Monday July 27

It is easy to become lulled into a place of peace as John continues his journey. While early on, we were almost frantic waiting for each and every phone call and frantic to be with him as much as possible and the sense of worry never left long enough to enjoy a full night of sleep or even a meal. We have gotten a bit past that point but some days bring us back full circle to the reality that this is a daily battle and at times, even minute by minute.

Today John went on a field trip to a Super Target. His brother Hudd accompanied him and this is part of his therapy. He is given a list of items to find (chicken, brownie mix, and some vegetables) and also given the opportunity to purchase items to help him with money issues. John did great and had absolutely no trouble with either of these tasks and actually spent most of the time walking with minimal assistance from Hudd. He has gotten to the point where he needs only a hand on a firm shoulder in order to take steps however this was a lot of steps and the most he has walked since June 2. He seemed to thrive throughout the trip and thanked Hudd and the therapists upon their return to the hospital.

Soon after, he became somewhat verbally unresponsive and was not answering questions. His eyes were open but he seemed to not be hearing what people were saying to him so his physician was called to evaluate him. As it turns out, the brain can go into a sort of sensory overload and just sort of take a cat nap until it can catch up with what has happened. His eyes were bright but it was so reminiscent of his early days in the hospital that it was a bit scary in that he was not talking to us. He got a nice long nap in and when he woke up I helped him into his wheelchair (he does most of the work on his own at this point) and took him into the common area where he ate a great meal. While he was eating I was flipping through a sports equipment magazine which had lots of commemorative jerseys in it and he was able to give me the first names of many of the baseball players and told me that the best basketball player ever in the NBA is Michael Jordan which I absolutely agree with. He also mentioned some baseball players by number like Reggie Jackson and Craig Biggio! As always, John and I seem to have a level of calm and I consistently enjoy talking with him whether it's about sports or whatever he might want to talk about. Although his progress continues as steady, we recognize that at times there will be some minor setbacks and we also recognize that we must remain ever vigilant about being patient and having more of a big picture, long-term perspective without getting caught up when things seem to go a bit awry. It is easy to understand why his physicians want to keep his treatment plan centered around his daily schedule and routine. These field trips will continue on Mondays and while we now know that he will need some rest after them and the chance to recharge his batteries we fully recognize the sheer benefits of this process of reintegration into his regular life.