Ashley had a wonderful birthday week.
The outpouring of love was amazing and deeply appreciated. Her therapists at Lutheran Hospital threw a surprise party for her; she received dozens of cards and gifts; there were numerous phone calls and visits from family and friends; and of course several wonderful postings on this blog. The highlight was when Ashley received and took a call on her birthday from her friend Adrienne who is currently spending a semester in Uganda Africa. Yes she called from Uganda!
Ashley took advantage of the extended summer weather we are having by taking several strolls through the neighborhood during the week and weekend.
On the Walk, Talk and Eat front Ashley is making steady progress.
As a visiting friend, Erica, was saying goodbye Ashley pushed her vocalization to new heights. We are praying for audible words, but to see the effort, and more importantly, the smile that was on Ashley’s face as she ‘sang’ her goodbye it was apparent that this was a sign of good things to come.
Over the weekend we did an interview for Fort Wayne Living Magazine. The article will be an update on Ashley and the efforts of members of our church parish to raise funds for a wheelchair accessible van. The story will run in their November edition.
To add to the exciting news we just received word that Ashley (and the family) has been accepted to the Victory Junction Gang weekend camp for young adults suffering from conditions like Ashley’s in North Carolina. In addition to spending time with others that Ashley can relate with we will be able to confer with the same medical specialists that were at the International Conference on Rare Neuro-immunilogical Disorders. Austin and I also had the pleasure of meeting the camps’ medical director at that conference in July. In a future posting we will tell you more about this wonderful facility that the Petty family of NASCAR fame has poured their love and treasure into. It has been a blessing for thousands of children, young adults and families that are facing various medical challenges. You can visit them at www.victoryjunction.org.
As we face each new day we are thankfully aware of all the love and support we have and will continue to receive. Saying thank you feels woefully inadequate, but please know that you are also in our prayers. We know first hand that prayer is the most valuable gift one person can provide to another.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
September 23rd
On Saturday Ashley danced at her cousin’s wedding. More precisely Dad danced and Ashley was holding on for dear life. In any case one of the motivators we used when patterning Ashley for walking was that we wanted to see her dance at her Jessica and Joe’s wedding. This always brought a smile to her face.
Well on Saturday night she got out of her chair on the dance floor and to the cheers of onlookers Ashley held her self up and we did some limited moves dancing.
On the Walk, Talk and Eat front, Ashley continues to take more and more unassisted steps each time we pattern her. While she still needs support from her walker or someone else it is so encouraging. Her consistency of eating, as well as the volume she is taking orally has definitely improved over the last few weeks. While we are still waiting on that first clear word Ashley is increasing the frequency of making sounds as well as an increasing the variety of pitch.
Ashley will celebrate her 21st birthday this Thursday. We could not be more proud. Just a little over a year ago we would have anticipated her starting her junior year at Saint Mary’s and starting to narrow down her school selections for her masters as a Physician’s Assistant. Now we know that God has other plans for Ashley. She is taking a hiatus from college, but as we watch her slowly progress and witness, what is to us, Ashley’s miraculous motivation and positive attitude it is becoming clearer that she will have a special vocation.
May we never fail to mention our awareness that there is a special partnership between Ashley’s hard work and the prayers and support we have received. It is blessed combination that knows no earthly limitation.
Well on Saturday night she got out of her chair on the dance floor and to the cheers of onlookers Ashley held her self up and we did some limited moves dancing.
On the Walk, Talk and Eat front, Ashley continues to take more and more unassisted steps each time we pattern her. While she still needs support from her walker or someone else it is so encouraging. Her consistency of eating, as well as the volume she is taking orally has definitely improved over the last few weeks. While we are still waiting on that first clear word Ashley is increasing the frequency of making sounds as well as an increasing the variety of pitch.
Ashley will celebrate her 21st birthday this Thursday. We could not be more proud. Just a little over a year ago we would have anticipated her starting her junior year at Saint Mary’s and starting to narrow down her school selections for her masters as a Physician’s Assistant. Now we know that God has other plans for Ashley. She is taking a hiatus from college, but as we watch her slowly progress and witness, what is to us, Ashley’s miraculous motivation and positive attitude it is becoming clearer that she will have a special vocation.
