Our Journey

Our Journey begins in San Jose, Costa Rica, where an interesting group of characters from around the globe found eachother and as

decided to take an epic bus journey from Los Angeles to Panama. What began as no more than driving a bus to Costa Rica, eventually snowballed into our current occupation as independent surf film makers.

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Rob Schneider

On February 27, 2008, our friend Robert Schneider was brutally beaten on Ocean Beach in San Diego. He was rescued by a homeless passerby who called an ambulance which literally saved Roberts life. The following are the day by day up dates that we receive from Roberts parents, Judy and Peter.

4.1.08 - Hello everybody. Quess what. We are all in the library including robert typing away and catching up on our emails. This is truly great. Is it true the family that emails together stays together.? Can someone look that up in an encyclopedia please. great progress today again. His nurse today "Princess" Fiona said he is so improved since he moved to this unit is amazing. His cognitive, his remembering, his eyes, his sleeping routine is more regular. His pain levels are not so high although he is having some headaches. I wonder why???? she said he is doing great. The staff are fabulous I cant stop from saying that. Everyone that sees him cant believe that he looks so good. It is a total miracle package. He wore clothes to the libray HOLD IT ( as compared to hospital attire). Robert's comment " look I am normal today". Its ok I have photos to prove it. Yes everyday we are closer to leaving. I have to tell you he is going to have the smoothest feet in Australia and San Diego aS i MASSAGE THEM EVERY DAY, its ok david I am good at it now I can do yours too. I get to rub his back and chest three times a day ( i am SO lucky) with this most amazing sticky goo, My hands are the best they have been in 20 years. There always has to a flow on benefit for someone doesn't there? I heard that snigger. Oh well! lOVE YOU GUYS ALL TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO( KEYBOARD STUCK) BITS. thankyou all for the encouraging emails, thoughts and prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What can I say I haven't stopped smiling in a week. GOD IS SO GOOD! CAN YOU PLEASE SING THAT ONE ON SUNDAY PLEASE THANKS DOUGGGIEEEE!!!!!!!! Well the boys have left me now so I guess I should finish up here and go back to my duty, rubbing his back or his feet. What a life. The lengths some people will go to. Love you alll much judy and peter

3.31.08 (part 2) - Great day again today. Robert is better every day. more active clearer thinking and smiling more every day. The good news is that the insurance is paying for the body suit as we thought they would anyway as it has been planned since day one. The woman who measures them and makes them only comes in on thursday. She came in today, Monday and measure Robert and he will have his suit befiore we go. I think someone actually said tomorrow. Praise God as we prays, things start happening. Wow!! This is amazing. In discussion with the staff it appears we slipped through the cracks for a number of reasons, He had so many teams working on him, normally the suit happens at the first clinic day. We wont be here for the clinic day. Because we are from Australia we were not the norm and it just got overlooked. But they have done backflips and cartwheels and the suit will be here in record time. This person does not do special runs we were told. She will not come in another day. Hmh!! Amazing how things when God is involved. Thankyou agin and again and again. Plans to come home are advancing and we will be transferred in two cars from San Diego to Los Angeles. They will board us - they will transfer us in Melbourne and then once we get to adelaide they will transport us to hospital. We will not enter the airport except to collect baggage. Please do not come to the airport as we are not in control of the movements at this time. Once Robert is admitted to hospital in Adelaide we will advise you when he can have visitors. We are so grateful for all your support and prayers and emails and cards and phone calls during all of this. There will be rehab and counselling and physio when we get home so please allow us to get organised and then we will be glad to oganise visits. This has been a very difficult time for robert and he will need some time to adjust to being home so please be patient. He is very excitiied about coming home and very emotional as well. It has been an incredible journey for him. He is dealing well with everything and will need lots of support, so keep on praying and thanking God for what he has done. Our next immediate prayer is that the admission to hospital will be painfree and we will not have to wait in casualty for hours on end after roberts long flight. He will be very tired so pray for quick transition to hospital. thanks guys. Be in touch soon love judy and peter

3.31.08 - Good morning to auz. Sorry about yesterday. Lots to do now we are planning to return home. Many things to finalise. Robert is going forward by leaps and bounds. He is talking really well. He is very quick thinking. Everyone is amazed at how he has improved. A total miracle package. We are so grateful to God every day for what he has done for us. Slept well again last night will talk later love judy and peter

3.29.08 - What a rollercoaster we have been on over the past two days. It was a public holiday here yesterday so I could not get on the net. Nearly killed me This is my fix i think. Today you get twodays smushed (american term) into one. Since Robert has been transferred from ICU to the Intermediate care unit for burns he is progressing with everything. His walking has improved as he knows the grounds like the back of his hand now. His talking has improved and he is not so slurred anymore. His is very emotional as the realization of what has happened to him is beginning to come home. He has made some amazing comments such as "I am so lucky" "I don't deserve all this attention" There is happening a whole grieving as he misses everyone at home and just wants to be there now as he realises we are very clos. We are counting down the days. He has spoken to members of the family to Caitlin and Zach and Corinne, Catherine and a few other people and we are grateful that people have made themselves available to chat with him even for a short time at the most inconvenient times in the morning. Thanks a million Corinne. We will try to get on track for better hours now that his is a bit more stable. It has been yet another amazing progression. We had a tough time over the last two days. Having been in one room for four weeks we have changed rooms at least 4 times. I totally lost it last night as they said he needed to be one his own because he is very fidgetty and may upset other patients. they put him in a dark dingey (spelling) room with an old man last night and he wouldn't even talk to me so someone had told him he had to be quiet. We have spent 4 weeks trying to get him awake and conscious and talking. When Peter got back from the baseball I told him what had happened and I made him walk me back to the hospital while I asked what was going on .. In his confused and emotional state this is the last thing he needs to disorient him and cause extra confusion. The nurse, Hank, said he did not understand why they had moved him except to make room for another patient in his room and he was not allowed to be with him in case he .....what I don't know. He agreed with me they should not have moved Robert and promised to move him back to his room with the patient that he was not allowed to be with initially. Are you confused so was I. However, true to his word Hank did that . At 5.30am Robert was on the phone to me, he wanted to see me. Yes you guessed it thay were moving him right then. Within minutes I was at his bed. He did very well and there was not a problem with the young lad in the room..It turns out he too had been hit over the head with a bat of some kind. He is OK and they discharged him today. I have been very calm for 4 weeks and I was upset that a little thing now can tip me over the edge. However, Peter said I handled it very well and the problem is solved. Praise God again that the staff listen and if they you have a valid argurment they act on it. Robert is remembering little things prior to the incident. The District Attorney was at the hospital yesterday and interviewed Peter and I and took photos of Robert's injuries for the case. Robert is aware now that there will be some action by the courts to follow this up. It was a very traumatic day for him. He handled it very well and is very polite to everyone. He is just beautiful, but then I know I am biased. He is talking more about the night and wants to know what happened so we are giving him what is public knowledge only as we do not want to taint any memory that he may eventually get back if any. Peter went to the soup kitchen this morning ( i sat with Robert because of the disruption of yesterday) and served meals to lots of folk. One of them the angel who pulled him from the fire. Yes we have told Robert and we have a photo of the man and we are planning to help with him with a few things, This is an answer to prayer that we may be instrumental in giving him the option of a second chance at a better life just as he has given a second chance to Robert because of his action . Robert is very happy that this is happening. Again lots to praise God for. All roberts burns are healing wonderfully. His hand is healed although he has s lump in the middle of the back of his right hand. The bone healed very quickly the surgeon said and this is very strong although it doesn' look quite right. He has full movement of his wrist and hand and all his fingers, including the one with the very deep laceration. aGAIN gOD HAS ANSWERED WITH A yES. Please pray that we will get Robert's pressure bange which he has to wear for 1-2 years to prevent bad scarring. This should have been ordered about two weeks ago,. Seem like it just got overlooked for a couple of reasons. However, steps are in place now to provide him with one before we leave. The person who makes them only comes in on Thursday and then they take two weeks to make. Scott in ICU (dear Scott) said he will ring them and see if they will measure him on Thursday and make it the same day so he will have it to fly with . This will be a small miracle so please pray for this. Pray also that the insurance company agrees to pay as this was one of the reasons they did not order it as MOST insurance companies do not pay as it is considered eletive. I explained that they talked about the necessity of this from day one in the burns unit so I can't see how that is elective. Please pray with us that this will happen. The insurance co. did ask Peter about one so it looks like it could happen. Well as you can see lots is happening and I am pleased to say we are all booked on the same flight. A minor organisational achievement when you consider how many agencies are involved in the details of making it happen. We are still hoping to be upgraded to first class or has unlimited access to him during the flight. More on that later. I must go as I need to change the clothes I bought yesterday. They were too small. The shops close in about an hour and the library in 20 minutes. Thanks again for all your support. It means the world to Robert and to us. This has kept us going. love judy and peter

