Updates on Justin Weeks
UPDATE
1/3/10
Happy New Year ...
That statement could not be truer ... I left Justin’s house Saturday morning and about two hours on the road later ... I got yet another exciting text video of him moving his RIGHT LEG! ... Whoo Hoo! Watch out 2010 Justin is fighting harder now more than ever ... and I am excited to see how the next few weeks will go (since Justin did not have physical therapy over christmas and new years) and will go back this Monday! January fourth.
Previously before January third, Justin had more feeling below the nipples, but not much farther past that. He has numbness from a little bit below the breast line to his feet. He did have MOVEMENT on his left toes, foot, ankle, leg, and was able to bend his knee and bring his leg to his chest (laying or sitting down)
Justin calls his “feeling” that he does have “novocain like” ... he says “ I can feel it deep down but I can’t feel the top, the skin part ... I can’t feel when you are pushing on me, but I can feel it when you push down.”
Thats as good as I can describe what he feels, because thats about all I can take away from it all ... he says its the weirdest feeling ever, and has a hard time describing it.
So NOW on January 3rd 2010 he discovered he can move his right leg and everything mentioned above. Another reason to be so excited about him moving his right leg is that his hip on the right side is causing him problems. Im not sure what exactly is wrong with it ... During stretches his ride side restricts him from doing what the left side is capable of. Monday January 4th Justin will be having an MRI to examine what is wrong with his hip. At the time we thought his hip was restricting him from moving his right side, and he could only move his right foot when we twisted the leg towards the inside of his leg. But now with him moving his right leg ... Who knows ... The Test results will be able to give us answers, but the fact he is moving it now ... I couldn’t be happier.
Justin spends a lot of time doing excersizes every morning with the parents. From stretching, working out, and a custom walker his dad made so Justin can stand up for twenty minutes at a time everyday. If anyone has information on stretching, or excersizes idea’s for Justin or maybe some idea’s please email us! If anyone has tools/equipment they would like to donate or sell please contact us also, Anything will help. The contact information is provided on the site.
Anyone still interested in buying a believe shirt PLEASE DO! We have left overs from mini o’s and it helps so much by purchasing one. Especially being able to go to SCI who is doing amazing work with Justin, if you haven’t checked them out please go to http://www.sci-step.com/ and check out Patients and Photos .. you can find video’s of Justin on there working hard in therapy.
Again, please email LLLinds130@gmail.com and provide her with Information on what size and that you would like to purchase one. She (Lindsey Scheltema) has been there since the beginning and is doing everything she can to help. Things wouldn’t be possible without her. The shirts are just 15.00, and also blue wrist bands are just 5.00 and EVERYTHING goes to Justin and his recovery.
Also please check out the donation page ... anything and everything helps!
Please check out the galleries! Photo's of what the shirts look like are included ... I apologize for the delay, I finally got some time to sort these out and share them with you! Thank you to everyone that bought a shirt down there! We raised some serious money!! THANK YOU!
Everyone have a great week, and good luck with your racing!
-Maria
UPDATE 12/26/09
I hope everyone is enjoying time off school, and spending time with family. Justin has improved a ton since mini o's. His left leg and foot have improved a ton, and they seem to be getting stronger everyday. Therapists discovered that his hip on the right side is out of place restricting him to be able to move his right leg/foot normally and things are being worked on right now to fix that problem. I apologize for the late update, with getting back from mini o's I went straight into finals, work, and then planning other fundraisers along with time to go see Justin. I will be going down to see him over new years and plan on getting some video of him moving his leg on the site as soon as the holidays are over and things wind down. Again I aplogize for not updating since mini o's ... There has been just so much in such little time going on.
I would like to thank everyone that attended mini o's again and those who helped justin down there. Those who donated thank you so much, because of you Justin is getting the therapy he needs to someday walk again. Thank you all so much, I promise a bigger and more elaborate update when I get back after new years from Justins. Thank you all, and stay safe! Also, you can donate on this site, just click on the donation tab! Thank you!
UPDATE
11/2/09
Even more improvement ...
Thank you all for staying updated on Justin’s recovery. You all have been a huge benefit to Justin and keep him strong. This halloween weekend I visited Justin with Trevor Donie (who is recovering amazingly, and can go short distances with crutches).
Right away Justin was proud to show us that he can move his left foot, rotate his left foot, bend his toes, and even more impressive BEND HIS KNEE and raise his leg to his pelvic area (all on the left side.) Also Justin mentioned that he has a strong tingling sensation through his legs, but still no visual movement on the right side. During morning stretches you can feel muscles working in his body but cannot visually see movement for example, like his toes moving.
Justin will start therapy this week and in weeks to come possibly get a full time schedule of out patient therapy to where he would go up to five times a week. It is still really early since his accident to start therapy, but with the recovery he is making therapy might be the best thing to do.
Thank you all for participating in the one dollar per site visit idea, people really started to get the idea and donate money. Justin’s therapy is going to cost a lot, and now that we know there is hope, I am going to do my best in order to make sure Justin gets all the therapy he needs in order to recover, and hopefully eventually walk ... or even ride again. The motocross community has been so supportive and we cannot thank you enough, its been unreal this whole thing ... Justin would not be what he is doing today without all of you, its so amazing thank you for all the support.
Please remember that we have shirts, bracelets, and sticker that can be ordered through Lindsey Scheltema, LLLinds130@gmail.com If you look through the photo album they are the black shirts with white writing. We have sizes s-xl and they are 20.00 the bracelets are blue with black writing and they are 5.00 .. and stickers are 5.00 for the big ones, and 3.00 for the small (cell phone) stickers. Justin needs our help, badly. Every dime will be given to Justin through these orders, and they will all go to him.
Thank you everyone, please remember to donate anything will help!
UPDATE
10/25/09
At this very moment 88,796 people have visited Justin’s website since
the accident. That is an astonishing number and it continues to grow with
every update. We have received donations from 5.00 to 2,000 from people and
its amazing how much everyone has donated. I’d like to throw this idea
out there hoping it might catch on. If everyone was to donate 1.00 every time
they visited the site, we would have 88,795 dollars to give to the Weeks family.
