December 30th, 2005

I have a chance to tell everyone a few little things Jess has done this week that are awesome to me. He just kicked his left leg up 9 times for me in his wheelchair during PT. In OT yesterday David put his left arm in a plastic brace that has rollers on the bottom. He velcros his arm in and puts the brace flat on a table. He showed Jess how to roll his arm back and forth in front of him a few times and then asked Jess to do it and he was able to do it a couple of times by himself. David said this could open up some new ways for Jess to do a number of things so we are going to work hard at that one. He is also able to hold his eye gaze straight forward longer. We have an appointment with an eye doctor to check his vision again. The doctor specializes in helping people learn exercises to strength the muscles in the eye again. We meet every day with a counselor who does visualization with Jess. He has him imagine where his body is in space. He will take him through a basketball game or down the slopes snowboarding and ask him to feel what it is like. He was telling him he was about to make a basket and could for a layup or dunk it and then he added, "You can't dunk a ball, Jess you better just take the layup". Jess started moving all over and punkered his lips and had an angry look on his face. Joe, the counselor, kept telling him he couldn't dunk and Jess kept moving more. He is trying to stimulate "all" emotions because we know there isn't a perfect world. He also took both of us through a relaxing meditation. He told me how powerful the brain is and that we just need to unlock sensations for Jess again. Good stuff! We saw the rehab doctor for the first time and he was amazed at Jess' flexibility and lack of contractures. He complimented me on how well we had worked with Jess. I said it was only because of my wonderful therapists at home and their constant ranging of Jess. Thank you John, Tami, Robbin, Susan, Maura and everyone at the horse arena! They have told me the key to success with brain injury is repetition. The more the better....everyday Jess needs OT, PT and Speech. They want to relay this to the medical world so they don't let brain injured people waste away in nursing homes. Of course, I am with them 100%. Well, I better run...Jess is in the standing machine. Happy New Year!!!! Please be safe...