Tara and Josh Berendes

Tara is out of her coma and is STABLE and improving condition.

Please sign our GUESTBOOK if you haven't already. See how you can HELP. Thank You!.

Current Status Reports Aug-Sept Reports July Status Reports June Status Reports

July 31, 2004

5:30 pm Happy Full Moon tonight to everyone. Tonight is a rare blue moon where it is the second full moon in a calendar month. About as rare as a blue moon is the wonderfully rapid recovery that Tara is making. Today she worked real hard at her therapy. For occupational therapy she made a pizza in the hospital's rehab kitchen. She saved it to share with Josh. Her physical therapy consisted of using her legs to "walk" herself around the hospital in her wheelchair. She was tired when she finished.

Yesterday, Tillie Fong of the Rocky Mountain News did a nice article on Tara titled Newlywed makes progress following head-on collision. Thank you Tillie!

7:00 am Tara's appetite has returned. She is eating very well. She especially enjoys the "outside" meals that are occasionally brought to her.

Tara's therapists have given her a list of goals for her to accomplish. These are:

     Dress herself
     Make safe transfers to the wheelchair, toilet or car
     Use the toilet
     No side-effects from her medications
     Understand seizure prevention (Brain injury patients sometimes have seizures as after-effects)
     Follow a daily schedule
     Understand dressings and garments for her skin graft sites

Tara's therapists want Tara to be able to accomplish these goals before she is discharged from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. This list is posted on Tara's wall next to her hospital bed.

July 30, 2004

8:05 am Tara had a busy day yesterday. She had lots of therapy sessions. The therapists are pushing her hard to try to regain her abilities. Be sure to see Medical Miracle Unfolding in Los Gatos.

We would like to express our special thanks to all of those that have donated to Tara's Recovery Fund. Tara and Josh had no medical insurance at the time of the accident. While it appears that Tara may make a full recovery, at this time we still do not know what the long-term effects of Tara's brain injury will be, as sometimes after-effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) surface years later. We feel extremely blessed that Tara is doing so well at this time. Just a month ago we were told by physicians that Tara might be lucky to regain 50% of her capabilities. So far she has recovered further and faster than anyone's expectations. This is an affidavit of her will and determination, absolutely the best medical care and the power of having thousands of people praying for her.  Please continue to pray, and please ask your friends to donate their morning cup of coffee to Tara's Recovery Fund. (OK, maybe the afternoon cup. The morning cup is important!) Thousands of $5.00 donations will go a long way.

July 29, 2004

3:30 pm Josh was interviewed this morning by Channel 2 KTVU TV in Oakland, CA. Here is a link to the video of the live interview titled Medical Miracle Unfolding in Los Gatos under Video on Demand, halfway down the homepage.

Tara is having good day today. The doctors removed her feeding tube today. Even though she has been eating solid food for over a week, they had left it there to be sure that she got enough nutrition every day. The fact that they removed it means that she is doing well in the feeding department. During her session with her speech therapist, she was able to send an email from her therapist's computer to her grandfather Gordon. The email was short and sweet: "hi doing well i love you". More important than the content is the fact that Tara remembers her grandfather's email address.   Way to go Tara!

6:00 am Tara had a good day yesterday. She is pleased that her brother is back from his trip. Her left knee was checked by an orthopedic physician who said that she may have damage to the knee from the accident. Tara has been wearing a knee brace when she is in her wheelchair.

July 28, 2004

2:30 pm Tara took a few steps today in physical therapy with a therapist on each side of her helping and supporting. Yesterday morning, Tara decided to get out of bed by herself and she fell to the floor. She was not hurt, but it shows that her body strength is still very weak. It was very encouraging today when she took some steps with assistance.

6:00 am Tara had a great reunion with her brother Chris last night. There were smiles as bright and as broad as can be.

Tara and Josh's story "South Bay Woman Awakens From Coma" was told as the lead-off story on NBC11-KNTV news during their 11pm broadcast by reporter Ben Mohr who did an excellent job. Special thanks to Ben and his cameraman Mark.

Those readers in the San Francisco Bay Area might wish to pick up a copy of today's San Jose Mercury News. Reporter Connie Skipitares of the San Jose Mercury News did another excellent news article on Tara and Josh titled "Speedy recovery defies grim outlook".  Thanks again Connie!