3.27.08 - Every day is a better day.,. Robert is very impatient to come home now. He came for a big walk today and found his way to our room in Bannister House. He was very upset and just wanted to go home. He talked with Corinne in the middle of the night. Poor Corinne, sorry about the lack of sleep . It was really good to talk to you today. Robert had his plaster off yesterday. He is thinking a lot better today. His reasoning powers seem to be returning. Please pray that he doesnt get too distressed about waiting for the flight out of here and that his mental state becomes a lot more peaceful. He has realised that something really bad happened to him now and commented today that he just wants to be normal again. I told him that it is good that he knows something is not quite right because that means he is getting better. It would be worse if he didn't realise there was a problem. This afternoon he said I guess I am really lucky to be doing so well. It was so good to hear that thought process happening. We are making great steps forward. Thankyou again for all your prayers. Keep them coming for Robert that he will sleep well at night and not get distressed when we are not in his room when he wakes up[. We may need to address that. We need to buy him more clothes to fly home in as everything is too big as he has lost a lot of weight. We have organised for that to happen tomorrow. Leanne the paramedic came in to see him today and talked to him for a bit and apologised for what happened to him on behalf of San Diego. As a resident all her life she was appalled at what happened. It is good for these people to be visiting. Joanne his nurse from burns ICU came in today to see him also. Told him she wanted to go home with him on the plane to look after him. He has been smiling a little about all of these people coming to see him. He has been very emotional over the last few days. I think this is part of the drug reduction and also the concussion wearing off. He is getting so much better. Praise God.

3.26.08 - Another day, another first. He walked around outside the hospital today about 10 times when I was with his sitter. They have a nurse assistant to sit with troublesome patients to make sure they do the right thing and to ensure they don't hurt themselves. He wanted to lay on the steps and we said he couldn't do that. Then he laid on the grass . I don't think he should have done that either. I had to explain to him that he had to be very careful not to bang his head, as he had a sever head injury and if he banged it again he would be right back where he was four weeks ago. He said oh is that right. That sucks, Then he added Is that why I seem to have lost four weeks. Yes robert. He seemed a bit more reasonable then for a while. He is very impulsive and gets up and does things without asking and we just have to follow at this moment. Reminds me of young childhood. One has to learn the art of distraction in the conversation. I'm a little out of practice, Oh well practice makes perfect. Then we asked if he could come to Bannister House as we had another free lunch. Yes it is a fortnight since the last one. It was great. Chicken mornay with salad and the best cakes. We wheeled him over in the wheelchair. He laid on the seat in the sun. We went to our room and said this is nice I think i'll stay. He promtply put himslef on the bed and while I was putting a video on he pomptly went to sleep. Peter had lunch, I got lunch for his sitter and then had lunch myself. Then I got him up and we went down to the kitchen. He met everyone and they we excited to see him. He ate a whole plate of food. No sooner had he eaten than he wanted to go immediately to our room. He curled up on the bed and went to sleep. It was very good for him to get out. By this time I rang the hospital and he had to go straight back to the hospital. Apparently he was not supposed to leave the hospital. Some confusion between doctors. However we got him back to the hospital in one piece and now they are changing rooms. This has been very confusing for him. He is moving into a room with immediate care. He will have a 24 hour sitter otherwise he could walk out of the hospital if they don't watch him. He is very impulsive and quick. Plans are moving along to bring us home. We will keep you posted. It seems like they will ambulance him to LA. We will fly home with Qantas to Melbourne and then to Adelaide. He will then be transported to the hospital of our choice or whever Dr Potenza suggests he go. If he needs a burns hospital. He will probably go to the Adelaide. Otherwise our choice would be Ashford as it is easier to access. Lots of things are unsure yet . As this is a medical flight the hospital and Dr. Potenza have requested that only immediate family are at the airport to greet us as he may not even enter the terminal before being transported. We know you all want and deserve to greet Robert but this is in his best interests as he will have been cooped up for a long time and in his present condition this could be a very difficult time for him. We will keep the emails going and advise where he is and when he can have visitors. much love Judy and Peter.