Im sad to say that our numbers don’t come close. I would like to post
the number of how much money we have raised but for the privacy of the Weeks
family I would like to keep it private. I would just like to throw that perspective
out there and see what happens.
This Thursday around 10:30 I was sitting in my class at school when I got
a video message from Justin on my cell phone and it was a video of him moving
his toes up and down. At first I was in disbelief, and thought it was a muscle
spasm so I texted back asking “Are you doing that? Is that you controlling
your foot?” a couple of seconds went by and then I got the text saying
“ YESSSSSSSSSS Yes I did, OMG I can move my foot Maria!”
Justin was able to move his toes on the Left side up and down and he was able
to have control over them. He was able to move them up when his dad told him
to move them up, and down when he was told to move them down. Justin described
the FEELING part of the toes as a “strong tingling sensation”
so he cannot actually feel just yet, but he is able to control his toes and
move them back and forth.
Then after his morning stretches (and his exciting toe movement) his family
had an appointment with SCI Step an out-patient rehabilitation program for
individuals with spinal cord injuries. Justin checked the place out and was
talking to one of the therapists and showed off his toe movement. Within their
three hour visit of talking and testing out what would be right for Justin,
SCI was able to get Justin’s ankle and foot moving. Justin was able
to rotate his foot in a small circular motion, and also move his whole foot
up and down. Also when Justin is in his chair, he can get his whole leg swinging
by practicing his foot movement. This is all on the left side, and nothing
had come about his right side, all taking place on Thursday (10/22)
I arrived at Justin’s house late thursday night and was shocked at his
movement. We got ready for bed and woke up friday morning to take his medication
and to start the stretches at 9:00 sharp. Justin was able to move his foot
still and his dad continued to do the same stretches he did the day before.
I helped out by holding one leg, while his dad held the other and we moved
Justin’s legs in a running motion to switch it up a little bit. Then
his dad continued to stretch him ...
This is difficult to explain without having a visual example, but I will explain
to the best I can. Justin was laying flat on his back with his legs straight
in front of him. His dad bent his legs, so his knees were bent and right in
front of him (his feet close to his butt) then spread his legs to stretch
out the groin area. The weight alone would stretch the muscle. With a knee
at both of his sides, waiting a while to stretch them out his dad asked Justin
to bring his knees together. (At this point they are spread apart remember)
With some struggle and gripping the sides of the bed, Justin gave everything
he could and ... He was able to bring his knees together in front of him.
A very strong left side, and a weaker right side, but in all they came together.
Now, hopefully that was not confusing to you, to clear it up he cannot bend
his knees, in this stretch they are already bent because of the position he
is in. Then his legs and knees are spread apart, and he was able to bring
them to a close in front of him.
Justin was only able to do this a few times before he got tired quickly, then
we worked on some abdominal stretches and left it at that for him to relax.
He spent the whole day out of the house, and drove around town seeing some
close friends and also making a visit to MotoXtremes. That night he had his
first steak since the accident, and almost fell asleep at dinner because he
was so exhausted from the day. He has not been this active in over a month.
Saturday morning’s stretches came and he was able to move his left foot
again, and also bring his knees to a close in front of him, but this time
his right site was in sync with his left and was almost equally strong. Again
on saturday he spent the entire day out of the house, and it wore him quickly.
Saturday night I was taking care of his feet and I was rubbing the right foot
(the one he has not been able to move) I was just toying around with his big
toe, flicking it back and forth and asking him to move it if he could, or
if he had any sensation. He kept saying no, and then all of a sudden a very
very, very small flick of the RIGHT big toe moved. It moved almost four times
after that then that was all he was able to do.
Sunday morning he was not able to move it so I am not sure what to make of
that. These improvements are ... incredible Im speechless. It’s hard
not to get ahead of myself I hope there will be more to come, everyone’s
prayers and thoughts must be getting heard because Justin is almost (this
tuesday) two months since the accident and this type of recovery doesn’t
happen very often.
Justin’s family has not had time to really sit down and talk about what
or how much Justin will need, and is not asking for anything. Lindsey and
I took it upon ourselves to raise money for Justin and his family. With this
type of recovery so soon, I hope more can come but it is going to take lots
of physical therapy that is going to cost a lot. It is not my position to
talk about what kind of insurance the family has or what it covers all I can
say or do is tell you all that Justin needs our help. The therapy is what
is going to get him to walk again, and Im just hoping and praying that things
will start to come together like it did this weekend.
Justin goes into surgery Monday to remove a blood clot protector out of his
body (im not sure what it is called) but it will take most of the day and
he will be under again, hopefully not setting back his new discovery and improvements.
Justin’s ability to get around the house is somewhat limited but a machine
was installed allowing him to go up the stairs and down the stairs and his
transfers from the machine improve with every ride up and down. Also Justin
was able to transfer from a Honda CRV to a wheelchair almost flawlessly, his
arms are getting bigger each time I see him. Im not sure what to make of Justin’s
new discovery and accomplishment, of course it is amazing and hard not to
jump up and down, and cry with happiness but I hope more can come, and I strongly
believe this would not have happen without Justin’s strong determination
and all the support you have given him. The family is beside themselves, and
I wish I could come up to everyone and thank them personally for all the hard
work they have been doing for Justin.
We hope to have something at Mini O’s that will raise money for Justin,
it will be the first national since the accident and Justin might make an
appearance and go down for a couple of days considering what his therapy schedule
is like and if he is able to. Thank you all for everything and being patient
over the weekend to hear the news. I just really hope we can get Justin into
a good therapy place where he can regain more movement and hopefully walk
again. I know it will take time, but with everyone’s prayers its amazing
what things can happen.
UPDATE
10/18/09
All the metal in Justin’s mouth has been removed for good, so wires,
and the things that hold them together shut have been completely removed.
Now they are just focusing on what they need to do for Justin’s outpatient
therapy and what else is out there being offered to get him walking again.
