing success. Can you believe people were getting there cars washed even though it was raining? Wow! Thank you to everyone who participated in car wash and everyone who receive a car wash. Keep the prayers coming and you are greatly loved by our family. Thank You!

07/22/2004 at 9:15 A.M.

I can't seem to update the website so Joey is updating it for me. As I read the messages you are sending I still just feel like there is such a circle of love surrounding my Jess and his family. You are all my support system and help me to stay strong. Tomorrow will end our fifth week here. We are moving to the new facility called Hillcrest Rehabilitation and Care Center. The address is 1001 South Hilton Street, Boise, ID 83705. His room number is 123B They say it is a good step forward. I may not be able to update the website immediately from there but I will find a way soon.Yesterday and today were very trying days for Jess. They started him on a trial medication similar to Ritalin called Provigil. It was suppose to make him more alert and focused but instead it made him very agitated, high pulse and when not agitated sleepy. He seemed so different and would not respond to me or the physical therapist so we took him off the meds to see if that was the culprit. He also had a swollen jaw for two days and I have been trying to ice it. The oral surgeon will be in in the morning to look at it. They are capping his trache tonight to see if he can breathe without it. Makes me a bit nervouse but it will be wonderful to get him off of the trache. He also had an exray of his right shoulder which I have felt from day one is injured. I don't know the results yet. Things are slow in a hospital sometimes. This is a wonderful hospital though and everyone had been incredibly good to Jess and to us. We thank all of the caregivers from the bottom of our hearts. !I promised to bring Jess back when he is well. So, see us in our new home in peace, light and love. Thank you to Kelsey and all of Jess's friends. Love to all....

07/21/2004 at 7:45 A.M.

Good morning to everyone, this is Joey and I will be giving you the update from yesterday. Jess gave a thumbs up to one of the doctors treating him today that had not seen him do it yet. My mom said she spent most of the day holding ice on Jess's jaw. His jaw is swollen, probably from Jess trying to get accommodated to some freedom in movement, since they removed the rubber bands. They replaced his trachea tube with a smaller tube, which is a step closer to removing the trachea altogether. The next step in that process will be to cover up the tube and have Jess start breathing through his mouth again. My little brother is recovering step by step. I'm sure he can feel the love that surrounds him from every direction. Thank you to everyone who is participating in this journey with us. For everyone who lives in Blaine County, Jess's girlfriend (Kelsey) and friends are having a car wash on Thursday, July 22 at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church to raise money for medical costs. Thanks Kelsey you are an angel! Jess, we surround you with safety and love. We create a space for you to heal. You are loved. Have a great day!

07/19/2004 at 6:25 p.m.

It was a big day for Jess today. They took him down for an exray of his neck to see if he had any torn ligaments or damage to bones in his neck. Everything was perfect...no damage! So they took the big plastic confining brace off and gave him a soft one just to support his head until he remembers to use his neck muscles again. The oral surgeon also took all of the rubber bands off of his teeth so he can now partially open his jaw. He has been yawning and wiggling his lips and opening his mouth a lot. They still have it wired so he cannot open it 100% and those braces will need to stay in place for 1 more month. But, if Jess was awake he could now eat soft foods and sip through a straw. So wake up my son...I know you are very hungry. The doctor also started him on a drug called provigil to help his brain focus better and maybe be more alert. More little steps every day. We may be moving to a skilled nursing facility on Thursday. If so, I am not sure if they have a computer I can use. I may have to find a library or somewhere that I can update the website. More news on that in the next day or so. We would greatly appreciate some additional prayers for Jess to wake up a little more so we can move quickly to the Elks Rehabilitation center instead of the nursing home. We remain positive and know this is just a stepping stone to his whole, complete and perfect recovery!

07/18/2004 at 7:35 p.m.

Thank you Jay for updating the website. We are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends. We had a quiet day today. We did get Jess sitting up on the side of the bed. He was pretty sleepy until the therapist put his basketball on his lap and put his hands around it. All of sudden he was awake and following the ball with his eyes as she moved it back and forth. He also gave me a thumb's up to thank me for a back rub. We appreciate a Sunday day of rest. Tomorrow he will get an exray of his neck to see if we can take off the neck brace. They cannot do an MRI because of the metal plates in his jaw. The oral surgeon will take a look at his jaw to see how soon we unwire his jaw which will be wonderful! We continue to spoil him with leg, foot and hand massages and promises when he wakes up he will never let us forget. Have a nice peaceful evening and stay safe...

07/17/2004 at 6:00 p.m.