3.25.08 - A very stressful day today, Happy and Sad. Happy as Robert is moving ahead at leaps and bounds. He wants to walk everywhere. Wont take no for an answer, at least from us but one word from the staff. Ok he says. Amazing isn't it. We were told about this though so we'll just run with it. Sad because the beautiful Mexican family in the next room have been told that their mum will be going home but the future is not so bright. Of course we all cried together.. The children can speak English but the grandmother does not. You know language is superflous sometimes. We just met hearts. Stressful as we had another interview and the detective wanted to speak to Robert. I had lots of mixed and confused feeling after that as we had just done the interview for "America's Most Wanted" (AMW) and that was very emotional. You think you have worked through all of this but as soon as you revisit the first days, the emotions just come rushing back. The interview was very long as they do a five minute segment on Saturday night and then a longer session in about two weeks. Dan Roman the detective thinks this is imperative to flush out the suspects. It is the most successful program for getting information about fugatives. there is a reward and it seems that they will dob on each other. ??????????? If this is what it takes, I know all the stress is worth it. Andrew and the staff of "AMW" were just wonderful, very caring and sympathetic. Of course Robert was very friendly when they went to talk to him and he wanted to just get up and walk all over the place. Physically, he is doing just great. The state of his head is still very confused and yet determined. This has been his strength. We just need to get him to remember the simple commands that the staff give him. He is ready to go surfing again and can't understand why he just can't do that. He certainly follows commands, but in a minute he has forgotten it. He is not eating enough so we are going to try to tempt him with "Subway" today. The drip is looming if he doesn't eat so please pray that we will find what it is that he will devour. So far it is milk shakes and fruit smoothies. The detective talked with him today before America's Most Wanted to see if there is anything that he can remember. Dan, the detective, was just great, gave him only a little information and then waited to see if he can remember. He was very attentive and had a talk with him. Dr Potenza told me before the interviews not to worry as he cannot remember anything. He is so great, the top surgeon in the country and he spoke to Robert about what was was happening and what the policeman and the television were trying to do, so he wouldn't get confused. He was brilliant. Egen came to visit yesterday and he was animated while Egan was here and that was great to see. They chatted for some time before he sprang out of bed and wanted to leave. Thanks Egan. Today Kyle came this afternoon, I was sleeping as I am not very well at the moment, that dreaded cold has re-appeared. I am on antibotics now as I can't afford to pass anything to Robert at this stage. Peter met Kyle and again he said they had a great chat. It has been great to see how his mates are only to pleased to come and spend time with robert. We are very grateful guys. Thanks a million. Robert has seen his burns as he had a shower yesterday and Emeka, the nurse, said he coped with that allright , so to those of you who were concerned about, stop worrying, this is all OK. Again we see the provision of God in that he seems to be accepting whatever it is that has happened to him. It is just amazing to see. Of course there were tears again . Some parents just can't hold it together, it is so beautiful to see. He is going to need to be very strong. The hard work is ahead, working through all these issues in his head. Please continue to pray that once we are home he can progress well with this side of things. The really exciting, scary news is that they are talking about flying him home. SOON. We have been asked to do a practise run with him to see if he can follow instruction calmy so he is fit to travel. We will sit with him for 14 hours and manage him during that time to see how he can cope, sitting for takeoff and landing and then resting for lengths of time. We need to get plenty of sleep to do this with him. We will take shifts to see how this goes. Fortunately Dr Potanza is very conservative and if he thinks that Robert will not cope he will not allow him to travel yet. Praise God for that , as we do not want to drug him to get him home,. That would set him back too far and we have come so far in four weeks. Lots to pray about. God must be loving this. The opportunity to act on all these prayers from around the world. Again thankyou for all your support. Off to see Robert and to see if I can get an order for tea, dinner or supper depending on whatever place in the world you come from. Once again, thanks for all your prayers, we appreciate it and miracles are still happening every day. love peter and judy

3.24.08 - Good morning everyone. Although I actually think it is afternoon here now. Lots of emails today . So Good to hear about all your Easter celebrations and great to hear that the grandchildren went for a picnic with nanna and Aunti Robyn and Uncle Doug and Jonathon. Good job guys. Thanks a million. Also a big thankyou to Corinne who bought and delivered our Easter baskets to the grandchildren .. We are very grateful and this needed to be acknowledged, - How good all you guys are at home. We feel very blessed just having you at home keeping everything going as per normal. Thankyou. Another great step for Robert today. He was in a chair by the time we got there. The neck brace was off SO PRAISE GOD THAT MEANS THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO HIS NECK Thankyou God AGAIN AND AGAIN. tHE PLAN FOR TODAY IS TO SHOWER HIM AND GET HIM DRESSED AND THEN WE MAY BE ABLE TO TAKE HIM FOR a walk in the sunshine. That will be really good. The shower had happened by the time we left and quess what. I'm waiting. Yes!!!! you guessed it. He walked to the shower with the help of the nurse, standing really tall. It was amazing. The pysch doctors came by and talked to him and asked him how he thought he was going. He thought about 80%. This is all really positive. Our observations tell us that he is still confused and very single focused. He gets a thought in his head and it does not rest until it happens. This is a little frustrating for him in the hospital as things don't usually happen that fast. They did however, get him to the shower and the nurse manager made sure it happened. She also arranged for an XBOX to come in so he can practise finger movements. He did very well and she also brought in a computer and hooked it up to the net so Robert can send emails if he wants to. They were so amazing and she was very helpful this morning. We only met her today but she told us she has been in the ICU all the time observing Robert and us and thought today it was OK to introduce herself to us. She was brilliant. Look out Zac, Robert may be able to beat you at some games when he gets home . He has been practising on Madagasgar today. We left to come talk to you guys while they were setting him up in the room, so we may go and get lunch now and a milk shake for him. He was the first to get a brand new bed. Looks great, does everything except make breakfast and costs $60,000. O Yes. Did I tell you he started eating yesterday. Not very much though. Pray that his appetite returns as he needs to eat well so that all his injuries will heal well and especially the burns. Must go, he will be looking for us again. love peter and judy

