Day 204 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

I called Grayson several times this evening there was no answer in his apartment. I took this as a positive sign that he was somewhere else in the complex enjoying some joint activity with other residents. When I finally made contact with him he was snuggled in bed and ready to doze off into dreamland. His RA was not able to chat as she was busy supervising the bedtime routine for another of his roommates. This may seem minor but in actuality it is a major improvement. It means that Grayson's behavior is stable enough for her to supervise more than one resident at a time for at least a portion of the evening. It doesn't mean he can be left unattended yet but keeping an eye on his doorway from the next room is a step in the right direction, even if it is just once in a while.

Tomorrow is our regular conference with all of the therapists responsible for Grayson's care. Since most of the feedback we receive daily is either from the staff at the residence or from our own observation, we are always quite eager to hear how he is progressing in the specific areas of therapy addressed at the clinic. Tune in tomorrow for more details.

Brant and I want you to know how much it means to us that, even after these many months, you still care enough to keep checking on our family. We appreciate each of your comments and can feel the support of your love and prayers. May God bless you all.

Grace and peace to each of you.

Regina

Day 203 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson had a good and relaxing day today. He was able to sleep in this morning, since we were not there to take him to church. We attended the annual church musical with our own congregation this morning, and it was a wonderful service. I am sorry that Grayson couldn't be there with us, as he had been a part of so many of these in the past. Here is a rerun of a clip of this church musical from 2007, where Grayson and Austin joined me as we performed the parable of the prodigal son.

Today Grayson did his chores consisting of 2 loads of laundry and mopping of the floors. He did these tasks with little prompting today.

Grayson did his therapeutic home program (THP) this afternoon. He did well on his orientation questions, and this is one of several days in a row where he has remembered the address of the residence. This is great news as he has had much difficulty remembering the address in all but the past few days. It is also a safety issue should he stray away from the residence. If he knows the address, helpers can bring him home. Other THP's he did today are fill-in-the-blanks and the pairing of opposites.

For dinner this evening, he teamed up with one of his roommates to make baked pork chops with potatoes. After dinner they relaxed with some TV time until it was time for bed. It was a good day!

Pax!

Brant

Day 202 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

As we drove the 107 miles each way to see Grayson today, I was struck again with the marked contrast in the scenery from what it was when we started our weekly sojourn in January. In January there was snow in the pass and on the mountain peaks. As the snow melted the spectacular flower fields came into bloom – bright purples, yellows and oranges set off against vivid green grasses. Now the grasses have dried to golden and the hills are nearly devoid of flowers save the yellow weeds and cactus blossoms. The temperature has moved from the 30s and 40s to the mid 90s.

We also see a marked contrast in Grayson from January. He is brighter, less tired (though still moving somewhat in slow motion) and his hand tremors are greatly reduced. He is physically stronger, and able to make more decisions for himself with prompting. His speech is still unclear though understandable when he is encouraged to slow his pace. He chooses very short answers likely because of the frustration of his words tumbling out on top of each other and knowing he is difficult to understand. It must be hard to be asked to repeat yourself so frequently.

His cognitive abilities also seem to be improving. Tonight he completed several sections of exercises with his RA accurately answering questions about what was read to him and finding commonality in sets of words. He even remembered his address again.

Our day with Grayson was filled with many simple and delightful moments. For example, for lunch today we took him to a brand new Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Bakersfield. This particular location has only been open a week and yet it felt as familiar as if we were in Burbank. As a side note, the statue in front of this new location was stolen during this first week and has already been returned and reinstalled.

After lunch we ran errands to Costco, filled the car with gas, and hunted for pottery for my brother and his wife. Because we move slowly with Grayson, these simple errands, that you or I could finish in short order, can stretch out many hours. The outdoor walk through the pottery yard in the hot afternoon sun soon had us looking forward to taking a dip in the pool back at his residence. Grayson was quite eager to change into his bathing suit though he "got stuck" for a short time while changing clothes. When we sprayed sunscreen on him he cringed much less than last week and got into the pool more quickly. He was able to pull himself out of the side of the pool again but with much less effort than the week before.

While we sat by the pool in the shade we encouraged him to drink water and handed him a half liter bottle. He took a couple of sips and put the bottle down. I challenged him to drink more than a couple of sips and asked him to drink down to the top of the label. He looked keenly at the label and started drinking. He stopped, checked the label again and drank some more – repeating until he reached precisely the top of the label. He put the bottle down and grinned at me. How very engineer-like. I was delighted that he took the challenge, set a goal, and completed it.

These mundane things may all seem small accomplishments but as we have said before, this is a journey of inches. Progress is progress and worthy of celebration.

