02/07/05
  Joey has had somewhat of a breakthrough, but has also been feeling a bit sick lately. The Staph infection has gone away, however there was something wrong with the old feeding tube as it was making Joey sick and had to be replaced with a new one. He has been accepting food and has even taken a popsicle and bitten some off as he usually would have! The therapist had visited last night and had Joey sit up with some assistance to keep his head still. He was doing so well, that they wanted to stand him up, which he did for about six or seven minutes with only slight trembling in his right leg. He stood pretty solid and the therapist was absolutely astonished. A new Trust Fund is being set-up and the first one will be changing to remove Ronald McDonald House from the cooperation. Details can be found on the Donate Page. Joeys father, Charles Infantino, will be sitting down for an interview tomorrow night through local FOX news channel 5 . Also a silent auction will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday February 9, 2005 coordinated by Steve Hunt at the Cavalier Club and Restaurant - 3850 E. Desert Inn Road Las Vegas, NV 89121. This will also be posted temporarily on the front home page for easy viewing. There has been so much news to report and countless prayers answered; we hope that everyone continue their support and kindness throughout. Thank You and God Bless !!!

  02/06/05
  Joey looks better everyday. He is showing some signs of short-term memory and some dexterity with his left arm. I practiced with him hitting a balloon next to his side and he hit it on his own more than once. He has also been more receptive to exercising. We installed a soft cast on his left arm to keep him from bending it & tucking it under his chin. As for the surgery, the decision has been made to have the surgery done at the rehab hospital in Phoenix. Nurses tell us that they expect to send him to Phoenix sometime this upcoming week (probably on Wed or Thurs 2/9 or 2/10). We were told he will probably go to the Phoenix Memorial Children's Hospital for Rehab. We will transfer to the Ronald Mc Donald House in Phoenix. Joey does not like his head being touched when we move him around on the bed. He stiffens & winces as if it hurts to move his head. Nurses say it is only a reaction & that he really isn't in pain. More on the Phoenix situation to come soon....

  02/03/05
  Joey has been gradually improving over the last few days. He appears to have a lot more focus, often looking over at the televison as if to be watching it and will smile upon being tickled. He has been showing motion deficit in curling his right arm and will have a brace put on to keep it fairly straight. The earliest he will have his skull re-mended may be 2-3 months, maybe more depending on the swelling and amount of fluid in his head. The feeding tube operation should take place tomorrow at the latest and should remain in his stomach until he can swallow food on his own. He is now only on a medication for the seizures and some antibiotics for the staph infection he has contracted.

  01/30/05
  They removed the breathing tube 3 days ago and replaced it with a clear mask hooked up to a bottle containing fluids for him to breathe a mist that is designed to reduce the swelling in his throat, caused by the breathing tube. It had been determined that Joey did not need the assistance of the respirator and was nearing the ability to swollow. Today, they removed the mask. His feeding tube to his stomach was rerouted through his nostril, again to provide the option of swollowing. The future plan is to gradually introduce food into his mouth to see if he can swollow it without it entering his lungs. It will begin with a little bit of pudding placed on his tongue. If that works for a few days they will gradually increase the amount. If he shows he can swollow and digest the food, they will consider a timetable to remove the feeding tube and introduce more complex foods. They will use a barium solution to track the food through his digestive system by xrays. He is not ready for this step yet so an incision will be made and a tube will be passed thru to his stomach in order for him to be admitted into a rehabilitational facility. This would continue until they deem him ready for the food testing. The hospital is already searching the Phoenix area for a facility that may be ready to accept Joey.

  At present, Joey has shown the early signs of cognition. His eyes show a delayed response to moving objects, though it is still intermittent, it is clear he is trying to focus on a balloon above his head and a small prayer bear he took to bed with him every night. He has shown less "posturing" with his hands and legs and seems to have more movements (purposeful movements) than ever before. His physical therapy is becoming slightly more aggressive. He extends both arms above his head by himself and has moved his head from side to side. He folds both legs at the knees (right now, the left side seems to be more active than the right side). He has made a few sounds from his throat, but nurses believe it is just accidental, at this point. He finally got a haircut. With the haircut and the breathing tube removed and neck brace removed, he is looking more like "Joey" than ever. The facial swelling is now minimal and the staples across his skull were removed. The wound is healing nicely. He still has some brain swelling and minimal bleeding. There is some blood behind his right eye. Both eyes appear to be functioning. The pneumonia is gone and his fever has been consistently around 99. His blood gases are normal and all systems appear to be functioning normally. Doctors have mentioned possibly replacing his skull in 3 weeks. He would need to be flown back from the Arizona Rehab hospital for this surgery. He would need to wear a helmet to protect his skull for the 2-3 months it would take for the skull to mend. The brain still has lots of healing to do and doctors say that it can take another year before we really know what the lasting effects of the brain injury will be.

 Joey's Kindergarten teacher will be visiting him today. His teacher, Mr. Birmingham, will be bringing lots of Valentine cards and photographs from his classmates and letters from parents. The outpouring of love, prayers and compassion for Joey continues. The local LV Fox affiliate, Channel 5, will interview Joey's parents for the 8 am morning news show, hosted by anchorman John Huck, on Tuesday Feb. 8th. There will be pictures of Joey and a silent auction held to benefit his Trust Fund. Fundraisers in Michigan, Nevada and New York have been started, sponsored by church groups, business groups, family members and a local Las Vegas restaurant, The Cavalier.

  Joey has defied the odds, so far. He is a very strong little boy, as those who know him can attest. If he does have speech, motion or learning deficits, he will certainly strive to overcome them, somehow, in his lifetime. If he could talk today, we know he would say he can do it.