May we never fail to mention our awareness that there is a special partnership between Ashley’s hard work and the prayers and support we have received. It is blessed combination that knows no earthly limitation.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
September 16th
Hi all!
It has been quite busy around the Harrington household, but I felt a short update was better than no update at all.
Courtesy of a neighbor that is a therapist Ashley now has a walker (pictured). This walker has raised arm supports so Ashley can have support for her forearms and hold handles in front of her and walk. This is a huge advancement for Ashley. Although we still right there to assist her if needed Ashley is not st raped in like the gait trainer. The only support she has from the walker is with her forearms.
Ashley is making strides with walking that exceed any other area of improvement to date. She is even taking reciprocal steps (one step followed immediately by another). It is biggest high to watch her do that! She still needs patterning, but the progress she is making is truly breathtaking.
We have always had faith that Ashley would walk again. Now we have the proof that she will indeed do it.
Please keep those 'Walk, Talk and Eat' prayers coming because they are working. God Bless!
It has been quite busy around the Harrington household, but I felt a short update was better than no update at all.
Courtesy of a neighbor that is a therapist Ashley now has a walker (pictured). This walker has raised arm supports so Ashley can have support for her forearms and hold handles in front of her and walk. This is a huge advancement for Ashley. Although we still right there to assist her if needed Ashley is not st raped in like the gait trainer. The only support she has from the walker is with her forearms.
Ashley is making strides with walking that exceed any other area of improvement to date. She is even taking reciprocal steps (one step followed immediately by another). It is biggest high to watch her do that! She still needs patterning, but the progress she is making is truly breathtaking.
We have always had faith that Ashley would walk again. Now we have the proof that she will indeed do it.
Please keep those 'Walk, Talk and Eat' prayers coming because they are working. God Bless!
Monday, September 1, 2008
September 1st
An apology is due to the faithful followers of Ashley’s blog. Once again the editor failed to get out the weekly update. Quite frankly the busy holiday weekend has me feeling like Cinderella trying to beat a midnight deadline to get this to the presses.
Had I posted an update last week the lead would have been the outcome of her check up with her neurologist the Friday before. Once again medicines for Ashley have been reduced. To give you an idea of how well Ashley is progressing consider this…
When Ashley came home in January of this year she was on fourteen (14) different medicines. Today she is on four (4) different medicines. One of those is an antacid she takes due to her liquid nutrition. Of the other three one has had its dosage reduced 50%. The other two have had their dosages reduced 75%! This is good news on two fronts. The obvious is that Ashley is progressing to the point she needs less medication to address the affects of her condition. The other is that she is not encountering the side affects that came with some of these medications. The biggest issue was drowsiness.
It is hard enough when your body isn’t cooperating with what you are telling it to do. It only made it harder with have to fight off constant fatigue. Now with this latest round of medicine reduction we are confident that Ashley will make even more gains.
We just returned from spending the holiday weekend at the lake. We have been blessed with wonderful weather this summer and have taken advantage of it. Ashley has loved every minute when she has had an opportunity to get outside.
Ashley has been moving her left arm in a more coordinated fashion lately. When we got home today she reached up and removed her sunglasses from her face. Later we asked her to put down her right arm. She reached over with her left are to her right shoulder and worked her way down her arm to her wrist and pushed on her arm. We watched in amazement.
It was wonderful to hear from Jodie (who is from London, England) who had ADEM and can relate to what Ashley is going through. She is one more person that is a role model for Ashley
Thank you for your prayers. We hope as we head into September you have all had a wonderful summer.
Had I posted an update last week the lead would have been the outcome of her check up with her neurologist the Friday before. Once again medicines for Ashley have been reduced. To give you an idea of how well Ashley is progressing consider this…
When Ashley came home in January of this year she was on fourteen (14) different medicines. Today she is on four (4) different medicines. One of those is an antacid she takes due to her liquid nutrition. Of the other three one has had its dosage reduced 50%. The other two have had their dosages reduced 75%! This is good news on two fronts. The obvious is that Ashley is progressing to the point she needs less medication to address the affects of her condition. The other is that she is not encountering the side affects that came with some of these medications. The biggest issue was drowsiness.
