Magnas Family Road to Recovery
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The past year has been quite a busy year for Lauren and Josh. For those of you who know this couple, know that they do not do anything easy, or perhaps, the "normal way."
Lauren and Josh had a beautiful outdoor wedding last August and several months later announced to their friends and families that they were expecting a baby. Lauren and Josh worked endlessly over the next 10 months to finish an addition and a major renovation on a new home they purchased.
On July 25 at 1:16 p.m., two weeks before her due date, mommy and daddy welcomed their beautiful bundle of joy. Julia was born weighing 6 lbs 6 oz and 19 inches long.
One week later, Sunday, August 2, Josh was involved in a horrific car accident. He had spent the weekend introducing Julia to his family, working on the house, and falling in love with having a family of his own. That Sunday Josh was driving to meet Lauren and Julia for dinner at the Palladino's house when he lost control of his truck and crashed into a tree. The details of the accident are not clear at this time, but what we do know is that around 4:30 p.m. a 911 call was made. Josh was pinned in his truck after the accident, taking medics over an hour to get him out. During this time Lauren called his cell phone to see his were-abouts and a paremdic answered and explained to her that Josh had been in an accident and was pinned. The paremedic told family that for the entire hour they were working on Josh he was talking about his new baby girl, Julia.
He was then air lifted to Westchester Medical Center with severe trama to both legs. During the accident Josh never lost consciousness. Lauren's dad met the helicopter at the hospital and just before a team of 20 Dr.'s were there to take over, Pop-Pop yelled Josh's name, who responded in typical Josh fashion by giving him a "2 thumbs up." According to the surgeon who performed his first surgery Josh said to him, "Do whatever you have to, just save my legs."
That night, August 2, Josh went into a 5 hour surgery to perform vascular reconstruction to both legs with a focus on saving his left leg (the leg that took more impact in the trama). During this surgery they took an artery from his upper leg and placed it in his lower leg. They also put pins in his leg.
8/3/15
Monday was a rough day for Josh. His blood pressure was high and he was running a temperature. A procedure was necessary to be done at his bedside in the ICU when they noticed he was losing bloodflow to his right foot, the better of the legs. They performed the procedure to relieve swelling. During the procedure they realized that Josh had formed a blood clot, and one of his fractures was bleeding. Upon completion of the surgery the blood was flowing back to his foot.
As you can imagine as all of this is going on with Josh, Lauren is a new mom of only 8 days. Those of you who have children, know what a crazy time it is bringing a newborn home. Up every 3 hours, learning the needs of your baby, sleep deprived, dealing wtih jaundice... the list goes on and on. Lauren was able to see Josh Monday night, something she was so excited to do! She wanted to be beside her husband this entire time but Julia needs her too. Lauren walked into his ICU room calm and positive, just what Josh needed. Lauren knew that Josh had been following simple commands that day, wiggling his toes, which let doctors know that he was able to hear what visitors were saying, but she didn't accept the reaction she was about to get from her husband. She walked in and said, "Hey baby, Laur's here." Immediately Josh opened his eyes, something that he hadn't done since prior to his first surgery. Lauren asked the nurse if she could touch them and when the nurse replied yes, Josh lifted both hands up. At one point during the visit Josh was trying to talk to Lauren and she had to calm him down because his blood pressure was rising. She told him about Julia and all of the people praying for him and talked to him about what a fighter and warrior he is. He immediately calmed down and his blood pressure went down. She instructed Josh that for once, he didn't have a to-do list from her. He had 2 things to focus on, staying calm and fighting.... that is it!!!
8/4/15
Josh is having a better day. He is still considered critical condition but as described to Lauren, yesterday he was at the bottom of a big mountain and today he is approaching the top. His main Dr. stated that today is a "marketable" improvement over yesterday. After Dr. Lombardo gave this news to Lauren who was home with Julia, Lauren told them to pass him a message. Tell Josh that I said, "He is a warrior and a fighter." As soon as Pop-Pop read this message he opedned his eyes wide and raised his hand. This seems to be Josh's reaction to Lauren! Day 2 of the same reaction to his beautiful bride! This is a step in the right direction.
