Sunday, December 20, 2009

Late Fall/Early Winter Update

This past Friday, Dec. 18th, Will celebrated his 28th birthday and boarded a plane bound for Boston. He will be home on the Cape in Chatham for at least Christmas and New Year's and may stay for 2-3 months. He will be going up to Spaulding Rehab in Boston on 12/28 for an evaluation to enter their outpatient rehab program. It is still very much up in the air if he will "get in" and if he does, how long he will stay. He finished rehab down here at Wake Med and has regained very slight function in some leg muscles. If he concentrates really hard he can contract his quads a little bit. He still has significant muscle spasms which he can use to his advantage at times. Other times, they just "get in the way" and make transfers to/from his chair a bit challenging and time consuming. He has a new back rest on his chair which is more user friendly and lighter than his old back rest. He is still waiting for a standing frame to arrive. Once the order is complete is should be showing up on our doorstep down here in NC. The standing frame will allow him to "stand" which is very important for his bone health.

In other news, we subjected him to a turkey fry at our house with our friends which I think he enjoyed. It turns out our fryer is defective and my friend had to run home and get her parents' fryer and to make a long story short we didn't end up eating until about 9 pm. Still a good time though. It appears that Will left just in time and has arrived on the Cape with about 1 foot of snow! Dad built a ramp for him that had to be shoveled off this morning...sounds like he may need some snow tires on his chair!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

License to drive!

Today was a historical day for Will. He is now back to driving his truck! This is a great milestone, made possible by hand controls. We cannot thank folks enough for the donations he has received which made the vehicle modification possible.

Life continues to be an adjustment for Will. After returning from Hawaii, reality set in a bit more. I know how much Will appreciates his buddies and values talking to them all, much more than talking to a counselor. As my family and I had time right after the accident to grieve the loss of Will's ability to walk, I am not certain he has completely grieved. Many of you know that grief is an ongoing process. Will is working through his reality and continues to press on as best he knows how.

As of now, he is researching Spaulding Hospital's rehab program in Boston. He would like to get on the robotic treadmill machine known as the "Locomat" to see if that may help him in anyway. The Shepherd Center had multiple Locomat machines, but that was not included as part of his therapy since he did not have any lower extremity movement. He would have had to pay out of pocket if he had wanted to get on the machine and at the time we did not pursue that. He continues to do acupuncture twice a week, pool therapy once a week, and regular PT three times a week. He is looking at returning to the Cape in December around his birthday (12/18). He may stay up there for a bit if Spaulding works out, but much of that is up in the air as of now.

For now, it continues to be a step-by-step process, with the wonderful aspect that he can now drive himself anywhere he needs to be!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Bound for Ironman World Championships!

Saturday morning the Archibalds' and Johnsons' are off to Kona! I will be updating my blog http://ironem.blogspot.com while we are out there. We arrive Oct 3rd and will be back in NC on Oct.13th. The race is Saturday October 10th and you can track my progress on-line at www.ironman.com. There will also be an article on ironman.com next week about Will and our journey over the past few months. We will have a video camera with us and I hope to put together a You Tube video to share with everyone. This way y'all can experience portions of the 140.6 miles and get a taste of the Ironman experience:) It is AMAZING.

Will continues to do really well at rehab and is also continuing to do bi-weekly acupuncture. Tomorrow he is looking forward to an appointment with his wheelchair vendor so they can fit his chair a little better and remove some unnecessary brackets that are only "slowing" him down! He has also been wheeling around for about 3 weeks now without his anti-tip (wheelie) bars- so far no falls! He is able to back himself down a 6 inch curb independently (although he does not do this when he is alone, only when has a spotter, since it is a bit risky and he is still learning these advanced wheelchair maneuvers).

