August 9, 2012 Update

I apologize for the delay in updating. My internet has not been great lately. Here is an update from my dad:

This last Month has been so busy that we have not taken the time to
update. Over the last month we have experienced many things. We were able
to go home for 10 days which was a very rare treat. We spent some time at
home and our cabin in Idaho.  We have some dear friends that poured
concrete at the cabin to make it easily accessible for Wes. We really
appreciated that.

On our trip back home we stopped by and saw Wesley’s surgeon Dr. Speth. He
was very excited to see Wesley and could not believe his progress. He was
amazed that Wes was in a manual wheelchair and that it had no arms. He was
surprised at his arm and core movements. It was a very nice reunion and a
boost to Wesley’s enthusiasm. He has already overcome many things that the
Doctors said we would not have.

While at home Wes was able to visit with family and play some games during
the day. It was a little bit of an adjustment being at the cabin since in
the past Wes has spent so much time outside and riding ATV’s and horses.
He spent some time outside watching our grandchildren ride horses and play
in the grass. He is very adamant that one day he will do those things
again and we believe him.

Wes continues to work out 5 – 6 hours a day.  That will soon change and he
will be working out 8 hours a day. He is getting stronger and is able to
do more and build up more endurance. He will have to fight for every
single thing that comes back. There are no freebees.

Over the last week the therapists have discovered a very slight movement
in his thumb, pointer finger and little finger. We are working hard to
develop those muscles and movements in both hands. We still do horseback
riding frequently which is very difficult but very rewarding with the core
muscles. Wes does lots of weight lifting and swimming and we will be
increasing this as well over the next couple of months. He also scoots
himself a lot on the floor. We take him out of his wheelchair and set him
on the floor. He then slides himself forward anywhere from 8 – 30 yards
and then pushes himself backwards to his starting point. He pushes down on
his hands, which lifts his rear end and then he pushes himself forward or
backwards, he is doing really well moving around on the floor. So much
so that during therapy the other day Matt (one of his therapists) put a
belt around his waist and attached a bungee cord to him and made him slide
with resistance. I do not think the resistance bothered Wes but the
thought that the cord might break and smack him in the face was a constant
worry.

While we were at home we were able to slide him in a regular vehicle and
let him ride in the back seat. I think he felt more comfortable in his
wheelchair but it was very nice to see him out of the chair and in the
back seat of a vehicle.

We continue to live in American Fork with my sister and her husband and
this continues to be a great blessing for us.  Each day we drive over 100
miles driving into the heart of the beast which is the University of Utah
Medical Center. It is a wonderful place but the traffic every day is a
huge battle. We often spend over two hours each day driving to therapy but
it is well worth it. We have grown to love all the people who are working
with Wes and are very appreciate of their efforts and influences. Wes
continues to be very positive and determined. We see him fight every day
to get better.

Starting in September we will be following a little different game plan.
Since we are spending so much time driving, which could be used for
exercise we decided to try a new approach. We have bought a little bit of
equipment and have hired someone to come and live with us and work Wes out
for 8 hours a day 5 ½ days a week. Her name is Tawnie and she is from
Ogden, Utah and is 20 years old. She is a massage therapist and has a very
good understand of muscles and how they tie in to each other. She will be
training at Neuroworxs and University of Utah Medical center for the next
month. We will then come back to Utah once a month for a week where U of U
and Neuroworxs will work with Tawnie and Wes to come up with a new
exercise routine for the next 3 – 4 weeks. They will also instruct Tawnie
and Karen and I to better work with Wes. This means that we get to live in
our home and start in a small way to get a little balance and normalcy
back into our lives while improving Wes’s ability to get stronger and
better.

While we were Montana a few weeks ago we bought 3 baby dwarf goats that
were 6 weeks old. We had so much fun watching our grandkids play with
those goats and in the beginning the goats did not know much about people.
Now the goats follow the kids everywhere they go. They are like three
little puppies following their mother around. Much fun is being had by all
who watch the kids and the goats.

We are headed back to Montana for this weekend to visit all of our
grandkids who are at our house while we are in Utah doing therapy. We will
be back for therapy early Monday morning and ready to hit it hard.
We will post more pictures and video soon. Please remember to pray for Wes
and put his name in the temple. Great things happen every week. We
appreciate all that everyone does.

Here are a few pictures:

A note from me, Ry:

I was able to visit with Wes for about day when I headed to Wyoming in July for my little bro-in-law’s mission farewell. Wes looked great and we had a good time. It’s fun for me to see him every couple of months because I see big changes in him . He is a rock star.

Here are some of my pics:

Wes and Emy

I was planning on driving Wesley down the hill at the cabin but Britt started pushing him down and it was rather hilarious and very scary!

Dad and Wes

Just chillin’