Day 630 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Last night as I was getting ready to go to bed long after I put Grayson down, I opened his door as I do every night. To my surprise he was standing in front of his computer watching a news broadcast!

Going back in time to Saturday morning, I hooked up some speakers to Grayson's computer. We listened to some music for a test and then played a CD for fun. After that we were done with it and went on with our day.

Last night he had enough motor control to navigate to and launch a video broadcast. I was amazed and impressed. Some of the old skills and muscle memory are still with him!

Pax!

Brant

Day 629 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

It's Saturday! A sleep-in day, then some work around the house. We accomplished some things today that we are all feeling good about! We concluded the day with a steak dinner (a now-rare treat of beef in this house of cardiac kids) and the 7^th Harry Potter movie – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Grayson was along with us the entire day. He was alert and engaged today – and also ready for bed after a full day of running errands and helping us move things around the house!

Therapeutic opportunities present themselves most any time. The key is to recognize them!

Pax!

Brant

Day 628 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Regina and Grayson went out to breakfast this morning! Actually it was more like lunch as he slept in a bit today.

Grayson was a bit unfocused today. We think that he is adjusting to the lifting of the fog created by the neuro med we are reducing. He is learning to deal with a bit more neural noise than he was a few weeks ago.

I'll take the change!

Pax!

Brant

Day 627 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Do you ever have one of those days where you can barely remember what happened because you were so busy? That was mine today, and I think that Regina would say the same thing. It is days like these that I worry, as only a parent can worry, if we paid enough attention to Grayson. I know that Regina spent some quality time with him, and I took him on an errand with me, but I know we could have done better. Life just got in the way today.

We do the best we can with the time that we have.

Pax!

Brant

Day 626 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson woke up this morning stuck in compound low – he was just in slow motion for most of the morning. Later in the afternoon he became more alert. By the late afternoon he was speaking again and alert enough to focus and accomplish some tasks. By dinner he was operating at full force – Grayson Style.

Isn't it funny how each day can be so different? And that a single day can have elements of good days and bad days? Living with brain injury – always an adventure!

Pax!

Brant

Day 625 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

It is my observation that Grayson has been a little calmer and a bit more alert as we have weaned him off of the neuro med that he has had since his initial hospitalization 600+ days back. The differences are subtle and unless you spent a lot of time with Grayson, you probably wouldn't notice. On Thursday we further drop the levels and we'll see what happens!

Grayson worked with Regina on speech this evening. He has become so non-verbal that he points as a primary communication tool. Regina refuses to accept his pointing and makes him say what he wants (sometimes giving him the first words like, "May I"). With Regina there is usually a pause at the end until he adds, "Please!" Grayson had lots of time to practice today!

Therapy in everyday living!

Pax!

Brant

Day 624 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Monday – back to work for Regina and I and a busy week on the horizon. Actually it is so busy for Regina that she spent most of the weekend at the office!

Life with a disabled young adult at your home is a continuous challenge – emotionally and practically. Grayson is a sweet and loving person that will gladly just sit and read a comic book or watch TV. The emotional challenge is that those are not strategies to help him to overcome his injury – they are not therapeutic. So the practical challenge is to take the time away from all of those other things that you need to do and spend time doing therapeutic activity.

Some therapeutic activity can be incorporated into everyday things. Tonight I asked Grayson to get me the extra virgin olive oil while I was preparing dinner. He handed me the canola oil, the peanut oil and the balsamic before finding the correct item. I asked him what each item was when he passed it to me. He realized that it was not the correct thing when he read the label out loud, then he went back for another bottle. It sure would have been faster and easier to just grab the darned thing myself, but I would have lost an opportunity.

And opportunity for therapy in whatever form it presents itself is a blessing that needs to be recognized and seized.

Pax!

Brant