Monday October 17, 2005

Monday October 17, 2005 Zack slept until 7:30 and ate a big breakfast. I wonder when the rest of the kids are going to decide they are too good for cereal. As we drive to Frazier East we talk about going to Taylor’s to play Ping Pong when they get home from school. When I picked him up he was very quiet on the way home and seemed to be in a bad mood. I asked him what happened in therapy today and of course he said he didn’t remember. I asked him questions and he said they went outside to look for chocolate. I inquired if his therapist had hid chocolate outside for him to find and he said, “No, it was just there”. I told him we could look in his notebook and see what he did today but he was more interested in when we were going to Taylor’s to play Ping Pong. I find it interesting that he can’t remember what he did in therapy but can remember a conversation from this morning. I know my kids have “selective hearing” at times but now I think Zack has “selective memory”. I’ll have to ask his therapist. When we get home I pull his binder out and look at the days activities. After Speech I notice he had “seasoning” and I can’t imagine what they might do in that therapy. I decide to call Lesley C (the therapist that he listed in the “who” column) and ask her about it. She laughed when she told me that she should have looked over what he had written because he had “reasoning” group with her. This therapy is done with several other patients and it emphasizes deductive reasoning and problem solving, concrete verses abstract thinking, recognizing similarities and differences, recognizing relevant information and organizing thoughts. Zack will have several different types of group therapy. He will be in group with patients of different recovery phases and it will help him see the deficits caused by traumatic brain injury. Lesley told me that she likes her group sessions to be fun so they play a lot of games. For deductive reasoning they played Battleship and Zack won (even though at times he had trouble recognizing some of the letters). Then she taught him how to play Rummy and he caught on quickly but they didn’t have enough time to finish the game. We head to Taylor’s house to meet Andrew and Trey and play Ping Pong. He really is not excited about me staying there while they play and I get a break when Taylor calls to say her Mom wasn’t going to be home so the only way they could come over was if I stayed. Not a problem. Zack enjoyed playing and his friends were kind enough to take it easy on him although they didn’t let him win. He is dancing to the music while he’s playing and everyone is enjoying watching him. I am fascinated that this kid that should have died, who couldn’t walk or talk just two months ago, is now dancing and playing Ping Pong, cracking silly jokes. God is awesome! Time to go home for dinner so Zack makes them promise to come to our house later. After dinner Kaitlyn and her Mom come over and we play a game of “Golf” (the card game). Before it’s over, Brooke and her Mom arrive and Zack and Dylan play a game of pool against Kaitlyn and Brooke. All of this is therapy for Zack. It teaches him socialization (not that he has lacked for any social activity since the moment he opened his eyes). Time for the Apple Pie and ice cream that Trey’s Mom sent over. As I walk Kaitlyn and her Mom to the front door Zack comes to tell me, “Mom that lady is cutting your bushes”. We look at him puzzled but then I can hear Brooke’s Mom in the kitchen washing the dishes. I tell him you mean she is washing the dishes. He laughs and says, “Yeah, that’s it”. That’s aphasia. Fortunately Zack does not get frustrated with himself and usually laughs when he says something funny. Another blessing since most people with traumatic brain injury suffers from lots of frustration, anger and depression. God has been so good to us, letting this little project of His show how He answers prayers, but sparing Zack many of the typical symptoms. He shows us everyday how He planned for His church to work How He intended His children to be a community that supports one another. We are so fortunate to be the example, to feel the outpouring of love and support. Many days it is overwhelming. Zack is healing. We see improvements in him everyday. Most are subtle, not like the big landmarks of walking and talking, but they are steps towards recovery. The next one will be clarity of reading (and maybe to par a hole in golf). Please continue to pray for complete recovery so God can be glorified.