Well last week was fast and busy. Emily had therapy at Vandy on Monday and Friday, and we went to Louisville on Wednesday for a followup with her rehab doctor. On the drive up, we listened to an audiobook of City of Bones (which she’s read before, but doesn’t remember the plotline), and Emily read along in the printed book. Hopefully this will help stretch her ability to focus attention longer and get her back to reading novels (which she did voraciously before the accident). Hopefully it’s working – we read and listened all the way to Nashville Friday morning – almost an hour and a half – which is definitely longer than she has been able to focus. On arrival to Frazier Rehab, we visited on the seventh floor, where she was for almost two months. She got to meet her therapists and some of the nursing staff who took care of her, and everyone seemed very excited about her progress. We were asked to speak with a brain-injured young man and his family while we were there – his accident was in July and his course of recovery has been similar to Emily’s. Sharing descriptions of Emily’s condition while we were there, and seeing their expressions of hope and excitement grow as they watched her and listened to her speak now was a true blessing. Recovery is a very hard road, but so worth it. We just thought we were excited as young parents as she did all of these milestones the first time… The visit with her rehab doctor went very well. He actually had to ask which was her weak side – he could no longer tell by strength testing! Memory checks show that her memory is recording very well now, though she does still need some cues or hints to retrieve the memory. He seemed incredibly pleased with her progress and we discussed ideas and possibilities for eventual return to school. He asked her what she wanted to pursue when she does go back, and upon hearing her answer and that it would require master’s level work, he told her that at this point, he believes anything she decides to pursue is within her reach. He seemed very sincere in this, and considering the extent and severity of her injury, it was absolutely amazing to hear. Emily seemed pleased and heartened to hear it, which I’m very glad of, as she has been disheartened lately about her limitations possibly preventing her from being able to ever go back. That evening we went by the neuro ICU at U of L and Emily was able to meet several of the nursing staff and one of the neurosurgery residents who took care of her those first weeks – and this time she was walking and making jokes . It was great! I think that seeing the reactions of all of these people who saw her earlier, and them telling her how wonderfully she is progressing, has been a real boost to her confidence and I’m so grateful for that. Per her request to do “something fun,” we stayed overnight and went to the Louisville Zoo on Thursday. Emily has always loved going to zoos anyway, and the weather was very nice and crowds thin, so it was a lovely day. We have such a massive debt of gratitude to so many – first our Creator, whose power as the Great Physician has been so wonderfully exemplified in our daughter – and to so many wonderful people who, from the first moments after her nearly life-ending accident and coming through her recovery for eight and a half months, have done all the good and right things that brought us to this stage – and the countless thousands who have offered selfless support through prayers, words, and donations. There is no manner in this lifetime to adequately express our thanks, but thank you. From the bottoms of our hearts, thank you.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:42:03 +0000
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