Tuesday November 29, 2005

Tuesday November 29, 2005 Zack was up a little after 7:00 and Scott was taking him to therapy today. In speech with Leslie he had to read a paragraph and tell it in his own words and then answer who, what, where, when and why questions. He needed some assistance but still did pretty good (according to his own notes). They are preparing him to go back to school. In cognition therapy with Megan they discussed what he should get his siblings for Christmas so after lunch Scott (occupational therapist) took him shopping.
They were very brave and went to Toys-R-Us. His shopping trip helped him to work on visual scanning, impulsivity (a problem of mine when I shop!), sustained attention and attention to detail. I thought he did excellent in his choice of gifts. He remembered that Logan liked Sponge Bob and he got her a movie. He got Dylan some football/baseball trading cards (which he collects) and Kyle a Brats doll (which she will fight with Logan over). I think one day I will send wrapping paper in with him so that he can work on attention to detail while he wraps his own gifts. If they think this is good therapy maybe I could coerce him into wrapping some of mine. He was anxious for me to pick him up since he was getting his braces off today. Everyone at First Care Dental have followed his progress (Jules even visited him when he was still living at Frazier Rehab) so they are always happy to see him. I brought the Southeast Outlook article in for them to read and we talked about how far Zack has come. He was delighted when he finally got his braces off (and a veneer replaced) so he kept looking in the mirror and smiling. On the way home we talked about the concert in Nashville this weekend. I had to tell him last night some disappointing news. I thought my friend Kelly in Nashville got the tickets and Kelly thought I got the tickets and now the concert is sold out and we have no tickets. I have been calling the Christian radio station in Nashville who was promoting the concert and begging for tickets but they have none left to give. Today I called Grits booking agency and told them of our plight and they are trying to come up with tickets. Kelly is talking with people she knows in Nashville so we pray that between both our efforts we can come up with something. I can’t believe that after all this time planning this trip that I end up without tickets. Zack looks at me very seriously and says, “Just get some tickets Mom”. He is so use to me handling everything from those months of dealing with his medical issues in the hospital that he assumes that I can “take care of” anything. He was so excited about this concert and has been through so much in the last several months that I don’t want to come up empty-handed. I will not give up hope until Friday morning. When we arrive back home Zack immediately heads to bed for a nap. He sleeps until dinner and then his friends start to arrive. Before long they are playing pool and laughing. When the last visitor leaves Zack calls to me and asks, “Did you get the tickets?” I explain that I am working on it and he has to be patient (which is a trait that God has been teaching me these last few months). I know what ever happens I can say I gave it my best effort. I’m going to stop fretting over it now and leave it in God’s hands. If it is meant to be we will find tickets somewhere. It is such an earthly parental reaction to want to give your child everything once you have lived with the possibility of losing them. We are so blessed to have Zack home with us and recovering so well. We will continue to focus on how far he has come and wait patiently for where God will lead him. We listen for God’s whisper and find it in Zack’s smile. We wait for the thunder…God’s glory through Zack’s complete recovery. Watch and pray.

Sunday November 27, 2005

Sunday November 28, 2005 Zack slept in until 9:00 and then got up to get ready for church. I had thought that there was no high school worship because of Thanksgiving weekend so we had planned on him going to church with us. We haven’t worshiped together since October 9th, the day he was released form the hospital, so I was really looking forward to it. Of course the music wasn’t quite what he is used to in high school worship or the Vine but he still stood and sang with us. He wanted to know why the old people (that would be anyone over 21) didn’t raise their hands when they sang so that got me scanning the sanctuary for enthusiastic worshipers. I was able to point out a few but I don’t think he was impressed. He told me he was going to sing with his hands raised tonight at the Vine. He listened intently to the sermon and at one point handed me the Bible so I could look up the passages Bob Russell was referring to. He followed along and could keep up and I couldn’t help but wonder if God was making it easier for him to read because it was scripture. I even asked him if it was hard for him to read it and he said no. As we walked out of the sanctuary he told me that the sermon was really good and he got something out of it. I went to pick Kyle up from her Sunday school class and left Zack in the atrium visiting with friends. When I returned he was talking with several parents and many people approached me about the article in the Southeast Outlook newspaper. We headed home to meet my sister who was taking pictures of the kids for our Christmas card this year. We were trying for just the right shot that captured all our kids together again. Once through with pictures Zack headed to his room for a nap and reminded me that we were going to the Vine tonight. We ate a quick meal of leftovers and headed back to church. We arrived earlier than usual and Zack didn’t see any of his normal group of friends. We went to the sanctuary to get out seats and Zack headed closer to the front than we normally sit. I pointed out that when his friends arrived they would be sitting back further but he didn’t care, he wanted to be up close. It wasn’t long before we saw others that we knew who joined us and then the music began. Zack made up for any lack of enthusiasm in worship this morning. He sang, eyes closed, hand raised or clapping to the faster songs. He asked me if I thought anyone in the band might quit because he would like to join them. I reminded him that he didn’t know how to play any musical instrument but he didn’t seem to think that made a difference, he could just sing.
We ended the worship by singing Amazing Grace, which put me in tears as well as Brooke Willoughby’s Mom. Zack asked me why I was crying and I explained that he used to sing Amazing grace to everyone at Frazier Rehab. He smiled and really turned on the singing then. Brooke and her Mom came back to the house to roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate on the deck. Several other kids stopped by to join us and it made for a perfect ending to a great day of worship. I feel so fortunate that there is a style of worship that appeals to teenagers. Most of the Vine service is spent on worship through contemporary music, the style is very different from Sunday morning. We can worship God in so many ways (through song, service, prayer) and all are pleasing in his sight. Each time I see Zack singing in church I am reminded of those times when he lay so perfectly still in ICU, unable to utter a sound, and I am filled with unspeakable joy. God has blessed us beyond measure and if Zack were to never recover more than he has at this moment we would be thankful. But we pray with confidence that He is not finished yet. God will continue to be glorified through Zack’s recovery so this road has just begun.
I will be speaking to students at Male High School this Thursday through the fellowship of Christian Athletes so pray that we can reach those teenagers who need to understand the power of prayer. Pray that those searching for answers will find a merciful God capable of handing all their concerns. As always, pray for Zack’s continued recovery for the Glory of God!

Saturday November 26, 2005

Saturday November 25, 2005 Zack slept in until 9:00 and was in the kitchen eating cereal when I walked into the room. He looked up and reminded me that his party was tonight. I told him I knew that and he needed to help me get ready. We were down the basement putting up the last minute Christmas decorations when I heard a strange sound from the storage room. As I opened the door I saw a soaking wet floor and water pouring from the overflow pipe at the bottom of the water heater. I yelled for everyone to come help me while I tried to figure out what to turn off. Dylan got the phone to call his Dad and Kyle ran to get some buckets. Zack looked at me, grinned and said, " I suppose to do?” Once we had the buckets Zack would get one filled up while I emptied the other down the sump pump. Scott was still 30 minutes away and the water was conspicuously hot so Dylan ran across the street and got our neighbor Chuck. Fortunately they figured a way to turn the water off until Scott could take a look or call a plumber. What a time for a plumbing problem. Of course the hot water heater has to be in the basement, where Zack’s party would be, and it would choose today to break down. Scott arrived shortly with a $7.00 part from Sears and got the heater fixed and water mopped up. In the meantime I had to wash my hair in cold water in the kitchen sink (Zack had already taken his shower). I decided to skip baking cookies and went to Kroger’s and bought them from the bakery. Scott got the outside lights up while I was gone and I took Kyle and Dylan to friend’s houses to spend the night. We were ready by the time the first guest arrived and before long the house was filled with kids. They played pool, listened to music and caught up with Zack. At one point it was so crowded down the basement we had to turn the air conditioner on. Zack’s friends that were home from college for Thanksgiving break were all amazed at how different he was since the last time they saw him. Most of them hadn’t seen him since August and at that point he was hardly walking, much less talking. If you would have walked down the basement during that party you could not have picked out the kid with the traumatic brain injury even though he was not wearing a hat. His hair is covering most of the incision and his head wound only shows at certain angles. By 11:00 PM only 6 or 7 kids were left chatting with him on the couch. He had a great time and when the last one left he came up to tell me about it. He said it was much better than he thought it was going to be and now he was tired and going to bed. It didn’t take long for me to get everything cleaned up and I sat down on the couch to talk with Scott. He finally had time to read the Southeast Outlook article about Zack and was in tears before he was through. It is still hard for him to read about the first months after Zack’s accident and even harder to look at the pictures. I look at Zack’s photo album almost every day, many times with Zack, and feel blessed and amazed. Each turn of the page is like witnessing the hand of God at work. The first few pages show him in a coma with tubes coming out of his swollen head. Then his eyes are open, soon he is smiling, then walking, then dancing…always surrounded by friends. It is a chronological order of events orchestrated perfectly by a merciful God. His plan played out in photographs for all the world to see. I am so grateful that I have those pictures to remind us how great is our God. How real is the power of prayer? Scripture reminds us in Mathew 21:22 “All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive”. We have always believed that God would heal Zack, we just never knew how completely it would be. We still can not imagine where we will be a year from now but we trust that God’s plan will be perfect. Continue praying for complete recovery…He hears you all! Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Thursday November 24, 2005 Thanksgiving