Justin is remaining very confident and strong about his whole ordeal. I have
gotten several questions of how he has been handling everything, and the truth
is, he is acting exactly how you react to when your bike dies on the track
... You walk it off, fix it, and ride again. So he’s still very positive,
as am I and everyone supporting Justin. Until the transition of him being
home is final, there is not to much to update on. Now its all up to time to
tell what exactly will be happening for Justin, if any movement happens, or
he tries something experimental it will be posted clearly on here what is
going on, but until something happens we just have to stay positive for him
and keep supporting his recovery. Everyone has been doing such a great job,
thank you all.
This weekend had an awesome turn out for the Justin Weeks benefit ride. Saturday
Oct 17th we held a benefit ride for Justin in Michigan (where i am from) and
even saw a good group of Ohio/Kentucky boys drive up for the event! Which
was very cool of them to come hang out and support. The event had a great
day, on the chilly side but overall great weather and raised money for Justin!
So thank to everyone that came out and supported, I hope you all had a great
time.
Up coming events for Justin and more benefits and support can be found at
the upcoming Monster Mash, and also Mini O’s this year. Justin might
actually be able to make a showing at Mini O’s and hopefully his recovery
continues to inspire others and he is able to keep up the awesome work to
where he would actually be able to go and hang out!
Thank you all for your support it means so much to the family in more ways
than you could ever imagine. The only way to really put it in perspective
it to visualize yourself in their shoes. Everything from donating, reaching
out to Justin, saying hi, and a few prayers and more than we could ever imagine.
So thank you all for your hard work and dedication for Justin. I’d like
to think of motocross as a family, and our family has helped out so much,
all the words that I can think of can’t measure up to the emotions I
feel or the thankfulness we all have. So I hope you all had a great weekend
and stayed safe. I know halloween is coming up, you all better have your costume’s
prepared! ... Thank you for everything, and be sure to check out the photo
gallery right here on Justin’s site. If you have a picture you would
like to see posted on here send it to
Thanks everyone!
Justin and Maria
We will be selling Weeks t-shirts, stickers, and bracelets. Food will be provided,
and we will have open fires for people to cook their hot dogs over. We are
trying to provide a fun filled environment that can be enjoyed by everyone.
All proceeds will go to the Justin Weeks Recovery fund, including gate fee,
riding fee, and all raffles. It's going to be awesome and we are all very
excited for the turn out!
If you are unable to attend the event please spread the word and hopefully
we can get others to join in our awareness.
We are asking that if you could please print this flyer out and bring it to
your local shops and have them post it around. If you have a facebook, myspace,
twitter or any blogging organization we ask that you also set this flyer as
your default for the week and open up awareness.
Thank you to everyone and all your help. Thank you so so much. Things just
keep getting better.
Justin's attitude is getting more and more positive by the day and is continuing
being strong. (Maybe because he knows he is getting out soon) haha. He will
be released in the next few weeks and will return home. Also today was the
first day of eating pizza, and he told me over the phone it has never tasted
better. Justin is showing improvement in therapy and wowing the therapists
with his strength.
Everyone, please continue to do an awesome job of supporting Justin and his
family. Like I have said multiple times, words cannot describe the gratitude
they all have. Thank you again so much for everything. The stories you have
shared with us, and your moments of prayer is letting justin get by day by
day. I hope you all have a safe fun week and can make it out to MX131 (mx131.com)
this weekend.
VIEW FLYER
UPDATE
10/5/09
Justin is improving
everyday! Justin is able to sit up in the bed by himself and is able to transfer
himself to his wheelchair. He has been working also transferring to the toilet,
shower, chairs, benches, and gym mats. He has been eating more and just today
he finally got his wires of his mouth so he can open it once again. Its crazy
to think it has been a month now since the accident.
Justin has physical
therapy and occupational therapy and is doing awesome in both of them. He
can transfer himself to the gym mat alone. Justin can sit up right with no
backrest on a bench by himself and catch and throw a basketball without falling,
or losing balance. With that in mind, his balance could never be better he
is always doing wheelies in his wheelchair!
Justin will be
released from the hospital sometime in late October if everything goes according
to plan, and he is making an awesome recovery. He works so hard, and is determined
to never give up. He actually wants his physical therapist to push him, which
is understandable with the effort he is putting in and the success heÕs having
the therapists are nervous about pushing him. He just got the permission to
be able to pull and his back is still a little sore so he wonÕt be doing any
heavy exercises but he will continue to work them as his back starts to mend
and recover.
Justin has had
no sensation in his lower body yet. He has muscle spasms, and they are starting
to feel tight when his nurse or someone stretches out his legs, which are
a little problem that hopefully will be solved soon. To this day though there
has been no sensation or feeling from the chest down. His nerves are badly
damaged and will take some time to repair, thatÕs all we can count on now
is time.
Justin did get
a nice little surprise on Saturday. He finally was able to pick out his own
kitten that he will get to keep as soon as he gets home. The animal research
clinic is right next to the hospital and Justin was able to meet with the
people giving the kittens away and chose an all black one with white paws
and whiskers. Justin has named the kitten Archer after a little boy in Michigan.
The little boy
(I think he is around four years old) Archer got hurt in a lawn mowing accident
and was just a room over next to Justin in Michigan when he was in ICU. Archer
made Justin a card and was so excited to meet him, and even tried racing Justin
in his wheelchair. Then later that week Justin gave him a toy dirt bike and
told him it was Ricky Carmichael and Archer kept saying ÒNope its you, This
is Justin.Ó Later that night, come to find out he was Trevor DonieÕs roommate
at Hurley for a night and Trevor kept waking up to the sounds of Òbrrraappp
braaapppÓ a noise we are all to familiar with. We wish archer a full recovery,
and hopefully he is doing well. So that is why Justin decided to name the
kitten Archer.
There have been
so many people out there supporting Justin it is just unreal. I thank you
so so much, everyone! IÕm nervous to even mention a name because once I say
a persons name, 100 more people will run through my mind and you all deserve
a hug from us, and a sincere thank you. You all are apart of JustinÕs life
now and will always be even if you donÕt hear from him personally, you have
made a difference in his life and I thank you, and The Weeks family thanks
you so much. This sport is defiantly one of a kind and we are all one big
family, and thank you so much.
For other ways
to help out Justin besides doing a direct donation below are ways to help
him out. These people below I cannot thank them enough É to everyone! Everyone
that has helped thank you so much.