3.23.08 - Sorry about yesterday. We had such an amazing day and the library was only open for four hours. I missed it . We had other great things to do with Robert. A HUGE STEP FORWARD. After 3 1/2 weeks in bed Robert stood up this morning and sat in a cardiac chair ( a high backed chair with a seat belt on it). He was having understandable conversations with the staff yesterday. Dan his nurse was so amazing with him. Robert responded as only Robert could "No worries mate" or thumbs up. We were so excited. This is what we have been waiting for. He said he didn't think he was doing so well but he was trying to stay positive. We told him he was doing absolutely great as this was his first time out of bed in nearly a month so he had good reason to be staying positive. We was chewing crushed ice from a cup and drinking the water. Another first. Even holding the cup not too bad. This is also a first. He had the catheta out. Peter and stayed with him in shifts and then together for the three hours that he sat up. He did so well. When he got back to bed he slept for three hours as he was exhausted, with good reason. The night nurse made him sit up for another 31/2 hours last night and didn't put him to bed until after midnight which I thought was a tad excessive on his first day out of bed but he had a good night sleep which I might add lasted until nearly 12.00 noon today. He was really tired. Peter and I went out for a few hours while he was asleep with Jerry and Suzanne to Coronado. Another beautiful day in San Diego. A beautiful beach and harbour which I think challenges Sydney Harbour. No Opera House though. We had hamburgers from In and Out for $1.65. They were great. Where in Australia can you get hamburgers for that price?????? i THINK this would be a good franchise for someone. Jerry and Suzanne went to see Robert after our outing and he sleeping like a baby. They said he looked really good. We visited the Bondi Restaurant in Downtown San Diego in the "gaslamp district" - good food places in the city. This is the Aussie Restaurant that are having the fund raiser for Robert in the form of an Auzzie BBQ. The two staff behind the bar where great and Emily made the card for him. They have a jar on the bar for donations. They are doing a great job. We were very late to bed last night as we didn't want to leave until the nurse actually put him to bed as he was trying to climb out of the chair, which I might add he would have done if we hadn't stayed because she was hardly there at all. This morning, Sunday, when we arrived he has the feeding tube out and is off the insulin drip. Every day another step forward. Praise God. We didn't go to church though as we thought he might wake up any time and one of us wanted to be there. As I said though he did not wake up until little after 11.30am as Dan was preparing him to sit up again. I sat with him this morning and had an occassional word with him as he floated between sleep and ????????? Peter did some work on the computer in our room and came back about lunch time as he was moving to the chair. I went to get the laptop to see if the internet work in the hospital and to clean the bathroom and do a few jobs before I went back to the room. Once in the chair he became very lucid and was talking about a lot of things. He doesn't appear to remember anything at this stage and wants to know why he is just sitting around here. "It boring" he said "I am tired of looking of these same walls". Mind you he has only been aware of them for two days. I explained that he had been here for 3 + weeks and that he had a fall. He just said "AH" He took all that in but I don't know how long he will remember it. He is doing amazingly well. When I got back to the room he had some soup and custard and jelly and apple juice. Peter was feeding him and he was holding the drink himself. This is so great. His concentration span is not long so we did a lot of channel swapping watching television and Peter did some reading to him. He has looked at some of the pictures in his folder of emails and recognised every one in the photos. This is so huge. He wanted to know when he could join the surfing trip . That was a hard question because I didn't want to discourage him. I just told him maybe he could join the next one. While he has lost a lot of weight, he is still very strong and if he determines to do something you have to talk him out of it not try to fight him out of it. He is doing so well Dan, his nurse is so stoked that he is doing so well and said if he progresses like this all week he will be home very soon. Keep praying guys, you are doing such a great job. We left a while ago as he got back to bed, HIMSELF with a bit of help from the two nurses. ANOTHER GREAT STEP FORWARD. HE HAS GOOD BALANCE AND DOES NOT WOBBLE. He walked side step to the bed where thay wanted him and then backwards to sit on the bed. After a while he layed down and swung his legs up on the bed . I was crying by this time. This is so good to see. His eye looks much better today also.. The fractured eye was sitting really high in his eye but is is much better today. He is focusing and following us., Praise God for another miracle. It appears he has great vision. Keep praying that this corrects itself perfectly. He gave Dan the OK symbol with his thmb and index finger. I am so excited for him. He has done so well in these last weeks. Yesterday, the paramedic who brought him to Trauma came to visit him and they would not let her in because of the privacy act. We chased around and the staff fund out which unit she worked for and we rang her. We met Leann at the emergency entrance in the afternoon and she was so thrilled to hear he was doing so well. We gave our permission for her to visit him. She was so shocked and angered at the whole incident as is everyone who hears about the attack. She was a big girl and said he fought them in the ambo as he was so afraid and half concious, they tied him down and he broke away she said. Then she felt bad when I said he had a broken bone in his wrist. I don't think this broke his hand though. Also, Carl Gregory got a phone call from the soup kitchen on Ocean Beach (OB) as the locals call it, to say that they were serving the homeless man that pulled Robert from the fire. Carl got dressed real quick and went to meet with him. Carl took him to lunch on our behalf as he knew that we wanted to do that and took his photo. He wasn't so thrilled to have that done but he allowed it and ion the course of conversation also gave Carl some more information about the night which Carl is passing onto the police. Miracles are happening all around, not just in Robert's body. Thank you all for your prayers, love and messages by email. We are so thrilled to see HOW MUCH Robert is loved by you all. I am about to go back to the room now to see if any else has happened. Oh Yeh!! I need to eat first.