Thursday November 24, 2005 Thanksgiving Day and Zack slept until after 9:00. He was anxious to go to Scott’s parents and eat lots of good food. Scott finally got home last night after being gone for twelve days. He took a job in Florida tiling a pool deck and didn’t want me to mention that he would not be at home. Zack and the kids were very excited to see him last night and as soon as he got home he had to play pool with Zack. This morning they were catching up on all that had happened while he was away. As we drove to Scott’s parents Zack was pointing out the clouds again, this time to his Dad. Scott looked at me with tears in his eyes, realizing the appreciation Zack showed of the world God has created that we seem never to have time to notice. As we drive down River Road all of us listen as Zack points out things to us that we have passed a hundred times but now see in a new way. Once we arrive and get all the hugs out of the way Zack sits down next to me in the living room. He looks at me and says, “It stinks that I got myself messed up. I’m really sorry I did that to you. Thanks for being there”. This has not been his first apology but today it seemed to mean more to him than before. We are all hungry and a decision is made to let Zack say grace (wise since it could have gone on all day if left to Scott or myself). His prayer was simple. “Thank you Lord for all of us being here together, especially me”. I didn’t hear much after that because I was thinking about how close we came to him not being here with us. He finished and everyone started to load their plates up. Scott went to sit in the living room and I know it was because he needed to compose himself before trying to eat. Zack would point at food that he has eaten all his life and ask, “What is this again?” The aphasia (language disorder) is still apparent at the oddest times. It is rather strange to have a meal with a teenager who actually talks during dinner. He would ask questions and kept exclaiming how good his favorite foods were. One time he leaned over to Robin (his aunt, Scott’s brother’s wife) and asked her if she knew that he got himself messed up. She told him that she had been at the hospital and he replied, “That’s good”. He doesn’t realize that his accident was a major event for most of the people, family and friends, that knew him. He doesn’t remember the accident, University Hospital or Frazier Rehab at all. He recognizes some of the therapist and doctors at Frazier from his photo album as being familiar, but he doesn’t really remember them. After dinner he watches the football game but it wasn’t long before he slides next to me and asked when we were leaving. Already he is tired and says he can’t wait to go home and take a nap. It is a special treat for me to sit next to him at the fireplace with his arm around me as we watch the half time show. Once we get home he asks if he could go to the movies tonight with Trey and Andrew and then heads off to bed. Later Rick joins the group at the movies and then they all end up at our house. They decide to watch movies downstairs instead of playing pool which will give Zack a chance to fall asleep in front of the TV if he gets too tired. We are thankful that his friends chose to hang out here with Zack. We are thankful that Zack is able to enjoy having them here, that he is here. We are thankful that God has chosen to bless us so richly through this experience. This Sunday in church will be special. It will give us a special opportunity to open our hearts in humble thanksgiving in a place that has come to know our tears all to well. Tears of anguish and tears of joy. Cleansing tears of appreciation that seem to come from an endless supply. Tomorrow Zack and all our children will be with us in church as we worship as a family. It will be the first time that Scott has seen Zack sing in church (he had to sit in the cry room the first few weeks and then Zack was in High School worship) and I know it will be emotional. I hope that those with us, if only in prayer, can be inspired this Sunday to be thankful for the simple blessings God has given them. To know that He is in control and to trust that His plan is perfect. Pray that you will hear God whisper and know that he cares for you. Please continue to pray for Zack's complete recovery for God’s glory.
Psalm 25:15 “How glorious to embrace the certainty that when there seems to be no way out, God can miraculously lift us up and away from whatever is seeking to devour us.”

Tuesday November 22, 2005

Tuesday November 22, 2005 Zack was up at 7:00 had cereal for breakfast and showered. He decided to forego the hat again today and said he didn’t think his hair looked that bad. He was watching TV when I came downstairs and I decided it was a good time to get out “the notebook”. The early days in the hospital when we had a waiting room full of people, mostly teenagers, I passed around a notebook and asked his friends to write in it. We have never read it. They had written to Zack and I felt like we should wait until Zack could read it on his own. This morning I explained to him about the notebook and asked if he wanted to read some of it. He asked, “I don’t read too good right now so will you read it to me”. I only read a few because I couldn’t get through them without crying. It brought back the memories of when Zack could only lay there, no emotions, no movements. Then the pain in the words of his friends as they urged him to fight to get better. The silly jokes they used to cover up how scared they were. Guys saying how much they love him and girls retelling stories as far back as Kindergarten. I would explain to Zack who each person was that wrote to him and when I finished reading each one he would smile and say, “that’s good”. I told him we would read some others on another day and we left for Frazier East. He called Allie (one of his friends from Manuel) to tell her that he read what she wrote to him about his beautiful eyes and basically his eyes were open now if she wanted to come see them. He had three speech sessions today focusing on reading, impulsivity, memory and attention. I got a message on my cell phone shortly after lunch from Zack saying, “If you love me you will pick me up at 3:00 so I can go home and take a nap”. I arrived promptly at 3:00 and we headed home so he could take a nap before our 5:15 appointment with Dr. Weinberg (behavioral optometrist). He points out the clouds to me as we drive and how cool it is that the sun is shining around the edges. A deeper appreciation of life. I remember Dr. Kraft telling me that about Zack. He gets to sleep for 1 ½ hours before I have to wake him to leave. We arrived at Vision First and Dr. Weinberg reviewed Zack’s vision screening results. As we had learned on our last visit his biggest problem is fixation (the ability to move the eyes accurately from one point to another) and tracking (the ability to stay on a visual task). These make it very difficult for him to read because his eyes are moving all over the paragraph and all his energy is focused on just reading the words, forget comprehending what he has read. The good news is that Dr Weinberg feels vision therapy will help a great deal. How much of his visual perception problems are correctable, only time will tell, but he is hopeful and so are we. Parts of the test Zack did very well on (including some visual memory issues) and Dr. Weinberg commented that Zack had to have been a very bright student. With determination, therapy and prayer I am confident that he will be a good student again. We had to run to Kroger’s and pick up a few things before heading home and Zack explained that Scott (his Occupational therapist intern) gives him a list and he has to go to Kroger and find the stuff on the list. I tell him we need Buttermilk so let’s see if he can find it but he replies, “No way, I have to do that for Scott. I don’t want to have to do it for you too”. We gather our items together and he reminds me that we need “that stuff we eat in the morning”. I say cereal and he says “Yeah, you would have forgot it if I didn’t remind you” (he’s right!). At home we eat dinner and he gets ready for visits from his friends. Andrew, Tiffany, Rob and Kaitlyn stop in for a couple of games of pool and they talk about Zack’s party this Saturday night. Once they leave he gets interested in a basketball game on TV and although he is very tired he says he has to watch the game and groans when they go into overtime. Fifteen minutes later I check on him and his light is out and he’s asleep. Rita (Scott’s Mom) calls and somehow we end up talking about the night of the accident, who answered the phone, what we thought when we first saw Zack. I can remember it so clearly, down to what I was wearing. I flashback to when we first saw Zack laying on the gurney in the Emergency Room at University Hospital. I remember stroking his face and whispering the 23 Psalm to him over and over again…lingering on “He anoints my head with oil” and praying that God would anoint Zack’s head right there. I remember Scott sobbing behind me trying to recite the prayer but getting choked on his words. I remember his friends arriving, first one or two at a time and then in large groups. I remember them sitting on the floor in the hall, crying, praying, and whispering to each other in disbelief. Zack was a poster boy for “this could never happen to me”. Now his friends faced their own mortality and came to the fearful realization that it could happen to any of them. I hugged so many people that day but the one I really wanted to hug was Zack.
Joy to the World I can hug him now. Many mornings on the drive to Frazier I reach over and hold his hand (and he lets me). What a Thanksgiving we will have this year! No one out there can count more blessings than the Hornback family right now. I’m thinking that maybe Zack will have to say Grace before we eat because left up to any of us it could go on for days. I may only be able to moan and have the Lord know what prayers are etched on my heart. We will never be the same but that doesn’t mean it won’t be better. God continues to use Zack’s accident for His Glory. Tomorrow look up at the sky, see God shining around the edges of the clouds, thank him for all He has done in your life and be reminded to pray for Zack’s continued, complete recovery!

