the "inconspicuous" Josh files

Hello and welcome to the "inconspicuous" Josh files! Josh has requested that this site be inconspicuously and so not recognizably about him. The main focus of this page is to keep you informed on how he's doing, not to look pretty (I'll do something about that later don't you fret). i'll also get around to putting some info on pressure sores and other things that will be effecting josh now, get us all learned up so we can help josh not get sick in dunedin :)

Just a brief update
MASSIVE NEWS!! which some of you may well be aware of as i have already told some of you, is that josh's time in chch is almost at an end!!! tommorrow, yeah sorry this is so last minute but i kept meaning to get around to doing this n never did, josh is flying back to dunedin FOR GOOD!!!! i'm so excited!!! he leaves chch at 1:25pm on NZ5053 arriving at dndn airport at 2:20pm (if anyone would like to go welcome him back at the airport).

his flat isn't avaliable till july 1st so until then he'll be staying at the commodore motel which is at:

932 Cumberland St
North Dunedin
down near the botanic gardens and gardies.

the phone number for the main office is 477 7766, just ask to be put thru to josh's room as we're not sure which room he's in yet.

also some quite big news is that josh is able now to sometimes, if he concentrates really hard, make his little finger twitch. even better than that is his mum told me yesterday that josh's physio in chch has said he might have thumb movement!!! which would make things sooo much easier for his to pick up etc.....

i cant think of anything else that has happened since i last wrote, mainly since i can't actually remember when i last wrote :S but i'm sure josh can tell you himself soon enough!!!

Progress Diary - i've put up some more of the diary we've been keeping in chch since the accident (well all that i've managed to type of it! got the all of week 1 now). it's alot of reading (the reason it's taken me so long to type it) but definatley worth a look.

Gallery - got a few photos on my cell to post up but other than that not much new since the 23rd of march BUT comming soon are some more example of josh's art work + writing watch this space (but not for too long it might hurt your eyes

As you are probably aware josh had an accident at St. Kilda beach on the 18 of January at 2pm. Josh shattered a vertebra in his neck (C5 bone damage) and received serious spinal cord injuries (C5/C6 neurological damage/or spinal lesion), leaving him tetraplegic (tetraplegia is where the level of paralysation (I think that's the right word) effects your arms and upper body as well as your legs). Josh is currently in the spinal injuries unit at Burwood hospital in Christchurch (please feel free to write to/visit/email him he really appreciates it! He can check and send emails with the help of his hand splints, as many of you already know) Josh will probably be there till sometime around late may/early June but it all depends on how well rehab goes.

For the first week/week n a half josh was in traction (a lot of the people I talked to had been in traction for 6 weeks+, but spinal injuries are so different because the cord is so intricate that even a minute difference in damage can mean completely different results, so it's difficult to say what's normal for josh's injury, given that josh is the only one with his exact injury. if I was to start to talk like that I could also say that the way in which the injury itself was caused is statistically speaking, rare as spinal cord injuries as a result of diving roughly make up about 5% of spinal cord injuries. not surprisingly car accidents are the most common cause cruising in as the cause of 55% of spinal cord injuries)

Josh's weekdays consist of trips to the gym for physio and occupational therapy. To keep his muscles from going stiff and losing tone (wasting away) Josh has to have passive movements done to him. These are also done to encourage blood flow to prevent Josh from getting pressure sores and/or deep vein thrombosis (the thing people sometimes get from being on long plane flights - u get blood clots, they come loose n give u a heart attack). They also make sure his joints don't get stiff. Because Josh's legs aren't weight baring they loose density (i.e. calcium) which will instead stick to his joints (if their not moved) and/or clog his catheter (but that can be prevented by josh drinking enough water to dilute it)

I've made a corkboard so if you can post questions, read messages from josh (as eventually he'll be putting in these updates on himself for me) etcetera etcetera. to get to the corkboard click here
don't worry I will change the background I just thought it was a funny colour as it looks not at all dissimilar to vomit he he

Site last updated 5th May 2004