3.21.08 - Happy Easter to everyone. May God bless you all BIG TIME he has the power, he did everything for us. Thanks for all the emails yesterday and today. We had a very busy day yesterday and quite emotional as Robert stood up for the first time. Today the physios woke him out of a very deep sleep to do his exercises and he was very restless for the next three hours. I though is a bit cruel but they need to make him exercise. He thought he was ready to climb out of bed and go home and he did try to walk out of the room twice and was told we are just standing today as he has tubes coming out everywhere still. He told the nurse Katie "I just want to leave". She said he was very polite. He is now restrained again as he broke his cast on his wrist and they had to replace it. He now has a fibreglass one. He was trying very hard to remove the feeding tube in his nose. It must be driving him crazy, and of course the catheta gets attacked every time robert gets an opportunity. Otherwise he is making small steps forward and he is trying to talk more. It is still very hard to understand but he very clearly told us to leave today. It was pretty funny. The next moment he is leaning into me and trying to give me a hug. No drugs though, only some painkillers to help with the constant itching that is the result of the grafting. Otherwise we are doing well. Every day little by little. This is the beginning of the hard work I think. More news tomorrow. love to all judy and peter

3.20.08 - Hi everybody. Yesterday was great. Today was fabulous. Robert stood up ten times today by his bed with the physio therapists . We came in as he was doing his exercises so Peter and I both got the greatest hug. Of course we all cried. It was so good to see him off that bed. This is the greatest news for the week. Praise God. He was moving very slowly but he is moving. Obviously as he has not been out of bed in three weeks this tired him out for the next three hours but it was soo good. Robert has been talking on and off all day and had a bit of a conversation with the night nurse before I left his room tonight. It was so good to hear. It was very difficult to determine what he was saying but if you listen really hard we could make out enough to know what he said. This is so amazing. He is itching a lot just as if you had very bad sunburn, so think about him trying not to scratch. While he has made great progress he is still very groggy as the drugs are still in his system. He is off all medication now. There is still a long way to go as he learns to stand and balance and walk and talk. By the way he smiled at me tonight when I went into the room . That was really neat. He has a beautiful smile still. Peter and I had an appointment with the councillor Donna Fry at the mayor's office today and she was horrified at what had happened. She has taken on board our suggestions to improve the safety of the beach for all users, families, surfers and everybody. It is such a beautiful beach. They have already made the beaches a dry zone and she said she will talk to the fire department about making the fire pits safer. Her assistant drove us back to the hospital.. They are really lovely people and couldn't do enough to help us. Peter and I were on the news again last night with all five channels because they have released pictures and names of the two suspects, in the hope that someone will see them or know them or know where they are. This is a very exciting breakthrough for the case, It is only three weeks old. This is hoping it will hasten the closure of the case. Channel seven here have just interviewed us as a follow up on the story from last night and this is to be viewed in Adelaide tonight on the news. I don't know if you will get this in time. It is already 7.40pm here thursday night so I guess that means that you may see it good friday night. It is hard to keep track of the time. Catch you tomorrow. Much love to you all Happy Easter. May God bless you all really good. Celebrate Sunday - the rising of our beautiful Saviour. thankyou you all for the great emails today.. We received 25. Good job guys,. I will reply tomorrow as I needed to get this email out before the library closes. Love judy and peter