Sunday November 20, 2005

Sunday November 20, 2005 Zack slept until 9:00 which was amazing since he went to bed at about 9:00 last night. He was really tired since he had stayed up at the “lock in” all night Friday night at Hurstbourne Baptist Church. As soon as he got home at about 7:30 AM he went to bed and slept until 1:00. This morning when he got up he told me we needed to hurry so he wouldn’t be late for church. He went to his normal youth service this morning and then after church we all headed to Sam’s with Scott’s Mom and Dad. It was their Thanksgiving tasting and they gave out samples of all kinds of foods and desserts. Zack enjoyed going around to each station sampling things and then back around for the ones he really liked. When we got home he took a nap while I continued with the Christmas decorations. We ate a quick dinner and then were on the road to church again, this time to the Vine. I have really come to look forward to Sunday at the Vine. The service is different, more rock-n-roll, much more casual and intimate setting. Zack loves the music. He told me as we were driving home from church this morning that he was already looking forward to going back to church tonight so he could sing some more. That is one of the big differences since the accident. Although he always commented that the music at his church was really good I would never see him singing. Now as I stand next to him at the Vine, he closes his eyes, raises his hand and sings, joyfully with much emotion. Kyle Idleman preached tonight on Thanksgiving, being thankful even of the things we don’t enjoy, being thankful when times are tough. It brought me to tears because we have so much to be thankful for. Then Kyle told us to take the paper that was in our handout and write a letter to God on what we are thankful for. Zack turned to me and asked, “Would you write mine for me?” He quietly dictated; “Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for being there from the time I was born. Thank you for keeping me alive so I don’t go to hell when I die. I truly love you and I pray that I will see you in heaven when it’s time. Thank you for keeping me alive when I was in my accident. I love you Lord Jesus. Zack”. He got up and went for communion as I sat there humbled in prayer. As we sang about “being rescued” by Christ I was so moved thinking about how Zack was rescued that I had to leave the sanctuary. I was crying so hard I could barely breathe and had to take a break in the restroom. I was moved because of how blessed we are that Zack is with us, that he continues to recover and for the peace that God has given me by letting Him take control of our lives. I compose myself and return to the sanctuary. If they would have been singing “Your strength is made perfect when I am weak” I probably would have had to be carried out. As I returned to my seat there had been some changes in the seating arrangements and I was no longer next to Zack. It doesn’t matter because I can still see him singing and the tears began to flow again. When the service was over and they turned up the lights we headed towards the door. There were many of his friends we stopped to talk with and when Zack and I were finally next to each other I commented how good the service was. He said, “You cried a lot”. I explained that I was so thankful that he was alive and he smiled and said, “Me too”. Dani came home with us and she played some pool with Zack. After she left Zack asked me to take a look at his head. Earlier we had discovered that he had an ingrown hair or something. It was bothering him so I put peroxide on it and took the opportunity to trim the hair over his ears. I promised him that in two weeks his hair would be long enough to cove his incision and the scar from his head wound. He is very tired of wearing hats all the time and said he just wants to wear hair now. Kyle came into the bathroom and told Zack she would give him a foot rub. I left them in the bedroom while Kyle pampered her big brother. After 15 or 20 minutes Zack and Kyle come downstairs to tell me that she rubbed his feet and hands and gave him a back rub. Kyle use to rub his feet when he was in the hospital before he could even walk or talk. She is so nurturing and would make a great nurse or therapist. They head to bed and I am able to just sit and think about how great is our God. Praise our Lord who can take a tragedy and change it into a testimony to His Glory. Praise the Lord who can take the simple act of worship and allow it to be the ultimate expression of love. Praise our God who can take a life and mold it to His pleasure, but instead allows us freewill to make our own seemingly innocent choices, even to the point of our own destruction. Praise our God who answers prayers in ways much greater than we could have imagined. Continue to pray for complete recovery for the Glory of God.

Friday November 18, 2005

Friday November 18, 2005 Zack was up at 7:00 and we all had French Toast. After he showered he called me into the bathroom and asked if I thought he would look OK if he didn’t wear a hat. His hair has really grown out a lot and it almost covers up the incision and his head wound. I told him he looked fine so he skipped the hat for the first time since his surgery. As we rode to Frazier East he reminded me that tonight he was going to church and then that other church (more on that later). He also said that Avery had asked him to go to the movies on Saturday. When we arrived he told me he loved me as he got out of the car. I told him I would be back to pick him up and he reminded me not to be late. His morning speech session with Megan worked on word retrieval, attention and memory. Word retrieval is what helps him with the aphasia which is still very apparent at times. He had Fitness with Erin and he rode the bike for 25 minutes and then they had races. He really enjoys the physical stuff, it’s much easier for him than the cognitive work. He met with Dr. Perri (psychologist) and they talked about school and his upcoming Neuro Psyche exam. Without any coaxing from Dr Perri, Zack commented to him, “I’m going to have to repeat my Junior year”. He is beginning to realize he has missed a lot of school and at this point it would be very difficult to make it up over the summer. As important as it is to him to return to school, he has a great attitude. Dr. Perri said he wasn’t too upset about it except that all the “hot girls” were in the Junior class.
He had another speech session after lunch with Leslie and they worked on grouping things into categories (more aphasia) and slowing down. In occupational therapy with Scott they wrote down calendar events and focused on attention to details, impulsivity, sustained attention and visual scanning. When I arrived to pick him up I had a scheduled meeting with Dr Perry. He said that Zack’s team of therapist feels it would be in his best interest to postpone his neuro psyche exam (scheduled for 11-28 and 29). They feel that he still struggles with the aphasia part of his injury and that the verbal portion of the test would be difficult. In this test he would be asked to describe something and there would be a specific word or two that the examiner was looking for in his answer. Although Zack might know exactly what the object was and how to describe it, he might struggle trying to retrieve the appropriate word for it. His therapist all agree that given more time he would do much better on the exam and the results would be more accurate. The exam is used to put together an IEP (individual education plan) and it is important that it truly reflects Zack’s abilities. Since he has to take the neuro psyche exam before he can return to school, it looks like that might not happen as we had hoped. Dr Perri feels the end of February is more realistic. It is very important that when Zack returns to school that he can be successful or he may get frustrated and give up or become depressed. He has such a good attitude right now and the potential for doing well in school that we don’t want to jeopardize that by returning him too soon. Dr. Perri also told me that Zack seems to be running out of steam in the afternoon and they feel like he may need a little more downtime when he gets home in the afternoon. He is always ready for a nap but sometimes friends come by after school and he either doesn’t get a nap or it is cut short. They felt it would be better for Zack’s therapy if we stuck to my original plan of no visitors before dinner. Even if Zack doesn’t take a nap they said it is important for him to just relax, chill out, not be over stimulated so his brain has time to absorb all of the day’s cognitive work. As much as I love his friends support I will have to ask them to wait until after dinner before visiting. Zack came into Dr Perri’s office before we were finished so we discussed the new visiting schedule and how important it was that he takes his Amantadine in the afternoon. Two times this week he forgot to take it and it is the medication that stimulates his brain, helps him focus and helps with the healing process. Dr Perri asked Zack if he was playing the game in the kitchen and Zack said “Yes, I won”. Dr Perri replied, “What do you mean you won, yesterday you couldn’t get past two”. Zack insisted that he could do it all the way through and wanted to show us. This is a maze in a box with 13 holes strategically placed. You have to maneuvers a ball through the maze without falling into a hole. Sure enough Zack showed us how he could get it all the way to the last hole…twice. Dr Perri was amazed (he said he doesn’t get past 4) and I wasn’t even going to try. We ran into Scott and I told him that Zack could get to the end and he said he had watched him do it earlier. Apparently Zack practices during lunch because this is one of the tools they use to get you ready to drive again. When we arrived home Zack went to bed and got over an hour nap before Andrew, Trey and Tiffany arrived. They played a few games of pool and the boys helped me carry up the Christmas decorations from the basement. I told them about our need to be sure Zack gets downtime after therapy and that we would have to stick to the original visiting plan. Once they left Zack said he was going back to bed until the pizza arrived. He went to Battle of the Bands at Southeast Christian Church tonight and then he was going to Hurstbourne Baptist Church for the Youth group “lock in”. This would be the first night away from me since he came home and it was very difficult to let him go but Trey’s Mom was going to be a chaperone and I felt that church activities would be the best place to try this out. As I put up Christmas decoration I would run across things that needed to be put away to make room for all my stuff. I needed to find a more permanent home for the box of cards and letters that we have received since Zack’s accident. I went through and read some of them and within minutes I was in tears. I wanted to read the heartfelt words of hope and encouragement to Zack but he wasn’t here. It brought back so many feelings of those days when we weren’t sure he was going to live. I opened the t-shirt (torn and bloody) that he was wearing that night and remembered how I had carried it (much like a security blanket) those first days at University. Then it comforted me, I could smell Zack on it and felt close to him. Tonight it did the same thing…brought him close to me but also reminded me of how we nearly lost him. I could only read a few cards and letters because it was a little too emotional but I will cherish each word forever. Thanks to all the people who comforted us with words of hope and continue to care for us today. You will never know the peace that we feel knowing that Gods family was there to shed tears with us and now can share in our joy. We are blessed beyond belief, not just to have Zack with us, happy and healing, but to know the greatest love God showed to us through His children. Thank you. Please pray that I can sleep some tonight and Zack will enjoy himself but return home safely. Continue praying for complete recovery so that we may be a testimony to Gods glorious power!

