Thursday September 15, 2005

Thursday September 15, 2005 Zack had already eaten and was back in bed when I arrived. He got up, shower and dressed. Dr. Mook and Sarah (his case worker) came by
and told me he had an appointment with Dr. Haan on Monday about his bone flap. They also said they had evaluated Zack and decided that he should stay here another 3 weeks before graduating to Frazier East. Zack and I took a walk and he said he wanted to go find his bone flap. I gave him 3 words to remember (ball, wagon, duck) and told him I would ask him later. He kept walking around saying ball, wagon, duck. I waited and every 5 or 10 minutes I would ask him the word. He would usually remember 2 of them but would need hints for the third. 9:00 Speech with Kathy. They look at pictures and she asked him what was happening in each one. Again he is stuck on “w”. With hints he does OK with the pictures. P.T. in the gym with Amy and he does 15 minutes on the treadmill, squats and stretches. Asked if he was tired, “I’m just confused”. O.T. with Mary Beth and he went to the kitchen to make cookies. Zack got the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator with help to know what he was looking for. He read the temperature settings for the oven on the package of mix. He put everything in a bowl and mixed it up. Mary Beth showed him how to make them into balls and put them on a cookie sheet. When they were in the oven he had to wash the bowl and utensils. She showed him how to take the hot tray out of the oven and how to take the cookies off of the tray. Then he got to eat some and bring the rest back to his room. Speech with Kathy and she asked him how to spell words. He did very well on three letter words but longer ones were a little more difficult. She showed him a picture of something and two words to chose from to identify the picture. He seemed so close at times but then the aphasia would set in and he would get confused. Afternoon P.T. with Amy ands he has to stand on one leg with his eyes closed. Then he has to stand on one foot and work a puzzle. He said, “This is killing me”. She is working on his stamina, concentration and balance. Zack is resting in bed when Rita comes. She asked him if he knows her name today and he says, “Yes, my appendix”. She brought him red licorice (his favorite) and asked him if he liked it. He said, “It killed me”. What do you mean it killed you? He said, “I’m dead”. She said you don’t look dead. Zack said, “I am” and laid his head to the side and closed his eyes. She asked him if he was trying to play dead and he said yes with a big smile. He planned this out to play a joke on his grandma. Rita loved it because it showed that Zack still had the mischievous side of his personality in tact. Afternoon O.T. with Mary Beth and she does math with him. He does well but has trouble when he has to carry a number. After he works on it for a while he starts to get it. Rita starts hollering woof, woof. Zack gets embarrassed and covers his face. Mary Beth is very impressed with his progress. Zack was in a good mood and Rita asked him why. He said, “Because I didn’t do anything wrong”. As they walk down the hall Zack reads the signs on the doors. Rita was surprised and said Zack I didn’t know you could read so well. Zack answered, “Well I’m not that dumb yet”. Back in the room Tiffany comes for her daily visit. Rita keeps giving Zack words to read and finally he looks at Tiffany and says, “We need to get away from this girl” and points to her. Averi and Lauren arrive and the three girls sit with Zack by his bed, laugh and share secrets. They decide they will go for a walk around the corner and sit on the therapy mat and talk away from me. They come back every ten minutes and they are off again. Zack wants to be away from me but at the same time feels safer when I’m around. He is a typical confused teenager. He asked me, “When can I get out of here”. I tell him 3 weeks. He responds, “That’s no good. It’s cutting into my pal time”. He wants so badly to go home but I make him understand that he’s not ready yet. He goes to bed early tonight because he has worked so hard in therapy today. Taylor and her Dad were here and he watched the clock. Finally he looks at me and says, “Will you let Kaitlyn and her Dad, Caesar Salad go”. I tell him that it’s Taylor, not Kaitlyn and her Dad’s name is not Caesar Salad. He doesn’t care; he is ready for bed and knows he can’t go to sleep until they leave. He tries hard to be polite but if he is sleepy…watch out…he may ask you to leave. Looks like tonight I will go home early and maybe get 8 hours of sleep for the first time in weeks. We have been here for so long that Frazier seems like home sometimes. Zack even calls his bed home and is very comfortable there. We are well taken care of by the staff. They all love Zack. God has put us right where we are supposed to be at this time. This is our training ground for the bigger plan he has in mind, that one day will be revealed to us. We are blessed beyond measure and best of all we know it. Others may have more possessions, vacations or free time but we have a tragedy that has awakened us spiritually. May you find the meaning of “all things work together for those who love the Lord” in your life. May you look at teenagers and see bright futures made in the image of God. Please continue to pray for Zack’s complete recovery, the return of his memory and the end to aphasia.