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Driving and trip up to MA

It's been a very busy week! This past Thursday Will, Ty, and I flew up to Boston and were on the Cape for the weekend. We all visited with our aunt and cousin Bethany (and our little 2nd cousins Rett & Ellie). Will got to visit with a lot of his friends and also attended his friend's (Kelly) wedding. Ty & I visited with friends and attended another wedding (my friend Heidi Erdmann). The flights were uneventful and served as good practice for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. We allowed for plenty of time to arrive to the airport and go thru security. Will did great transferring to the aisle chair which the airlines use to transport para's and quad's to their seats. Will commented a few times on how the airline personnel were all over him. They do not always understand the fact that he can do everything himself and that he does not need their physical help to move. His chair made the trip without being harmed which was a big relief to us all. You just never know what happens once they stow equipment down below.

Since we returned on Sunday it's been non-stop rehab/appointments. Will has started getting regular acupuncture which will hopefully help with some of his spasms and sensation. He got in the pool down here at rehab which he may continue to do on a regular basis. He got a Tempur Pedic bed which is much more comfortable and better for him than our tired guest bed he had been sleeping on. The big news is that he got to drive today! From what he was told he did great with the driving eval. He spent about an hour driving around town learning to use the hand controls. He said he was driving about 20 mph, and then when he did go faster, like 45 mph, he said it felt like he was going 90! As you can imagine it will take time to adjust. So from this point on, he is waiting to find out if NC Vocational Rehab will accept him into their program, and if they do he will hopefully have the car modifications paid for by them. It will cost about $800-900 for the modifications.

We are getting prepared for the big trip to the Big Island and are looking forward to getting the house a bit more put together. And I can't believe I am writing this, but it's been pretty fun to be living with my brother. It would be more fun if he could work on training the dog! Once I have a little more time I will work on posting some new pics!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Will is on You Tube!


http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ShepherdCenter#play/uploads/3/bXna-1ss2JQ

if the link does not work just Google "Will Archibald"

Great weekend was had by all down here- next stop Cape Cod on Thursday :)

Friday, September 04, 2009

Happy Labor Day

Life keeps rolling on down here in NC. Will & Ty are watching a scary movie while I type away in bed trying to get rid of nasty head cold. Will has had a busy week. We all enjoyed Brett's visit and were very thankful of him to drive Will's truck down all the way from Massachusetts! Thanks again Brett :) Will is busy trying to gather info and formulate a plan for modifying the truck. He is looking into getting a lift that can be installed into the bed of the truck so he would not have to break down and load his chair. He is still not 100% on modifying the truck and his back-up plan would be to modify Ty's Honda Accord. So we will see what this next week will bring. Other than that, he is looking into another transportation option for the present time. The public transit he uses now really is not ideal. Today he was picked up at 10:30 and did not get home until after 7 pm. It makes for a very long day for him. Tomorrow he will meet with a volunteer organization that will hopefully be a better option- just a little more pricey. The volunteers are also known to be young, motivated folks (alot of them are med students). Tomorrow he is going to practice getting in and out of the truck without any help and then we are going to a friend's Notre Dame football party/pig roast. Sunday we will all head down to Pinehurst for the night and spend some time with the in-laws. I am doing a 100 mile bike ride on Labor Day down there as well. Next Thursday at this time we will be in Chatham! I know we are all looking forward to that!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tuesday August 25th

Today Will went to his first NC Spinal Cord Injury Association support group meeting. He reports that there were about 8 people there, different ages and conditions. They are planning on going out to dinner next week. He also got a peek at a few of other people's modified cars. Otherwise, Will is keeping busy with a lot of phone calls and paperwork. He is trying and learning to navigate the very confusing policies that come along with being disabled ie (long term disability, social security, all the stuff you thought you would never have to think about.) He is looking forward to getting a special bed that will help with pressure relief to ensure he does not get pressure ulcers. In his free time he enjoys harassing our dog (Annie) and cat (Simon). He recently informed me that when Simon lived with him ad his friend Dennis years ago, they shaved him. Awesome. No wonder Simon has issues!