Thursday November 16, 2005

Thursday November 17, 2005 Zack slept a little later than usual so I had time to make him French Toast. He really liked it and kept thanking me for making it for him. When we were driving to Frazier East he told me he was really tired and didn’t think he slept much last night. He was concerned about the way I was driving. He didn’t want anyone to pass me or for the person in front to make the light and me have to stop. I started teasing him and driving slow, letting people pass me. We were both laughing by the time we arrived and when he got out of the car he told me, “You stink at driving. You’re still picking me up though.” In speech with Leslie they worked on putting words into categories and word retrieval. He still has aphasia and gets words mixed up. He knows what he wants to say, what different objects are used for, but sometimes he just can’t retrieve the word he’s looking for. That is why all kinds of objects in our home are labeled, to help him associate the word with the object. He had another speech session with Megan at 10:00 where they continued to work on naming items but this time he had to identify who worked with those objects. They worked on reading comprehension and focusing. Scott took him to Kroger’s and they focused on visual scanning and deficit awareness (that seems to be Scott’s new task…helping Zack recognizes his deficits). Then he got to go shopping at the mall where he bought me a Christmas present. He had asked me this morning what I wanted for Christmas and even wrote it down. When I arrived to pick him up he pulled an orange out of his lunch and began to peel it. He told me to wait a minute and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came out he pulled a package out of his pocket and wanted to show me what he got me for Christmas. I told him I wanted to wait and be surprised and he seemed very disappointed. He said it was really good and didn’t I just want to look at it. When we got in the car he kept pointing to his bulging pocket and looking out the window smiling, like I could peek in there real quick and still act surprised on Christmas. I wasn’t biting. Zack was tired and ready for a nap but I reminded him that a photographer from the Outlook was coming with Ruth to take his picture. They arrived shortly after we got home and Zack enjoyed all the attention. They were really able to capture his personality (he even showed Ruth some of the dance steps he used to win $100 in the talent contest on Halloween). When they left he headed for bed and slept until Avery and Caroline stopped by for a visit. Trey also came by and since he just got his license yesterday they had to go sit in his car and listen to the stereo. They knew better than to even ask if Zack could go for a ride. After his friends left Zack got on the computer and was instant messaging some others. I would come in the office to see who he was talking to and was amazed at how his fingers flew over the keys. He could type his reply much faster that he could read what they wrote. Finally he came into the kitchen, put his arms around me for a hug and said, “Mom since I really didn’t sleep well last night I think I should go to bed early tonight”. It was only 8:00 so I told him he should try to stay up a little longer and if he would give me a few minutes I would play cards with him. Later I sent Logan downstairs to get Zack and she came back up and told me that he was sound asleep. He is still so sweet. He was telling Trey how much fun they were going to have in Nashville at the concert and thanked me several times for taking them. I am as excited about the trip as they are. It reminded me of how a parent feels when they take their small child to see Santa Claus and they just want to watch the joy on their face. That’s what I am waiting for…to see Zack having a great time with his friends and the pleasure in his smile. We are richly blessed right now and it dawned on me that God is still sitting on His throne saying, “Eileen, just wait until tomorrow”. His perfect plan continues to unravel and we cling to our belief that it includes complete recovery. Please continue praying for a recovery that will glorify God!

Wednesday November 16, 2005

Wednesday November 16, 2005 Zack got to sleep in a little later this morning because he had his 2nd vision screening at 9:00. After he showered I told him I wanted to try to remove the stitch in his head that has been bugging him. I had called the neurosurgery office and spoke to the nurse and she said I could just take tweezers and pull it out. My first attempt was not so good. His hair has gotten a lot longer so since the stitch was black it was hard to tell it apart from his hair. He would feel for it with his finger and then I pulled out a chuck of hair (not a good thing since he wants to grow it back so badly). He hollered and his head was bleeding a little so he said I was done. I convinced him to give it one more try so we got a flashlight. He held the light on it so I could see precisely where he pointed and with a quick yank I removed a stitch about a 1 ½” long. We put a little Vitamin E on his head and he was so happy to finally have it out. On the way to the eye doctor we talk about the concert in Nashville and he asked if his buddy Rick is really going to go (he is away at Western). He decides to call him and they talk about how they are going to dance at the concert and have sooooo much fun. When we arrived at Vision First they told me that Zack would be in the screening room with a therapist and there was no room for me. They told me they had a video tape for me to watch on what vision therapy does. Vision is the comprehension and processing of information. It is totally brain and different from sight. We think largely in visual images. Failure of the brain to process visual information in the normal way causes you to struggle with every activity. 80% of what we learn in the classroom is visual. Cognitively the brain processes 3 million bits of information every millisecond and 2 million of those are visual. Vision is the dominant system of the brain and consists of eye teaming, tracking, focusing and eye movement. The video talked about the plasticity of the brain (changes in the brain) and how changes in behavior can modify the brain. Visual pathways can be modified with vision training. Vision is a learned skill and 90% of visual perception problems can be corrected with vision therapy. Vision therapy teaches a person what their eyes are doing wrong (which causes the perception problem) so that it can be corrected. After his screening the therapist told me briefly that Zack’s biggest problem is “eye movement”. A normal fixation should be 96 per 100 words. Currently Zack’s is 356 which mean all his energy is focused on just trying to stay on the line he is reading. He can read but it’s extremely hard and very tiring for him. It would be like trying to read while someone jiggled the paper around. We scheduled our consultation visit with Dr. Weinberg who will evaluate the screenings and come up with a therapy plan. After watching the video I am excited about starting vision therapy (at one point I was brought to tears and had to stop the tape) and have great hopes it will enable Zack to get back to school. We walk out the door after nearly 2 hours of testing and Zack stops me on the sidewalk. He gives me a big hug and says, “Mom I’ll give you 5 bucks if you let me go home and go back to bed!” I start laughing and tell him he has to go to therapy. As soon as he arrives at Frazier East he has cognition therapy with Megan and has to read some more. In occupational therapy with Scott he took a drivers performance test to increase his deficit awareness and sustained attention. He was worn out when Donna picked him up for me today. I spoke at Highland Baptist Church youth group. It was a more casual setting than I have done in the past which took a lot of pressure off. I was hoping to make it through without shedding a tear but …it still gets me. There were about 15 teenagers, mostly girls, who were very attentive (the pictures can be somewhat shocking). I was able to share a lot more information after the speech and they were able to ask questions. At least tonight they more fully understand the importance of their choices and why God put their parents as authority over them. They have asked me to come back and speak to the middle school group and parents which I hope to do after the first of the year. When I arrive home Zack was still at church in his youth group meeting. After he returns he plays pool with Andrew, Dani and Tiffany. As soon as they leave he jumps in bed but minutes later Ashley, Maddy and Macy drop by to bring him a UofL pennant. The ever gracious host he gets back out of bed (it’s only 9:30) but the girls know he is tired and weren’t planning on staying anyway. They visit for 10 minutes and he is asleep before they reach the end of our street. I am so thankful that his friends continue to visit, support and encourage him. I am glad we can provide a safe haven where they feel comfortable and I have enjoyed getting to know then better myself. Scott laughs at how he use to not like anyone to come over and now he has a houseful of teenagers all the time. Zack has changed but we have changed a lot too. We have grown from this experience and learned to be more accommodating. I am even learning patience (not one of my virtues). Most of all we have learned to trust God…to wait on His timing…to listen for His whisper. It is such a comforting thought to know that all of this is in His hands and believe that His plan is perfect. Please pray that vision therapy will be the key to Zack’s progress in reading. Pray that through the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays that all of Zack’s friends away at college will have an opportunity to visit him. They are surely to be amazed at how far he has come since they went off to school. Help their visit show them just how much they have to be thankful for, mainly how awesome is our God! Pray that I will have other opportunities to speak to teenagers. Pray for complete recovery.
“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim your name O Lord. O praise the greatness of my God! You are the rock, your words are perfect and all your ways are just.” Deut 321

Monday November 14, 2005

Monday November 14, 2005 Zack was up at 7:00, ate breakfast and took a shower.
On the way to Frazier East he looked at his photo album and asked questions about when he was “really messed up”. He pointed to different people on the staff at Frazier Rehab (like Mary Beth, Amy, Dr Miller and Shirley) and said they looked familiar. He liked the picture of him passing the baseball with his friend Rick so I told him how his Dad had chased after the ball when it was hit out of the park at the Bats stadium as he was coming to the hospital one day. He asked if we still had the ball and wanted to see it when he got home. He saw pictures of a couple of friends that he hadn’t seen in a while so he called Allie and Blake and told them to come see him. In speech they continue to work on word retrieval, writing and attention to detail. Today with Scott he watched a movie in occupational therapy and took notes. This was to work on sustained attention and visual scanning. As soon as I picked him up he reminded me that he was going to “that place across from our house” to eat with Andrew. I explained that I was nervous about him driving with Andrew even though they were only going to Fat Jimmy’s. He could not understand my concern and told me I was really making him mad. He had a dentist appointment and by the time we got there he was barely speaking to me. As we sat in the waiting room I attempted again to get him to understand that his friends have only been driving a short time and could easily have an accident. It wouldn’t be that serious for them but a simple accident could land him back in the hospital. After several moments of silence he told me, “I’m sorry Mom but if you just let me do some stuff with my friends I won’t get mad at you. I’ll be really happy and tell you I love you a lot”. I told him that these rules aren’t there to be mean but to protect him. His brain is very fragile and he could easily get hurt. His friends have different rules because they don’t have a brain injury. The more kids in their car the more likely they were to have an accident. I said the only way he could ride with Andrew was if he was the only passenger in the car. He glared at me and said it wasn’t fair. He got further disappointment when Dr Zanger told him that because of the Thanksgiving Holiday he wouldn’t be able to get his braces off until Nov 29th. Zack had expected to get them off next week but the consolation was that they would be off before we went to Nashville for the concert. On the way home he called Andrew and asked him who was going to eat dinner with them. He smiled when he hung up the phone because it was just Andrew. I took the opportunity to tell him we needed to set some ground rules so we weren’t having the same argument every time. I agreed to let him ride with a friend if they were only going somewhere close (not just riding around like teenagers do), if they had their license for at least 6 months and if he was the only passenger in the car. I told him he had to agree with the rules or he could just not ride with anyone (he’s lucky I don’t make him wear his helmet). He smiled, said OK and winked at me. Andrew was waiting for us when we got home. They played some pool and then Lauren and Rob showed up. When it was time to leave they split up so that Zack was alone in the car with Andrew. I reminded them all to put their seatbelts on and then cringed as they walked out the door. In less that an hour they were back playing pool again. Later Brittany, Kara and Taylor stopped by to visit and after a while they asked if they could go to Graters (next to Fat Jimmy’s) for ice cream. Zack said he would ride alone with Brittany. Two concessions in one night…I must be crazy. It is hard to find agreeable rules with your teenagers but it is much more difficult when your rules are much stricter than all the other kids. It is hard to no longer allow an activity that was commonplace before. It is no small blessing that Zack’s friends have watched him recover and remember what it was like several months ago. If they don’t agree with my rules at least they understand why they are there. Zack wants to be normal and they want to do normal things with him. Please pray that we can find a happy, safe middle ground. Pray that his friends understanding will be reinforced when they look at his photo album or listen to him try to remember someone’s name. Please pray that God will continue to give us wisdom and strength to see Zack through the fragile months ahead. Please continue praying for complete recovery.
Lord, you have said in your Word that when two agree, you are in their midst. I pray that the reverse be true as well-that you will be in our midst so that we two can agree.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and redeemer.

