HM3 Anthony was injured on April 20, 2007 when a vehicle full of explosives was detonated under the overpass his Marines were guarding. He and 7 others were injured in the incident. Anthony sustained a severe head injury, an injury to his lower back, a punctured right lung and minor scrapes and scratches on his legs, hands, arms and face.
Anthony is the 'Doc' of the group and he takes great pride in his job and in "his" Marines who were so lucky to have his wonderful care.
Update: December Baby "AJ" was born in September and Ivonne makes sure he spends a lot of time with Daddy. Anthony is minimally conscious, opens his eyes and seems to react to voices and touch. His little family can use all the support it can get.
Update: 12/13/07 Anthony's level of consciousness has been raised a notch...this is very good news. He blinks to answer questions and got 8 of 10 right in the latest test.
Update: 5/30/08 Anthony's wife posted that ice cream was put in his mouth and he rolled it around and swallowed it. Another big step for Anthony. She hopes one day he will wake from this 'sleep' and get back to being Anthony. We hope so too.
Update: July 2008 - Anthony is correctly responding to written 3 word commands. This news has his doctors in a buzz. He also is being promoted to HM2 and the ceremony will be in August. Congrats Anthony. We know you're in there. Keep working hard and we'll keep sending cheer.
Update: 12/3/2008 For the past few months there have been ups and downs for Anthony. They watch and get reports from Ivonne daily, changing medications depending on how 'alert' he is and how he is reacting to them. He has several therapists who work with him daily. He's been on a few outings and his wife is viewing/testing options of autos that will be able to handle the equipment necessary for Anthony's mobility. He is still minimally conscious but his son creates tender moments with Daddy that bring joy to Mommy and those around.
Update: 1/29/2009 Ivonne posted some great news ......in her post today, besides mentioning that they are meeting all the football heroes in town for the SuperBowl this weekend, is the following.......
"I got Anthony back in bed and on his side and then even had a teeny bit of time to crawl up in the bed with him and love on him before I bolted to go pick AJ up from school. Before I left though, I had the pleasure of meeting Viola, a woman who is caring for her husband with a TBI for 13 years now. Just talking to her and listening to what she had to say, I know I will be alright. I hope I'm right! I picked AJ up from school and he had a great day, as always. Once he showed me everything he did in school, I managed to get him out of the room and loaded up in the truck. We headed straight up to see Anthony and get him ready to get up and get him over to the Fisher House for something. Jennifer from Ride-Away put a bunch of the families in contact with Wheels for Warriors, an organization that gets wounded warriors accessible vehicles so that they can have freedom and independence. Anyway, all four families filled out applications and they got us all in the same room this afternoon, telling us that we would all find out together which family would be receiving the van. Little did we all know that when they announced the recipient, all four families will be receiving a vehicle! We were all shocked and truly touched and humbled. It's amazing the things that people are willing to do to honor these wounded warriors. We are just so blessed that we are one of those families. This vehicle means so much more to us than just having a van for Anthony. It's a van that will allow us to pick up and go whenever we want to. We will be able to go places AS A FAMILY and we will be free to start living our new normal life!"
Update: 3/13/2009 from his wife, Ivonne:
I signed a contract for Homes For Our Troops to build our home this year. It was scary and exciting all at the same time. I know that Anthony would be and is very proud of me for taking the reins and securing our future, because that's what I did, I secured our future and made it possible for Anthony to go home....hopefully by the end of the year! I so can't wait. I won't have to worry about anything...all I have to tell them is what I like and don't like and they take care of the rest. When all of this is said and done, we will have a beautiful home that Anthony will be completely able to access and more importantly, a place we can call "HOME!"
Update 11/11/2009 Ivonne recently posted that Anthony has been approved for a trial study. They hope that this will allow Anthony to progress in his cognitive awareness and communication by leaps and bounds. The timing will conflict with their moving into their new home, which was supposed to take place before the end of the year, but she has been hoping this would come through and now it has. Anthony's birthday was recently so this news is a great present! Ivonne will be featured in a documentary series called "NOW" for PBS. The focus of the episode is Traumatic Brain Injury patients and their caregivers. It will be an interesting program, please be on the lookout for that.
Ivonne posted "Happy Birthday to all the Marines out there! 234 years and the Corps is still going strong. Thank you for doing what you do day in and day out and for taking care of and supporting your 'Docs!' Also thank you for allowing us to be part of your family. God bless each and every one of you! Semper Fi!"
We ask for prayers for Anthony, that this study is the answer to unlocking his body and brain, letting them both work in some sort of conjunction with each other.
Update December 21, 2009 Anthony's wife has been keeping us posted that he is now settled in at the new hospital, the house will be started in January, and although little AJ is staying with his grandparents while Anthony is in this special trial therapy, all of them will be together for Christmas!
They also had a wonderful surprise this weekend as the other guys from his squad who were injured in the same bridge explosion came to visit. She said Anthony reacted to each of them as they spoke and they all were able to have a little one-on-one healing time together. She was able to spend some time listening to stories they had to share about Anthony and was so appreciative that they came from everywhere to be there together. What a wonderful Christmas present from a great group of guys.
