Monday April 24, 2006

Monday April 24, 2006 Zack has been enjoying being back to school three days a week now that Spring Break is over. It allows him to have more continuity in his classes as well as more time to socialize with his friends. He is working with Carol Britton (his tutor) for four periods each day he is at school so they have really gotten close. She continues helping him to build new neuro pathways in his brain through Rhythmic Writing and Instrumental Enrichment. She also works on reading comprehension and creative writing, all in preparation for his return in the fall. His is doing very well in computer and completes his Bible homework by himself. Currently he says they are working on “easy stuff” in Honors Algebra II that he had already learned last year. When I asked him if he remembered it he says yes but I need to get further feedback from his teacher. He continues therapy at Frazier East on Wed and Fridays. Leslie (speech therapist) also works with him on reading comprehension and vocabulary. We are still dealing with the aphasia although we see subtle improvements each week. Leslie is very pleased with the progress he has made in reading. Although he is not at his grade level she is amazed at how far he has come since January. She wants to challenge him this summer with more difficult reading of current affairs through magazines like Time or Newsweek. We have suggested instead something like World Magazine that come at current affairs from a Christian perspective. It will be interesting to see the discussions that develop from the articles they read together. Last week Zack called me and said he just read an article about a mother that killed her four children. He said, “Don’t even think about it”. I laughed and he said goodbye. I always look forward to his calls because I never know what he is going to say. Zack enjoys the sessions he has with Dr Perri (psychologist) especially when they go out to lunch. I am sure that eventually Dr Perri will be involved in discussions of current affairs that Zack is reading. Dr Perri is interested in seeing Zack continue to speak to other teenagers about making good choices but he would also like us to get more involved in the Brain Injury Association.
Zack is realizing through conversations with his Dad and I that he needs to start making new friends in the current sophomore class. He is still socializing with Andrew, Trey and Robbie at school and they were all over to our house playing basketball last week but he recognizes that they will graduate a year ahead of him now and he needs to develop other friendships with the students that he will graduate with. We are in a unique position with Zack right now in that he actually listens to us and acts on our advice. He called Addison, a sophomore from his baseball team, and made plans to hang out. He also asked his good friend Brooke Willoughby (another sophomore) to the prom. We are able to talk with him about things going on in his life and he speaks honestly about the choices he made in the past. He values our opinions and will actually come out and ask us what we think. What a blessing God has given us. He may have severed some neurological pathways but he opened up new lines of communication. We know Zack much better through these last nine months than we did before the accident. He enjoys spending time with us in a way he never did before. This past Friday we celebrated Logan’s (Zack’s little sister) 7th birthday with a slumber party. Dylan made arrangements to be out of the house and Scott was taking Kyle to his Mom’s. When Zack’s plans fell through Scott came back and picked him up. They went to dinner, played pool on Fourth Street Live and went bowling. They really had a good time and Zack enjoyed it as much as Scott. By the time they came home at 11:00 pm I was just getting Logan and her friends to settle down and go to sleep (and frankly was a little jealous that Scott got to have a fun, “adult” evening with Zack). Sunday evening we went to a cookout with Dylan’s football team at his coach, Dan English house. Many parents there got to see Zack for the first time since he came home from the hospital and were amazed at his progress. These are the same people that diligently prayed for his recovery. Prior to his accident Zack would have come up with a hundred excuses to get out of going to that cookout. It was good for Dylan to know that his big brother cared enough to come (Dylan certainly attended enough sporting events of Zack’s in the past). Zack even took Logan for a walk and came back carrying her on his shoulders. Most people that meet Zack see a healthy, attractive, friendly teenager but realize how special he is when they get to talk with him. I hope that as he continues to recover he doesn’t lose that special sweetness we’ve discovered. Please pray for unique opportunities for Zack to share his faith, whether speaking to other teenagers or discussions of current affairs. Continue praying for complete recovery for the Glory of God!
Side note: Trinity has changed the date that we will speak to May 10th at 3:00 pm for those that wish to attend.