Sunday November 13, 2005

Sunday November 13, 2005 Zack and the rest of us slept as little later. I had taken a shower and was getting ready to go downstairs to make breakfast when Zack walked into the bedroom and told me he was glad I was awake because he didn’t want to be late for church. I told him I would make him breakfast but he said he had already eaten cereal.
As we drove to church we saw the police directing traffic. Zack asked me if they went to church and I told them some of them do. He said that was good and that we need more black people at our church. He told me one of his best friends (Rick Thompson) was black and he was cool and nice and loved Jesus. He couldn’t wait to see Rick again when we go to Nashville for the concert because he knew that Rick would dance. After church I had to go to Sam’s so Dylan and Zack went with me. He had asked to go to Tiffany’s soccer game but he decided he was really tired and would rather go home and take a nap. He didn’t want to be too tired to go to the Vine tonight. We met several of his friends at church and he wanted to be sure I wasn’t sitting right with them. By the time we all piled into the pew, along side other friends, I was in the row behind him. I love watching him in church now because he sings with such joy and lifts up his hand. He would have not done that prior to the accident, be that “into” the worship. After church we were going to Dani’s, one of his friends houses and I had to explain why I didn’t want Zack riding in the car with Andrew and Trey (too many distractions for a young driver carrying my precious cargo). We compromised and I let him ride alone with Dani while I followed behind them. At Dani’s Zack kept telling me he was going to take his drivers test tomorrow. He insists that he should be able to drive now that he is 16. I told him if he took the test and past it and then took the driving course and past it, then he could get his permit and drive. Then I reminded him that he had to get his therapist to write a note saying he was ready to take the test. He said, “Basically I messed up my head so now I can’t drive”. We have had this conversation many times but he still insists that he could ace the test and he is going to drive. When we arrive at home he tells me he is going to get on the computer. I put the kids to bed and Zack comes up to Kyle’s room dancing around. He tells us that he invited Kara to the Winter Ball and she said yes. He said he was going to look real good in a tux and his hair would be grown back. He tells me goodnight and heads to bed a happy guy. Our new normal is pretty good. We are blessed each day Zack is with us. We have little battles (wanting to drive) but what parents don’t? Every parent has issues to deal with ours are just a little more unique. We have a joy that passes all understanding and that alone is worth the price. Pray for wisdom for every parent of a teenager. Pray for complete recovery!

Saturday November 12, 2005

Saturday November 12, 2005 Zack got to sleep in this morning because he didn’t have to go to therapy. It was 8:00 before I got out of bed and Zack slept another hour. He was playing baseball on Nintendo and joking around with Dylan. After a while he put the lease on Toby and said he was taking him outside. I was working on the website when Dylan came looking for Zack. I told him he was out front with Toby. Dylan went to look for him but Zack was no where to be found. I started to panic. I had Dylan and Kyle both get on their bikes to look for him. About 15 minutes later Zack comes back with Kyle right behind him. He was surprised that I was worried and said, “I was just walking your dog” (apparently he walked all the way around the parkway). He asked me why I was worried and I told him I was afraid he would get lost and not be able to find our house. He laughed at me and said, “Mom, it’s my house, how could I get lost?” It all seems so simple to him. I tried to explain my reasoning but he thought I was being ridiculous. I told him again how worried we were when he was in the hospital that he would even live through the night and by the time I was finished tears were running down my face. He told me, “Don’t worry Mom. It will be alright. I’m not going to get lost”. It was after lunch and he decided it would be a good idea to take a nap before we had to leave for Dylan’s tennis match. When he woke up he was anxious to call some of his friends. He wanted to do something and I agreed that he could go to the movies. I figured if he wanted to go to the movies that badly then it wouldn’t matter if they went in late afternoon. Andrew had to be at work at 6:00 so he was happy to go to a 3:30 movie. We make arrangements to meet them there. I take Zack in to check out the situation and feel safe that he is with Andrew, Chris, Dan and Dani who have all been through his recovery with him. I warned his friends to keep him safe and go with the girls to Dylan’s tennis match. After the game I meet Zack and his friends at BW 3’s and all has worked out safely. We head to my friends house Donna Jaha who is having a birthday party for her oldest son. Rita (Scott’s Mom) has taken the girls home to spend the night with her so we invite Dani to go with us. Zack has the opportunity to play pool with a new group of guys at the Jaha’s and tries his hand at darts (he even gets a bulls eye). Tiffany joins us and after dinner we all head back to our house. We play pool and cards and Zack enjoys the company of his friends. He reminds me that I have to take him early to church in the morning because his service starts before mine. We will also go to the Vine (a contemporary worship service) on Sunday night and made plans to go to Dani’s house after the Vine. The girls that hang out with Zack are much more likely to run their plans by me first than the guys. They are all supported but the girls are more nurturing by nature. We are very blessed that Zack has such good friends and a wide circle of kids, many who go to other schools. They all have one thing in common…their faith. They all recognize that God has done miraculous things through prayer in Zack’s recovery. I pray that they will always appreciate how far God has brought Zack in a short period of time. I pray they will continue to support him so they can witness firsthand Gods power as evidenced through answered prayers. Please continue to pray for complete recovery for Gods Glory!

Friday November 11, 2005

Friday November 11, 2005 Zack got to sleep a little later this morning because Scott was taking him into therapy. I made sure he took his medication and made his lunch. Lindsey (therapist aid) helped Zack make out his Christmas list. He typed it on the computer and it was quite enlightening. Some of his request were normal teenage stuff, like an ipod, a jacket from Abercrombie and white tennis shoes (his favorite thing to buy). But it was how he ended each one that was funny, like “I’ll take some underwear doggity dog”. He has a great sense of humor which shows in the way he writes. He had two speech sessions with Leslie (his primary therapist) and they focus on reading comprehension, scanning and attention to detail. He also met with Dr. Perri (psychologist) and they discussed how long it takes to recover from a brain injury and the fact that he is not quite ready to drive. He was given the task of coming up with three things that are different about him since his brain injury. That is what we will talk about over the weekend, helping him recognize what is different about him. Since there are positive and negative differences I am curious to see what Zack thinks. When I pick him up I have an opportunity to talk with Suzanne (occupational therapist) about Zack’s progress. I inform her that we scheduled the 2nd screening on his Neuro eye exam and she tells me that they have been working on helping Zack recognize that he has a visual deficit. Vision therapy will teach him how to compensate for his visual field cut but they have already started that process at Frazier East. Suzanne says Zack has a good attitude, works hard and is cooperative but he doesn’t recognize his deficits or he blows them off. He knows he has a difficult time reading but he doesn’t see the correlation on why he can get his drivers permit. It is a blessing that he is not depressed but the flip side of that is that he thinks everything is fine. We are really in a Catch 22 situation because in order to compensate and correct deficient areas you have to recognize that they exist but when someone realizes how much things have changed it can make them very depressed. We pray that God will help Zack see that he is different now but that with every negative impact he has been blessed with a positive one. On the way home Zack and I discuss why Scott and I don’t want to just drop him off at the movies. He says other parents just let their kids go and I explain that other kids don’t have a brain injury. He says it stinks and he doesn’t know why we are making such a big deal out of it. I get his photo album out and show him that disturbing picture of him in ICU with all the tubes coming out of him and the monitor attached to his head. I point and say “This is why it’s a big deal. Four months ago we didn’t know if you would even be alive. You are not like your friends. They can walk into a smoky room and not be affected but if you did you could have a seizure. We are scared. We love you and have to be careful. God gave us another chance for you and we don’t want to blow it”. Tears welled up in my eyes and Zack closed the album and said OK. I’m not sure he got it but he did see my anguish. His attitude softened, he became more agreeable and asked what we would let him do. This will be an issue for a long time. We will constantly be trying to make him understand why he can’t do everything his friends get to do. He wants so much to just be a normal teenager and he isn’t. Our consolation is that he is healing and that means improvement. His future is uncertain…when will he get to go back to school, will he graduate with his class, can he safely drive, how will he manage in college, will his friends still want to hang with him if his limitations require them adjusting their plans?
One thing is certain…God is healing him and we have faith that he will heal him completely. It will take time and God’s timing is not our own. We can’t understand each path God chooses for us and Zack is no different. We have to trust that His wisdom is greater than ours and His plan is perfect. We have to be thankful for how far He has brought us in such a short time and the support we have had through it all. I continue to receive encouragement and Zack’s friends are still here. We are not alone although at times it feels like we are the only parents in the world facing these issues. We are blessed with support from Christians we didn’t even know before Zack’s accident. I want to thank all of those who selfishly give their time. One group has formed a committee to raise money for expenses that insurance won’t cover. They have started a fundraiser that offers a cookbook as a gift for a donation to “Gifts for Zack” (see the icon on the right side of this site). They spend hours passing out fliers and organizing distribution. We are not alone…God’s family testifies how we are all parts of one body. Each dependant on the other. We have faith, hope and love and have learned firsthand that the greatest of these is love. We are not alone…we have Zack. We know how lucky we are, we see the blessing in each smile. We ask that you pray for Zack’s gentle awakening to his deficits. That he will be aware of how he is different but know that through faith God will guide his path. Please pray that God will grant us wisdom as parents to know when to give Zack more responsibility and freedom to make his own choices and therefore mistakes. We cling to the promises of Gods Word:
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him”.
2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Mark 9:23 “Everything is possible for him who believes”.
Continue to pray for complete recovery!

