Update… I love my bro.

March 24, 2012

Wednesday- Saturday

The last few days have brought significant improvements in Wesley’s physical therapy. He is increasing in strength and stamina. He is getting much better in rolling from side to side; this is pretty difficult considering he gets no help from his legs (I just got down on the ground and tried this; it felt like a work out). His balance is getting better as his core strength continues to improve. The development of his stomach muscles is also assisting in his core strength and balance. Shoulders and arms continue to improve and are gaining strength daily.

On Saturday, Barb, our amazing therapist, put Wes in a device that gets him standing upright. The machine completely supports his body weight and gets him upright. He did really well. After being prone for so long it takes the body a while to get used to standing. Typically, blood pressure goes down drastically and light headedness and dizziness can occur causing the person to throw up. Wes went up three different times, the longest time being about 3 minutes. He did great for his first time. Barb will get him standing up a few times a week. He has also started spending time on his stomach for the first time.

Family and friends keep bringing meals in to keep us going. It is surprising that we have been here so long and Wes still has not gotten used to hospital food. My parents usually don’t care for it either. It has been a good week for receiving care packages from home and cards and letters. Wes is always so excited to get the cards and packages, it brightens his day.

Saturday, Wes was in an especially good mood. He only had a 30 minutes session of physical therapy but my mom worked with him most of the day with his fine motor skills. They also spent about 90 minutes learning how to use the dragon naturally speaking software and they are finally making some progress. He has a lot more to learn before he can use it for school but he is moving in the right direction.

Dallin spent the night with Wes on Saturday night so my parents could get a full nights rest. It is nice for them to get a break. Nate also stays with Wes one night a week. My dad suspects they will be there for about another four weeks and is not sure where they will be after that.

The videos say more than any words I could type on here. Thank you everyone for your thoughtfulness. Please continue to keep Wesley in your prayers. Miracles are continuing to happen.

OH yeah, How do you all like Wesley’s haircut? I love it.