  01/26/05
  Joey's MRI came back negative, no cervical injuries whatsoever. He should have the breathing tube removed by Friday as he is already doing the breathing himself. The doctors have put splints on his hands so that he is not constantly closing his fist and limiting muscle movement, much like the boots on his feet. His temperature has been bouncing up and down most likely due to his brains inability to properly control it. His skull may or may not be put back in place, depending on the swelling inside his head.. Only time will tell. More to come within the next few days. Thanks again for visiting!   01/24/05
  Joey's latest CatScan results came in today with some fairly good results. The orbital fractures around his right eye seemed to have healed on their own because they do not show up in the scan. The eye doctor will further evaluate and explain that condition in more detail tomorrow.

  The breathing tube is to remain in for at least a couple more days, however the respirator is not breathing for him. After a few days of observation the tube may be taken out all together depending on his situation. Joey is being administered anti-seizure mediacations and sedatives for his fever and may have to take these drugs for quite some time. He is still in the coma and the doctors are optimistic that he may come to within the next week. They are becoming alot less concerned with paralysis as Joey has moved just about everything on his own and is exercised by his parents more than three times a day. He has become alot less resistant to the exercises and is seeming to loosen up with them. The doctors are showing concern to permanant motion deficits or limitations but cannot make any solid predictions. Joey had an MRI done and the results for that test wont be due for another couple days as well. The MRI will determine if there are any neck or spinal injuries from the accident.

  On another subject; Doctors are expecting to release and discharge Joey from Intensive Care and the hospital together within the next two weeks. He will need to be moved into a rehabilitational facility to continue his care. Not much has been discussed about this as of yet, so there isn't much to tell. None of the Las Vegas area centers would accept Joey as a patient, so as a result he and his family will most likely have to be moved to Phoenix. They will be transferring to another Ronald McDonald House in the area. Many thanks goes to the Ronald McDonald foundation and to all of you who have helped in support, prayer, and donations - Every little bit is helping and we hope to continue to see the same kindness and love as we have seen since this all started.   01/21/05
  The last two days have been up and down. Joey has had both eyes open for short periods of time and has moved both arms, both hands, and both legs. The right side is obviously stronger and more active.

  His fever dropped, but then spiked to over 103. There have been four or five episodes of vomiting and one significant seizure where he bit his tongue and bled for awhile. Due to the persistent fever (over 48 hrs and counting) his antibiotic was changed and a spinal tap was performed. Doctors believe he may have a brain infection, which was anticipated due to the damaged membranes and ear leakage. The membrane has finally healed and the leakage stopped. Doctors have him on anti-seizure medication. The results of the spinal tap most likely wont be in until Sunday. His swelling is nearly gone and they may try to replace the portion of his skull that was removed in another two weeks. Doctors also believe Joey may be able to start rehab in another three or four weeks if things continue to go well. There is limited availability in Las vegas, so rehab facilities in California and Phoenix are being considered. Joey has shown no recognition yet; that process may take another few weeks.

  Joey's family is overwhelmed by the response to this website and guestbook with all the good wishes and prayers from Afghanistan, Canada, and all over the United States. We truly believe the prayers are working. Joey is nine days post surgery and has come a very long way. The helicopter EMT visited him yesterday and told his mother that he never expected Joey to make it to the hospital alive, let alone survive the brain surgery. He is one strong little boy with lots of friends talking to God.

  01/19/05
  Today Joey displayed some slight motor skills by moving his arms, legs and head around. He will also grasp weakly and try to hold hands and open his eyes a little, but is still very much in a coma. His temperature has dropped a bit and he seems to be shaking it off slowly. So, the updates will keep coming.. Thank you all for your continued support!!

  01/18/05
  As of January 18, Joey's condition has improved. The recent CAT SCAN revealed a small area of blood and damaged brain tissue on the right frontal lobe which will eventually be surgically removed to prevent infection. Approximately seventy percent of the frontal lobe was irreversibly damaged or removed. This area controls high learning, motor skills, and personality. His personality and memory were wiped out. The swelling has dropped to nearly normal levels and his brain is properly positioned allowing the doctors to believe that they can re-insert the portion of his skull that was removed. Joey is being weened off the Pentobarb, which has kept him in the coma. He may regain consciousness in the next week. Doctors say he may just stare for a day or two then gradually look around and try to focus or he may never get beyond the staring. We won't know for awhile whether he will be cognizent of anything or be able to interact with others. Interaction is absolutely neccesary for his rehabilitation.

  Doctors have removed the EEG, the veinous feeding, the body cooling unit and blood pressure medication, as he has shown the ability to maintain stability without these aides. A feeding tube sends formula directly to his belly. He is breathing sixty percent on his own. He has a bit of pneumonia, which is being treated. He coughs and moves a little, so there is some motor capability. His arms are restrained so that he cannot pull the feeding and breathing tubes from his mouth. He has staples on the top of his head from the surgery. The facial swelling has disappeared and with the increased body temperature his color has returned. This afternoon his temperature rose to 102 degrees, the doctors believe it will come down on its own. Other than the orbital eye fracture, there appears to be no other injuries. Doctors expect Joey to awaken soon. He will not need aides, as he continues to breathe on his own. Nobody is willing to comment on what will happen in the next few weeks. Joey will have some disabilities that will continue all of his life. Based on the responses to the website and prayer chains he has alot of friends who care and we are all grateful for that. Thank you all for your generosity, support, and prayers.

01/16/05
  Joey has continued to improve, however he has contracted pneumonia and is being medicated for this condition. Joey's blood pressure is stable at the present time as well as pulse, and temperature. Joey continues to be in a medically induced coma and will stay this way for the next week or so. The fluid coming out his ears from his brain has begun to dry up some, however, the doctor said if this doesn't heal within the next week they will have to perform another surgery to close it for the chance of infections is much higher if this doesn't repair itself.