Thursday November 10, 2005

Thursday November 10th Zack didn’t get up until 7:20 because we all overslept. It was cereal this morning, a quick shower and out the door. On the way to Frazier East Zack asked me when he was going to get a pass. I asked him what he meant and he said, “You know, one of these” and pretended he was driving a car. I told him he meant a permit. He wanted to know when he was going to take the driving test and is confident he can pass it. I reminded him that he had to get a letter from his occupational therapist saying he was ready and then he had to attend a driving class. He wanted to know who he had to talk to and what he should say. Then he asked for a piece of paper and he wrote it down so he wouldn’t forget to ask. He says it’s not fair because he has waited so long and now he is sixteen and should be able to drive. It does not disappoint me at all that he can’t take his permit test yet because I do not look forward to the day he drives off on his own. They worked again on reading in speech therapy and on comprehension. Zack recognizes that he has a difficult time reading but he doesn’t understand how that might affect him when he tries to take his drivers test. When I picked him up we met a reporter from the Courier Journal. Bill Pike had attended the program at Ky Country Day and heard me speak. He is impressed with Zack’s recovery and has decided to do a story that will run on Thanksgiving. He met us at Frazier East and we walked over to KFC so he could ask Zack some questions. I filled him in on how far Zack has come, the obstacles he has overcome, our victories and the deficits we are still battling. I explained aphasia (the language disorder that causes him to mess up his words) and the visual comprehension difficulties. He asked Zack how he was feeling and he told him he was tired. I explained how fatigue is a lasting effect from brain injury and one we will most likely deal with for a long time. Zack’s brain is working overtime to heal and it is very tiring. He asked Zack how he felt physically and he responded, “pretty good actually”. He wanted to know if Zack was in any pain and Zack said, “No, only when I touch right here” and he reached up to the scar on his head (part of the incision is still sensitive). He asked him about his hobbies and Zack told him he played baseball. Of course he had to tell him about the game where he pitched and won against Trinity. He doesn’t really remember it but Scott had recently talked about how he played baseball and relived that game. Bill asked him if there was anything else he liked to do like fishing or dancing and Zack’s smile lit up and he said “yeah, dancing. I like to do that and I won money dancing.” I explained that he had gone to a Halloween party, danced in a talent contest and won $100. Zack nodded his head and asked him if he wanted to see him dance. He was prepared to get up and perform right there in KFC. He is not shy, my precious boy!
He told him he wanted to get his permit and a cell phone. Bill smiled knowingly. Zack appears like a typical teenager except he really, really wants to go back to school. Most kids his age would relish the opportunity to be out of school but going back to school is a big priority for Zack. Bill asked if there was anything else he should know and I told him that a big contributor to Zack’s recovery is the support he has received from his friends. I also related stories of how our family has been taken care of by people from Southeast Christian Church and Christian Academy. He asked Zack if there was anything he wanted to say to other kids and he replied, “yeah, don’t sneak out. You should do what your parents tell you.” Zack also told him, “A lot of kids have been praying for me”. I explained that research only recently discovered how important family support was in the recovery from traumatic brain injury. That love and support makes a big difference in how completely someone recovers. I also told him that professions still leave one key factor out when determining how well a person will recover and that was God. I explained that we believe Zack’s amazing recovery is due to prayer and told him of instances where our prayers were answered against the odds. It was a good interview and I was proud of Zack. As we left to walk back to our cars Zack held the door open for us and several others who walked out after us. He is still polite and cooperative. We say goodbye and get in our car to go home. Zack is anxious to take a nap but he remembers to tell me that he asked how long he had to wait until he took his driving test. “A month, they said I have to wait a whole month”. When we get home he immediately heads to bed. When he wakes up Taylor comes by to visit and they play pool. I go around and put labels on many of the items in our house like the garbage can, coffee maker, toaster, computer and keyboard. When I head downstairs to label things there I point and ask Zack what different items are. He gets some right away but others he struggles with. He could not tell me the name of a candle but knew the CD player and he identified a bar stool as the couch (its close). It appears that those items he uses and therefore may frequently say (like the pool table) he knows but other obscure items (like the candle) he still gets mixed up. Before the night is over we all end up on one couch (Zack, Taylor, Kyle, Logan, our dog Toby and myself) watching a Disney movie. As soon as Taylor leaves Zack says he is tired, asks for a hug and goes to bed. I get the girls in bed and sit down to talk with Scott a while. We relive some of the last few months and are overwhelmed at how blessed we are. So many people supported us and provided for our family in many ways, least of all through prayer. Zack is home with us again. It’s not that important that he can’t read well because he can talk to us. So what if he doesn’t play baseball, he can dance (boy can he dance). We are blessed every day with his laugh. I remember telling the nurses at Frazier that all I wanted was to see him smile. We haven’t forgotten that. We can tell him we love him and he can answer us. We had a good student, athletic and popular teenager. Now we have living proof that God answers prayers. We still don’t know what the future holds but we know God will continue to carry us. His plan will be perfect. Pray that we will listen for God’s whisper. Pray that Zack will soon be able to return to school. Continue to pray for complete recovery.
I need to go now. The Tooth Fairy comes to Logan tonight (I don’t want to forget) and I think I will go kiss all my kids one more time.
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” Mathew 12:34

Tuesday November 8, 2005

Tuesday November 8, 2005 Zack was up by 7:00, ate breakfast and showered. He was watching TV and waiting for me when I told him it was time to go. On the way to Frazier East we talked about how he spent his free time and who he spent it with. I was explaining that his Dad and I want to be sure he understands how his friends can influence him, both positive and negative, and it was our job to insure he had a lot of positive influence around. His morning speech session with Leslie focused on reading for understanding which worked on getting him to slow down, pay attention and memory. He had a second speech therapy with Megan where they worked on understanding how things are related, impulsivity and more on paying attention. Scott took him to Kroger for occupational therapy. I know several people have seen him on his trips there but it is actually therapy. They work on visual scanning, safety awareness in the environment and more reading in real life situations. When I picked Zack up he was hungry and tired. He wanted to know how long his Nuero Eye Exam was going to take. We arrived on time, filled out our paperwork and met Dr. Weinberg. He performed a number of the standard eye tests and then additional specialized tests that determine how well the eyes track, work as a team and his peripheral vision. He confirmed that Zack definitely has a field cut which is a loss of visual field. It appears to be mostly in the upper right quadrant of his visual field. He has other symptoms that indicate visual problems but diagnosing those problems is the first step to correcting them. Correction doesn’t necessarily mean they are eliminated because this is not a sight problem but a perception issue. They have to determine how Zack processes visual information since his injury and his strengths and weaknesses. The visual process involves the flow and processing of information to the brain. Traumatic brain injury disrupts the flow and processing of information between the eyes and the brain. Dr. Weinberg is a “behavioral optometrist” who uses vision therapy to improve fundamental visual skills necessary for efficient processing of information. They believe that vision is a learned process that can be improved through progressive visual exercises or procedures. Correction of visual problems due to traumatic brain injury uses vision therapy to change how a person processes or interprets visual information. They train the brain to use the visual system, even one that is compromised, to work more efficiently. Visual problems can make every task seem more difficult and require more energy than necessary. Another contributor to Zack’s fatigue, especially after a full day of therapy (reading and scanning). We have step two to this Nuero eye exam (to be scheduled) which will test his comprehension, attention, concentration and other cognitive issues. I am anxious to get that scheduled so we can have a complete diagnosis and start to develop a customized vision therapy for Zack. I have been told by other mothers whose children have been diagnosed with visual perception problems, that once they started vision therapy they saw drastic improvement. We have been so blessed with Zack’s recovery that I feel certain that this is just the next step. The brain is fascinating, how every thing is linked to that miraculous little computer in our head. Just another sign of our creators wondrous handiwork…the intelligent design. Please pray for Gods hand in Zack’s diagnoses so that his customized therapy will be perfect. Continue praying for complete recovery.