Hey everyone!
This is Jay Johnson, a friend of the Mateys from Hailey. My wife Joan and I have been blessed to be able to spend the last four weekends in Boise visiting with Jess and his incredible family. I say that I have been blessed because as tough as this experience has been for everyone, we have all indeed been blessed in so many ways. Blessed by witnessing improvement in Jess's condition, every day. It has been a week since I last saw Jess and today I got to see him out of ICU which is a huge milestone. His physical body is stable, the black eye completely healed, he looks beautiful....thanks to his sister Jamie he is sporting a cool new haircut, and is resting so much more comfortable than I've ever seen him. Last week he looked tired and beat up but today I could feel that he is regaining his strength and energy and is so much more at peace.
Jess is in a private room with beautiful flowers, the bouguet of roses from auntie Claudia are gorgeous, the room has a nice view and lots of space for people to gather and it is much more cheerful than the hi-tech environment of the ICU. The whole mood here seems so much more relaxed... peaceful... hopeful.
Yes, things are definately progressing, Jess is healing but he is on his own schedule and will come back to us when he is ready. I've also been blessed in experiencing the energy of such an incredible, caring community of family and friends. It has given me a whole new perspective on love and compassion. I've also been blessed by spending time in prayer and meditation, even though it has been in Jess's behalf, I receive equal benefit, as do we all.
Thanks for the lessons, Jess. Thanks for the blessings. We will continue to pray and support your folks and look forward to the day when we are all teasing you and telling you our favorite Jess stories.

07/16/2004 at 9:15 p.m.

Chris and I have been sitting by the little computer in the cafeteria reading our wonderful messages. We can't tell you how you all help us get through the next moment. There are no words to express our sincere gratitude. We couldn't do it without you.

Jess is doing so well. The nurses noticed he could wiggle his toes on both feet. We have not seen any motion on his right leg so this was awesome. It seems that both sides of his brain are now working. They did extensive blood work yesterday to make sure everything is functioning properly. He passed with flying colors. They are even decreasing a protein plus supplement to his diet because he is absorbing the food so well. They also took out the pik line (intraveneous direct line in the artery that was located on the upper arm) in his arm because they do not feel it is necessary. Another possible infection site gone. He did incredibly well with no breathing assistance through the night and all day. Jess is strong and now we just wait patiently for him to wake up.

07/15/2004 at 9:15 p.m.

It was so great to see my son's blue eyes again after being gone for three nights. I am wearing a mask while I am in the room with him so I don't expose him to anything. I did get to wheel him around in the wheel chair today. He stayed calm and enjoyed the ride even though his mother was driving. They are taking him off of the bi pap breathing machine tonight so he will only have a machine that gives him a warm mist through the trache. It is another good step. I can't wait until he wakes up and can read all of the wonderful messages he has received from all of you. He will be amazed...we are so thankful!

07/14/2004 at 9:15 p.m.

Unfortunately, I caught a little bug while in the hospital so I am still at home. It is so hard for me not to be at my son's side. For Jess's sake I stayed home one extra day to restore my energy and keep him from being exposed to whatever I attracted. I feel much better today so I will return to Boise tomorrow. I have been talking to Chris and Jess on the phone about every 4 hours. Today he was in the wheel chair again for 1 1/2 hours. When they laid him back in bed the therapist was able to get full range motion in his right arm which was very bruised in the accident. He also bent the arm and when she put his hand to his face she asked him to feel his cheek and he moved his finger. She asked him to resist while she held his hand and he also showed some resistance. Little baby steps are huge miracles to us.

I wanted to share a message that sits on Jess's bathroom sink with you..."Whatever you vividly dream, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically ask for...must inevitably come to pass." Again our many thanks for all the support, the prayers, the meals coming to my parents and the love. Bless you...

07/14/2004 at 6:30 a.m.

Jess and his dad had an exciting day. The physical therapists were able to get Jess in a wheel chair and Chris pushed him around the hallway of the hospital for over an hour. They say by getting him in an upright position it could stimulate him to wake up. The therapists seem to feel good about his recovery. He is still breathing on his own with just a little boost from a machine when he needs it. He gets pretty tired though. He is still in a coma. It is hard to understand why he can answer some commands and still be in a coma. Here is a website that explains the different levels of a coma. http://www.waiting.com/levelsofcoma.html

I drove home for the day to catch up and visit with my parents who live with us. In reviewing all of the bills we are receiving, I wanted to mention to everyone to please review their insurances. Jess's medical bills are close to 100,000 at this point. I only bring this up because...imagine what would happen to us with no insurance. Luckily, I had purchased, on our car insurance, coverage that includes our family riding in other cars with an uninsured driver or an underinsured driver. This will help pay some of the costs along with the help of our health insurance. I also had purchased the life flight membership which costs a year. Jess's trip on the helicopter cost 10,000. Like me, I am sure most of you are unaware of what the expenses would be when a tragedy like this happens. I am just thankful that we can give Jess the care he needs to get him back to 100%.

07/12/2004 at 8:00 P.M.