Reporter Grant Shellen of the Los Gatos Weekly Times (Tara's hometown newspaper) did another wonderful article on Tara as part of his continuing coverage of her story. Here is a link to yesterday's "Tara's waking up, and a thankful family remains close by her side" article.   Thank you Grant for your excellent reporting.

July 27, 2004

6:30 pm Tonight will be special for Tara. Six months ago her brother Chris who is 18 planned a trip to Europe with his two best friends Michael Girsback and Sam Morse. They wanted to go have some fun after graduating from High School in June. The plane tickets, Eurail passes and knapsacks were purchased, and Chris worked real hard at his after-school job to save up spending money, Then Tara's accident happened and Chris was wanted to cancel his trip. Tara was in a coma and Chris was finally convinced that Tara would have wanted him to go on the trip he had worked so hard for. So, tonight Chris gets home and he is going directly from the airport to the hospital to see Tara. It should be a great reunion.

3:30 pm Tara is not only sitting in her wheelchair, but has now begun to be able to maneuver herself about in it, slowly. Watch out world, she's becoming mobile. She stood again today, with assistance, for awhile longer than yesterday. Except for the times when she is really frustrated, Tara generally has a big smile on her face. Ever since she was a little girl, her favorite Disney character has been Sleeping Beauty, which was very appropriate a few weeks ago when she was comatose. Because of her smile and her sometimes confusion about things perhaps Goofy would be more appropriate right now. She is doing very well in her recovery.   ;-)

6:00 am Tara stood on her feet yesterday for a few moments. She was steadied by her helpers, but stood on her feet nonetheless. Sometime in the next week her therapists will begin to help her try to take a few steps and teach her to walk again. Tara said: "I know how to walk, you have to put one foot in front of the other and then repeat." Each day that passes shows a slight improvement in her capabilities. She is still quite confused about many things and seems to have an obsession about musician Kenny Loggins. So, Kenny, if you are reading this, Tara says that you can visit her anytime you wish.

Tara asked about her car, so this reporter showed her pictures of the wrecked car. See them HERE.
Tara said "Wow, I guess I almost died!". It was truly a miracle that Tara and Josh survived the accident.

July 26, 2004

6:00 am Tara had a good day yesterday, She had a shower about mid-day which she said felt good. The nurses take her to a special shower room in a special gurney. She missed Josh in the morning when he went to church and asked about him about every 5 minutes. This reporter showed her this website and reviewed some of her past status history with her. She asked about Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and wanted to know more about the diagram that was shown on June 26 that explains Brain shear injuries. When asked what we should write in today's status update Tara said:

     "I want to thank all of the people that have been praying for Josh and me. I know that their prayers have helped."

A very special thanks goes to Melissa Hammond who is a member of the High School Group at Calvary Church of Los Gatos for organizing yesterday's car wash and bake sale. Thank you also for all the volunteers who washed cars and baked delicious goodies. The event was a success and raised some money for Tara's Recovery Fund.

And so, on to the next event planned:

Another

Calvary Church in Los Gatos has organized a Golf Tournament here in Silly.com Valley in order to raise funds for Tara's expenses. The Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, August 16th at the Santa Teresa Golf Course, in San Jose, California. If you would like more information please e-mail Miki Masuda at MMasuda@calvarylg.com or phone Miki at 408-356-5126, x244.

We need some corporate sponsors to sponsor holes for the tournament, so please ask your management at work if they would be willing to sponsor a hole and have them give Miki a call. Miki hopes to find a corporate sponsor for each hole so there can be a sign at each hole.. (So at least 18 of our readers have to ask their management).

We want to thank all of Tara's supporters that have been coming up with original ideas to do fundraising for Tara and Josh. We are very grateful to those that have donated and are raising funds. Please let us know if we can help in any way with your fundraising efforts. Please print and distribute this Flyer. Please forward the link to this website to your email lists. Thank you!