For T-shirts
contact
Lindsey Scheltema:
LLLinds130@gmail.com
Casaundra Regal:
casaundra_regal@yahoo.com
Ricky Sheerborn:
richyshehorn@hotmail.com
For Autographed
signed shirts by Justin, search Justin Weeks on eBay.
For a One time
only chance to win a custom painted helmet by Pant Saggin Designs please visit
their website. Its only 10.00 to enter!
http://www.pantsaggin.com/
This weekend
at the Delta Plex there will be shirts for sale, we will have a booth set
up.
There will be
an open day ride at Martin Mx 131 in Michigan on October 17
WHO: ANYONE.. racer, practice
riders, first time riders, kids, families.. its an
event for everyone!!
WHAT: Since it will be at MX131, we will have open
ride the entire time; but we're also going to have a lot of different fall-time
events for kids, adults, and spectators of all ages..
some activities include:
* Old fashioned hot dog roasting over fires
* Donut eating contests
* Pumpkin Catapult Contest- "See how far your
pumpkin goes!"
*Painting Pumpkins
* JUSTIN WEEKS SIGNED JERSEY RAFFLE!!
* "See how low you can go"...Limbo contests
* There is an RC car track, so if you have an RC car;
BRING THAT TOO!
* Also A Pee-Wee tracks for the little riders..
More details to come.. keep watching MX131.COM
WHEN: October 17
Rain Date: October 24
TIME: Noon to Dusk.
UPDATE
10/3/09
SICK CUSTOM PANT SAGGIN HELMET UP FOR
GRABS!
CHECK OUT THIS LINK AND DONATE MONEY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A ONCE IN A LIFETIME
PANT SAGGIN HELMET! ... Only team members are eligable to wear these sweet
designed helmets, now its your chance to help out a great cause and win one
for yourself! ... Check it out, all proceeds go to Justin Weeks! .... Can't
win unless you enter! ...
Thank you everyone! ...
http://www.pantsaggin.com/
http://pantsaggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97
UPDATE 9/29/09
Sorry for the delay,
I was waiting for more feedback and response from the Weeks family to post
something. I will be going down there for the weekend this Thursday till Sunday,
and will have more information to share with you all.
Justin is showing improvement strength wise; he is able to move around more
with his arms and can lift himself up and down, and side to side in the wheelchair.
He still has no feeling from the chest down.
There are a ton of fundraisers going on for Justin, if you would like to order
a Black T-shirt like the ones displayed at Comstock09. Big Air Motocross,
and pictured on face book you can contact Lindsey Scheltema
her email is LLLinds130@gmail.com She will respond to you from there. Also
we have bracelets, and stickers for order, that you can get from Lindsey also,
just email her and see what we have in stock.
Justin is being mentally strong through this process, and has not given up
once. The only thing bothering him is the four standard walls surrounding
him, and being enclosed at the hospital for so long, which is understandable
who would like to be in a hospital for a month or more?
I wanted to briefly update before the weekend, and then next week I will be
able to give you all a more in depth detailed picture of what exactly is going
on. There was a lack of eBay bidders for the Justin Weeks auction so I want
to go over what all we are doing for him, and how you can help Justin.
Ryan Sipes has put together a day riding school for Justin.
Saturday, October 3
Dylan Cox Motocross track in Whitesville, KY
Training from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Cost $100.00 (reduced)
Call Jeff Cox at (270) 929-9868 to reserve your spot.
All proceeds will go to Justin’s recovery!
Also Casaundra Regal will be at the Texas Pro Am at Swan
Mx
Selling T-shirts and collecting donations for Justin.
Please keep updated on how you can help Justin, The racing community and family
support has been unbelievable and I appreciate it so so much, thank you all
for your help, words cannot express the thank you enough.
Also stay posted for a possible photo gallery to come! With all of Justin
Weeks supporters out there!
UPDATE
9/25/09
Events sponsoring Justin Weeks! ... Help Raise Money to Support Justin’s
Race to Recovery!
Update this Sunday! ... Lots of progress, Long way to go ...Ryan Sipes has
put together a riding school to benefit the recently injured Justin Weeks.
Justin was racing at Freelin Mx, in Flint Michigan on 8/30/09. His back injury
has left him with no feeling from the chest down. Weeks also broke his jaw
and has it wired shut for 6 weeks. We are trying to help Justin and his family
out with all the expenses ranging from hospital, medicine, therapy, and everything
else that goes along with a life-changing injury that Justin suffered.
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2009
Where: Dyaln Cox's Motocross track in Whitesville, KY
Time: Training from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Cost: $100
Instructors: Ryan Sipes, Justin 'Pooh' Sipes, Jimmy Povolny, Michael Akaydin,
and Suspension Plus' Billy Willian
Call Jeff Cox @ (270) 929-9868 to reserve your spot.
http://simx-racing.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3682098&pid=35448100#post35448100
Lindsey & I will be selling Justin weeks shirts at Comstock09 THIS SATURDAY
and then Big air Motocross THIS SUNDAY! We will have adult S, M, L, and XL.AND
there will also be wristbands and stickers. Email or message lindsey if you
are unable to attend yet want a shirt. we can figure out a way for u to send
me the donation and ill send out a shirt! LLLinds130@gmail.com Thank you all
who have already ordered and donated for t shirts to help justin and his family.
http://www.comstock09.com/
http://www.bigairmotocross.com/
EBAY AUCTION FOR JUSTIN WEEKS 4 days left ... Us Open Tickets!
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=Justin+Weeks&_sacat=See-All-CategoriesCasaundra
Regal
AT THE TEXAS PRO CHALLENGE JUSTIN WEEKS T-SHIRTS WILL BE FOR SALE BY MISS
CASAUNDRA REGAL. PLEASE SEEK HER OUT AND SHE HAS THE SIZE S,M,L,XL. THE SHIRTS
WILL RUN FOR 20.00 AND ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE JUSTIN WEEKS RECOVERY FUND.
ALSO IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO MAKE THE EVENT PLEASE EMAIL HER AND SHE WILL GET
IN TOUCH WITH YOU ON HOW TO GET A SHIRT! GOD BLESS & THANK YOU FOR THE
SUPPORT!
Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 8:00am - Monday, October 5, 2009 at 6:00pm
Phone: 9038803860
Email: Casaundra_regal@yahoo.com
http://www.swanmx.com/
UPDATE
9/22/09
WMXF announces new items for injured rider Justin Weeks!
ANAHEIM, Calif., (Sept, 22 2009) – The WMXF has announced new
items for the EBAY auctions to raise money to help
Justin and his family with the costs that have been associated with this terrible
injury.
Due to the overwhelming response and the great products that have been donated,
we are doing another round on EBAY. Just in the last day, we received an autographed
set of Ryan Dungey’s custom throwback gear from Unadilla, autographed
Ronnie Lechien JT gear from the 80’s, autographed Dean Wilson MXoN Team
Canada Gear, One free set of clamps and a free revalve up to $1000 from RG3,
US Open tickets and much, much more!!!!
Please log on to EBAY and search by Justin Weeks. It is times like these when
our racing families can pull together to help others.
The eBay auctions will begin tomorrow, September 23rd at 5 am PST.
If you would like to donate products or services for the fundraiser please
email Jammi Robertson at jrobertson@thormx.com. For any additional questions,
please contact Antoinette Gress at wmxfmedia@aol.com .
The WMXF is a non-profit organization (501 c3) founded in 2003 to enhance
the motocross & supercross racing community. WMXF's mission is to support
racers or crew members who suffer racing injury; provide support to those
who suffer serious misfortune; provide financial support to benevolent organizations;
and contribute to the well-being of families in the professional motocross/supercross
community.
For more information on the WMXF, please log on to their website:
www.wmxf.org.
UPDATE 9/20/09
I
hope everyone enjoyed themselves over the weekend. I spent the weekend with
Justin at the Cincinnati Children’s hospital where he has just been
transferred a little over a week now. The environment in the hospital is so
upbeat and vibrant. It may be a children’s hospital but it beats looking
at white walls and old people all the time. At first Justin was rushed directly
into his room and was not given a chance to really look around. Today (Friday)
Justin and I went on a little adventure to the cafeteria which is 3 levels
down and quite a trip from his room, which was awesome so he could finally
see the hospital he was in and he is really starting to appreciate the good
hygiene and safety level the hospital has to offer. Justin’s schedule
is very busy, he wakes up early in the morning around eight or so and eats
a quick breakfast and then goes straight into therapy for some time, then
lunch, then back to therapy again. He has physical therapy, and also occupational
therapy.
Justin has lost a lot of weight because of the fact that his mouth is wired
shut. He has been drinking shakes and also protein supplements along with
some chicken gravy and soups, things along those lines.
Justin has had some moments that could potentially lead to bigger and better
things BUT THEY ARE NOT FACT, they are NOT things that are guaranteed but
they are defiantly bringing some light to the recovery process. Justin was
given a full body exam, and when they reached his toes. In his foot between
the big toe and second toe, he was able to feel the doctor squeezing a certain
spot on his foot. Also in therapy today (Friday) one of the exercise was for
him to lay on his back and bring his legs to his chest, and while the nurse
was doing this he reached below and felt his legs up and down and started
to pick at his leg hair underneath his thigh, and pulled out some of his hair.
When he pulled it out he was able to feel the pain when he ripped it out.
So the nurse told him to close his eyes and she DID NOTHING and asked Justin
if he had felt anything, and he said no. So she asked him again, this time
she pulled out a couple of hairs, and she asked him again, this time he said
yes.
Also, Justin’s legs have spasms where they will move or his knees will
bend randomly, Justin can’t feel this, but we all can see them move.
Sometimes during stretches they will react and bend, but Justin has no control
over this movement.
So this is defiantly an improvement and hopefully will lead to bigger and
better things, but they are not guaranteed, just baby steps to HOPEFULLY a
successful recovery.
The nurses and doctors are giving Justin about a four-week span to stay in
the hospital, after that time they are hoping to release him. If everything
goes to plan he should be released in late October. The doctors have never
seen someone work so hard, and do as well as Justin is doing. Now they might
keep him longer, or release him early but they are thinking that in the next
four weeks he will be ready because they have never seen such a fast learner
or dedicated person. Actually speaking of that Justin has been looking at
a 4x4 off-road wheelchair so Outdoor season 2010 better watch out ha-ha.
Also the new flu, swine flu has been attacking Cincinnati collages and canceling
classes because so many people have been infected. The university of Cincinnati
is just a few blocks from the hospital, making the hospital lock down on visiting
hours and times. The new rule starting Monday is that the patient is only
allowed two people in a room and has to write them down on a list, those two
people will be the only people allowed in a patient’s room besides the
nurses. This is so that the spread of swine flu stays out of the patient’s
rooms and no one is infected. However the patients are allowed to visit in
the halls, and cafeterias. So if you would like to visit Justin somehow contact
him, and see what he is up to for the day and he might be able to visit in
the cafeteria to see you. Justin might not be up to moving around going in
and out of the bed all day. Therapy is hard work! Justin did so well though,
impressing everyone.
Lindsey Scheltema (Miss. Arenacross) and Myself have purchased 500 Justin
Weeks T-Shirts and they will be ready Friday Sept 25th. We have sizes s, m,
l, and xl. They will be black shirts with white font front & back. Stay
posted on facebook for images of them, and we might possibly have pictures
on here later if the sale goes well. We have a list right now of people that
have already pre-ordered the shirts, if you would like to pre-order, contact
Lindsey and she will provide you with an address. The shirts will be 20.00
and we will send them out ASAP as we receive the money for the shirts ordered.
We will be selling the shirts at COMSTOCK 09 at the Fifth Third Ball Park
from 1:00-6:00 or unless no one feels like spreading the love, we will peace
out and head up to Big Air motocross, and we will be selling them Sunday at
Big Air motocross also.
Everyone that you so much, Im sorry for the delayed update but I wanted to
give you a more in-depth reading, and more of an idea what was going on. I
have had several questions as to who is updating, and I thought now would
be a good time to clarify that for all of you. The night of Justin’s
accident I didn’t know what else to do, and I knew everyone was going
to be having questions and I didn’t want rumors to start. So, My name
is Maria and I am Justin’s girlfriend. I wanted to start a site for
him because I wasn’t sure of what else I could do for the family. I
know that a helicopter ride is not exactly cheap, so I started the donation
page. Then things really started to add up, Justin’s parents were driving
5 hours from their home to Flint Michigan in order to get things ready for
the big move and check out hospitals. So I figured that gas, food, improvements
around the house, and all the little things really start to add up.
Things are still new and rough, but we are on a more than positive path to
recovery. Thank you to everyone that has donated and everyone’s get
well wishes and prayers! Its really paying off and hopefully will continue
to do so. Please stay posted to the EBay Auction, its coming to a close! Thank
you all and have good week!
UPDATE
9/17/09
SUPPORT JUSTIN WEEKS ...
Underneath are several events that will be taking place this weekend and also
in the weeks to come, please stay posted and contact me if you are raising
money, or have an event sponsoring Justin in his race to recovery. The more
information the better! Below please read all the information and under each
person I tried to provide a link to contact you with them.
I am leaving for Ohio Thursday and will be there Thursday night, I wanted
to get this information out before the weekend. That way when saturday and
sunday roll around I will be able to fill you all in about Justin and how
he is doing in Ohio. Thank you all!
EBAY
There is a week long auction being held for Justin on EBAY, its super simple,
type in www.ebay.com then search: Justin Weeks, and the auction will appear
with all the items. All the money collected will be given to the Justin Weeks
Recovery Fund. There are more items yet to be posted, so keep watching! ...
The link is provided below.
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Justin+Weeks&_trksid=p3286.c0.m301
CASAUNDRA REGAL
A very close friend of Justin's will be selling Justin Weeks T-shirts. She
is based out of Texas, and will be at the Pro challenge Oct 3rd in TX selling
the shirts. You can also contact her by a message in facebook/myspace, email:
casaundra_regal@yahoo.com. The shirts run in small, medium, large, and extra
large. If you order them through her, she is willing to ship them out. If
you need to reach her via phone it is: 903-880-3860
BARS RACING
This Sunday at OIR will be collecting donations, and also making a card for
Justin. It will be two dollars to sign your name, and all the money will be
going to Justin and they will personally take the card to him in the hospital.
Also they are asking that if you have any photo's of Justin to please bring
them to OIR this sunday. The link below will provide you with the information,
just scroll down a bit.
http://www.pitracer.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=182383&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1
LINDSEY SCHELTEMA
She will be selling bracelets, and front fender stickers with Justin Weeks
name and number on them. They will be selling for 5.00 apiece. She is based
out of Michigan and you can contact her by email: LLLinds130@gmail.com and/or
message by facebook. Lindsey and Myself are in the works of making shirts
to sell, please stay posted until we release any information.
COMSTOCK09
Right now I have permission to sell/collect donations at the Comstock '09
event in Michigan Sept. 26. We are considering making shirts for this event,
with or without them though we will be there collection donations. The t-shirts
are still in the works though for the comstock event, but we will have information
soon. Please go the link below to receive more information! This will be an
awesome event.
http://comstock09.com/
MONSTER MASH
Right now is still in "planning mode" but we hope to have something
set up at the Baja Facility in Michigan to raise money for Justin. For he
was not able to attend the Baja Brawl due to his accident.
Please if you are doing something for Justin let us know and we will be able
to post it on here, and thank you everyone that has contributed to the Justin
Weeks recovery Fund. You all are so so amazing and we appreciate it so much.
I hope you all have a safe wonderful weekend.
UPDATE 9/15/09
Justin officially has
been transported to the Children's hospital in Cincinnati Ohio. Justin will
start physical therapy today Sep 15th and it will be a day long process. He
starts out all morning learning to adapt to his new level of skill, and also
learn things like how to use the bathroom and things along those lines. After
that he will get lunch, and go right back into therapy until five or so and
then he has his break and sleep time until 8:30 the next day. I am not in
Ohio, and I hope to be there this weekend. Justin and I talk on the phone
as much as we can and every time he is in so much pain. At Hurley hospital
Justin was finally comfortable and on a scale of 1-10 his pain remained a
standard 4 until the big move to Ohio, and he told me it has skyrocketed to
beyond a level 10 pain. From what I understand Justin is basically in "boot
camp" training his body and re-learning all the steps of how to become
mobile again. The Children's hospital will take anyone under the age of 21,
and in Justin's circumstance they would not accept him unless he enrolled
in collage classes. I am unaware of the details but from what I understand
he will be taking classes sometime in the near future. Other than the days
of ICU I haven't seen or heard Justin in so much pain. He is really hurting
and I think now is a time for our community to really pull through, anything
to lift his spirits he's having an extremely difficult time.
Thank you to everyone that has contributed and donated money. I will post
something by this weekend to inform everyone where they can buy Justin Weeks
apparel, and if you are selling something and would like it to be posted on
the site please get a hold of me and I would be happy to spread the word.
EBAY AUCTION FOR JUSTIN WEEKS, MONEY WILL BE DONATED TO THE JUSTIN
WEEKS RECOVERY FUND!
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=justin+weeks&_sacat=See-All-Categories
Please keep Justin in your thoughts and prayers. We love you all, and cannot
express the amount of emotion we are going through. God Bless.
UPDATE 9/11/09
We have a lot of news to update you on. First and foremost Justin is going
to be transferred to the Children’s hospital in Cincinnati Ohio, Monday
morning and will be on the road by 7 a.m. He will be going by ambulance and
is about a 5-hour (give or take) ride down there. The hospital is about 30
minutes away from Justin’s home and will be extremely more convenient
for the family. As soon as Justin arrives to the hospital he will start therapy
and learning how to get around with his current condition. Speaking of which
a lot of people are asking if he is paralyzed, currently yes. I cannot bring
myself to say that he will be forever because I know Justin is a fighter and
will try anything to walk again. We do not know if it is a week, month, or
if the damage is 100% permanent. Only time and prayers will tell.
