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Noah Update | |
| June 08 | May 08 | April 08 | March 08 l February 08 l January 08 l December 07 l November 07 l October 07 l September 07 l August 07 l July 07 l June 07 l May 07 l April 07 | ||
| Due to the holiday weekend Pastor David won't be posting an update this week. Be sure to check back next week for updated information! _______________________________ Last Updated: July 3, 2008 at 4:40pm
Noah had a delightful week with the visit of his Aunt Rachel. Being a high level educator in her profession, she brings an air of erudition to our abode. That being said, it takes all of about thirty minutes before she morphs into a slapstick sidekick of another crazy aunt who visits us frequently (I’ll let my in-laws sort out that veiled remark J). In simple terms, Rachel and Noah have times together that make laughing hyenas seem timid. From madcap moments of laughing over some spectacular sneezes Noah sometimes “projects” to newfangled devices that she brings that produce interesting body noises (formally called whoopie cushions). Like the saying goes… you have to be there to appreciate the moments. From the pen of therapists Lisa and Emily: We continue to work with Noah’s hands to become smoother in his movements. We are recommending an electric wheelchair so he can become more independent. Noah sat for over one minute and a half on the floor by himself. Noah’s best friend Noah (Meyers) visits with Noah twice a week for about two hours. His mom always comes with him and lately dad has been visiting since returning from his sea duty with the Navy. Lisa told me on their last visit Noah’s dad started to do a light-hearted exercise motion of lifting his leg (while sitting) from the knee down. (if you notice the picture below, you will see a leg going up and Noah’s leg beginning to elevate). It goes something like this. They proceed to lift their leg (from the knee down) multiple times and then stop and ask Noah to do the same. He did it numerous times with his left leg.
The next time they did the routine they asked Noah to use his right leg. He paused for a second and then lifted both legs at the same time. Go Noah! Even though he didn’t get it completely right with the right leg alone, this particular leg motion is a new one from a “request” standpoint on our part. I have more anecdotal incidents of improvement to report however, I will save them for next week because they require extensive explanation. I do try to keep these reports succinct. In a more sober moment… this past week a young lady of twenty-three years was here on vacation enjoying her stay with some friends at an ocean front cottage. Apparently, she decided to go jogging along the beach while a storm front was moving through. According to the news reports she was struck and killed instantly by lightening. The article went on to list a number of people who were “directly” struck by lightening in the last ten years and all of them perished. My heart goes out to any family who suffers such unexpected tragedy and loss. Nevertheless, it causes me to pause one more time and thank Him who created the universe, for sparing Noah and allowing him to be restored to us. He is good and His mercy endures forever. Until next week our love to you all… david _______________________________ Last Updated: July 11, 2008 at 5:20pm
Young men seem to be attracted to anything that they can “drive.” Noah is no different. Today a man from the wheelchair supplier brought a “demo” model of an electric wheelchair that has a “joystick” lever that moves the chair around. Lisa said when they brought it into the room his eyes lit up. Please excuse my poor photography skills and Noah’s posture. I came in long after he had been in the chair and he was simply relaxing when I took the shot. It’s fire engine red and very thrifty around corners. (Check out his summer hairdo!)
The therapists wanted Noah simply to see it and explain to him that this is their next goal. He will need to improve his hand dexterity to the point where he can actually steer the chair on his own. Also, his head would no longer have siderests so he will have to build some more stamina in his neck and shoulder muscles. In simple terms… he has a new set of goals to work for and then his chair will be delivered. Noteables from Therapists Emily & Lisa:While lying on the floor on his back, Noah continues to improve his ability to flex and reflex his upper body muscles. When moving his hand from behind his head, Noah can now slowly move his hand down toward his side and reach for a rubber ball on the floor. Once he grasps the ball he is now beginning to learn to “release” the ball. The former motion is more difficult than the latter. In the early months of Noah’s recovery I had noted that the recovery of the syringal swallowing motion is one of the most complex neurological functions in our bodies. With that in mind, swallowing liquids can actually be more challenging that munching on some small pieces of food and then swallowing. The reason is simple. While the person is “chewing” there is a sense of momentum and confidence that builds when it comes time to actually swallow the food. Conversely, if simple liquids are poured in the mouth, doubt and apprehension can take over resulting in them spitting out the liquid because they’re afraid to choke on it. Watermelon being what it is presents an immediate challenge to someone like Noah because they not only have to chew, but instantly there is a need to swallow simultaneous with chewing. Well, Noah had a breakthrough in this area this week. Lisa said he did not hesitate at eating ten large pieces of watermelon in one sitting!
Then later on he ate about the same amount of ice cream cake left over from Emma’s birthday. Icy, cold things used to “repel” him but now he is adapting well. Ice cream and watermelon can seem rather routine to most of us... but to us they are signs of things to come. We are extremely thankful to Him for both. Till next week. Love… david _______________________________ Last Updated: July 18, 2008 at 4:00pm
“Summertime and the living is easy.” I remember that tune from somewhere back yonder. All that to say that Noah’s therapists have had vacations this week, therefore we don’t have their input so I will update you more thoroughly next week. As is my preference, I desire to give a clinical perspective in addition to our anecdotal stories. So… we’ll save them up for next week. Thanks for checking and for praying. Love… david _______________________________ Last Updated: July 25, 2008 at 5:10pm |
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