New Address:

Will Archibald
1009 Longwillow Court
Morrisville, NC 27560
Sunday August 23rd, 2009
Sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog. It's been a little hectic 'round these parts :) So where were we? Ty & I closed on our new home Wednesday, August 5th after I had started back at work. Will moved in that following Saturday and our folks were down for a week while he started rehab at Wake Med. He is doing really well and is pretty much independent. He goes to rehab 3 x a week. He gets there via a public transit wheelchair van which is not the most ideal since they have to operate on other people's schedules and it is never guaranteed that he will have a ride. But for now it works and Ty is usually able to pick him up at the end of the day. He has met a guy who is also a para, who has been giving him some advice about his chair and modifying his truck. Will is not totally comfortable in his chair and is still trying to work out some kinks with his vendor. We are still waiting for the appropriate wheels and brakes to come in. Will has also increased the amount of medicine he takes for his spasms. He just started yesterday and already we can tell a difference. His tone was very rigid and was making it difficult for him to stretch and do therapy. So now his legs are more "jello-like." Will is looking forward to his buddy Brett coming to visit. Brett is going to drive Will's truck down here next week. Other than that we are pecking away at getting unpacked and getting the house organized. I am still adjusting to now working 5 days a week and also continuing to train for Ironman Hawaii. Once I locate my camera I will upload some new pictures.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Monday August 3rd 2009

All is well here in NC. Will is doing well down in Pinehurst with Ty's folks. He will move in with us on Saturday. Ty & I close on the new house this Wednesday, and my folks will fly down Friday for a week. Last week Will spent almost 3 hours at Carolina Seating and Mobility. They are his vendor for his chair and bathroom equipment. We were very pleased with their service and they are working with Will to try and get him some new brakes and wheels. His brakes are very difficult to operate and he ordered different wheels, but never received them. So all that is in the works. Will also had an appointment with his new primary care physician. Not sure if he is totally happy with him, and he may end up switching to another doc. Will starts outpatient rehab at Wake Med one week from today. While our folks are visiting, he will practice using the public transportation system down here, so he can go to and from rehab independently. There is a door to door service that is provided down here and we are hoping it will all work out without any glitches. I started back at Duke today. It is so wonderful to work with folks are so genuine and empathetic. Especially since I had not been employed there very long before Will's accident. I am very excited to learn my new role as a lung transplant coordinator. I posted a few pics below of Will in the pool at Shepherd and at his "graduation". I also posted a pic of my in-laws 2 dogs (Brady & Bogey) sitting alongside our dog (Annie). Will has had a lot of fun with the 2 little ones :)















Monday, July 27, 2009

Monday July 27th 2009: Pinehurst, NC

Will & I survived the car trip from GA to NC. We made really good time; less than 6 hours! He is settled in with Tom & Joyce (my in-laws). He will stay with them until about August 8th when we are hoping to move into our new home. This past Saturday night he was able to move his toes AND calf muscle on his R leg! He was also able to barely move his left toes. We were all very excited about this! Hopefully today he will talk to the folks at WakeMed Hospital which is who he will do his outpatient therapy with. This Wednesday he is going to his wheelchair vendor in Apex, NC to get his new wheels and also look into getting a different set of brakes. He has scissor brakes and they are very difficult to lock and access. We are also anxiously awaiting the arrival of his raised toilet seat. Since arriving in NC he has been without it and it makes his bowel program even more of a nightmare. We were able to buy a toilet seat cushion to help take away some of the discomfort from his sitting on the hard toilet seat, but he still has a hard time without the special cutout raised seat. I am back and forth between Raleigh and Pinehurst this week. Ty & I are trying like hell to get the house packed up by closing on Aug. 5th.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Friday July 24th 2009: Thank you Shepherd!