July 25, 2004

8:15 am Please come to the CAR WASH and BAKE SALE TODAY to benefit Tara's Recovery Fund. from 1-5pm at the Calvary Church in Los Gatos. The address is: 16330 Los Gatos Blvd, Los Gatos, CA 95032. (Map)

Tara had a good night last and is doing well this morning. Her voice is very strong now and her spirits are generally good except when she expresses frustration about her situation..

July 24, 2004

6:30 pm Tara had a pleasant day today, at least pleasant for her. She spent a lot of the day telling those around her that she did not like them and that they could all go away. This is a normal part of the recovery. The patient often expresses their frustration and sometimes directs their frustration at their loved ones. Of course, she was smiling at us when she told us to go away. The recovery process from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is often long and frustrating for the person injured as well as for his or her friends and family.

She had a good occupational therapy session this afternoon. They went in a wheelchair to the vending machines near the cafeteria. Tara had some minor difficulty putting the change into the machine and hit a wrong selection number and retrieved a Snickers instead of an M&Ms. On the second try she got it just right. Josh then took her to the hospital's balcony to enjoy her treat.   Tara is doing much better at eating her meals now that she is on regular meals.

10:30 am Tara is doing well this morning. Her occupational therapist said that Tara is improving and making good progress. Last night, when asked what we should write on the website, Tara stated "I want to get out of the hospital."   We told her that she will have to work hard with her therapists in order for that to happen.

Don't forget about the car wash and bake sale TOMORROW to benefit Tara's Recovery Fund. this Sunday, July 25th from 1-5pm at the Calvary Church in Los Gatos. .

July 23, 2004

3:00 pm Tara is doing well this afternoon. She is participating well in her therapy sessions. Tara is expressing her frustration with her situation a bit more.

6:15 am Tara was not feeling very well yesterday, even though it was Tara and Josh's two month wedding anniversary.   She said that her stomach was upset. Tara has also moved from a pureed diet to a normal food diet. She is happier about that. Tara;s occupational therapist is teaching Tara how to write again. She is still very confused, and is frustrated about the fact that she is in the hospital.

Don't forget about the car wash and bake sale to benefit Tara's Recovery Fund this Sunday, July 25th from 1-5pm at the Calvary Church in Los Gatos. .

July 22, 2004 - Happy Anniversary!

Today is Tara and Josh's two month wedding anniversary.   It is wonderful to see the love that Tara and Josh share. Of the two months they have been married, Tara has been hospitalized all but 10 days. Josh has shown tremendous love and dedication and has been at her side almost constantly.

Brad Rae. the fantastic wedding photographer that documented Tara and Josh's wedding has posted Photos of their wedding on his website at FlashPointUnlimited.com. Be sure to see the More Photos page also. Brad is an excellent photographer and a great fun to be around.

July 21, 2004

3:45 pm Tara is doing well this afternoon. There will be a car wash and bake sale to benefit Tara's Recovery Fund this Sunday, July 25th from 1-5pm at the Calvary Church in Los Gatos.   We need more volunteers for the car wash, and so far we have about 10 people baking things for the bake sale. Please contact Melissa Hammond at sportym@netzero.com for more details or if you wish to volunteer to help.

6:15 am Tara is speaking so well that she has been able to make a few phone calls to say "Hello" to friends and family on her dad's cell phone. Just a week ago she could barely whisper a few words. Her hand dexterity is getting better and she is challenging visitors to thumb wrestling. She is spending about an hour in her wheelchair at 2 or 3 separate times a day. The therapists are pleased with Tara's progress. While her progress this week has been remarkable, she still has many obstacles to overcome. We apologize that there have not been evening updates for several days now. Sometimes other parts of life have to be attended to.

Susan Goodman wrote Tara this very special email last night:

     I am the wife of Thad Goodman, the man who died in this terrible accident. Tara, not a day goes by that our family doesn't pray for you and Josh and you are always in our thoughts. Someday I will have to explain this terrible event to my two young daughters, and you will be an inevitable part of that story. You will always hold a special part in my heart. I wish nothing but the best for you and Josh. Never take each other for granted, you never know when it will be the last time you will see each other again.

