Friday, June 11 (2010)

Lt. Zach Hart & Lt. Austin Hendrickson helping Clay "fly" in the simulator.

Cody in flight simulator

ENJJPT Class 10-06

Thank you for serving our country!

Clay & Cody with 2Lt. Austin Hendrickson

ENJJPT(Euro-Nato Joint Jet Pilot Training) Class 10-06; Katie in white; Cody& Clay in front; Chance & myself standing between Major Scott Segal & 2Lt. Austin Hendrickson along with all the other special pilots.

Clay trying on a helmet



Clay in the flight simulator

Sign that we passed when we entered the base.

Hello to all! Yes, once again, it has been awhile since we have posted any news. First of all, I have uploaded some pictures to Clay's blog. One of the pictures is included with the previous posting (in April). It is a picture of the boys (and a cousin) standing behind Clay's miniature steer. The group of pictures, included with this post, were taken yesterday. We were invited to Sheppard Air Force Base yesterday evening. Katie Crosbie with Channel 3 in W.F. has been following Clay's story since his accident. She has now become the boy's adopted aunt :-) and she accompanied us. She is friends with many of the airmen at the base. One of her friend's, 2Lt. Austin Hendrickson, wanted to do something special for Clay & his brothers. Austin, along with his ENJJPT Class 10-06, planned a special evening for the boys. They served pizza for dinner & as Clay was eating his pizza, he said "Mom, it's like we are having a pizza party!" They gave them a framed T-38 picture (signed by the pilots), shirts, and patches. They took us to the Sims (simulators) where Cody & Clay got to "fly" for awhile. Then they let the boys try on the helmets and parachutes. We were able to walk out to the flightline to look at a T-38. Last, but not least, we got to go to the RSU (Runway Supervisory Unit) to watch the night take-offs. What a once-in-a-lifetime experience and what a top-notch group of gentlemen! Thank you for this! You all may be wondering why Carson (our oldest) wasn't mentioned; but, he is enjoying his time at one of our church conventions in Colorado (he'll return home on Sunday). Believe me, Cody & Clay will be ready to tell him about their experience with the pilots.

Clay had his first dose of saline placed in his tissue-expanders on May 24th. The PA and nurse taught us how to insert the saline at home. This is helpful because it saves us from having to drive to Dallas on a weekly basis. Chance helps me do it each time because I don't like to insert it on my own. Cody helps as well & gets the supplies together(it's a family affair). The port to the expander on Clay's left shoulder has slipped under the expander and will have to be surgically repositioned. Clay's next surgery will be next Friday (June 18). Dr. Bidic will perform surgery on both of Clay's hands and reposition the tissue expander port. He will deepen the web space between Clay's fingers on his right hand; and, he will have to do some skin grafting on Clay's left hand as he deepens the web space and releases a scar band. This will not be Clay's last surgery; but, it will be our last with Dr. Bidic. We will meet our new Plastic Surgeon this same day (recommended by Dr. Bidic). As I mentioned, Dr. Bidic is moving to the East coast & a new Plastic Surgeon will take over Clay's care.

All in all, everyone is doing fine. The company that Chance works for (Tower Extrusions) had their annual Jr. Golf Tournament last Saturday. The boys enjoyed it and Clay played too. Last year, at this time, we said that Clay would probably never be able to hold a golf club again. He proved us wrong and amazes us in so many ways. Many lessons have been learned from him. Carson's orthodontist told him that it is time to put braces on his teeth. Carson will have braces put on in a few weeks. He never could wait until he got braces, and now he's not too sure about it.

We want you all to know how thankful we are for your continued encouragement. We always mention that we will try to post more often, but life doesn't slow down much (and we are not sure how many still follow this blog). I'm reminded again of one of the boy's favorite hymns "Time is fleeting, flowers are falling, Life will soon be past; Pause and ponder where thou goest: Time is flying fast".

Heartfelt thanks from the Fite Family!