Monday November 7, 2005

Monday November 7, 2005 Zack was up at 7:00 and had a big breakfast. Scott was taking him to therapy today so I packed his lunch, gave him his medication and told him not to forget his binder. He had speech with Megan and another session with Leslie. They are really focusing on reading and trying to increase the amount he is able to read by two paragraphs (which means he needs to start reading at home). He had a goals class with Scott where they were working on planning and organizing. Dr. Perri told me Zack’s Nero Psych exam is set up for November 28th and 29th. Since it is about a 7 hour long exam we are fortunate to break it up into two days. It will wear Zack out but he knows that this exam is the first step to going back to school which he desperately wants to do. When I picked Zack up he was very tired and seemed to be in a bad mood. He reminded me that he had a dentist appointment (which of course I knew). He is very tired and hungry by the time we arrive at the dentist. He was also very disappointed that he had to keep his braces on for another two weeks. I tried to console him by saying that they would be off in time for the concert in Nashville and he would have his pretty smile back again. We head home and he tells me he can’t wait to get in bed and take a nap. Tiffany and Brittany come to see him while he is sleeping but they hang out until he wakes up. He has a quick dinner before more of his friends arrive. Before long the basement is full of teenagers playing pool. I get a card game of “Golf” going and Zack can’t stand it, he has to get in the game. He takes over Rob’s hand and is fired up when Ashley beats him. He will be looking for a rematch the next time she’s over. As soon as the last visitor leaves Zack informs me he is going to bed. I think about his friends and the other teenagers I met today. At lunch I spoke to a group of kids at Ky Country Day school through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Trish Tobe has arranged for me to go to KCD (where her daughter is a student) and address this group of teenagers on how a single choice can change their lives, how their parents have been given authority over them to help them make good decisions and how God answers prayer. It was also a kick off to a fundraiser they are doing with a cookbook (watch this site for details on how you can participate). This was a smaller group of teenagers than I have spoke to in the past which gave me an opportunity to answer questions. Their FCA teacher representative is hoping that she can open the doors for me to come back and address the entire assembly. She is also hoping that parents will have an opportunity to attend because I have a strong message for them as well. This is the first time I have spoken through FCA and I pray the word gets out now and I am able to get into Eastern, Manual, Male, Oldham County and any other school that will have me. The day is coming when Zack will speak but until then I am the avenue for his message. I pray that God will use these opportunities to reach teenager and draw them into a relationship with Christ. Teenagers will make mistakes, bad choices, but if they know Christ, really know him, then those mistakes can be used as a testimony to His Glory. Tomorrow is Zack’s Neuro Optomology Exam so pray that the eye doctor will have wisdom is determining his perception problems. Pray that one teenager today will make a decision to think about the choices they make. Please pray for Zack’s continued recovery.
Isaiah 40:31…”but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Saturday November 5, 2005

Saturday November 5, 2005 Zack had to get up earlier that usual for a Saturday because we were participating in a walk-a-thon. The LaRossa Loop was a 25 mile bike or 5, 3, or 1 mile walk to benefit Frazier Rehab. Dr LaRossa is one of the Physiatrist there who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. They want to name a portion of the new building (LaRossa Lounge) in honor of her years of working with children in rehab. While we ride downtown to the riverfront we are listening to Zack’s C.D.’s again and talking about the concert. We already have 6 or 7 of his friends committed to going to Nashville so my little trip keeps expanding in size. I am starting to get as excited as Zack and his friends. I already know many of the words to the songs we listen to and am anxious to meet the people who have been praying for Zack’s recovery in Nashville. When we arrive at the walk-a-thon we see Larry, his parents, his girlfriend and her parents. Larry was the 19 year old motorcycle accident who suffered a traumatic brain injury two years ago. His Mom and I compare notes on the similarities of their recovery. Larry is working hard in college and is doing very well considering all he has been through. He complained about the restrictions still imposed by his doctor, (primarily because he was a big boating fan) but he follows their instructions because he knows how important they are to his recovery. I tell Zack that when he gets frustrated in the future about the things he can not do I will have him call Larry for support. We see several of Zack’s therapist and nurses who cared for him while at Frazier Rehab. After a short time walking Zack says he wants to run. Larry’s girlfriend and her mother agree to run with us and I tell them not to worry that Zack won’t last long. Well I was very wrong. Zack did fine, it was me who finally asked to take a break and walk for awhile. We ended up running about 3 ½ miles of the 5 mile walk and I felt it keenly by the time we were back at the finish line. We ate hotdogs and chips, talked with the other people we knew from Frazier before heading home. Zack got in the car and told me he was very tired. I told him I was really tired too, that my knees hurt and I couldn’t feel my butt. He told me he wasn’t tired from the run he just wanted to go to sleep, to take a nap like he always does. We get home and I head for the medicine cabinet to see what kind of miracle drug I can find to get the feeling back into my legs. I was only able to rest an hour or so before getting Dylan to basketball tryouts and then to his tennis match. Zack showered and dressed to be ready for his date tonight (dinner with Ashley and Maddie) and the family piles into the car again. At the tennis match a lot of Christian Academy parents got to see Zack for the first time since his accident. They were amazed at how well he was doing. He was talking about his dinner plans and showed off the cash in his wallet. When someone asked how he got so much money he told them he won it dancing. I had to explain about the talent contest he won on Halloween and he decided to show them his dance moves. Before his accident he wouldn’t have spent 5 minutes talking with a parent he didn’t know and now he is dancing for them at a tennis match. Dylan wins his match and we take Zack to P F Changs to meet the girls. We arrive early and Zack sees Allie and Jessica finishing their meal on the patio. They haven’t seen him in a while and spend some time catching up. Once Ashley and Maddie arrive I take Dylan and the girls to eat at California Pizza Kitchen. Zack calls me and says that he wants to ride home with the girls when they leave the restaurant and that sends chills up my spine. The next call is from Ashley saying that they are paying their bill and I tell them we are on our way. I let Zack ride in their car with me following right behind. I am sure Ashley was nervous (I would have been at 16 with a parent critiquing my driving skills) but we all made it home safely. They go to the basement to play pool and I am relieved that Zack will spend the rest of his evening at home. I am tired. My legs ache and I know tomorrow they will be worse. Zack hasn’t mentioned being sore so I guess all the physical therapy has done some good. It has been exactly four months, 120 days, since his accident. He is laughing, playing pool and entertaining the girls. Who could have imagined how far God would bring us in such a short time? We have been so blessed through this experience. We have seen an outpouring of love and support from Christian families we hardly know. We have gotten to know Zack’s friends and appreciate their loyalty. We have had the word of God come alive to us as we experience scripture with a fresh perspective, a different outlook. We have seen the power of God through answered prayers. If we go through trials with thankfulness and praise to God, He promises to bring good things despite them. He says to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience”. James 1:2
Please continue to pray for Zacks complete recovery.

Friday November 4, 2005

Friday November 4, 2005 Zack was up at 7:00 to eat breakfast and take his shower. On the way to Frazier East we talked about the plans for tonight. My niece would be taking him and some friends to the movies. He had brought one of his new C.D.’s with him and we listened to Christian rap by Grits 7. It was really good and I had a new appreciation for this type of music because of the message they were trying to get across to their fans. Music is very important to teenagers and if you are going to reach them for Christ through music, then you better play something they want to listen to, which happens to be rap. I told Zack that I would find out when they were going to be in concert and take him to see them. When I dropped him off for therapy he said, “Are you really going to take me to see them? It would be so cool”. I promised I would. Zack worked on reading and attention to details in Speech. They are trying to get him to slow down when answering questions and listen to himself to determine if he is right or wrong. They worked on visual memory and techniques for scanning the environment to help him remember what he sees. When I picked him up he told me he was very tired and couldn’t wait to get home to take a nap. He wanted to sleep until it was time to get ready for the movies but I told him he would have to get up to eat dinner. Then I gave him the big news. I had called about the concert schedule for Grits 7 and found out they were playing in Nashville at the Winter Wonder Slam. It is a benefit concert for Toys for Tots and would also feature Toby Mac (another favorite Christian Rap artist) and Barlow Girl. Since we would be able to see several bands and I have a good friend Kelly that lives in Nashville I agreed to take him and several friends. He was so excited, first to be going to such a big concert but also for the trip to Nashville with his friends. He used my cell phone to call several of his friends and tell them to be at our house around 6:00 to plan the evening. My nieces Erica and Shannon arrived first. Then Zacks friends began to arrive and before long I had a houseful of teenagers downstairs playing pool. They decided to see “Fog” and headed out at 7:00. Even though it was my nieces driving him it was difficult to send him off in a car with someone else. After the movies they went to Coffee Crossing and played games before coming back to the house. Zack said the movie was kind of stupid and the girls agreed. They said there were some pretty scary parts and that Zack laughed at them when they screamed. I told Ashley and Macy that Kelly in Nashville was trying to arrange for us to meet some of the artist at the concert and this made them scream some more…this time in delight. Zack was safe at home again and very tired. As soon as his friends left he was in bed but he told me he wanted to talk to me before he went to sleep. I go to his room and he tells me he had a good night but he still hadn’t kissed a girl since his accident. I tell him not to rush things but it seems to be an important milestone for him. He thanked me for working on the Nashville trip, told me he loved me and kissed me good night. He smiles at me one more time, points to his temporary braces and says, “Maybe when I get these off I can get a girl to kiss me”. I assure him he will have no problem. I go upstairs and tell Scott of our conversation and we marvel at the new, unique relationship we have with our 16 year old son. He confides in us about things most teenage boys don’t talk to their parents about. He is still sweet and somehow innocent. I think about the many times I kissed him as he laid in his hospital bed, hardly knowing we were there. I remember Scott leaning down to kiss him and telling him how much he loved him. A kiss…how monumental at times…Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss, a husband kisses his bride as they are pronounced man and wife, a mother kisses the newborn baby she has dreamt of for so long. Not long ago I could only kiss Zack’s hand because of all the tubes covering his face. What a blessing it is to be able to talk with him about his desire to be kissed by a girl now. We have so much to look forward to. We still struggle with his deficits but they seem so insignificant because we have him, whole, very much alive. Pray for patience for Zack as he waits for that important kiss. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery for the glory of God.

