Day 101

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Bob has had a couple of GREAT days!  He walked 50+ feet yesterday with only the walker and very little help from the therapist.  He walked in the gym on the wood floor so it was a little easier than the carpet.  Today, he walked about 24 feet in the hall on the carpet!!  He is doing great and getting stronger every day.  He loved the visits that he got today, thanks so much to all of you!!  It was a great weekend!  

Thank You!

Thanks so much to whoever heart attacked my house on Valentines Day.  I got home late and saw the hearts and just sat in my car and cried.  Thank you so much for thinking of me! 

Day 99

Friday, February 24, 2012

Bob has, for the most part, had a good week.  He is getting stronger and being able to do more every day.  He walked with a walker today, with only a belt and some assistance from the therapist.  This is a very good thing!  This is one of the things he will need to do to be able to come home and today was the beginning!  He will now have to continue to get stronger with it and be able to do it with minimal to no assistance.  His cognitive is also getting better and he understands that he doesn't always say the right words.  It is frustrating to him and he looks to whoever is with him for help.  Sometimes we can guess what he is talking about and then again, sometimes we can't.  If you give him a choice of words or names, he will usually get it right.  The way our brain works is just amazing!  He is remembering more events from his past, which is good.  They removed his feeding tube last week so he is finally tube free!!  I am starting to see the determination returning because he wants to come home so badly.  He still definitely has down moments and days, but they are becoming less and less.  He can do most of his shower by himself and has really made some good progress in all areas the last couple of weeks.  They are still saying 3 to 4 weeks for his return home.  Bob is just amazed when I tell him about all the love and support that we have gotten from everyone - thanks so much!  Miracles are still happening in our lives, and in the lives of people around us.  It has been simply amazing to see and recognize them!  Thanks so much for your prayers and support, it means more than you'll ever know! 

Day 92

Friday, February 17, 2012

It's been a while since I updated with new information about Bob's progress, sorry!  He is steadily progressing and getting stronger all the time.  You can see in the photos that he is beginning to walk, with the help of therapists, slings, parallel bars and walkers, but he is walking!  Today he walked without the sling and with very little assistance from the therapists.  He made it to the end of the parallel bars twice in his morning therapy and again once in the afternoon.  He is starting to retain some information for a little longer than he has and does make some sense on his good days.  He actually told me last night that he remembered cleaning the church the morning of his accident.  His progress is slow but it is happening!  We are probably still out another 3 weeks or so until he can come home, but after 3 months, that sounds like a very short amount of time to me!  Thanks so much to everyone who sent Valentines to Bob.  He was really excited that so many people had thought about him that day!  The picture shows just a very few of the Valentines he got, there were lots more, thank you!  Please continue to pray for Bob, the miracles are continuing in his behalf.  He wants to come home so bad but realizes that he can't quite yet.  It makes him sad and emotional when we have to leave to come home, without him.  Thanks so much to those who have visited him, he really enjoys seeing familiar faces.  If you happen to be in the Murray area, please consider stopping in for a visit, it is kind of a fun thing!  I know he recognizes people, he still just can't put the right name with the right face.  If I haven't learned anything else from all of this, it is that we all take so very much for granted.  Our lives and our abilities are amazing, but they can be taken from us in just a split second.  Be grateful for every little thing you can do!  Your kindness and love will be forever appreciated.  Love to all of you!

Day 80

Sunday, February 5, 2012

This has been a great week for Bob!  He continued to stand up in therapy all week.  He increased the number of times he stood and length of time each day.  He is starting to be able to transfer from his bed to his wheel chair better and do more of it on his own.  He is eating better so they haven't had to do tube feeds for most of the week.  It sounds like they will be removing his feeding tube in the next few days.  On Saturday night, Bob asked his male nurse to give him a blessing because he had had kind of a hard day on Friday.  His nurse told him he was honored to have been asked and that was the first time a patient had requested that from him.  It was a really good experience for Bob, his nurse and for me.  We talked about his accident again and he was taken back by the details.  I think he realized what a miracle he is when I explained it to him.  He is making good progress and each day he seems to be getting a little stronger.  He worked out on a machine that looks like an elliptical machine but you sit down to do it.  He did that for 12 minutes and said he really liked it.  The most exciting news for this week was today, he took his first steps!  It was really exciting and he was really proud of himself!  What a great thing to have experienced!  I am so glad that I got to see it!  I think this next week will be as good, if not better than this week has been.  He is really working hard so he can come home.  He realizes that he isn't strong enough to come home quite yet but is willing to work hard so he can.  He asked our Bishop to give our ward a message from him today.  He wanted everyone to know that he loves his Heavenly Father and that he knows his Heavenly Father loves him and is blessing him.  What more can be said?  Thanks so much for your continued prayers in our behalf!