His heart rate is staying steady at 100 and his temperature is normalized. They are going to try and decrease some of his meds. Josh is having some issues with his kidneys but the trama surgeon is optimistic and happy with his progress. They believe that the trauma he has been through is puting his kidneys in overdrive. For now there is no update as far as the next surgery on his legs as they need his vitals to stabalize a bit more. Once his vitals are more stable the trauma surgeon will allow the orthopedic surgeon to perform surgery on either leg. While he is able to open his eyes and follow commands to move his hands, his left foot does not respond to stimulation. There is blood flow which is good, but nerve damage is not something the Dr. can repair. Future surgeries will be necessary.
As I write this I feel that there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainties, and aren't those always the hardest?!?! But the one thing I do KNOW and that I am CERTAIN about is the love, commitment, and meaning of family that have come together from this amazing couple. Both come from amazing and supportive families who have seemingly come together to do whatever needs to be done. Josh comes from a large family who has dropped work and traveled to be by his bedside daily since Lauren is unable to. They are making sure that Lauren is in the know of his medical care, his sisters, brother, and mom sit with him and talk to him, touch him and encourage him! Those are crucial to his recovery. And the other half of the family, the Palladino side is helping Lauren and Julia. They are working to get this reno complete so the house is ready for Josh to come home, dealing with insurance, job related things... As you can see this takes a village! And boy do they have the best damn village around.
Josh has a long road ahead of him. He will require multiple surgeries and a minimum of 3-4 weeks in the hospital. Once out of the hospital he will face a year or more of rehab. Since there are so many answers that we don't have, we have no idea how long he will be out of work, but it will be lengthy.
Obviously with a young, new family there are a lot of bills. The Magnas and Palladino families are amazed with the care the doctors and hospital staff are providing them, however, the thought of the medical expenses that grow each day are overwhelming and daunting as this journey has just started. The hope of creating this site is to keep everyone informed on Josh's progress and his fighting spirit, but also to help take some of the burden off of Lauren as Josh needs to be totally focused on his recovery! Let's come together as friends and family and help support Lauren, Josh, and Julia as much as possible.
Stay strong and keep fighting, you are a warrior Josh!
Lauren and Josh had a beautiful outdoor wedding last August and several months later announced to their friends and families that they were expecting a baby. Lauren and Josh worked endlessly over the next 10 months to finish an addition and a major renovation on a new home they purchased.
On July 25 at 1:16 p.m., two weeks before her due date, mommy and daddy welcomed their beautiful bundle of joy. Julia was born weighing 6 lbs 6 oz and 19 inches long.
One week later, Sunday, August 2, Josh was involved in a horrific car accident. He had spent the weekend introducing Julia to his family, working on the house, and falling in love with having a family of his own. That Sunday Josh was driving to meet Lauren and Julia for dinner at the Palladino's house when he lost control of his truck and crashed into a tree. The details of the accident are not clear at this time, but what we do know is that around 4:30 p.m. a 911 call was made. Josh was pinned in his truck after the accident, taking medics over an hour to get him out. During this time Lauren called his cell phone to see his were-abouts and a paremdic answered and explained to her that Josh had been in an accident and was pinned. The paremedic told family that for the entire hour they were working on Josh he was talking about his new baby girl, Julia.
He was then air lifted to Westchester Medical Center with severe trama to both legs. During the accident Josh never lost consciousness. Lauren's dad met the helicopter at the hospital and just before a team of 20 Dr.'s were there to take over, Pop-Pop yelled Josh's name, who responded in typical Josh fashion by giving him a "2 thumbs up." According to the surgeon who performed his first surgery Josh said to him, "Do whatever you have to, just save my legs."
That night, August 2, Josh went into a 5 hour surgery to perform vascular reconstruction to both legs with a focus on saving his left leg (the leg that took more impact in the trama). During this surgery they took an artery from his upper leg and placed it in his lower leg. They also put pins in his leg.
8/3/15
Monday was a rough day for Josh. His blood pressure was high and he was running a temperature. A procedure was necessary to be done at his bedside in the ICU when they noticed he was losing bloodflow to his right foot, the better of the legs. They performed the procedure to relieve swelling. During the procedure they realized that Josh had formed a blood clot, and one of his fractures was bleeding. Upon completion of the surgery the blood was flowing back to his foot.