Today I read to him from an amusing book entitled, Anguished English, An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language by Richard Lederer. To hear Grayson sit there and laugh his way through this crazy collection of language bloopers, two-headed headlines and mixed-up metaphors – I couldn't help but be thankful that the injury to his brain has left his sense of humor in pretty good shape.

Brant and I thank God for the opportunity to share these days with Grayson as well as for the opportunity to share the journey with each of you.

Grace and peace,

Regina

Day 201 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

It's Friday – must be movie night! Grayson was off at the movies when I called earlier this evening. I called back at 10:10 just as the transportation bus arrived back at the residence. After a few minutes I got to speak with his residential assistant (RA) to get a report and then I had an opportunity to speak with Grayson.

Grayson was getting ready for bed, but he was still excited about the movies. When I asked him what he did tonight he said, "The movies!" (He remembered – that's good!) I asked him what he saw, and he couldn't remember. He also couldn't remember if it was an action or a comedy. He did remember having fun! I told him that we would see him in the morning, then said my farewell so he could get to bed – 10:30 – very late for Grayson!

I spoke with his RA and he said that Grayson was very well behaved this evening. The movie that they watched was Get Him to the Greek. The RA said that Grayson laughed out loud for most of the movie – what a treat! Prior to the movies, Grayson did his usual activities – chores (vacuuming and taking out the trash), dinner (chicken and mashed potatoes), walk, and his therapeutic home program (THP). I think that it was a good day!

Pax!

Brant

Day 200 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Can it really be 200 days? It seems both so short a time, and so long a time. We are just at the beginning of our journey.

Grayson had a good day today. He was well behaved and calm all evening. After he arrived back from transportation, he watched his usual 30 minutes of TV before starting chores. Tonight his chore was to clean the bathroom. His residential assistant (RA) remarked that he was much more helpful and cooperative than usual as this is his least favorite chore. Duh!

His dinner tonight was pizza and a salad, with a fruit cocktail for dessert. The pizza was frozen so he did not have much difficulty preparing it. Tonight when he finished eating, he left the table and took his plates to the kitchen to wash without being prompted. This is good!

Grayson worked on his therapeutic home program (THP) after dinner. Tonight in addition to the orientation questions (the address, phone number, etc.) he was given 4 words, then asked to choose one. (Blanket, shoe, newspaper, box – which one is the softest?) He was doing so well that the questions became progressively more difficult. He stuck with this exercise for almost 45 minutes – an extended period for Grayson. This is also good!

This month, Grayson has had a lot of backsliding. Fortunately, in the last few days things look like they are starting to turn around again.

Pax!

Brant

Day 199 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson had a good day today. When he arrived back at the residence from the clinic, he quickly jumped on his chores and tasks. He did laundry first, before helping to prepare dinner. After dinner and clean-up, Grayson went to get the mail. Today he got a card from one of my cousins. He was so excited to get the card, that he ripped it open in the parking lot, read it, and beamed all the way back to his apartment. Since email, IM's and Facebook are no longer an option for Grayson to be touched by friends around the globe, the old fashioned way is pretty cool. Thanks to all of you who have sent him cards and letters. He is always so happy to get them, and they are always neatly laid out to show off when we arrive on the weekends.

After the mail run, Grayson did his therapeutic home program (THP). Tonight one of his THP's was to listen to a paragraph of information, then to answer questions on the material. He did very well at this. Because he did all of his tasks in such a short time, he got some extra TV time.

Tonight was Bingo night at the rec center. Grayson was excited and energized to go and play Bingo with the rest of the residents. He stayed and participated for over an hour before he needed to go to bed. I spoke with him just as he climbed into bed. Unfortunately, he didn't remember a thing about what had happened this evening. Such is the way with brain injury. Improvement is measured in months and years, not days and weeks.

Pax!

Brant

Day 198 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson had a good day today. When he arrived back at the residence from the clinic, he was "stuck" in the bus for a while, but his residential assistant (RA) was able to get him up and moving. Grayson was particularly helpful with dinner prep tonight, adding ingredients to the stir-fry that his RA helped him make. He finished all of his dinner, which is a good thing as he looks as thin as ever.

His cleaning task tonight was to mop the hard floors. He did an exceptional task in the hallway, according to his RA, and she made particular note that perhaps it was because there are so few things to dodge, unlike the kitchen.

Grayson did his therapeutic home program (THP) and completed his orientation questions, some yes/no answer questions, then a series of sentences where he had to answer questions about the content. He did well on all of them.

After finishing his THP's, Grayson went to the rec center to spend the rest of his evening with other residents singing karaoke. He was down there a good long while, and didn't return to his unit until well after 9:00 PM. He was in bed but not yet asleep when I spoke with him. I asked him if he had fun tonight, and he heartily agreed!

Pax!

Brant