It is hard enough when your body isn’t cooperating with what you are telling it to do. It only made it harder with have to fight off constant fatigue. Now with this latest round of medicine reduction we are confident that Ashley will make even more gains.
We just returned from spending the holiday weekend at the lake. We have been blessed with wonderful weather this summer and have taken advantage of it. Ashley has loved every minute when she has had an opportunity to get outside.
Ashley has been moving her left arm in a more coordinated fashion lately. When we got home today she reached up and removed her sunglasses from her face. Later we asked her to put down her right arm. She reached over with her left are to her right shoulder and worked her way down her arm to her wrist and pushed on her arm. We watched in amazement.
It was wonderful to hear from Jodie (who is from London, England) who had ADEM and can relate to what Ashley is going through. She is one more person that is a role model for Ashley
Thank you for your prayers. We hope as we head into September you have all had a wonderful summer.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
August 19th
Over the last couple of weeks Ashley has successfully eaten orally each day. No doubt the prayers for eating are being answered. This is not at the expense of the walking and talking prayers you have all been offering up. Ashley is more vocal. She is taking more full steps in the gait trainer and she continues to improve on the stationary cycle.
On Thursday Ashley will finally get her official wheel chair. It has taken so long that we have joked that she would walk in and pick it up when it was ready. It will be similar to her current loaner chair. It will not be hot pink to match her new computer.
Speaking of her computer, Ashley continues to adapt well to it. Like everything else it takes consistent practice, but she already knows how it operates so she will be whipping out sentences in no time.
Ashley usually is not interested in TV, but she has been enjoying the Olympics. As a swimmer she was taking particular delight in watching Michael Phelps work his way, race by race, to a record eight gold medals in one Olympiad.
She can relate to the hard work it takes to be a competitive athlete. It is that experience, along with her faith, that is helping her maintain such an admirable attitude as she slowly regains her motor skills. We also know that she loves the affirmation she gets from those she crosses paths with and from reading comments from the blog.
On Thursday Ashley will finally get her official wheel chair. It has taken so long that we have joked that she would walk in and pick it up when it was ready. It will be similar to her current loaner chair. It will not be hot pink to match her new computer.
Speaking of her computer, Ashley continues to adapt well to it. Like everything else it takes consistent practice, but she already knows how it operates so she will be whipping out sentences in no time.
Ashley usually is not interested in TV, but she has been enjoying the Olympics. As a swimmer she was taking particular delight in watching Michael Phelps work his way, race by race, to a record eight gold medals in one Olympiad.
She can relate to the hard work it takes to be a competitive athlete. It is that experience, along with her faith, that is helping her maintain such an admirable attitude as she slowly regains her motor skills. We also know that she loves the affirmation she gets from those she crosses paths with and from reading comments from the blog.
Monday, August 11, 2008
August 11th
Ashley’s computer arrived on Friday. Her speech therapist will get it set up this week and a lot of our time at home will now be focused on helping Ashley communicate through this system. It looks like a tablet PC. It has a touch screen, but Ashley will use a button with her left arm to control it.
The screen will present and ‘speak’ options to Ashley. It will scroll through options in rows. Ashley will hit her button when it gets to a row that displays an option she wants. Next it will display those options and she will click on the one she wants and it will state it. It may take a few screens to get to a specific option, but now Ashley will begin to tell us what she wants verses our doing the yes/no guessing game.
Oh did I mention that the front of this tablet PC is bright pink!?!
This weekend Ashley ‘took off’ on her pedaling. She completed as many as five full revolutions in a row without any assistance. We have to credit the Walk, Talk and Eat praying all of you are doing along with Ashley’s hard work for that significant improvement.
At mass yesterday Ashley gave a huge smile and was raised both arms in affirmation when Father John, in his homily, said we need to have faith in Christ to get us beyond our fears. The gospel reading was about Peter walking to Jesus on the water but then becoming fearful and sinking. It was a beautiful sight to see Ashley’s reaction knowing she wanted us to know that her faith is unfaltering.
As we have often said Ashley smiles much more than she frowns and laughs much more than she cries. When the rest of us are feeling overwhelmed it just takes a look at her beautiful smile to get refocused and to think, “If Ashley can keep a positive attitude how can I let myself fail to do so?”
It is as obvious as the sun rising in the east that Ashley is feeling the beneficial affects of everyone’s prayers. Please keep them coming.
The screen will present and ‘speak’ options to Ashley. It will scroll through options in rows. Ashley will hit her button when it gets to a row that displays an option she wants. Next it will display those options and she will click on the one she wants and it will state it. It may take a few screens to get to a specific option, but now Ashley will begin to tell us what she wants verses our doing the yes/no guessing game.
Oh did I mention that the front of this tablet PC is bright pink!?!
This weekend Ashley ‘took off’ on her pedaling. She completed as many as five full revolutions in a row without any assistance. We have to credit the Walk, Talk and Eat praying all of you are doing along with Ashley’s hard work for that significant improvement.
At mass yesterday Ashley gave a huge smile and was raised both arms in affirmation when Father John, in his homily, said we need to have faith in Christ to get us beyond our fears. The gospel reading was about Peter walking to Jesus on the water but then becoming fearful and sinking. It was a beautiful sight to see Ashley’s reaction knowing she wanted us to know that her faith is unfaltering.
As we have often said Ashley smiles much more than she frowns and laughs much more than she cries. When the rest of us are feeling overwhelmed it just takes a look at her beautiful smile to get refocused and to think, “If Ashley can keep a positive attitude how can I let myself fail to do so?”
It is as obvious as the sun rising in the east that Ashley is feeling the beneficial affects of everyone’s prayers. Please keep them coming.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August 5th
We missed posting an update last week so we have some catching up to do.
We can tell that the ‘Walking, Talking and Eating’ prayers are catching on and having an affect. In the last two weeks Ashley has been more consistent in her eating exercises. Ashley continues to vocalize at an increasing rate and we are occasionally hearing new sounds. In her gait trainer (a rolling support Ashley uses to practice walking) she has initiated steps several times and has actually taken full steps without any assistance!!!
Of all the progress Ashley has made, seeing her raise a leg, move it forward and plant her foot firmly in front of her; it is breathtaking.
We are ever grateful to all of you that keep Ashley and our family in your prayers. We are seeing, first hand, the real and positive impact your prayers are having for us.
As you will see from the latest picture posted to the site Ashley went for a boat ride while visiting her grandparents. Ashley’s social calendar continues to fill with activities. Since the last update Ashley saw a musical at the Civic Theater, visited her co-workers at GlenAqua Pool, spent a weekend at the lake and has received visits from literally dozens of friends and family. We know that the increase and variety in her activities is having a positive impact on her.
We are taking advantage of the sunny summer days and getting out for walks. We know that all too soon we will be longing for being able to spend time outside. Ashley has yet to turn down an opportunity to get out and about.
We can tell that the ‘Walking, Talking and Eating’ prayers are catching on and having an affect. In the last two weeks Ashley has been more consistent in her eating exercises. Ashley continues to vocalize at an increasing rate and we are occasionally hearing new sounds. In her gait trainer (a rolling support Ashley uses to practice walking) she has initiated steps several times and has actually taken full steps without any assistance!!!
Of all the progress Ashley has made, seeing her raise a leg, move it forward and plant her foot firmly in front of her; it is breathtaking.
We are ever grateful to all of you that keep Ashley and our family in your prayers. We are seeing, first hand, the real and positive impact your prayers are having for us.
As you will see from the latest picture posted to the site Ashley went for a boat ride while visiting her grandparents. Ashley’s social calendar continues to fill with activities. Since the last update Ashley saw a musical at the Civic Theater, visited her co-workers at GlenAqua Pool, spent a weekend at the lake and has received visits from literally dozens of friends and family. We know that the increase and variety in her activities is having a positive impact on her.
We are taking advantage of the sunny summer days and getting out for walks. We know that all too soon we will be longing for being able to spend time outside. Ashley has yet to turn down an opportunity to get out and about.