Update: 1/10/2010 from Ivonne: The building of their new home is underway! She went home this past weekend to be there when the 'build' began. We know this is something that will make their lives very, very much better so OohRah to "Homes for our Troops" organization for making it happen.
Update: June 2, 2010 Work continues on the house and it is very close to being finished. AJ has been able to visit a few times but mostly talks to Dada via internet connections. He is very comfortable with the routine and always sends kisses and monster hugs for Mom and Dada and his favorite people at the hospital. Anthony will be medically retired from the Navy sometime this summer and will also be ending the trial study in which he is participating. He has made progress and is more alert but Ivonne says he's still not as 'awake' as she'd like for communication. He's also had problems with seizures and he is being watched very closely for any unexpected activity.
She struggles with knowing that soon they will be home together and he will be in her hands, not the hospital's. She's excited and nervous at the same time as you can well imagine. Her strength has been amazing but it will have to increase as changes to their life together continue to unfold.
Update: 7/8/2010 from Ivonne: The last month was spent getting ready to move hospitals again and Anthony is now settled back into a previous one. They are not 'home' yet but are moving in the right direction. Anthony's therapy continues and he's doing well, holding his head up most of the time and seeming much more focused and aware. AJ's latest photo sent to them is of him covered in lipstick, done while Grandma was cooking. It gave Ivonne the smile she needed for today.
Send a card containing something that will make her smile. She and Anthony appreciate your kindness.
Update 7/21/2010 from Ivonne: Anthony's retirement ceremony is on June 27th and she is planning for it to be a huge event. She's ordered a cake and wants everything to be perfect. Family will be coming in and there is much hubbub, all for her sweetie.
She said the staff called her when she was recently away and said they heard him say a few words, very faint and breathy, but wouldn't have called her if they were not sure. She said she will save her excitement for when she witnesses it herself.
Pray that Anthony's communication ramps up. It would make the upcoming transitions so much easier and life in general less stressful for all.
Update: 7/30/2010 from Ivonne - Anthony's retirement was the respectful ceremony, and the grand gathering she had hoped for. The attendance overwhelmed her - over 200 people came to honor Anthony and show their pride and admiration for him and his family.
Other than the cake not being finished quite on time, everything else went off without a hitch. She said he held up all day and was very alert the whole time. AJ was a trooper and visited all his old friends. Ivonne joked that he has more friends there than she does!
There have been no more vocalizations that can be understood so keep praying that Anthony's abilities in that area eventually prove to be more than a one time event.
Update: 8/10/2010 from RyAnne, a family friend: Anthony has been taken to ICU. He underwent surgery this week in preparation for a more permanent solution than a catheter and an infection has occurred. His condition does not allow his body to react normally to infection so this is a crisis. Please keep this little family in your prayers. I know you do anyway, but today is especially important for them.
Update 8/11/2010 Anthony's infection is being narrowed down and he's showing some signs of responding to the medication. The surgical area and surrounding areas are not infected but now they are investigating effects of anethesia. He is still very sick and the waiting continues. Ivonne is grateful for all the prayers she knows are flowing in for them.
Update: 8/12/2010 Anthony took a turn for the worse and his mother has flown in. His fever was 104 and not improving. The nurse said his body is shutting down.
The family had to decide whether to see if the fever/blood pressure/heart rate would improve, given more time, or if surgery might help them find what was wrong. Neither option was given a good option for success. They chose to do the surgery because Anthony would want to fight as long as he can. The surgeons found a hole in Anthony's bowel and a lot of puss in his abdomen, which they removed. They have been told the next 72 hours are critical.
Prayers from all over the country are being concentrated on him. Add yours and see if we can get this situation turned around. We know he's fighting - let's help him. Prayers are more important than cards right now.
Update: 8/13/2010 Ivonne reports that she did not get any emergency calls overnight last night and yesterday was a better day. Anthony still has a fever and his vitals are not all in line but his color is coming back and some vitals are looking better. She says the doctors are surprised, and more optimistic, even though Anthony is still critical and not out of the woods by any means. He is being visited by Chaplains and the family sees him as much as they are allowed. Ivonne is aware and very grateful that all of you have them in your prayers.
Update: 8/16/2010 Ivonne's latest news is that Anthony continues to make progress. They are very guarded but weaning him off of some of the heavy equipment little by little. He is more alert and continues to be more aware. Another good sign is that his Mom went home. Anthony' sister is now at the hospital but Sheila would not go anywhere if things were as dire as they were a few days ago.
Anthony has had setbacks before, trouble with seizures and reactions to medications, but never something like what they experienced this week - calling the family in and preparing them for the worst.
So we say with our own guarded optimism, keep those prayers coming.
Update: 9/2/2010 Anthony is still in ICU and Ivonne reports that the ups and downs continue. It seems for each report of progress there is a downside. He is tolerating some things well but every day there is something new to diagnose and treat - or watch and wait.
AJ's visits via the computer give them a brief but wonderful boost to their days.
Ivonne asks everyday that you keep them in your prayers....for Anthony's continued healing and progress, for her strength to keep going and for the health of the whole family. She very much appreciates that so many care.
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Date added to program: 6/6/2007
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