28 February 2011

Day 470 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

It is Monday and Grayson was back off to the clinic this morning. The weather was beautiful today and Grayson and another patient went outside with the physical therapist and kicked a soccer ball around. Grayson required a lot of cues to pass the ball or to go get the ball, but he participated. Other highlights at the clinic today was making an eggplant sandwich – and eating it!

Regina and Grayson went to the grocery on the way home. As soon as they arrived home and we unloaded the car, Grayson and I ran back out to run some other errands. It was 7:00 tonight before we were ready to start dinner. Fortunately dinner was a salad so the "cooking" part didn't slow us down.

Grayson was alert for another day, but non-verbal for another day. We really have to pull words out of Grayson now. This part appears to be getting worse and not better. In my observation of him it is just too hard for him to speak, and he doesn't. My fear is that the longer this continues the more that the pattern becomes fixed. Let's pray that this area turns around.

Pax!

Brant

2 comments:

  1. An interesting dilemma, the "no talking." Clearly, you need to hear him speak (for many, and excellent reasons); but at the moment, it's also quite possible that his silence may partially be due to having nothing to say.

    I understand the world of "use it or lose it," certainly. But my stretch of the Neurological Highway also includes "if I want it badly enough, I'll find a way."

    Encouragement, opportunity, and hope: a winning trifecta, on the neurological battleground. Grayson has always been, if absolutely nothing else, creative. When he wants to communicate, he will. Isn't that the road that we all take, as our brains are developing for the first time--why should his rebuilding experience be so very much different?

    Grayson lives in a world of encouragement, opportunity, and hope, surrounded and powered by love. What a wonderful life that must be, talking or no! We should all live in such a blessed world.

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  2. Praying that there will be improvement in his speaking.

    Pam Donaldson
    (Mom to Sharon '06 and Linda '08)

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