While this website is dedicated to Tara and Josh, it should not be forgotten that there was another family that was devastated by this tragic accident. Thad Goodman was driving home from work to have lunch with his wife, Susan, and their two girls, Hannah, 2 1/2, and Ivy who was turning 6 months old that day. Please remember to pray for Susan and her two daughters, Frank and Shari (Thad's parents) and the rest of the Goodman family. Four Lives Changed in an Instant tells the story.

July 20, 2004

6:15am Tara continues to improve with every passing day. Her friends Richard and Deborah visited yesterday. Their daughter Sophia was Tara's flower girl.   Deborah sang at Tara's wedding. She brought her guitar and sang the same song and Tara sang along with her. Unfortunately, Tara does not remember much of her wedding yet.

Tara's doctor feels that Tara has in the past few days moved from level 3 to level 5 on the Rancho Scale of head injuries. This is wonderful news as it means that Tara has skipped much of the "aggravated" stage 4 which is very difficult. It is still a trial to keep Tara from scratching at the healing burns on her forehead.

July 19, 2004

6:15am Tara had a good day yesterday. She is showing some slight improvement with every passing day. Josh has been sleeping most nights in a reclining chair in the hospital room with her. Tara's movement of her arms is becoming more refined and her control of her hands is getting better. She remembers what her birthdate is, but could not remember her wedding or college graduation dates exactly.   Sandra, a nurse that has been in the rehab unit at SCVMC for 18 years, says that Tara is making excellent progress.

Shanna and Chris Schriner, owners of The Pond Shack are organizing their annual moonlight pond tour which will benefit Tara's Recovery Fund this year. The tour will be October 1st and 2nd. They are still rounding up all the people that will show their ponds on the tour and are getting extremely positive reaction about having Tara's recovery fund be the recipient. We will post more on this at a later date as more details become available.

July 18, 2004

7:30am Nothing new to report this morning. Tara is making noticeable improvements every day. We have been receiving hundreds of emails and GUESTBOOK entries. We wish that we could respond to each one, but we do not have the bandwidth to do so. This reporter is going to take a day off from the computer screen. We hope everyone has a nice Sunday.

Please sign our GUESTBOOK if you haven't already. If you have already signed the guestbook and wish to contact us, please do so by emailing us at info@tarajosh.com. See how your can HELP here. Check out the new COMMENTS PAGE. Thanks.

July 17, 2004

2:40pm Tara actually is getting quite witty. Back on the subject of pureed hospital food, today at lunch she said "I'd rather die than eat that." This reporter told her that dying is not an option because it would negate all of the thousands upon thousands of prayers that have been said lately to keep her alive. Tara is on a thin liquid and pureed food diet until her stomach gets used to solid food, after having been off of it for 6 weeks.

We are elated that Tara is being a bit sarcastic and witty at this stage of her rehab. Wit and sarcasm all indicate that the higher brain functions are working.

On a brighter note, Tara did have a treat today when she got a phone call from her brother whom she has not seen since the wedding. When Tara heard his voice on the phone she broke into a big smile. Chris is looking forward to seeing her in 10 days.

8:30am Tara had a good day yesterday. She had made it very clear that she does not like the pureed food that she is being offered. Tara has recovered a rather large range of facial expressions and she does not give a very pleasant one to the pureed food.

Tara has an active day today with therapists. They are trying to push Tara to relearn and work on regaining control of her body.

Two weeks ago Tara's friend Alexandra Linscott wrote a wonderful poem for Tara. We did not publish it on this site at the time and apologize for our oversight. Alex's Poem for Tara can be found at this LINK. It sweetly talks about Tara's "someday laughter". Tara is laughing at things now and her laughter is very sweet indeed. Thank you Alex for your wonderful words.

July 16, 2004

3:30pm Tara has had a good day. It is very clear to see that she is frustrated and sad about her situation. The fact that she has very little control of her muscles and body is very frustrating for her. She did well with her therapy this morning and is trying hard.

Since Tara's supporters in the Silly dot com Valley locale could not participate in yesterday's golf tournament in Colorado, a new golf tournament is currently in the planning stages in San Jose on August 16th at the Santa Teresa Golf Course. More details later.

6:00am We apologize that there was no evening update last night. Just could not get a working connection to the internet. Nonetheless, it was an exciting day yesterday and there was a lot to report.

