Paul's Update - 11/02/08

Dear Friends:

More than a month has gone by since my last update and I thought I should let you know how we are doing. I appreciate that you care and many have been asking about Paul. He continues to do VERY well. His balance is slowly getting better. He is able to get up from his chair in our living room all by himself most of the time. Someone is always nearby but we don’t have to lift him out of the chair. This makes things much easier for Dora and me. He doesn’t do as well sitting down by himself since he still has some trouble controlling his upper leg muscles. Around the house he uses ONLY his cane all the time. His steps are still slow and small but he doesn’t lose his balance much. He uses his walker when we go out since he still has a little trouble managing changes in elevation of the ground.

The speech therapist that, he has been seeing since July, has decided that she is going to “cycle” him out of the program for the next few months. He will go back to see her in February. This does a couple of things. It allows him to work at home for a while to see if he continues to progress but it also allows for other patients to see a speech therapist. I know how important this is because we waited a very long time to be able to get into a therapist’s schedule! Debi has been very good for Paul. He seems to like her and does about 30% of what she asks him to do. She has been very impressed that he is able to do some of the things that she didn’t think he would be able to do. She had him practicing to sing “Happy Birthday” for the last couple of weeks and he can sing the entire song. They also worked on “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” but he doesn’t have all of that song learned yet. He seems to enjoy puzzles and problem solving. He will even write alphabet letters but that takes a bit of work still. He can use alphabet letters to spell his name and Max’s name. One day Debi had Paul touch his nose and then touch Dad’s nose interchangeably. After about three times she said “I bet you’d rather punch your dad wouldn’t you?” As soon as she said it, Paul made a fist and reached out to put in on Dad’s nose. When he did it ... he LAUGHED!! Not a lot ... but a nice little giggle! There are some times that it is VERY evident he knows what he is doing ... and he even has a little humor from time to time!

We are going to look into getting some private therapy (that we will pay for) while he is not in therapy at the hospital. Debi suggested an organization in Oakton Virginia called “Stroke Come Back”. They work primarily with stroke patients but Paul’s injury is very much like that of a stroke patient. We will go on Monday to have an evaluation done to see if he is a candidate for their program.

Paul & Dad have also started going back to the gym. Paul is doing lots of weight lifting. He is actually very strong. They also like working out in the pool. That is ... once they get into the pool!! Paul sits in a lift that moves him over the water and lowers him into the pool. It moves very slowly and the water is cold so Paul is pretty miserable during the process. He really enjoys walking the length of the pool. They do it several times and get a pretty good workout.

We continue to see Max almost every Sunday. Tabitha is very good about making sure Max spends time with his dad. Max actually enjoys Pap-Paw more though. He is Pap-Paw’s shadow! They play together the whole time he is with us. Paul gets on the floor to play with them sometimes but he would rather just watch them. He really enjoys the interaction with Max. When Max gives him a kiss or brings him a toy, Paul gets a proud smile on his face. He isn’t like that with the other children ... I’m convinced Paul understands his relationship with Max! I am enclosing a couple of pictures of Paul & Max (and Carl).

One of them (thanks to BJ) was taken at the Fall Festival we had at church.

I’m sure you know we are approaching the three year anniversary of Paul’s accident. November 4, 2005 was a day that changed our lives forever. It is also a day that we received a miracle ... one of MANY that our God has blessed us with. We continue to believe that this is only the beginning of much progress for Paul. Thanks for being a part of our story. We appreciate the love and support. We are mostly thankful for your prayers!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl