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