Tara ate her first big meal last evening! (pureed, and she was not very excited about it) Josh helped to feed her. Now that Tara's tracheotomy tube has been removed, her voice is getting ever so slightly stronger as time moves on.

As to the benefit Golf Tournament that took place yesterday, organizers Terri and Tim Walsh write:

    "We had a great day golfing today. It tried to rain but didn't get started until after we finished. Everyone had a great time and many prizes were donated to be given away. The final numbers are not calculated yet, but it looks like we were able to raise $10,000 plus for Tara's Recovery Fund. Our prayers are with Tara and all of you as she continues to recover."

A special thanks to Terri and Tim, and to everyone that participated.

July 15, 2004

6:15am Reporter James Meadows of The Rocky Mountain News did a wonderful NEWS ARTICLE about Tara this morning titled A Whisper Speaks Volumes,

Tara had a good day yesterday. She ate some more solid food, chopped pears this time. The most significant event was that the doctor removed her tracheotomy tube. This will enable Tara to begin eating more solid foods and also will aide in her speaking

Good luck to everyone who is participating today in the benefit Golf Tournament in Colorado..

July 14, 2004

6:15am Tara was somewhat agitated last night. She wants to scratch at the healing burns on her forehead since they probably itch. Josh has been very dedicated, spending most nights with her, taking care of her. Tara is still smiling often and seems to understand much of what is said to her. She has difficulty responding and one can sense her frustration with her situation.

For those readers in Colorado, don't forget that tomorrow is the benefit Golf Tournament. You can get more information by emailing Tim Welch at golf4tara@wwdb.org.

July 13, 2004

3:30pm Tara has had a good day. She whispered to her sister Heather that she had a headache. No wonder about that! She sat in her wheelchair for an hour and had both speed and occupational therapy..

6:15am Tara is coming out of her coma and has made great progress the past several days. Josh is exceptionally dedicated to her and helping her to relearn some very basic things. The recovery process from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is often long and frustrating for the person injured as well as for his or her friends and family. The need for patience and for information is great, the need for support is even greater.

The Rehabilitation Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has earned an outstanding reputation as a national leader. We are very fortunate that Tara is at such an excellent facility.

July 12, 2004

7:15pm Tara has had a good day today. She sat up in a wheelchair for almost an hour and a half. It is very difficult for her to hold her head up and it tends to drop down and to the left. She did not vocalize any words today.   When a patient is coming out of a coma, they make progress one day and then typically a few days might go by before any new improvements are seen.

6:15am Tara had a quiet night last night

July 11, 2004

4:00pm Tara has had a good day today. She went outside in a wheelchair to the hospital's balcony for almost an hour. It is a lot of work for her to be able to hold her head up. It is also a lot of work for the hospital staff, as Tara has hardly any control of her movements at this time and it is difficult to transfer her from the bed to the wheelchair. It seems, since Tara is 6'3" tall, that she will need an extra-long wheelchair. When she was outside today Tara had to be kept in the shade because of the burns on her face.

Tara whispered a few more words today. Her voice is very soft and you have to put your ear to her mouth to hear her.

11:30am Tara had a restless night, so the nursing staff gave her something to help her sleep. She was still sleeping this morning so there is nothing new to report.

Please sign our GUESTBOOK if you haven't already. If you have already signed the guestbook and wish to contact us, please do so by emailing us at info@tarajosh.com. See how your can HELP here. Check out the new COMMENTS PAGE. Thanks.
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July 10, 2004

11:00pm SURPRISE!!! Tara spoke a few words today! She softly called Josh by his name. Her long time friend Katie Ball visited and Tara gave Katie a big smile and said her name. When Josh asked who else had visited today, Tara said her Mom, Aunt, Grandfather and Dad had. That was it! Even though she was asked many times she did not say more. However, if she begins to vocalize more then that will change her rating on the Glasco Coma Scale. So, this is great news as it tells us that Tara is processing and retaining information. She still has very little control of her movements of her limbs, but that is something that the physical therapists will be working on.

1:00pm Tara has had a good day so far. She had Speech and Physical Therapy this morning. She had some applesauce which is the first "solid" food she has had in 6 weeks.

