Idalski family elated to be home

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

The road to recovery has led Justin Idalski to the friendly surroundings of home. The Rogers City High School senior was busy Tuesday gathering his schoolbooks before his ride was to pick him up and take him to school for two classes in the afternoon. “I?m going to try-er out and see what happens,” said Idalski. “I usually don?t like going back to school, but I think it is going to be fun going back.”

Idalski was in the hospital for 16 days, suffering from seizures and memory loss until getting clearance last Saturday by doctors in Ann Arbor to go home. Dave and Jean Ann, Justin?s parents, and Justin all arrived to “Welcome Home” signs on their porch and on the lawn when they arrived home Easter eve. “Every test came back negative,” he said.

EVEN SO, a spot, or an image was found on the left lobe of Justin’s brain, and while doctors were unable to pinpoint his ailment, the closest diagnosis is limbic encephalitis. “They figure what it might be is a Herpes Type 1 virus,” said Dave. “Most of the time the (viruses) stay dormant. Some of it could have got into his brain.” It could have originated from cold sores, but nothing has been definitive.

Justin will be going back to Ann Arbor for further tests and brain scans in four weeks. “I?m hoping we are over it,” said Dave, who slept in a hospital room chair next to his son the entire time away. “You have to be optimist about it. He?s getting a lot better. He?s feeling better everyday.”

Dave said Justin’s legs were a little wobbly when they first got back, but that’s probably because he had been confined to a hospital bed for so long. Dad and son went to the family hunting camp to get a load of w

ood as the family is trying to get back to a comfortable level of normalcy again. “IT IS great to be home, there?s no doubt about that,” said Dave. “I think that is going to help him too, to be around family and friends in his own environment.”

“It is great to sleep in my own bed,” said Justin. “I?m a little bit tired still. I?ve dropped two or three months (of memory) that I don?t remember. I don?t remember much about basketball. I?m going to get a tape.” That includes winning the district tournament. “That?s kind of made me angry,” he added.

The family was appreciative of all the support, cards, prayers and messages on the Internet, some from people they don’t even know. “It was overwhelming,” said Jean Ann. “It wasn’t just Rogers City, it was the surrounding area too. The outpouring of support from the communities was awesome.”