Hello today, this is Curtis, Jess's lifetime friend updating the web site today for the second time! The first was on his birthday. Jess's new room is very nice, a lot more comfortable, with a lot more room! Jess had a lot of work with the physical therapists today, and did very well. One thing they had him do was to sit up, with help from the therapist and his dad, and he did that for a full twenty-five minutes, exactly how long they wanted him to. The next procedure they did was telling Jess to raise his right index finger for "yes", which he also did. Those are great responses! Jess's dad received some wonderful words of encouragement from the doctor today saying that Jess is making great progress! All the staff is ecouraging Jess to know day from night, to know when to sleep and when not to. He has wakeful periods in his coma, and the room is kept dark and quiet at night so he can sleep peacefully. Chris would like to thank everyone who has been sending their prayers and love for Jess's perfect, whole, and complete recovery, and so would I. Thank you all!!!

07/11/2004 at 7:00 P.M.

We had quite the evening last night. At 11:00 p.m. I finally left the hospital to go get some sleep. Chris likes to stay a bit longer and I come in earlier in the morning. When he did not return around midnight, I started to worry. At 4:00 A.M. he showed up with news that they moved Jess out of the ICU. The life flight helicopter flys right over our motorhome so I knew several times in the night it had arrived. They moved Jess because he was stable and felt it was time. Yippee! A step closer to the door! He had a restful day and his doctor came to visit with amazement at how well Jess looks and how calm he is staying. It is a good day and we feel we are moving forward everyday. The little improvements are huge steps to us. He is also coming off the bi pap breathing machine and on to a trial machine that just gives him a mist and he breathes totally on his own. They took the constant feeding machine away and are now feeding him 6 times a day and hope to get him to 3 times a day like you and I. But Jess usually eats all day so 6 would be fine with me! We love you all and keep the circle of love and prayers coming to his new room #663.

07/10/2004 at 6:55 P.M.

Hi everyone! This is Kelsey Laird, Jess's girlfirend. I came down to visit Jess for the day and I was given the privilege of writing the update. It has been a week since I last saw Jess, and let me tell you, he has improved so much since last time I was here! Jess did not rest much today because we had a lot of excitement with all of the visitors. He also worked very hard to give his mom and I a "thumbs up". It was an amazing sight to watch him use all of his strength and concentration to get that thumb in the air. He has been such a fighter these last three weeks, and he is still on a climb up that hill. I just want to thank you all for the positive thoughts and prayers. I can feel the energy when i walk into Jess's room. Please continue to send your love, and think positively because every bit makes a difference!!

07/09/2004 at 8:10 P.M.

Today to be honest, I struggled a bit. We had a wonderful visit by the W.R. baseball team at the ICU this afternoon. Many of the boys have been long time friends of Jess. It was so wonderful to feel their concern, their love and their energy. I wanted Jess to look up from behind the glass door and wave hello to them. Those strong boys made me yearn even more for my once a day hug from Jess. I miss his smile so much. I know in time those hugs will come. As they say we have bad days to realize and appreciate the good days. As for Jess, he struggled also a little today. Worn out from all the positive responses we think. Tomorrow we wake to another day and a choice to keep up the positive wonderful thoughts and feelings or to let our emotions and ego control our day. I know which one we will choose....join us!

07/08/2004 at 7:10 P.M.

Chris returned and we just sat down to read our messages. We are so moved by the compassionate messages we receive on a daily basis. Our son is so loved and we are so lucky to be a part of all that love.
We had another wonderful day. We sat Jess up again and he gave us another "thumb's up", he raised his head a little at command, and later on in the day in wiggled his big toe for his dad. He was very sleepy today...exhausted from all the excitement. I excercise his legs about every two hours and he slept right through one of them. They also took him off the big breathing machine and put him on a "bi-pap" machine which is one step away from breathing totally on his own. The respiratory therapist said she was amazed at how well he was doing. The doctor said he is accepting the g-tube feeding into his stomach with extra protein very well. His white blood count is almost normal. He does have a little infection in his left lung which was expected and is clearing up. Basically everything is fine! We so appreciate and love you all!

07/07/2004 at 5:00 P.M.

As I try to update today's message, I am shaking and have tears in my eyes. Jess had a very good day. He responded to commands such as "give me a thumbs up", "move your arm in and out", "squeeze my hand" and his eyes responded to light. His right eye (which is opened) followed me around his bed. God has answered all of our prayers. I even saw excitement and tears in the nurse's eye and a smile of reassurance from the doctor. They honestly did not have much hope of Jess coming back to us. We never gave up for even a moment! They did warn me of the long road to rehabilitation but I reminded them I have a lot of time. They also reminded me that we will have good and bad days and that we do not know of the damage but I have only today and will focus on this day. Jess has not finished his purpose on this earth. He has already taught us what can happen when many surround someone with prayers, hope and love. You are all part of Jess's recovery and this wonderful moment! Thank you!

