Reconstruction: August 2005

8/31/05
On Monday 8/29, Nikki was visited again by our local NBC television affiliate. They were doing a follow up on Nikki, to see how she had progressed since their last visit in November 2004.

The day got off to a rough start. The news crew had wanted to be with Nikki during her physical therapy at OSU early that morning. They contacted Nikki the night before, and she agreed to this. Unfortunately, when the crew arrived at the clinic Monday morning, no one was expecting them, and the staff on duty wasn't sure how to handle them. In the end, the crew was finally refused admittance, in the interest of patient confidentiality (several patients are there at once). As it turned out later, a simple five minute call to the Communications office would have cleared the visit. Live and learn.

The crew then regrouped, and arranged to interview Nikki at home. My wife and I got a 20 minute warning to get ready for them. As my wife does childcare in the home, she had to do something with six noisy little kids, while she straightened up the house. When the crew arrived, she retreated to our large bedroom with the kids, leaving me to deal with the crew.

It was the same anchor person as before, so we knew each other. They quickly set up, and began chatting with Nikki. Very low-key, very pleasant. The news anchor, Monique, was amazed at the differences in Nikki in just nine months. Nikki also managed to work in her interest in starting a burn support group in central Ohio, just to plant the seed. NBC was quick to pounce on that as a point to follow up on later. Nikki had me help her with a few simple exercises for the camera, to help make up for the botched therapy session. The segment aired on Columbus TV 4 at 5pm & 11pm, and was well done. As of today, I haven't seen the film posted on the website yet. There is a brief article, though, with a small slide show, at this address:

http://www.nbc4i.com/news/4911530/detail.html

On the medical side, Nikki has another surgery coming up very shortly. This will focus on her nose and the outside corner of her right eye. A small patch will be shaved on the back of her head, and a small sheet graft harvested from there. Then a small piece of bone will be taken from the skull by Dr. Gordillo, to be used in rebuilding the bridge of Nikki's nose (it's very flat right now). After that, Dr. Katz will begin reworking the outer corner of her eye, in an effort to make it look more natural. When he's done with that, the graft from the back of her head will be placed by the eye, down the side of the upper cheek. Nikki will be hospitalized for a couple of days after this one.

Nikki continues to enjoy working, having several shifts per week. She's requalified for serving now, and hopes to begin picking up some server shifts this week. She's also scheduled her first real meeting with hospital staff concerning a burn support group, which she's very excited about.
I'll have more shortly... take care.

8/15/05
Mostly some housekeeping chores for the web page today. The darn thing's gotten so large that people with dialup connections really suffer through some long download times. Therefore, I've split the page into two parts, putting older items on the second page, which is accessible by clicking links from the main page.

Also today, Nikki wanted to put up a couple of pictures taken since the many surgeries that she's had. Unfortunately, these are "pictures of pictures", and not very good quality, so they'll be replaced soon with better ones. They've been included at the top of this page for now. We're also working on putting up many more pictures of Nikki on a separate photo web site, the link to which we'll make available when it's ready.

Nothing new medically as of today. Nikki has three doctor appointments this week, and I might have something new afterwards. She continues to work, getting used to being on her feet for long periods again. She's having a blast so far. More when I have it....

08/06/05
Yep, it's another milestone for Nikki today- she returned to work! True, it's only 2 or 3 shifts a week, and it's hosting, not bartending... but it's an important step toward self-sufficiency!

Nikki spent the past week getting the blessings of her doctors, therapists, Social Security, Medicaid, and her old workplace, The Cheesecake Factory, here in Columbus. Everything came together nicely, and she started today with a five hour shift.

There was never any doubt that Nikki would be returning to The Cheesecake Factory. She helped to open the one in Columbus, which is the first in Ohio. She had a lot of upscale serving experience when hired there, and worked as a server for four years. She became interested in bartending due to the complexity and potential earnings, was allowed to test for it, and then bartended for a year. She was good enough to be invited to the new Cleveland location (along with her manager at Columbus) to be their senior bartender, responsible for scheduling and inventory of the bar. She was still working there when she had her accident, although she had already decided to return to Columbus, where a position with her original Cheesecake awaited her.

Nikki's goal is to host for a while on a light schedule, to get used to working & the very rapid pace of Cheesecake once again. When she's comfortable, she'll begin to pick up shifts as a server. She's already been told that her server certification is still good (yes, you have to test & be certified for both serving and bartending there). She'll eventually work into full time serving again, as her limitations allow. She still doesn't have the range of motion necessary for bartending as of yet.... too much reaching, stretching, fast motions, etc. When physically able, though, they'll put her on the list for promotion for bartending again, as an experienced bartender.

Cheesecake is well aware of the many surgeries still ahead of her, and are ready to work around prolonged absences, work restrictions, etc. The management of this fine establishment is a great group of people, and a good representation of the quality of people that The Cheesecake Factory has working for them. Nikki's been given the opportunity to write her own schedule, along with any restrictions she feels necessary. How many places would do that for a young employee? Anyone that lives near a Cheesecake Factory should visit often, and look with favor on this great company.

Social Security & Medicaid have proven easy to work with. Maybe because they're so sick & tired of fighting malingerers and other abusers, a young lady itching to return to work is a breath of fresh air. Ohio provides a nine month transitional program for people like Nikki, allowing her to work as she's able, without sacrificing benefits. She does have to pay more for her medical benefits as her income increases, which is to be expected. It'll be 90 days before she qualifies for medical again at Cheesecake. I'm sure their insurer is dying to have her back, after paying nearly $400,000 for her last year. Medicaid's paid another $200,000 or so here in Columbus.
Nikki's first shift has just ended as I'm typing this, and I'm waiting for her call to go & get her. It's been exactly one year & 8 days since her last shift at the Cleveland location.... wonder what she'll have to talk about?