As you can imagine as all of this is going on with Josh, Lauren is a new mom of only 8 days. Those of you who have children, know what a crazy time it is bringing a newborn home. Up every 3 hours, learning the needs of your baby, sleep deprived, dealing wtih jaundice... the list goes on and on. Lauren was able to see Josh Monday night, something she was so excited to do! She wanted to be beside her husband this entire time but Julia needs her too. Lauren walked into his ICU room calm and positive, just what Josh needed. Lauren knew that Josh had been following simple commands that day, wiggling his toes, which let doctors know that he was able to hear what visitors were saying, but she didn't accept the reaction she was about to get from her husband. She walked in and said, "Hey baby, Laur's here." Immediately Josh opened his eyes, something that he hadn't done since prior to his first surgery. Lauren asked the nurse if she could touch them and when the nurse replied yes, Josh lifted both hands up. At one point during the visit Josh was trying to talk to Lauren and she had to calm him down because his blood pressure was rising. She told him about Julia and all of the people praying for him and talked to him about what a fighter and warrior he is. He immediately calmed down and his blood pressure went down. She instructed Josh that for once, he didn't have a to-do list from her. He had 2 things to focus on, staying calm and fighting.... that is it!!!
8/4/15
Josh is having a better day. He is still considered critical condition but as described to Lauren, yesterday he was at the bottom of a big mountain and today he is approaching the top. His main Dr. stated that today is a "marketable" improvement over yesterday. After Dr. Lombardo gave this news to Lauren who was home with Julia, Lauren told them to pass him a message. Tell Josh that I said, "He is a warrior and a fighter." As soon as Pop-Pop read this message he opedned his eyes wide and raised his hand. This seems to be Josh's reaction to Lauren! Day 2 of the same reaction to his beautiful bride! This is a step in the right direction.
His heart rate is staying steady at 100 and his temperature is normalized. They are going to try and decrease some of his meds. Josh is having some issues with his kidneys but the trama surgeon is optimistic and happy with his progress. They believe that the trauma he has been through is puting his kidneys in overdrive. For now there is no update as far as the next surgery on his legs as they need his vitals to stabalize a bit more. Once his vitals are more stable the trauma surgeon will allow the orthopedic surgeon to perform surgery on either leg. While he is able to open his eyes and follow commands to move his hands, his left foot does not respond to stimulation. There is blood flow which is good, but nerve damage is not something the Dr. can repair. Future surgeries will be necessary.
As I write this I feel that there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainties, and aren't those always the hardest?!?! But the one thing I do KNOW and that I am CERTAIN about is the love, commitment, and meaning of family that have come together from this amazing couple. Both come from amazing and supportive families who have seemingly come together to do whatever needs to be done. Josh comes from a large family who has dropped work and traveled to be by his bedside daily since Lauren is unable to. They are making sure that Lauren is in the know of his medical care, his sisters, brother, and mom sit with him and talk to him, touch him and encourage him! Those are crucial to his recovery. And the other half of the family, the Palladino side is helping Lauren and Julia. They are working to get this reno complete so the house is ready for Josh to come home, dealing with insurance, job related things... As you can see this takes a village! And boy do they have the best damn village around.
Josh has a long road ahead of him. He will require multiple surgeries and a minimum of 3-4 weeks in the hospital. Once out of the hospital he will face a year or more of rehab. Since there are so many answers that we don't have, we have no idea how long he will be out of work, but it will be lengthy.
Obviously with a young, new family there are a lot of bills. The Magnas and Palladino families are amazed with the care the doctors and hospital staff are providing them, however, the thought of the medical expenses that grow each day are overwhelming and daunting as this journey has just started. The hope of creating this site is to keep everyone informed on Josh's progress and his fighting spirit, but also to help take some of the burden off of Lauren as Josh needs to be totally focused on his recovery! Let's come together as friends and family and help support Lauren, Josh, and Julia as much as possible.
Stay strong and keep fighting, you are a warrior Josh!
Organizer and beneficiary
Stephanie Palladino
Organizer
East Fishkill, NY
Joshua Magnas
Beneficiary