Tuesday September 13, 2005

Tuesday September 13, 2005 Zack was ready to get up and eat breakfast when I arrived at 7:30. Dr. Mook came in to check on him and we discussed when he could get his bone flap back on. He also said he would check on a plastic surgeon to close the final incision. Zack had a shower and then we took our walk. We saw Jerry eating breakfast at the nurse’s station. He is a 27-year-old man with a brain injury that is not walking or talking yet. I told Zack that Jerry was still very sick and Zack said, “I can tell”. We ran into one of the occupational therapist in the hall. She just got back from a mission trip in Romania and the church there is praying for Zack. Back in our room for speech therapy with Kathy at 9:00. He did sentence completion and had some pretty good answers even though the aphasia was there at times (I would like to have more stability). He wrote his name perfectly. She had him look at a picture and write down what it was. He would write part of the word and add extra letters. She hid an object and then asked him to find it ten minutes later. He found it right away. P.T. in the gym with Rita (Amy off today). He did 25 sit-ups and then 25 more. Then 15 push-ups and 15 more. His stamina is increasing every day. She tossed him a ball and he had to hit it back to her like volleyball and not let it hit the floor. He really liked it and laughed a lot. Rita didn’t have another patient right away so she put Zack on the stationary bike for 15 minutes. He said it was hard so they talked to him to keep him focused. O.T. with Mary Beth and Zack was on the light board. She wanted to work on strengthen his wrist and right hand so he had to put different size clothes pins on a clothes line. He had to squeeze them open for a count of 5. Each one was harder and his hand began to shake. He did several exercises that worked on each finger. He traced shapes and cut them out with scissors (this also works to strengthen the fingers). Back in his room he was able to rest for 10 minutes before Scott joined us for lunch. One of the student nurses came in to give Zack his meds and we were talking about when Zack might come home. He told us, “I don’t need the stuff they have here. I’m ready to go, when will you leave me?” He talked to his Dad about playing golf. He told him, “I’ve been waiting to play golf since I got up. Jeff said he was going to get me a golfing surface”. Dave Stone and Sam have already challenged Scott and Zack to a golf game, so Scott talks to Zack about golf a lot. Back in speech after lunch and Zack played Kathy in a memory card game and won. He keeps referring to the “W” and can’t seem to get it out of his mind. Afternoon P.T. session in the gym with Amy and he was on the stationary bike for 13 minutes before he finally said, “Can you take me off here. This is poop”. Then 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups on the incline. He is so determined and keeps at it even though it hurts. He had a terrible headache when he stood up. He started to cry and said his head hurt really bad and his eyes hurt. He finds his wheelchair and heads back to his room. The nurse checks him out with a flashlight in his eyes and gives him some Tylenol. They check his blood pressure. He says his head hurts on the right side. 4:00 O.T. with Mary Beth and she asked him Rita’s name. He says “Toby”. She tells him that’s not right and asked him who Toby was. Zack tells her he’s a big bear we keep at home. Toby is our dog, a wire-haired Fox Terrier. She has him on the computer playing games. He scores better on the skiing game each time he plays. When he goes back to his room to take a nap he no longer has a headache. He gets up to eat dinner at 6:00 and gets right back in bed. I am taking it easy on him since he had a rough day in therapy (with a headache) but finally I tell him he has to get up. Logan (his little sister 6 yrs. old) is with me tonight for a while and my niece Sherry stops by. We all walk to McDonalds. Zack holds the door open for everyone (even strangers). He asked Logan if she would like to drink some of his Gatorade and smiles as she takes a big gulp. He is so polite. He tolerates his little sister much better since she is by herself, without Kyle or Dylan. He listens to her talk and talk and talk but doesn’t get frustrated. We walk back to Frazier outside on the sidewalk. I play a game with Zack where I say a letter of the alphabet and he has to tell me a word that begins with that letter. I am quite impressed with some of his answers (emphatic for E, quaint for Q, unanimous for U). Once back in the room I have to find things to keep him busy and out of bed. Thankfully Andrew, Brittany and Tiffany arrive and he is content visiting with them. He plays Andrew in checkers and beats him once but Andrew takes his revenge. Logan catches a ride home with Brittany’s Mom and Zack and I decide to take a walk. He sits down to play Nintendo with Mathew (another patient who is 5 years old) and we meet Chris and his parents. Chris arrived last Friday, suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury from a car accident and was transferred here from University.
Side Bar: kids learn from Chris. He had a flat tire on 64 and was waiting in his car when he was struck from behind. His parents had heard about Zack and were anxious to meet him to see his progress. They had seen his picture hanging up at University Nuero ICU (the Southeast newspaper article) and were shocked at how good he looked. I talk with them a long time, giving them advise, encouragement and hope. I’m going to take a recent picture of Zack over to University so they can show how far he has come. Zack is sleeping now and must be dreaming. Every once in a while I hear him talking in his sleep. He says, “Well thank you”. I hope tomorrow when I get him up he will remember what he was dreaming about. I wonder if God is still talking to him while he is sleeping, telling him what a good job he is doing and Zack answers, well thank you.
We may never know but I do know he is healing. He has come so far in two months that it is hard to imagine where he will be in two more months. The Lord blesses us to where our cup runs over. Today was such a good day. Scott and I read the notice that came home in the kids backpack about the fundraiser the high school students were organizing for Zack. They are selling T-shirts with the inscription “CAL loves ZH’ and all the students get to wear them (instead of their uniform) to school on Oct 13th. They have never done that at Christian Academy (CAL), letting the entire student body participate and not wear uniforms. We are so overwhelmed by the support we have received. I will be back at Christian Academy to speak at the middle school Chapel on that day and will be blessed with hundreds of students unified in support of Zack. It’s hard for us to imagine the emotion we will feel that day. Special thanks to Randi Marshall, Zack’s classmate, for sending out the notice. God has been moving so visibly, and at times audibly, through our lives these last two months, that I know the whole community will hear his thunder on that day. Please pray that those who doubt His mercy, grace and power will see Him magnified through the lives of teenagers. Let their hearts be softened, the field be ready for harvest and our disciples be bold in their witness. Pray for complete recovery for Zack so God may be glorified!