Love ya, mean it.....but we are outta here! Will and I are hitting the road in about 1 hour (around 1pm) and will drive about 6 hours to Pinehurst, NC where Will is going to stay until we close on our new home (hopefully August 5th). He started off the morning by moving almost all of his toes on his right foot! So cool to see! I am super excited to be heading home. Will is not as excited, understandably, since this a new environment and life he will be introduced to. Keep sending him encouraging thoughts please!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wednesday July 22nd 2009: Pool & big toe movement

I can't upload any pictures or use the Internet right now because my computer is infected, but there will be some good pictures of Will in the pool. He went in for the first time yesterday and then he was in there again today for a water polo match. He really liked it. He is a big sinker though, so he uses a noodle or float dumbbells to hold himself up. The big news is from last night. He was able to move his right big toe! He did it a few times for me. It is very, very subtle movement and it took all of his concentration and energy, but it was still very cool to see :) It is not moving much today though...poor little toe is tired ;)

Monday, July 20, 2009

30 days in a wheelchair

Google it and watch this episode (on Hulu.com it's about 40 minutes...very well done). Will thought "Murderball" was a bit better because it depicts more of what a struggle it is to get up up, out of bed, and get dressed. I haven't seen "Murderball" yet, but I just finished watching the 30 days and I thought it was great. I also thought it was awesome to see a NFL star take on this challenge....watch it and see for yourself....

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sunday July 19th 2009: Last weekend at Shepherd

We are coming down to our last few days here at Shepherd! Friday, Ty & his mom drove down from NC for the weekend. Friday night we all went out for bison at Ted's Montana Grill. It was really yummy! Yesterday was our anniversary and we treated ourselves to a night at a very swanky hotel. My wonderful mother-in-law, Joyce, spent the night with Will while we were away. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our 1st year of marriage. Ty & Joyce packed up the car this afternoon with a lot of our stuff, including my bike, so we will be able to fit everything else in my car this Friday. One of the pictures I have posted here is Ty trying like hell to get a VERY annoying piece of metal that rolls around inside Will's push rim. Even though Ty is engineer extraordinaire, we had no luck in getting it out! The wheels Will has now are not the wheels he ordered, and he will get his new wheels once we are back in NC. So he has to put up with the annoying nose for another week or so. It appears that he also has another UTI brewing, which we are not very excited about :( His urine has a foul odor and is very cloudy. He is also very tired and his muscle spasms are worse. Hopefully with some extra hydration and cranberry juice it will not get any worse. First thing tomorrow he will see the nurse in day program. He also needs to get his medical records corrected. There is a lot of paperwork he needs to mail in so he can continue to get disability payments, and after getting his records on Friday, I read over them and found a few errors. I cannot urge people enough to be an advocate for yourself when it comes to the medical world. You should always have copies of your medical records and more importantly, take the time to read them and understand them! This is me getting up on my soapbox ;) So tomorrow hopefully we will get the records corrected.






Wednesday, July 15, 2009







Wednesday July 15th 2009: Are we on an episode of Cops?






Last night there was some drama unfolding in the apartment next to ours. As we were going to to bed, a loud ruckus started up on the other side of our bedroom wall. All we heard was a lot of yelling and door slamming. Awesome. I thought about calling security and then our a/c fan kicked on and drowned out the noise. We were able to fall asleep sometime around midnight. We found out this evening that 2 of our other neighbors called security and the police were called to deal with the drama. Apparently it was a patient's adult child (it's unclear what sex this person is) who was all up in arms because his/her girlfriend was going to jail and his/her mom would not drive him to the jail and his/her girlfriend had given his/her parents money....blah blah blah! Give me a break!






Anyways, Will did the airport outing today and I did my 60 mile ride. I felt pretty depleted at the end so I went right into the bike store where I had parked and proceeded to purchase one of those large obnoxious energy drinks in a can. Bad decision. The drink plus all the GU's I ate added up to A LOT of caffeine and I was off the wall this evening. Fatigue & over -caffeination is not a great feeling. Will has laughed at me all night- nothing new there! We are looking forward to some sound sleep tonight!