10:00am Tara has had a good somewhat restless night last night. She is slowly moving up in the Rancho Coma Scale and is getting to the stage where she may become agitated. She was trying to rub her eyes and touch the skin graft on her face. She has to be kept from doing that if possible. If there are any local friends who in the San Jose area who know Tara and Josh and who may wish to volunteer to spend a night sitting with Tara, please us know by emailing us at info@tarajosh.com and put the word "Volunteer" in the subject line. At this time, visitors are still limited to immediate family. Email or call us if you wish to visit in the future.

July 9, 2004

3:15pm Tara has had a good day so far. She participated in rehab today. Yesterday she had an Ultrasound scan of her abdomen area and it did not find any signs of the pancreatitis that she had last week.

6:15am Patrick Suppes of Broomfield Colorado sent this email last night:

It is exciting to see the many things happening as Tara continues her climb out of her coma. In the past few days we've seen her get moved back "home" to California and improve in her responses to those around her. We hear the improvements as she moves from ICU to Trauma and now on to Head Injury Rehab. Getting off the respirator/ventilator is a big step, hopefully freeing Tara to continue her progress. The internal injuries appear to be healing, which seems like great news to me. Hearing today that she was willing and able to hold her head up makes me think she is working, trying to get better. I do believe things will continue to improve. For all of the families, I know many are praying for each of you. Do not lose heart. God is able

July 8, 2004

2:30pm GOOD NEWS!!! Tara is now off of the respirator/ventilator. She was "awake" during the time that the therapists were with her today. They sat her in a chair for almost an hour and she was able to hold her head up by herself for most of that time. She is being moved today from the Trauma ICU unit of the hospital to the Head Injury Rehab Unit. This is wonderful since it appears that Tara will not have to go to an intermediate transitional sub-acute facility, and will be able to begin rehab at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

10:30am An update on the Golf Tournament that some supporters of Tara and Josh in Colorado have organized in order to raise funds for Tara's expenses. Tim and Terri Welch, the organizers, say that so far 52 golfers have signed up and the list is growing every day. The Golf Tournament will be held a week from today on Thursday on July 15th at the Canterbury Golf Course in Parker, Colorado. Canterbury is Colorado's Premiere Public Golf Course. You can get more information by emailing Tim Welch at golf4tara@wwdb.com.

7:15am Tara was "up" and "active" late into the night. Her dad sat with her and kept telling her that it was time to rest so that she could be active when the therapy team came in the morning. He sang her the lullabies that he sang to her as a child, but they didn't help either. So, while they sat together till after 1am, John read Tara the some of the 400+ comments that have been entered into the GUESTBOOK by our website visitors. While they read the comments, they decided that it would be nice to be able to share them, so they built this COMMENTS PAGE. We wish we could post all the comments, but that's not possible at this time. Please enjoy. We will add more as they arrive.

July 7, 2004

3:00pm Tara was pretty sleepy today. The therapy team came in to work with her this morning and she did her best to sleep though the whole session. The team sat her up on the side of her bed and she did not cooperate much and just tried to sleep through it. She will probably be "awake" and "active" all night instead. We are told that at this point of coma arousal that it is very important to be fairly "strict" with the patient. Coma patients tend to get used to being in a coma and will want to stay there unless they are pushed to become more active.

6:00am Tara was doing well last evening. She was moving her arms a lot. She had lots of family visitors last night. Her aunt Sharon is in town visiting from Arizona and Tara's sister Heather is so pleased that Tara is home that she is visiting as often as possible.

Reporter Grant Shellen of the Los Gatos Weekly Times (Tara's hometown newspaper) did a lengthy article on Tara as part of his continuing coverage of her story. Here is a link to yesterday's July 7th NEWS ARTICLE.   Here is a link to the article he did on June 16th NEWS ARTICLE.

Please sign our GUESTBOOK if you haven't already. See how your can HELP here. Thanks.

July 6, 2004

4:00pm Tara was seen today by the team of rehab therapists at Santa Clara Valley Medical. They evaluated her and gave her various tests. They will have a report in several days, but initially felt that she may be ready to go into the rehabilitation program as early as next week. This is excellent news, as it means that Tara may not have to be transferred to a transitional facility as an interim step before rehab.

