Saturday July 4

Happy Independence Day everyone! This morning, physical therapists worked with John and had him sitting on the edge of the bed with some assistance. This will hopefully help to get his core muscles stronger. He is already holding his head up pretty well but it is difficult to keep his body strong because he has essentially been stuck in bed for the past few weeks. The great thing with John is that he was in fantastic physical condition before this and his residual strength will only make things easier for him as they continue to try new things as far as pushing his limits.

John continues eating and drinking pretty much everything in sight and even though he still has a feeding tube (just in case), he only receives nutrition through it at night. During the day, he has been getting a regular tray of food just like other patients and does not seem picky! Sometimes his mom brings homemade food or Holly will pick up something on the way to see him but the food at this facility is really good and he is kind of like Mikey from the Life Cereal commercial...he'll eat ANYTHING! John has never really been a picky eater but he seems to derive great pleasure in what he might be given next. The variety of textures and flavors appears to challenge him and please him at the same time. We are hopeful that he will be using utensils on his own soon and all I can say is they better start stocking up that cafeteria kitchen! He has lost some weight throughout this process as you might imagine so his intake of food is a welcome sign and hopefully result in him getting stronger and putting some weight back on.