Here are some pics of my bike "Black Betty." She got really dirty today so I ended up taking a shower with her. Cervelo, who is a kick ass bike manufacturer, also partners with a company known as Marvel, to help them make awesome wheelchairs. Will's mentor, Pete, was given a Marvel chair to trial and it is amazing. Really sweet suspension system. Just a fun fact for ya!



Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Tuesday July 14th 2009: Bastille Day

Yay for French independence! Today is Bastille Day and also my birthday (29 years old if you must know). Will had a usual day of therapy and then we went out for sushi. He wore jeans and a collared shirt for the first time since his accident, so that was a nice change. The Shepherd attire is always gym clothes. The folks were great at the restaurant and were very accommodating. Even though their patio was not "open", they set up a table for us outside since it was a little bit easier to navigate than going inside. Tomorrow Will is going on the airport outing he missed while he was sick with a UTI. Since I already went on the outing, I am not going and will try and get a 60 mile bike ride done. Even though it's only Tuesday we are both very tired. We were up again at 3 am for an IC. Looking forward to the weekend!!



Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sunday July 12th 2009: Atlanta Zoo

It's pretty amazing that just over 2 months ago Will was in critical condition and today we played tourist and went to the zoo. It's also amazing how clueless some of the general public can be. There are a lot of people walking around in their own little worlds with no awareness of who or what is going on around them. Will didn't bowl anyone over, but he could have come close to running some folks over. Even though we knew we were in the US, it felt like we were in Africa today. Both of us worked up a pretty good sweat. The zoo had many uneven surfaces and many steep inclines that Will had to navigate. It was quite the workout. Trying to get to bed early tonight so we can both start the week off right. Our flights are booked for Kona and I need to really hammer down and get strict with myself about Ironman training.















Friday, July 10, 2009

Friday July 10th 2009: Emi's First Arby's experience

Exciting Friday night down here ;) Will & I had dinner at Arby's. He is OBSESSED with Arby's and I have never eaten there. He insisted we go. He also has been craving Mountain Dew for the past 2 days and was insistent we stop and get some so he could have it with his Arby's dinner. I refused to go out of my way for a stinkin' soda (he has already been eating enough crap since his accident). Well he had the last laugh because wouldn't you know it but Arby's has Mountain Dew. Then he proceeded to tell the cashier how much he loves Arby's and how we are from Massachusetts and how I have never eaten it before....I think he needs his brain checked again! :)

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Discharge Date: July 24th 2009

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Wednesday July 8th, 2009: Goal conference

Today was Will's team goal conference. We sat down with most of his team and went over his goals for day program. The first day of day program was similar, but now that they have had a few days to get to know him, these are the structured things he will work on. Tomorrow morning the team will meet without Will and they will determine his discharge date. We had thought we would have found out today, but it's actually tomorrow. His goals include working on trunk & core strength, balance, stretching, and fine tuning the more difficult types of transfers. He will get to go on the airport outing next week, which he missed when he was sick with his UTI. He also wants to get in the pool before he is discharged, but right now he can't due to the fact that he has a big ol' nasty scab on his elbow from the ATV accident. Once the scab heals and falls off then he can get in the pool. Yesterday morning, his OT came over to the apartment to observe and go over his morning routine of getting up and out of bed and dressed. She also watched Will practice padding himself off in bed, as this is a bit difficult for him, but extremely important so he does not get a pressure sore. She helped him use his bendable mirror to check his skin too. Every night I get to look at his pasty white butt. Just what I need to be dreaming of- NOT!

Day program has already proved to be very exhausting for the both of us. Will wakes up at about 3 am every morning to cath himself, therefore I wake up too. My bed is about 3 feet away. It's great that he has the bladder sensation, but it is still a challenge since he cannot pee on his own. We go back to bed by 3:30 am and then we are back up at about 7 am. We get to bed at about 11 pm. His night routine takes about 2 hours- from the time he does his bowel program, showers, caths, and then gets undressed and positioned in bed. It is amazing all the little things we take for granted everyday that are so time consuming and challenging for Will. He and I have had many moments of disagreements and tension. It's certainly not easy living with a disabled sibling. There is a lot of tough love going on. I know he misses his social network and he has commented on the fact that he feels a bit isolated living here in the apartments. I myself am pretty homesick and growing very bored of the daily grind down here. But I can't imagine what it would be like to not have this transitional time.