Monday, July 21, 2008
July 21st
We have a lot to report in the update for last week.
Ashley continues to make important gains. Ashley began squeezing her left hand a while ago. In fact we bought a nerf dart gun for her to shoot. She would occasionally get off a shot after a bit of encouragement. Well now there is no mistaking that Ashley can squeeze that left hand – hard! She is also now squeezing her right hand which is great news.
Another noticeable change is the amount of vocalization that Ashley is doing. It used to be very difficult for her to create sound. Now she not only is doing so on request, but she is doing it on her own. We aren’t hearing words yet, but it is just a matter of time now.
Last week Austin and I attended a conference on Rare Neuroimmunilogical Disorders (say that five times fast). This was coordinated by the Transverse Myelitis Association. Transverse Myelitis is to the spinal cord what ADEM is to the brain (demyelinization of the axons). Both diseases are quite rare. This will give you a perspective. This year 1 in 600 Americans will experience a stroke. For Multiple Sclerosis that ratio is about 1 in 50,000. For Transverse Myelitis it is estimated to be 1 in 200,000. For ADEM (Ashley’s condition) it is thought to be 1 in 2,000,000.
There were probably 50-75 people with Transverse Myelitis at the convention. There were only 2 people with ADEM. We had the pleasure of meeting those two incredible individuals. Jodie is from London, England. She encountered ADEM about a year and a half ago. Jodie shows very few outward signs of the disorder. George is from Miami, Florida. He came along with his wife, sister and brother in-law. George also was afflicted with ADEM about a year and a half ago. George is working on refining fine motor skills and some cognitive issues. Jodie, George and Ashley have a common bond; all three were living blessed lives and now they are working harder than anyone can imagine toward restoring their abilities. Both Jodie and George were very encouraging. They told us that they have fought the battles Ashley is facing and they progressed. We will certainly put Ashley in touch with both of them. We know their direct encouragement to Ashley will enhance her determination to continue to work hard toward recovery. They will serve as excellent role models.
In addition to the friendships we made and the stories of encouragement we heard we were also exposed to a lot of information from experts in these rare conditions. A wide range of topics was covered in three full days of meetings. We are anxious to translate what we have learned and apply it for Ashley’s benefit. As we do so we will be sure to provide you with updates as to how our new found knowledge is translating into gains for Ashley.
The symposium was also our first opportunity to meet Sandy Siegel face-to-face. Sandy's wife Pauline contracted Transverse Myelitis over a decade ago. At the time there were scarcely any resources on the condition. Sandy was instrumental in founding, and is the president of the Transverse Myelitis Association. When we first were told that Ashley was suffering from demyelinization we turned to the internet for information. We found the association and that lead us to Sandy. Sandy immediately returned our call and put us in touch with Dr. Greenberg at Johns Hopkins. Over the past year Sandy has proactively contacted us with information. He has helped countless others in seeking assistance with these rare conditions. The association website is www.myelitis.org. Your support of this organization would be greatly appreciated.
On another note we want to encourage the mantra Ashley’s friend Emily has started of praying for “Walking, Talking and Eating”. We are seeing progress in all three of these critical areas and we know the power of prayer is a main contributor. As such we ask all of you to include in your prayers for Ashley that she continue to improve in her ability to walk, talk and eat.
We are excited and thankful for the strides Ashley has made over the last year. We are also more encouraged than ever that Ashley will make a remarkable recovery. Thanks to all of you, that through your support and prayers for Ashley, we are not facing this alone.
Ashley continues to make important gains. Ashley began squeezing her left hand a while ago. In fact we bought a nerf dart gun for her to shoot. She would occasionally get off a shot after a bit of encouragement. Well now there is no mistaking that Ashley can squeeze that left hand – hard! She is also now squeezing her right hand which is great news.
Another noticeable change is the amount of vocalization that Ashley is doing. It used to be very difficult for her to create sound. Now she not only is doing so on request, but she is doing it on her own. We aren’t hearing words yet, but it is just a matter of time now.