6:00am Rise and shine! Tara is going to have a busy day today. The doctors and therapists are back from the holiday weekend and will be doing their evaluations of Tara. We'll know more about what they have planned for her later in the day.

July 5, 2004

12: noon Tara is doing well today. She is off the respirator/ventilator again today. This morning her eyes were open and tracking, and she is moving her foot and squeezing your hand on request.

We forgot to mention that Connie Skipitares of the San Jose Mercury News did another news article on Saturday, July 3rd.   Here is a link to the July 3rd NEWS ARTICLE. Thanks again Connie!

9:00am Josh and John were interviewed this morning by Channel 2 KTVU TV in Oakland, CA.
A special "Thank You" to Miranda Coykendall, Assignment Editor and Anchor Mark Curtis who produced a great interview.

July 4, 2004

9:00pm Tara had a good day. She has more times when she is active and "alert" By alert we mean that her eyes are open and she is looking around. She is also squeezing ones hand more often on request. Josh says that today she moved her fingers and toes on request also. She was also off of the respirator for 12 hours today and did fine. Her respiratory therapist tonight said that she did quite well and that she is making excellent progress in being weaned from the respirator. Tara's mom arrived back from Utah and she, Tara and John watched the fireworks on the television together..

10:15am Happy Independence Day!   We are looking forward to the day when Tara will be independent again and free of the life support that she is on. She is being taken off of the respirator for longer periods of time each day so as to wean her from its assistance. She is still being fed through a feeding tube. The hospital is on "holiday staffing" this weekend. Tuesday will be a busy day for Tara as the normal shift of doctors and therapists return and will evaluate Tara's condition to see when she can start rehab.

Many of Tara's friends have asked when they can visit Tara. Tara is still in the ICU at the hospital, so her visitors are limited to family only. When that changes, we will let you all know via this web page.

We hope that you all have a wonderful 4th of July. Thank your for your prayers, thoughts and donations.

July 3, 2004

6:00pm Tara had a restful day. She was fairly "active" last night, and was more subdued today. Unlike what has been inaccurately depicted in television and movies, coma, from a physiological standpoint, is significantly different than a state of sleep. There is a good definition of the stages of coma at the website of the Brain Injury Resource Foundation. Tara is currently number 3 on a Rancho Coma Scale and seems to be moving up to the number 4 level.  This is when the real work for her and those attending her will begin. Tara is currently a 10 on the Glasco Coma Scale.

7:00am Tara had a good night. The staff at Santa Clara Valley Medical Hospital have all gotten acquainted with Tara and her condition. Josh spent hours with Tara and then went to dinner with his parents and sister, and then slept at his parents home here in San Jose. Tara's dad stayed at the hospital until after midnight.   Tara's mother is leaving Utah today and driving back to San Jose. Tara was fairly "alert" last night as her eyes were open and she was looking around a lot. She seemed interested in what was on the television. Tara had an x-ray of her abdomen last night and it was remarkable as the staff wheeled in a large portable x-ray machine into her room. Tara has some pancreatitis and the staff is feeding her through an IV today rather than a feeding tube. Please sign our GUESTBOOK if you haven't already. See how your can HELP here. Thanks.

Tara is in stable condition at Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

July 2, 2004

7:00pm Tara is back in California tonight!!!    Tara arrived at San Jose Jet Center this afternoon at 4:15 pm via REACH Air Ambulance. Josh flew as co-pilot and enjoyed the ride, but he says that the cockpit was rather small for him. Tara and Josh then went by ambulance to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose. The head of the Rehabilitation unit examined Tara and said that he felt she had made progress since he first got reports about Tara a week ago. So we are pleased that Tara is back on her "home turf", even though she and Josh had planned to make Colorado their new home. Perhaps later . . ..

Both ABC and NBC news covered the arrival at the airport and interviewed Tara's father and grandfather. Stacey Hendler reported for ABC7-KGO and Ethan Harp reported for NBC11-KNTV. The newscasts will be on tonight at 11pm on Bay Area channels 7 and 11 (or 3). Thanks to all the people that made this happen.

