Tuesday July 14

John continues to assert that he wants so badly to be independent. He continues to want to feed himself to the point that he doesn't care if it means that his food gets cold or that he spills a bit of it on himself during the process. Our temptation to try to help is being squelched by his desire to begin doing things on his own and I must say that this is such great progress that words once again seem inadequate. His level of awareness increases daily and he now has begun asking questions about the other patients around him. He has a roommate now who is at times loud and unruly and John appears to have genuine concern about what is happening in the bed next to his.

My friend Abby has a friend who went through a similar situation some years ago and she said it reminded her of a hurricane hitting a filing cabinet and scattering papers everywhere. This recovery process in her mind involves re-filing each piece of paper to it's original place and tracking down any pieces which might have been displaced. This made so much sense to me in regards to John and he is simply having to be his own administrative assistant (with the help of medical staff and loved ones).

Although we aren't sure just how long John will remain in this environment, we do know that it will likely be over a month. We also know that when a treatment plan (including goals) is established, staff will do everything within their power to make sure the treatment goals have not only been met but exceeded. His therapists are interested in working with John because he is a fighter, he is kind and frankly he is cool to be around (but we already knew that!). They have assured us that they will leave no stone unturned in the path to John's recovery and seeing them work with him makes us know that their words are backed with tremendous experience and a love for what they do that makes seeing their patients do well vital to their personal goals also. There is a sense of pride in this place unrivaled by any I have been in and a team approach which allows a consistent communication similar to air traffic controllers bringing in planes! They are rigid about working with him and staying on schedule but flexible about what methods might appeal and work best for John and we remain appreciative and grateful each day.