Last week Austin and I attended a conference on Rare Neuroimmunilogical Disorders (say that five times fast). This was coordinated by the Transverse Myelitis Association. Transverse Myelitis is to the spinal cord what ADEM is to the brain (demyelinization of the axons). Both diseases are quite rare. This will give you a perspective. This year 1 in 600 Americans will experience a stroke. For Multiple Sclerosis that ratio is about 1 in 50,000. For Transverse Myelitis it is estimated to be 1 in 200,000. For ADEM (Ashley’s condition) it is thought to be 1 in 2,000,000.
There were probably 50-75 people with Transverse Myelitis at the convention. There were only 2 people with ADEM. We had the pleasure of meeting those two incredible individuals. Jodie is from London, England. She encountered ADEM about a year and a half ago. Jodie shows very few outward signs of the disorder. George is from Miami, Florida. He came along with his wife, sister and brother in-law. George also was afflicted with ADEM about a year and a half ago. George is working on refining fine motor skills and some cognitive issues. Jodie, George and Ashley have a common bond; all three were living blessed lives and now they are working harder than anyone can imagine toward restoring their abilities. Both Jodie and George were very encouraging. They told us that they have fought the battles Ashley is facing and they progressed. We will certainly put Ashley in touch with both of them. We know their direct encouragement to Ashley will enhance her determination to continue to work hard toward recovery. They will serve as excellent role models.
In addition to the friendships we made and the stories of encouragement we heard we were also exposed to a lot of information from experts in these rare conditions. A wide range of topics was covered in three full days of meetings. We are anxious to translate what we have learned and apply it for Ashley’s benefit. As we do so we will be sure to provide you with updates as to how our new found knowledge is translating into gains for Ashley.
The symposium was also our first opportunity to meet Sandy Siegel face-to-face. Sandy's wife Pauline contracted Transverse Myelitis over a decade ago. At the time there were scarcely any resources on the condition. Sandy was instrumental in founding, and is the president of the Transverse Myelitis Association. When we first were told that Ashley was suffering from demyelinization we turned to the internet for information. We found the association and that lead us to Sandy. Sandy immediately returned our call and put us in touch with Dr. Greenberg at Johns Hopkins. Over the past year Sandy has proactively contacted us with information. He has helped countless others in seeking assistance with these rare conditions. The association website is www.myelitis.org. Your support of this organization would be greatly appreciated.
On another note we want to encourage the mantra Ashley’s friend Emily has started of praying for “Walking, Talking and Eating”. We are seeing progress in all three of these critical areas and we know the power of prayer is a main contributor. As such we ask all of you to include in your prayers for Ashley that she continue to improve in her ability to walk, talk and eat.
We are excited and thankful for the strides Ashley has made over the last year. We are also more encouraged than ever that Ashley will make a remarkable recovery. Thanks to all of you, that through your support and prayers for Ashley, we are not facing this alone.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
July 15th
The last week was a busy week for Ashley. She has probably experienced the largest variety of activities since contracting ADEM. The great summer weather made several outdoor activities possible.
On Thursday she went to a swim meet (of course it was Glenaqua where she could root for all the swimmers she has coached over the years). It was non-stop smiles for Ashley as she got to see so many of her swimmers that she has not seen for over a year. We also got an opportunity to thank so many of the families that have been unwavering in their support for Ashley and our family.
Immediately following the swim meet we went to watch several of her therapists compete in their last softball game of the year. Ashley nearly ‘caught’ a foul ball upon our arrival. What a way to be greeted! It was an exciting game with the lead going back and forth. The outcome was a single run loss for the Lutheran Hospital Therapists, but it was a well played game.
On Saturday we went shopping with Ashley at Jefferson Pointe which is a large outdoor mall. We even stopped for a drink at a restaurant. That was a first for Ashley.
The weekend closed with Mary and Ashley attending a wedding shower for Ashley’s cousin Jessica. They had a great time.
Ashley has continued to progress with accurate and quick responses to requests to move her arms and legs. She even showed more defined movement such as bending her knees. She is starting to move her right arm without first having to initiate movement of her left arm. There is no doubt that Ashley is rebuilding muscle tone and getting better motor skill control. We get more excited each day as we watch Ashley demonstrate that she is going to conquer this affliction.