11:00am Tara is coming home to California today!!! Tara will be leaving the University of Utah hospital early this afternoon and arriving via REACH Air Ambulance at San Jose Airport sometime around 3pm, and then will go by ambulance to Santa Clara Valley Medical in San Jose.

This transfer has been accomplished due to an incredible amount of effort by a long list of dedicated people who have worked tirelessly to make it happen. Here is an honor roll of those who excelled:

      Cindy Ling, SCVM
      Cindy Haut, SCVM
      Trish Hughes, California Children's Services (CCS)
      Janet Calloway, CCS
      Libby Echeverria, CCS
      Julie Espino, CCS
      Sandra Tankson, Medi-Cal
      Robert Huguenor, Medi-Cal
      Reach Air Ambulance
      Flightguard
      Med Flight Air Ambulance
      American Medical Response
      Also special thanks to Susan Murphy SCVM, Kim Roberts SCVM, Jim Murphy SCVM,
      Brenna Bolger PRx, and Connie Skipitares - San Jose Mercury News and all those that
      we have forgotten to mention . . . .

BUT, the most special thanks, the medal of honor, the most accolades go to a wonderful and dedicated individual - Marion Bradford, Discharge Coordinator at the University of Utah Hospital.
Marion worked diligently on Tara's behalf to ensure that the best possible transfer happened for Tara. Marion's cousin unfortunately passed away the night before Tara's transfer and she put aside her grief in order to complete the details necessary for Tara's successful transfer. Please remember Marion and pray for comfort for her in the loss of her loved one. Marion, THANK YOU for everything you did.

12:02am (up after midnight again . . .)      Well, Tara had a quiet day yesterday. We think that she was exhausted from being off of the respirator for 16 hours the day before. Preparations continued yesterday to prepare to move Tara to California. It is still uncertain as of this update when she will move and which hospital she will go to. But, we can tell you that there are many people in Utah and in California that are putting in a 110% effort in order to transfer Tara. Our special thanks to everyone that is working so diligently on Tara's behalf. It is amazing how much can be accomplished when people work together to make something happen. We will update you as soon as we are certain of any news of the timing of her transfer.   This reporter was very busy so we apologize that there was no update last evening.

We have had over 235 entries into our guestbook since we launched it two days ago. All the comments are wonderful and very appreciated. This entry was special, but unfortunately the special person did not enter their name or email . . .

I was the second officer on scene the day of the accident and have been curious as to how she was doing since the day I saw her leave in the helicopter. I'm so glad to hear that she and Josh are doing so well. They have both been in my thoughts and prayers and will continue to be.

Trooper, if you read this, please send us an email. We want to thank you for helping to save Tara's life.

July 1, 2004

6:30am Please sign our GUESTBOOK if you haven't already. Thanks.

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy learned that "There's no place like home . . ." We've been talking for over a week now about bringing Tara home to California, but it seems like Tara and Josh really have three home states now. They were raised in CA and will be returning there sometime in the next several days, but they were heading back to Colorado to begin their married life together when the accident happened on June 1st, one month ago today. And for the past month, the people of Utah have been very hospitable (no pun intended) and taken extremely good care of the couple.

Tara went to Colorado last September to complete her senior year of college at Colorado Christian University. She really loved it there and made lots of friends, and had including Alicia King, her wonderful and caring roommate. Josh moved to Colorado last December to be closer to Tara after he accepted a job as a youth pastor at Summit Community Church in Highlands Ranch. Josh also loved Colorado. Their friends there have been very supportive and we cannot begin to express our thanks to them for all they have done. Their friends recently packed Tara and Josh's apartment and stored everything for them for later. (It really is true friends who will help you move!) There have been several fundraisers and many people have dedicated their time and energy to help Tara and Josh. Thank you for your support and continued caring. We hope the golf tournament is a success.

Sometime soon, we are going to try to say thank you to the many people in Utah that have saved Tara and Josh's lives, starting with the witnesses to the accident, the paramedics and firemen at the scene, the dedicated doctors and nurses at the hospital, and all of those who have offered prayers and support.

Current Status Reports Aug-Sept Reports July Status Reports June Status Reports

Please remember Tara and Josh in your prayers and thoughts.

This status page will be updated as often as possible.

email: info@tarajosh.com