07/06/2004 at 6:30 P.M.

I am here alone with Jess today. Chris went home to get the motorhome. We had an eventful day! Three physical therapist and I sat Jess up on the edge of the bed. It was very scary! Of course, he is still in the coma. They are hoping to stimulate him to wake up and help keep things moving. They put his basketball in his lap and put both hands on it. His vital signs stayed low, he coughed a lot which is good and they said he did extremely well. They put an ice bag in his hand and he responded to not liking it so that was another good sign. It is an amazing process to help someone who has had a bad accident and brain injury to get well again. We have met so many families here going through the same process. We have heard of many miracles. We will not give up hope. This is my favorite part of the day (besides holding Jess's hand) to read all of the wonderful messages and to know how many people are pulling for my beautiful son. My love goes out to each of you.

07/05/2004 at 9:30 P.M.

We are feeling like... "no news is good news". We see baby step improvements in Jess today. He is trying to open his other eye and his vital signs are good. The physical therapist asked us to go and buy him a basketball today. She is hoping the feel of the ball on his hand will help bring him out of the coma. Curtis also hooked up a CD player with speakers so we could play some of his mellower R&B music. They still don't know when or how he will wake up but are keeping positive hope that he will be fine. Keep the prayers coming and know that we appreciate each and every one. Good night...

07/04/2004 at 9:20 P.M.

Happy 4th of July! Jess had another good day. His vital signs have remained low and he rested well today. They tell us as soon as he can breathe on his own he will be moved out of the ICU. He made it 1 1/2 hours today. They are concerned with infection so they watch all areas closely especially his lungs. Our best to all...Chris and Pam

07/03/2004 at 9:30 P.M.

Happy Birthday Jess! Jess had a good day today. He didn't require as much pain medication and rested quietly most of the day. He still has the post-surgery hiccups and Curtis shared them with him! PK, we tried to feed Jess some of the cake but it wouldn't fit down that 3/16 of an inch tube, maybe later. Jess loves dolphins so we started a 1,000 piece photomosaic dolphin puzzle today in his honor, and we're trying to finish it before the end of the day, before his birthday is over. Ten of us are working on it in the ICU waiting room, and with much luck we may be able to finish it in a week, but we'll try to finish it sooner. Friends and family celebrated Jess's birthday today at Ann Morrison Park, but it just wasn't the same without Jess. We'll make sure to save some cake for him for when he wakes up! We wish you all a happy 4th of July! Updated by: Curtis (a good friend of Jess)

07/02/2004 at 7:00 P.M.

Jess continued to have the hiccups all day long off and on. It was so exhausting for all of us because we couldn't do anything and assumed it hurt his stomach. We have been assured this surgery will be a good step towards the door for Jess. At one point when he coughed I saw both eyes open. A good sign! Again, to us, the slightest movement we notice is all we need to see. Tomorrow is Jess's 17th birthday...we will celebrate with him!

07/02/2004 at 2:30 P.M.

I just wanted to give everyone an update on Jess's surgery. He made it through with flying colors and is resting as we speak. They will start feeding him through the tube around 6:00 p.m. As soon as he returned to his room after the surgery he got the hiccups (not much fun with a stomach surgery) so he is pretty uncomfortable by his vital signs. He is still in the coma but I can tell when he is not very happy...especially when they bug him too much. Chris and I cannot thank everyone enough for all the support, for the meals for my parents, for the fund that was set up, for the prayers, for the kind words and for the love that we feel from our community. You are all just awesome and we are so blessed for our association with such wonderful people. We are just trying to stay strong for our beautiful son...he has and always will be the "light in our life". Please drive so safely this weekend and don't forget to hug and say "I love you" to those you care about. Our best to each of you...

7/01/04 at 8:30 P.M.

When I visited with Jess this morning he was quite restless. He was unable to go without the breathing machine most of the day. The physical therapist worked a little with him but his right shoulder seemed very painful so she backed off because his pulse and blood pressure rose considerably. He did open his right eye and moved his thumb and hand on the left side. It is the first positive activity we have seen on the left side. This evening Jess is resting very peacefully. His pulse was around 88 his respiration at 18 and his blood pressure was 120/64. It is a great relief for us. He is going in for a somewhat minor surgery tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. to have a tube inserted into his stomach. This tube will enable them to feed him directly into his stomach instead of through the central line in his arm. It will provide him with better nutrition. The doctor said his white count is down, no temperature, and his internal organs are strong. If you could say an extra little prayer for the doctor performing the su rgery and for our Jess tonight we would be so thankful. We will update you tomorrow after the surgery. Thank you to PK for suggesting the Guestbook, to Curtis for setting it up and to Joey for perfecting it and adding the new picture of our Jess. We love you ALL!