Thursday November 3, 2005

Thursday November 3, 2005 Zack was back on his weekday schedule and up at 7:00. I fixed him a big breakfast as a treat and he kept thanking me. On the way to Frazier East we talked about his plans for the weekend. My niece Erica had called earlier in the week and offered to be the cool, slightly older cousin who could take him and some friends to the movies. This way he doesn’t have to feel like his Mom is driving him around and I don’t have to worry about him riding in a car full of teenagers (with a driver that has had their license less than 6 months). I told Zack that Erica wanted to take them to the movies and we talked about who might go. We also talked about girls is general and his desire to kiss someone. I am in a unique position because I have a teenage son who will freely discuss his feeling and listen to my advice. He still has his own opinions but he doesn’t think I’m stupid any more. I think the last four months of him relying on me to take care of life threatening issues has opened his eyes to the value of parents…I hope.
Zack had two sessions of speech with Megan where he worked on reading, word retrieval and sentence correction. We still have not heard when his Neuro Phych exam will be scheduled. It appears we are waiting on insurance approval. He has to take this exam before going back to school so we are anxious to get it scheduled. Scott called me to say that Buddy Jaha had offered him two tickets to the U of L football game for tonight so he could take Zack. They are getting in a lot of Father/Son bonding with golf yesterday and football tonight. I was at a neighbors getting help with some website issues when Dylan knocks on the door to tell me that Scott wanted me to call him. He wanted to tell me how happy he was just watching Zack enjoy the game. They met up with Trey and Andrew and saw several other people he knew. Zack was really into the game and it gave Scott great joy to watch him. Scott was emotional as he told me how much he loved him and how sweet Zack was. At first Zack was anxious to get home to meet an old girlfriend he said was stopping by the house but then he was into the game and said he wanted to stay until the end. By half time though he was tired and ready to go home. When he walked in the door he told me that he had a lot of fun but was very tired. He went right to bed and Scott and I talked about how fortunate we are. Another blessing that we have right now is that Zack appears to appreciate what we have been through and seems to realize that we might know a thing or two after all. How nice is it to have a teenager that knows you’re not an idiot? Maybe some of that “underdeveloped frontal lobe” speech he has heard me making has actually sunk in. His short term memory and the aphasia are still a daily battle. He has to keep asking us the names of friends that he wants to call or says things like, “What is that thing I want to do tomorrow?” when he is talking about going to the movies. I talk to many normal adults who can’t remember people’s names (half the time I call my kids by the wrong name) and they are not as sweet as Zack. We are blessed to have him. We are blessed to have gotten to know many of his friends (and met new teenagers) in a deeper way. We are given a glimpse, up close of how difficult it is to be a teenager. We remember the peer pressure and can appreciate their struggles. They need us and most of the time (though they won’t admit it) they know that the boundaries and rules we set are because we love them and want to protect them. They don’t think they need protecting and that’s were the struggle begins. Tough love. It’s impossible to raise teenagers without it. It is not easy being the parent that sets the rules, who checks up on what their teenager is doing, who calls and verifies plans. But it is a lot easier than seeing your child lying in a hospital bed, praying they will live, or walk and talk again. Free will. Our creator designed us with the ability to make our own choices but he also designed parents and gave them the responsibility of training their children to make good choices. We can’t give up or take the easy way out. I ask for prayers for all parents of teenagers that they will be strong in their convictions. I pray that the hand of God will be ever present in Zack’s recovery guiding us to make the right decisions. Please pray for his continued complete recovery.

Wednesday November 2, 2005

Wednesday November 2, 2005 Zack got to sleep late today because Scott was taking him to play golf. Last week all of Zack’s friends were out of school for a couple of days on Fall break and Zack had to go to therapy. He didn’t think it was fair that he still had to go to school when his friends didn’t so Scott promised that he would take him to play golf as soon as he could take a day off from work. Today was the day. Yesterday Scott called Frazier East and spoke with Leslie about Zack being out a day. When she learned that he was going to spend the day playing golf with his Dad, Grandpa and Uncle she thought it would be good therapy for him. Spending all day in therapy at Frazier East is hard work for Zack so he deserves a break now and then. When I asked Zack how he played he said not good but Scott told me he didn’t play that bad and even out drove him on a hole. When Zack would concentrate and listen to Scott coaching him he would do well but when he didn’t have his Dad next to him telling him how to take the shot he didn’t do so well. All things considered he had a decent game (even professionals have a caddy advising them so Zack has nothing to be ashamed of) and a lot of fun. It was good therapy for Scott to spend time with Zack. After 18 holes Zack was very tired and anxious to take a nap. I was preparing dinner when he woke up and he asked me how long before we ate. I told him it would probably take an hour and he said, “What about church?” I told him that there was a concert at church tonight and since it was so late I didn’t think we were going. He wanted to call someone to find out if his youth group was still meeting so we called Ashley. She told us that she was going to the concert so Zack decided that’s what we should do. Dylan came in from tennis practice and quickly changed so he could go with us and I told Scott the dinner would be ready in about 45 minutes. Dylan, Zack and I arrived at church and met up with Ashley and four other girls. We got in our seats just in time and Zack was satisfied that I was at the opposite end of the group so I got to sit with them. The concert was very good but mostly slow songs. Zack was antsy to stand up so towards the end when they played a lightly upbeat tune the six of us were standing and clapping our hands (while the rest of the sanctuary sat quietly). When the concert was over and we were out in the hall Maddie asked Zack if he knew her name and he told her “Maddie”. She squealed in delight and I teased her that she must have kept repeating her name to him during the concert. No…instead she wrote her name on his hand and Ashley wrote her name on his other hand. This way he not only knew who they were but what side they sat on during the concert. They had invited him to go out to dinner this weekend and promised to come over tomorrow night, so on the way home he kept checking his hands and repeating their names. He told me he hoped it didn’t wear off before tomorrow so he wouldn’t forget their names. He remembers people, how they made him feel, whether they were friendly, but he has a hard time remembering names. Even the names of people he has known for along time. This has less to do with memory and more with the aphasia so it should improve with time. When we arrived home Tiffany was waiting and then Kera arrived. They played pool and after Kera left the three of us played the card game Golf. Zack beat us both…life is back to normal. He told me he doesn’t want to go to school tomorrow. He had such a good time today he thinks he should skip therapy tomorrow too. I reminded him that therapy is what helps make him well and if he wants to go back to Christian Academy then he needs to work hard in therapy. He agreed (still very compliant). But he said it “still stinks”. He wanted to know when we were going back to church again and when I asked why he said “Cause I want to stand up and hold my hand up when I sing”. It makes me so happy that he wants to spend time at church and is anxious to worship. Maybe this is another reason that God has used his accident…to show others the desire to worship. Zack was not the type to be so demonstrative in church before his accident so this is another blessing. There are so many that I intend to sit down soon and write all the possible reasons why our lives were changed so dramatically. Please pray that Zack will continue to recovery completely and God will continue to reveal His hand in our lives.

Monday October 31, 2005

Monday October 31, 2005 Zack was up at 7:00 and ate breakfast. After he showered we talked about how fast his hair is growing. He is anxious to cover up his scar and it won’t take long. On the way to Frasier East he tells me that today is “that day” so he would probably be doing something tonight. I reminded him he had a dentist appointment today and he wanted to know if I would pick him up early and get him out of school. He had several sessions of speech today with different therapist. They worked on reading, scanning, memory, writing skills and paying attention. When I picked him up he was in a good mood and wanted to get to the dentist quickly so he could get home and take a nap.
Everyone at Dr Zanger’s office was glad to see him. They have been following his progress on this website and Jules had visited him at Frasier Rehab and brought him dental supplies. Dr. Zanger checked out the missing cap and the growing space between his two front teeth since he hasn’t worn his retainer in nearly four months. He decided to put a bracket on the two teeth to pull them together which should only take a few weeks. Then he will apply a new cap and Zack’s beautiful smile will be restored. Zack told them he was proud of his smile and wanted it back. We left the dentist and headed home so Zack could take his nap. On the way home he called Trey and made plans to go to a friends Halloween party. Dinner was ready in the crock pot when we got home (thanks to Janet Smith) so I was able to help the girls with their costumes. We ate dinner and Dylan left to be with his friends while I took the girls around Lake Forest to gather their loot. Before I left I had laid out Zack’s clothes…his cowboy hat, his Dad’s boots, a borrowed flannel shirt. The girls wore themselves out in an hour and a half so I was back early to take Zack to the party. We arrived at Randi Marshall’s a little after 8:00 PM. Everyone was in costume, some creative and some just thrown together. They were having a talent contest and before I knew it Zack was up there doing, what else, dancing. There were several good dance acts (you could tell Randi and Chas had practiced their Grease routine) but in the end Zack was the winner. He was surprised when they handed him $100 but never embarrassed. His buddy Rick was one of the contestants and everyone knows Rick can dance but I think most people were amazed to see Zack. Three months ago he couldn’t even walk and now he was dancing without missing a beat. It is unbelievable. Zack heads downstairs to play pool but by 9:30 he was telling me he was tired and ready to go home. When we get in the car he asked me if I thought he danced good and how cool it was that he won $100. Scott was dancing in the driveway as we pulled into the garage, telling Zack that if he was there he would have beaten him in the contest. I helped Zack get the penciled on fake beard off his face and he jumped in bed with a smile on his face. What a great day for him. What a fabulous day for us. We have our precious boy, not just alive, but really enjoying life. On the way home from the party Zack asked me if I thought he would go to college. I confidently told him he could do anything he wanted to, and I fervently believe that. I could not have imagined him dancing unashamedly in front of his peers, as well as adults, just a few months ago so who knows where God will take him from here. Mark 9:23 “Everything is possible for him who believes”. Continue praying for complete recovery!