3.18.08 - What an exciting day today. They have been reducing the ativan and the fentinyl over the last few days and Robert is on very low doses now. Today when we went to see him Robert said hello to me when I spoke to him. He has a lot of trouble talking as he has had the tube in for so long but as I continued to talk with him and tell him where he is and what had happened he cried . It was great to see a response. Earlier he had said to Debbie "I had a fall" . Peter also came in and talked with him and told him how many friend we had heard from and how much love was coming his way and that we had been praying for him.. He cried again and that is OK because up to now we have not had any responses like this. The nurse was very pleased. Praise God for the great healing that is happening in Robert's life here. Physical, Mentally and spiritually. Keep those prayers coming. The next few days may be very difficult for Robert, and us, as he comes to terms with what has happened. He was still very groggy from all the drugs but later that morning the nurse Joann sat him up on the side of the bed for a couple of minutes. Yes she had lots of help to help in case he was unable to do that. It has been an exciting day . Thankyou all again for your support, your care and your prayers. love judy and peter

3.17.08 - Monday morning here in San Diego. A beautiful day. If I could send the change and the rain to you sunburnt people in Oz I would.. Hope you get a change soon. Robert is doing really well. They removed the breathing tube early this morning and he is moving around the bed but far less agitated than before. I rub his feet with the great messy ointment and his heart rate slows right down to normal and he sleeps. A mother's job is never done. His medication has been reduced to Ativan 1.5 and Fentanyl 4.00. This is a great improvement. Again God is is blessing Robert in that he is calmer than before when they tried this. The next step is to get the collar off so he feels free to move his head. He has rubbed his hair off the back of his head just like a baby as he has been lying on it now for 2 1/2 weeks. Pray that as he wakes up more he will not be distressed and he will be able to think clearly. He is following simple commands this morning and I am excited. This is great. We had a blest day yesterday at Jerry and Suzanne's service and God has again reassured us that he is in this thing from the beginning. Right from when Robert was pulled from the fire. Praise God for his great love and provision. We are very grateful. I can't say that enough. You know lots of people have expressed anger at the situation but Peter and I have talked about this and we just don't have any. All our energy is going towards caring for Robert. We are so grateful that God saved him from near death and is doing a major healing work in his life. He looks great. His hair is growing back and the wounds are healing amazingly. More later love judy and peter

3.16.08 - Visited Robert early this morning to check in before we went to a palm sunday service with jerry and suzanne. He rested well last night. He breathed on his own for 2 hours in the morning and for about 5 hours in the afternoon yesterday. They rested him last night on the ventilator. Today they want him to breathe on his own most of the day with the respirator c-papping him. That means that as he takes a breath the machine gives a puff to open his lungs a bit further so he gets more air into his lungs. He has done that all morning. We got back about 2.00 pm to see him very restless as he had pulled his feeding tube out and was very agitated. his heart rate goes up very high when he is distressed. Teresa his RN is great and very gentle with him. It took four of us to hold him while he calmed down , the respiratory nurse put him back on the ventilator so he could rest, so he may have lost weight but he is still very strong. Teresa is now replacing the feeding tube and calming him so we have gone for a walk to our favourite place. The library to talk to you guys. Today they want to begin weaning him off the atavin (the relaxation medication) and lower the pain medication so they came extubate him tomorrow. that will be great. As soon as he copes with that he can begin to communicate with the doctors about his neck and get rid of the collar . One step at a time but all have to be finely timed to give the best result. thanks Corinne about the morphine they now have hime on fentanyl (spelling). He hasn't had the rash since. Continue praying that Robert will be calm as he become lucid and that the progression will be successful. The service this morning was fabulous with two choirs combining for the special palm sunday service. The music was interspersed with readings from the Bible and brief dialogue about the readings. It was a very moving service. At the end the pastor asked us to think about how God had showed his love to us this week. Of course my thoughts went straight to Robert because God has saved him from the brink through the care of a homeless man. We will be eternally grateful to that homeless guy who had enough compassion to act and not just pass by - doesn't this sound a bit like the story of the good samaritan. Praise God for His GREAT LOVE for us and it shows the extent He will go to to bring us back. Our love and thanks to all bless you judy and peter