Monday, July 6, 2009

New Mailing Address:

Will Archibald and WFRC #004
c/o Shepherd Center
2020 Peachtree Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30309






























Saturday, July 4, 2009

Saturday July 4th 2009: Peachtree Road Race

What a great 4th of July! Running the Peachtree Road Race this morning was an amazing experience. 55,000 runners and some awesome wheelchair athletes...totally cool. Will sat out with some of his Shepherd friends and cheered everyone on and took pictures. We had a brunch after the race at Shepherd where they did an awards ceremony for the wheelchair athletes. Let me tell you- those folks are FIT! (And not so hard on the eyes :) Very impressive. I myself ran a pretty good race. Stopped twice; once to have a picture with Will and another time to hug the nurse that gave me her race number. I also managed to sop for a quick 30 sec. at mile 5 to have half a Miller Lite with a group of guys :) Made it to the finish in 49:30. No too bad :) Once the wireless Internet starts cooperating I will post some pics! Also, Ty & I are doing a happy dance because we got an offer on the house! We counter offered and they accepted today! Very exciting! Tomorrow Ty will go put an offer on a home in Morrisville, NC. So exciting!!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Friday July 3rd, 2009: Day Program

Will has started the day program. The first day is slow, and A LOT of talking. Will met with his new team members on an individual basis and discussed his goals for day program. He has a brand new case manager, doctor, nurse, PT, OT, ST, and TR specialist. As you can see from one of the pictures below, he was exhausted from all the talking. He got to take a little cat nap on one of the mats. Day program is just like inpatient, in that he has a schedule from 9-4. They build in free time blocks during the day where he can do things on his own, like go to the gym, or stretch, or use the FES bike (there is a picture of him using the bike below). We are settled into the apartments and he continues to be a little more independent each day. Last night, he did his bowel program and showered all on his own. This morning he stretched, dressed, and got out of bed on his own. I am not not expected to be present anymore during therapy, since my training is complete and this is really his time to work hard and advance his skills. Next week we will find out his discharge date. It is likely we will be leaving in 2 weeks. I will return to work full time on August 10th. Time is flying by! Tomorrow is the Peachtree Road Race which is the largest 10k in the US. There will be about 50,000 runners and also wheelchair racers. The race runs right by Shepherd and all the patients will be out cheering everyone on. Shepherd is located in the middle of a LARGE hill, so it will be very motivating to run up that hill and high 5 all the patients. There us a brunch after the race with all the wheelchair athletes, so we are looking forward to attending that. We will also go over to Will's old roommate's home for some dinner. He lives about 2 miles from here. His name is Jeff and he had Guillain Barre syndrome. We will head back to Shepherd in time to catch the fireworks. We will have a great view from the top of the parking deck.

























Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Wednesday July 1st, 2009: Big doings!

Yesterday Will got his brace off AND he got his wheelchair! He also had "graduation" from inpatient therapy. Graduation involves playing "Eye of the Tiger", pictures with team, and presentation of a few certificates, including a superlative award. Will was awarded the "I can man" superlative. This morning Will was officially discharged from inpatient therapy and will start day program tomorrow. I hauled all of his stuff over to the family apartments where we will stay until he is ready to go home. I think we may need a U-Haul when we leave :) We are busy this afternoon trying to get everything unpacked and are headed to Target to get some groceries and a few other things.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Fundraiser update

I'm sure many of you are anxious to hear about how successful the fundraising event was. I want to reiterate how thankful we are for every bodies support. It is AMAZING. I am thrilled to announce that about $18,000 was raised! We were absolutely blown away. This money will go toward many things, including home modifications, car modifications, certain equipment such as a standing frame (approx. $2,000) and possibly an FES bike (approx. $15,000), and many bills/co-payments not covered by insurance. This event was absolutely a team and community effort. It's truly amazing to see what can be done when people come together to work towards something bigger than themselves. Once again, we cannot thank you all enough.
Monday June 29th, 2009: Back at it...

