Thursday February 23, 2006

Thursday February 23, 2006 We’ve had a busy week getting ready for Zack’s return to school. It was hard for Zack to go to therapy this past Friday and Monday since all his friends (and brother and sisters) were out of school. Suzanne (occupational therapy) has told me that Zack knows the driving manual better than she does. He has read it from cover to cover, highlighted the important facts and entered these as notes into the computer. Although they have established a check list that he needs to complete, it won’t be much longer before we have no excuse to hold him back from taking his permit test (unfortunately parental nervousness doesn’t prevent him from driving). Monday we received an email about a teenage girl who had been in a car accident on Saturday and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Her family was waiting for news at University Hospital where her scull was removed and we were asked to go offer some comforting words of hope. I called Zack and told him the situation and he was very anxious to go speak with her family and show them how far he had come in such a short time. He asked if we would be able to see her and I explained that was not likely to happen but he said he wanted to go anyway. As I was preparing to pick him up I received a phone call explaining that the doctors had called the family together telling them that she was not likely to live through the day and perhaps our visit might be awkward. God did call her home and Zack was even more aware of how blessed we are. He says he really wants to go back to Frazier Rehab and talk to kids that are messed up and encourage them to work hard to get better. He is the perfect one to show them how a positive attitude, determination and faith can conquer obstacles that seem insurmountable. I know that some day he will be given the opportunity to share his struggles with another patient going through the same thing.
This morning Scott and I met with the staff and teachers at Christian Academy to discuss Zack’s schedule and answer questions. We feel very fortunate that even though his teachers are apprehensive (they have never done this before) they are excited about his return. They understand that he should be given homework and take tests but that the content of the material is not as important as the overall learning process. God has again blessed us with additional support for Carol Britton (who will be working with him through the Discovery Program) with Jalynn Speaks. Before her career in education she was a speech therapist for 15 years. She serves as Academic Support at Christian Academy and will be an important member of Zack’s new education team. Isn’t it amazing how God has placed just the right people in our path? We have Carol (one of only three people training in Instrumental Enrichment in KY) and now Jalynn. Our personal evidence of intelligent design…His perfect plan at work. Zack calls me mid morning to see how our meeting went and I tell him they are awaiting his return. He reminds me that he is cooking dinner for us today. In occupational therapy his current project was to pick an entrée, shop for the ingredients, read the instructions and cook it. He made stuffed chicken breast with mushrooms and spinach and Suzanne said he was so proud of himself. Once he was home he told us to be sure to wake him from his nap at 6:00 so he could put the finishing touch (pepper jack cheese) on his masterpiece before serving. It was delicious and we told Zack that now he had to start cooking once a week.
He went to his first official practice for the Easter pageant with Scott tonight and he came home talking about the people he met. Although he will have an intensive practice schedule (6:00 -10:00 many nights) we feel that this experience will be good therapy. He will be tired but I think God will give us extra minutes in those days to study and get homework done (at least we are counting on it). At times when things seem overwhelming we have to step back and think about how things could have been. We focus on how far Zack has come and not how challenging the future seems. At other times I have to stop myself from becoming overly optimistic, envisioning great things Zack will do, but when you have seen how awesome and powerful God is through this recovery it is hard to put limits on Him. We know that if it is in His plan Zack will fully recover and be an inspiration to many. We also trust that God can use Zack just the way he is and we won’t feel cheated. We know God’s plan is perfect and he is in control. We find comfort in Psalms 31:14 “I trust in you, O Lord…My times are in your hands” and Psalm 142:3 “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, you knew my path”. We ask that you continue to watch God’s healing hand at work and marvel at His mercy. We ask that you continue to believe that prayer pierces the ears of God and He desires to show us His wondrous glory. Pray that His glory will be revealed through Zack’s complete recovery.