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July 23, 2005
Message Left, July 23, 1 PM
early yesterday evening i checked my voice mail and to my great joy i heard my son's voice say, "hey dad, where are you?" i called back immediately and we had a wonderful little visit before he went to sleep.
apparently, his therapy sessions went well yesterday, and he seemed a lot less stressed than he has for the past few days. i think he is beginning to fall into a routine that is making some sense to him in the midst of a lot that is still confusing. or perhaps, fuzzy, would be a better word.
in one of the recent comments i received i was asked about asher's movement abilities. he is still considered a quadrapelegic, but he is making some good strides at being able to control his left arm. if he continues moving forward the way that he is he will be able to control an electric wheel chair with his left arm and hand before we know it. he still does not have any signs of use with his fingers at this point. fingers are controlled at points below where his other spinal injury occurred, T5.
as far as his legs, or anything below his waist, at this point, he has not shown any signs of voluntary movement, or feeling that we can tell. now he does have involuntary movement in his legs occaisionally. he even has resistence in his right leg sometimes. when i pull it to the outside it will try and close together with the other leg.
i am learning more and more the complexities of both spinal and brain injuries.. in that asher has both it is even more complicated. the shepherd spinal center web site has some wonderful information if you want to learn more about what we are going through, and expectations for recovery (shepherd.org).
the truth is that there is so much that is unknown, just medically, about what to expect, because each injury is different and at this stage, ultimate outcomes are really not predictable, that we are still in a wait and see. it can take up to a year to determine some of the outcomes, and in certain cases it can take even longer.
in many ways it is not so different than when asher was still in a coma and we were waiting to see what would come back. for many weeks we were waiting just to find out if his chest muscles were functional so that he could be able to come off the ventilator. that seems like such a long time ago, but at the time, in addition to our concerns about him continuing to survive, there were also the concerns about whether he would ever wake up, and if he did what would his mental condition be, in addition to worrying about whether he would ever be able to breath on his own.
then, after he was able to breath on his own, one of the next concerns was whether he would ever be able to swallow enough to be able to eat through his mouth rather than through a feeding tube. which, incidentally, he still has a feeding tube and receives supplimental feedings every day.
anyone who has ever tried to restore an old house knows that you have to begin with the foundation. if it is not secure, then no matter what else you do to the house it will eventually be undone, because the house will never be completely stable. in a sense, what is going on with asher right now is dealing with his functional foundations: thinking, eating, breathing, sleeping, moving, digestion, etc. as asher's brain continues to heal and his cognitive abilities improve, we will be able to find out more and more what is working elsewhere.
every day, it seems like, God sends more people, both new as well as old friends and aquaintances to encourage us in such amazing ways. my family and i continue to be blessed beyond measure by such incredible signs of support. we have tried to keep up with all that has been done for us, that we know about, but it seems like more than not has fallen between the cracks. we just want to be able to thank everyone, even though we know that many would not want or expect to receive our thanks. still, we are so thankful, and we know that we could not have, nor could we continue to, make it through all of this without all of your prayers and all the other ways that you have helped as well. may the Lord continue to keep and bless you all.
another day of rejoicing in God's mercy and grace,
andy mendonsa
| By Andy Mendonsa | 1:38 PM