Well folks, not much has changed in Will's world. Today he rode an ATV with one of the therapeutic rec specialists and they were doing "doughnuts" and Will fell off. I was not there to witness the event, but when I met up with Will this afternoon, I immediately noticed his right arm & elbow was all scraped up and bloody. He was also covered in dirt & sand. You can imagine how thrilled I was to see that. He had a big grin on his face though and said he had a lot of fun. At least he was wearing a helmet. I'm not so sure he should have been riding, considering he just had a good knock to the head 2 months ago. But hey, I'm just the over concerned sister- right? Aside from this piece of news, yesterday, we went to the Braves vs. Red Sox game. Unfortunately the Sox lost, but we had a good time. We are both reasonably stressed about the upcoming discharge on Wednesday. It seems like a lot of last minute scrambling around to gather and order supplies and find out about insurance coverage. I had a 45 min. phone battle today with the insurance company. We are still trying to navigate the appeal process for the flight down to Atlanta. What I want to know is who the heck holds these people accountable!? They claim they have never received any of the documentation that we faxed to them and that we cannot file an appeal over the phone. Every person I talk to gives me a different story, and I have also gotten no where with the case manager. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to speak with a supervisor or manager. It's all a load of BS if you ask me. Look for new pictures tomorrow or Wednesday!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Friday, June 26th, 2009, 9:45 pm: Emotional

I am sitting here in my dining room in NC feeling extremely overwhelmed by a tide of emotion. This afternoon and into this night, Ty and I have been killing ourselves putting the finishing touches on readying our home to go on the market. We cleaned out the garage, Ty is painting the ceilings, I cleaned the bathrooms, and literally have been on my hands & knees scrubbing the hardwoods. All this with the stress of trying to navigate through a very complicated process of securing a loan for the home we found last night. It's been a hard day. There were tears, and I was abrasive toward Ty. I was angry and exhausted. Then I received a phone call from Mom & Dad reporting in about the fundraiser. I was so comforted to hear what a big hit it is and how many people came out to support Will & our family. I know I speak for more than myself when I say how grateful and amazed by what everyone has done for us. Once again, we could have never made it this far without so many wonderful people supporting us. This has been and continues to be one hell of a journey.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Wednesday June 24th, 2009: T-minus 1 week

One week from today Will & I will be settled into the apartments at Shepherd! That means we are "on our own." It will be a good transition to home. In day program, Will will work on very specific goals that he will tailor along with his therapists. After the first week of day program, we will know exactly how long we will be there. The average length of stay for someone with his injury is 2 weeks. I left Atlanta yesterday and drove to NC so I could be home for a few days. Before I left, Will and his PT, Blair, were starting to discuss possible day program goals. One goal will be to become more independent with car transfers and breakdown/assembly of his chair and loading his chair into the car. That is one requirement he must meet so that he can drive again. This morning Will got the official report from his neuropsychologist in regards to the intensive testing he had to undergo. It was all very good news! He is cleared from the neuropsych standpoint for driving! Yay! His brain injury was moderate, but has not effected him that much at all. He is also really starting to show his physical strength. His transfers are improving, and he is out of his cervical collar (neck brace). His other brace will remain in place for probably 2 more weeks. He has demonstrated some awesome skills in PT. I posted a video of himself learning how to fall out of the chair and get back in it. I also have an awesome video of him practicing how to "upright" himself." As you can also see from one of the pictures, his primary nurse, Marcia, is sporting one of the "Will" shirts! Awesome. This weekend, I will drive back to GA with Ty on Saturday, and then the 3 of us are headed to a Sox-Braves game on Sunday! Looking forward to that. I am also working on posting a link to the fundraising website that I am in the process of setting up. More to come!