Justin was unable to get into his wheelchair today because of the intense
pain that he is dealing with. Also some of his side effects from taking the
morphine are taking a toll on him and making it hard for Justin to use the
restroom. Justin cannot feel if he is full, has to go to the bathroom, or
tell when someone is touching his legs. Making this extremely hard and difficult
on him, because just a week and 5 days ago he was able to do all of these
things. Justin told me specifically that he will walk again, and most importantly
“ I will ride again” Never have I been with someone with such
desire and heart, he will most certainly make a full recovery with his positive
attitude.
As far as fundraisers go and donations, thank you to EVERYONE that has given
Justin support, it is still unreal how all of you have came together to help
him. God bless you all and Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, its means
so much to us and words cannot describe how thankful and grateful for we have
such an amazing motocross community out there helping and supporting us.
To clarify on the T-shirts and bracelet business, we are still unable to post
anything on this specific site until we can get anything stable going. Funds
to produce the shirts and bracelets are coming from people all over the country
and do not have anything to do with the site at this time. Hopefully in the
near future we will be able to, but not at the moment. There will be fundraiser
rides and also tracks selling Justin Weeks stickers, bracelets, and t-shirts
it just depends on who is going to supplying and selling them, anything beyond
that is past my knowledge. So again, right now this site does not have anything
for sale, but if you ARE selling something to raise money for Justin just
shoot us an email and we would be more than happy to post something on our
site to let people know where and how you will be selling.
There will be Justinweeks381 Front plate stickers being sold at Big Air Motocross
this weekend, supplied by John Thompson & Michiganmotox.com.
Thunder Valley MX sports will be selling T-shirts at their Facility.
ALSO Thor & a significant amount of other sponsors (info below) are providing
a week long (maybe even more so depending on turn-out) Online auction and
all proceeds will go to the Justin Weeks Recovery Fund.
Below this update is a press release informing everyone about an online auction
for Justin Weeks, and all proceeds will go to Justin, there are so many sponsors
throwing on this event, and even after the press release was made, more sponsors
were added on the list so please keep checking the auction and hopefully you
find something you like : ) …
Other than that, Justin’s mouth will be shut for four more weeks, and
he still does not have feeling from his chest down. When his back reaches
a certain point on the bed (when raising or lowering) his legs react and sometimes
twitch, but only lasts for a few seconds. Right now he is living on protein
shakes and blended potatoes and Ramón noodles.
Thank you all for your support & this could not go on without everyone
who has contributed and supported Justin. Thank you all so much. Please stay
updated and I will post as often as I can. Thank you again all of you!
The Women’s Motocross and Supercross Foundation
(WMXF) Announces Fundraiser to Help Injured Rider Justin Weeks
ANAHEIM, Calif., (Sept, 10 2009) – Justin
Weeks was severely injured just over a week ago while practicing at Freelin
MX in Michigan. Justin was involved in an accident that resulted in a broken
jaw and damage to his spinal cord. The injury to his spine has left him with
no feeling from the chest down.
Recently turned pro, Weeks is coming off of the two most successful races
of his amateur career. Just over a month ago, Justin concluded his amateur
career winning championships at Ponca City and Loretta Lynn’s amateur
nationals, in the highly talented A class. It’s times like this when
our small community needs to pull together to help one of our own. The Women’s
Supercross and Motocross Foundation will be hosting a week long eBay auction
to help Justin and his family with the costs that have been associated with
this terrible injury. The response from fellow riders and companies has been
astonishing! Some of the companies who have donated items for the Justin Weeks
fundraiser include Thor MX, Rockstar, Monster, One Industries, Pant Saggin’
Dezign, Skull Candy, Ogio, Answer, RG3, FMF, DVS, Glen Helen Raceway, Competitive
Edge MX Park, Spring Creek MX and more!
Several riders have contributed with the donation of autographed gear. These
riders include James Stewart, Michael Byrne, Nico Izzi, Ryan Villopoto, Austin
Stroupe, plus 2009 Outdoor National Champions Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey! Also
included in the auction is a ride day with professional Motocross / Supercross
rider, Austin Stroupe. IN addition to the exclusive ride day with Austin,
the highest bidder will receive a set of Thor racing apparel!
The eBay auction will begin Monday, September 14th. If you would like to donate
products or services for the fundraiser please email Jammi Robertson at jrobertson@thormx.com.
For any additional questions, please contact Antoinette Gress at wmxfmedia@aol.com
.
The WMXF is a non-profit organization (501 c3) founded in 2003 to
enhance the motocross & supercross racing community. WMXF's mission is
to support racers or crew members who suffer racing injury; provide support
to those who suffer serious misfortune; provide financial support to benevolent
organizations; and contribute to the well-being of families in the professional
motocross/supercross community.
For more information on the WMXF, please log on to their website: www.wmxf.org.
UPDATE 9/7/09
Happy Labor Day
I hope everyone's weekend went well and everyone was safe during they're racing.
Shirts were sold at Steel City, and right now at the Baja Brawl. We have so
many people asking what they can do for Justin, and it is so amazing, thank
you all. A lot of people are asking about the bracelets and where they can
get them. The only person I know that is making bracelets is Trevor Donie.
They are in the making and he said it will take about up to two weeks. A lot
of people are going to the bracelet website and making their own, then selling
them to raise money for Justin. Either way ... Thank you all and we will try
to keep you updated on that.
Speaking of Trevor Donie, right now he is also at Hurley Hospital. Trevor
has been by my side, and also Justin's through this whole ordeal. Then at
the Baja Brawl, I am unsure how it happened but he went down and then was
in an ambulance on the way to the same hospital as Justin! So right now he
is on floor 2, and Justin is on floor 9. How does that happen? Why is this
happening? ... The nurses couldn't believe that the same trevor that has been
here for Justin was in the hospital room with a shattered pelvis.
Onto Justin and his condition ... Yesterday Sept 6 Justin got into the wheelchair
for the second time, and soon got comfortable after about 5 minutes and started
to wheel himself! Then he got into the elevator and visited trevor on the
second floor. He was practicing turning and every time he had to get over
a little bump in the hospital where the tiles didn't match up he would let
out a "brrraappp" to get over it. Then he got into the bed pretty
well and was in an upbeat mood all day. Yesterday will have been a full week
since the accident, and he has been improving SO MUCH! Last night was probably
the longest he has slept since last sunday.