3.15.08 - Hi everyone added three more contacts today. Thankyou all for your concern Not much to report today in changes except that the doctors want to get robert ex-tubated. That means they want to get the breathing tube out so he can talk and become more aware of where he is and whats going on. To do that they have to reduce his pain and relaxation medication. The complex balance is that they do not want him anxious as he tries to climb out of bed, his heart rate goes up dramatically, and moves around in the bed and they are afraid he will dmaage the grafting as the worst one is on his back from his shoulder blade to his bottom. He has a slight infection in his lungs because he has been on the tube for a while now. They clear him every so often and they exercise his lungs with a special machine. Its amazing to watch. So our prayers for today and the next few are that as they reduce the medication that Robert comes out of it calmy and does not get distressed. We are constantly telling him he is safe and in hospital. That the nurses are great. Yes Nat, they just love him and its beautiful to hear how they speak to him. They stroke him just like I do and it is great to witness. We are also praying that as he becomes more lucid that his head will be clear and that he can understand that he is in a safe place. the burns are looking great and the donour sites are drying out nicely. his head wounds have healed amazingly in such short time. Because he is not moving around he has lost a bit of weight but still remains very strong as we try to keep him in the bed. It is cold and rainy here today so does that mean that you will have this tomorrow in Adelaide. Here's hoping. We have been on tv again........ If you want to see it look up KUSI.com. Hopefully that is the last time. Thanks again for all your love and support. It means a great deal to us here and Robert has some great reading material when he is awake. Love judy and peter

3.14.08 - A rough day yesterday. There were some sadnessess in the house yesterday where we are staying and it affects everyone as we have developed a bond with the other families in the house. Doesn't matter how bad it is for you, there is always someone in a worse state and that came through loud and clear yesterday. Robert is still immobilised and they are talking about bringing him around today, so we will just wait and see. Debbie and Glen are talking about coming out on Monday as it is spring break, so that will be good. Otherwise nothing to report. love you guys, please just praying that the insurance co. will absolutely do what is best for Robert's health and not their pockets in the repatriation of Robert to Australia. You may get another email today depending what happens today.

 

3.13.08 - This feels a bit like ground hog day. We did a walk It was a little warm on the trot but not like you are getting over in Oz. Not much to report today. Robert sleeping. We had a sleep today as we think next week could be a little hectic round the clock bed watching. I had a headache and Peter was weary as we had a rather late night last night. The burns look like they are healing well. The prognosis is that he will be here for another 8 -10 days in this unit. Dr. Dhavo indicated that the skin graft sites are adhering well. They have him on an insulin drip to control his sugar because they want his levels to stay between 80-140. This is when the body heals the best. They test these levels every hour. He has an IV line in his chest now for all the drugs and medications and to take blood. They dont have to stick him anymore. More news tomorrow.

 

 

Frank Montoya and Damien Maple are 2 suspects that authorities are looking for in connection to Roberts assault. Anyone with information is encouraged to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS.

UPDATE 4.1.08

Two transients charged in the beating of an Australian tourist in Ocean Beach in February were arrested in Idaho and Oregon on Monday, authorities said. Advertisement Damian Maple, 21, was found hiding under a bed at the home of an acquaintance in Coolin, in a remote area of northern Idaho, said Greg Doss, supervising U.S. marshal in San Diego. Frank Montoya, 46, was arrested by Eugene, Ore., police and booked into county jail there about 4 p.m., a Lane County jail clerk said. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office charged Maple and Montoya last week with aggravated mayhem and torture in the attack Feb. 27 on Robert Schneider. Schneider, 26, was beaten unconscious with a skateboard, then pushed into a smoldering fire on the beach. He remains hospitalized with major burns and fractures. Doss said Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip Friday that Maple was in Idaho. The tip was passed on to marshals in Idaho. Marshals and Bonner County sheriff's deputies went to the home in Coolin about 8 a.m. Monday and removed a woman and two children before finding Maple, Doss said. Maple faces additional charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery. Maple and Montoya could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.