Tison has his left leg elevated following his second surgery. This is a real restriction to his active lifestyle. He went from snowboarding and sledding to having to put his leg on a pillow–does not seem fair.The skin graft came from the upper left leg. The surgeon put him under sedation on Monday to remove the wrapping and to inspect the graft. He came out of the surgery room very pleased at the condition of the graft. The graft is still...

He was asking for water following his second surgery. Tison did very well in the three hours he was in the operating room. The pin that was inserted in the thumb of his right hand during the first surgery was removed. The surgeon cleaned up some scar tissue that will vastly improve the range of motion on his legs and realigned the big toe on the left foot. A graft of skin was removed from his upper leg and used to repair the toe.This is a big...

Tison was sick last month when he was scheduled for his second surgery. He will have this surgery on Thursday. He is ready (red-ee) for this next step. He likes the word ready–but he pronounces it red-ee. This was one of the first words he learned. We would ask him, “Are you ready?” He would say, “Red-ee”. Now, he better be ready for this surgery.This is an important process for him. He will have his left foot...

March 4 will be a big day for Tison. He will have his second surgery since arriving in Alaska. He was sick when his second surgery was originally scheduled. It was rescheduled and the countdown begins. This is a very important surgery because the surgeon will work on removing the contractures on the left ankle. This will hopefully allow his foot resume the normal flat position. He has been walking on the side of his foot since the burn...

It seems like Tison loves going down hill. He has adapted to the winter in Alaska very well. Who would have thought a child who knows only sandy beaches and tropical weather, would feel so at home in the snow. His host family has made it possible for him to enjoy sledding, snow machining, and snowboarding.I have watched Tison play soccer for hours in Indonesia, even with his disabilities. Soccer is really a popular sport in Indonesia. He told...

We all walked into the surgery center at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital early in the morning on February 4. Tison had picked up a cold over night. That was not a good sign for the scheduled surgery. The nurse came into the pre-op room and took his vitals and expressed a little concern but said the decision to have the surgery was up to the Anaesthesiologist. We waited for a while and then the Anaesthesiologist came in and in a short time he made...

Tison has been very active since he came to Fairbanks. The Johnson’s, his host family, have made many opportunities for him to enjoy the fun activities of Alaska. In Indonesia, Tison’s father is a fisherman, in the remote region of North Maluku. Tison talks about his father and the fish he catches, now he is also catching fish. It is very different when you can drive on the lake and drill a hole in the two feet thick ice and put...

The next surgery for Tison is very close. The first surgery is healing well and the surgeon is confident he is ready for the next step. February 4 is the date set for the surgery.His translator, Hendra, was able to stay about a month longer than he was planning. He has enough time on his visa and he has been very gracious to give another month to assist in Tison’s transition. The next surgery will realign his great toe on his left foot...

Thumbs up is the best way to describe Tison’s first surgery. Literally, Tison’s injured thumb is now up. It was bent backwards in a very awkward and useless angle. The thumb on his right hand was pointing backwards. It was painful just to look at it. It was completely non-functioning. The first surgery turned the thumb into its normal position. The surgeon placed a pin in the end of the thumb to hold it in the correct angle until it...

Tison came out of surgery thirsty and groggy. If you have every been in surgery, you know the feeling but likely do not remember much. He did very well following the surgery on his right wrist and thumb. He was taken to his room and had his right hand elevated. A good first night sleep followed and he was released the next morning.After arriving home he asked for French fries, chicken nuggets, and ketchup. The three main food groups for this...