Justin's mouth is still wired shut, and still has no feeling from the nipple
area down. Justin is off the catheter and is now being put on a straight cath
and has to empty every 6 hours or so. Right now the doctors are not going
to release Justin unless they can find a pain medicine that he can take by
oral. Right now he is back on an IV because of his pain in his back is so
intense. They are hoping to get Justin back in Ohio, and his dad is looking
at 3 serious hospitals down there.
Thank you to everyone that has donate, Motocross support is so unbelievable
I cannot thank you guys enough. On the Weeks behalf thank you all so much,
words are indescribable. God Bless you all and please stay posted. We were
not able to post over the weekend so stay tuned this week we will be able
to update more often. Thank you everyone.
UPDATE
9/3/09
I have been having a bunch of questions over these few days,
so I am going to try and update this with everyone's answers. I know the weekend
is coming up and everyone is probably going racing, so please read this before
you take off and win your races.
Right now Justin is in Flint Michigan at Hurley Hospital. The accident happened
at Freelin Mx about an hour away from the hospital, and was transported by
helicopter. Justin had his mouth, back, and also a stent put in during his
surgery. In his back he broke his T2 and T3 vertebra. The stent in his groin
area will prevent any blood clots from going to his heart. His mouth surgery
included wiring the Jaw shut, and it will be like that for six weeks, due
to a broken Jaw. His back surgery went well also, they put plates and screws
in his back to straighten out the vertebra, and his spinal cord is NOT severed.
Justin even after surgery still has no feeling from his breast area to his
toes. Most people want to ask if he is paralyzed, I cannot bring myself to
say that he is because I have so much hope for him. I am trying to balance
being realistic and hopeful at the same time. I do not know a number, or a
percentage or probability that he will get his feeling back, we do not know,
only time can tell at this point.
Today Sept, 03 Justin was fitted for a back brace and was told to sit up for
as long as he could, and the usual patient can't take the pain after 5 minutes,
and then sits back down. Justin was able to sit up for 35 MINUTES! Which is
awesome, and that led him to be exhausted and we are trying to get him to
sleep right now. Justin also is having phlegm problems, and is trying to cough
it up and clear it out of his mouth and throat but it is hard because his
mouth is shut. It's really disturbing seeing him suffer like that, and the
nurses are trying to help as much as they can, but right now he is practicing
taking the suction (like at the dentist office) and getting the spit out of
his mouth himself.
The family is going to try and move Justin down to Ohio as soon as possible
but they want to find the correct care facility to move him to. This move
will happen as soon as Justin is stable, which will probably be no later than
next week Wednesday (crossing our fingers). I know a lot of you are going
to be at the Baja Brawl which is no more than an hour away from the hospital,
we understand everyone wants to see Justin and we couldn't be happier. The
thing EVERYONE has to remember though is that Justin HAS TO sleep and rest
as much as possible, I have been typing away in his room and he has been snoring
away. All of Justin's friends and Fans, thank you so much for your support.
I can hardly keep myself together and remain calm when everyone tries to contact
me, you all are so nice and there are not enough words to say or mean enough
to what you all mean to the Weeks family and I. God Bless you all and be safe
on your journey's this weekend.
This weekend there will be people doing things to help out the Week's by doing
bracelets and T-shirts at Steel City and also the Baja Brawl. The people that
are raising money at these events are close friends of Justin and have nothing
to do with the Family or myself. The money they collect, from what I understand
is going all to the family, these people can fill you in as you meet them
.
Thank you all so so much! ... Please stay posted to this site and I will update
as soon as I can.
To everyone racing this weekend GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN! ... We would love
nothing more than to see you have fun and do your best.
UPDATE 9/2/09
Hey everyoneThank you to everyone that has donated so far, there will be fundraisers
at steel city and also the baja brawl. I am unsure of the details at the moment
but I know a Trailer will be set up at the Baja Brawl to help raise awareness
and collect donations. Either way if you are at any of these events there
will for sure be someone there with a place to donate. Justin had surgery
yesterday, and it he was in there from around 9:00 to around 3:00 with a two
hour recovery where no one could see him. Justin is in an extreme amount of
pain and his mouth is wired shut. The surgery went well, the recovering part
right now is a process and will take some time for Justin to get used to.
Justin is now able to sit up at 45 degrees compared to the flat bed he has
been on since the accident. Everyone that has came by to see Justin, I know
it may not have been for very long but it has been putting a smile on Justin’s
face and he is so thankful for all of you that have seen him.To those that
would like to visit Justin, right now he has to recover for 7 days here in
Flint Michigan, then as soon as those days are closing up the family would
like to move him asap. Where Justin will be recovering is still undecided,
talk of places in Ohio close to home so the family can be there for him, most
likely going to be the outcome. Right now the close friends of Justin’s
are at the hospital taking care of him and also the family, if you would to
set something up to raise awareness please do what you feel is appropriate,
contacting the family and friends is difficult at the moment. I hope everyone
understands, we all want the best for Justin please keep praying and stay
positive through this process and God Bless everyone thank you all so so much.
I will update as soon as I can, Thank you all and keep up the amazing support,
the motocross community is really helping out and we cannot thank you enough,
words cannot describe.
----------------------------------------------------
UPDATE 9/1/09
Hey everyone ...At this point its hard to come up with words to express
the situation. Justin was racing at Freelin Mx a track nearby Flint Michigan
on 8/30/09. It was during his second practice when he came up to a double
and the bike kicked him forward causing his body to take the force of the
impact. His injury as it stands right now 09/01/09 is extremely serious and
not a matter to be taken lightly. We are asking everyone to please keep him
in your thoughts and prayers. We need as much hope and luck on our side as
possible. Your at this site because you know Justin, and if you have ever
seen him ride you KNOW Justin Weeks does NOT give up. Justin is going to be
a fighter and is remaining extremely positive. I am not sure about visitation
at this time, close friends and family are with him. Surgery is going to be
09/01/09 in the afternoon and we will have more news after that.
----------------------------------------------------
Thank You!
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