Update from Betsi: Colin had a good day today. He is stronger in general. His head control is improving a lot and he is able to do many things with his right side. He still can’t move his left side but the therapists have been able to cause movement with electric stimulation. They are hoping to “jump start” his left side with this stimulation and also by having him bear weight on his left side. Colin can feel it if you touch his left side but he just can’t move his arm or leg. He describes them as feeling “frozen”. A highlight today was having some of his jaw wires removed. Five weeks ago he had surgery to repair a broken jaw and it has been wired shut since then. At the time we had been told to expect the wires to remain for six weeks. Colin has been looking forward to having his wires removed because he wants to be able to talk. (We communicate with Colin via a white marker board.) He was visibly disappointed when the oral surgery resident examined him today and said it would probably be another two weeks before the wires would be removed. However, the resident came back five minutes later and told us that the team had reviewed Colin’s first x-ray and felt that some of the wires could come off. Colin has enjoyed moving his mouth since that time and is trying very hard to vocalize. Pat had warned me that Colin would most likely start of speaking in a whisper rather than at a normal volume. I did hear him whisper two things very, very quietly today. The first word was “Mom” and the second word was “Emma”. It was a very beautiful sound. I think he also tried to say “Dad” and “Colin” but he struggled a little more with those sounds. Colin also went outside today for the first time since his accident (not counting the brief time he was outside during his transfer to TIRR). He did seem to enjoy it but it also seemed to take a lot out of him even though he was only out for a few minutes. It was very hot so that may have been it. The bright light seemed to bother his eyes so we will need to keep an eye on that. His day ended with a visit from Father Bravo and Coach Nurre. I think they were both impressed by how much Colin has improved since the last time they had seen him. Even though he was very sleepy, I asked Colin if he wanted to say anything to them. Before I tell you what Colin wrote I need to explain that Colin is a huge Green Bay Packers fan and Coach Nurre is a huge Chicago Bears fan. A favorite chant of Packers fans is “the Bears still suck”. Well guess what Colin wrote….”the Bears suck”. This was just a beautiful thing to see because it showed that Colin’s personality and memories are still in there. I know this may be a strange photo to share but I’ve attached a picture of Colin’s message. I just find it so reassuring to know that Colin’s sports-loving, fun-loving personality is still there. (I hope this doesn’t offend anyone!) Tomorrow is Colin’s birthday. We are so blessed that he is here to celebrate it with us. Your prayers have sustained us and are being answered. He is continuing to show promise in his recovery and we continue to pray for a miracle.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 02:49:37 +0000
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