On Thursday she went to a swim meet (of course it was Glenaqua where she could root for all the swimmers she has coached over the years). It was non-stop smiles for Ashley as she got to see so many of her swimmers that she has not seen for over a year. We also got an opportunity to thank so many of the families that have been unwavering in their support for Ashley and our family.
Immediately following the swim meet we went to watch several of her therapists compete in their last softball game of the year. Ashley nearly ‘caught’ a foul ball upon our arrival. What a way to be greeted! It was an exciting game with the lead going back and forth. The outcome was a single run loss for the Lutheran Hospital Therapists, but it was a well played game.
On Saturday we went shopping with Ashley at Jefferson Pointe which is a large outdoor mall. We even stopped for a drink at a restaurant. That was a first for Ashley.
The weekend closed with Mary and Ashley attending a wedding shower for Ashley’s cousin Jessica. They had a great time.
Ashley has continued to progress with accurate and quick responses to requests to move her arms and legs. She even showed more defined movement such as bending her knees. She is starting to move her right arm without first having to initiate movement of her left arm. There is no doubt that Ashley is rebuilding muscle tone and getting better motor skill control. We get more excited each day as we watch Ashley demonstrate that she is going to conquer this affliction.
Monday, July 7, 2008
July 7th
Another milestone for Ashley! We visited Grandma and Grandpa over the 4th of July weekend and Ashley slept in a regular bed for the first time in over a year. She slept well and showed us that she has no problems with traveling. For the most part Ashley soaked up rays along the lakeshore while visiting with several family members. It was a fantastic weekend.
Although it was a short week for therapy the main emphasis has been getting Ashley to demonstrate greater control of her movements.
She is nodding her head for yes. She still needs to be reminded (for so long she has answered yes by raising her left arm) but she is doing well. It may take a while to get the ‘no’ nod down, but it won’t be due to an in ability to move her neck side to side. In fact the most recognizable change spotted by Ashley’s relatives this weekend is how quickly she looks to the person speaking to her, even when there are several people and the conversation is moving back and forth.
Ashley also is moving her legs immediately on request. It wasn’t too long ago that we cheered Ashley on to ‘kick’ a balloon off her legs. Now when we ask her to raise her legs she responds almost effortlessly.
Standing is something Ashley enjoys. While we have to assist her in getting up, she will lean forward when asked and usually after just a little nudge she can move herself from a seated to standing position. At that point it is just a matter of providing her with balance. She tends to stand on the balls of her feet, but she will settle into standing flat on her feet after a few moments on most occasions.
On the cognitive front we are really piling it on. Ashley is currently listening to three different books being read to her. Her friend Sam got her a couple of books on CD. We took the opportunity of the holiday road trip to start one of those. Ashley has enjoyed it and so far has shown an ability to keep track with the different story lines and characters.
When we consider that a year ago at this time Ashley was nearly in a coma and we were still on a day-to-day basis dealing with her condition it is a blessing to interact with her today (you can view the daily reports we emailed from Virginia in the 2007 archives at the bottom of the page). While there is still a ways to go there is no question that Ashley remains steadfast on maximizing her recovery. We have high hopes for this coming year.
We know that the combination of Ashley’s determination and hard work combined with your continued prayers and support will make this a reality.
Although it was a short week for therapy the main emphasis has been getting Ashley to demonstrate greater control of her movements.
She is nodding her head for yes. She still needs to be reminded (for so long she has answered yes by raising her left arm) but she is doing well. It may take a while to get the ‘no’ nod down, but it won’t be due to an in ability to move her neck side to side. In fact the most recognizable change spotted by Ashley’s relatives this weekend is how quickly she looks to the person speaking to her, even when there are several people and the conversation is moving back and forth.
Ashley also is moving her legs immediately on request. It wasn’t too long ago that we cheered Ashley on to ‘kick’ a balloon off her legs. Now when we ask her to raise her legs she responds almost effortlessly.
Standing is something Ashley enjoys. While we have to assist her in getting up, she will lean forward when asked and usually after just a little nudge she can move herself from a seated to standing position. At that point it is just a matter of providing her with balance. She tends to stand on the balls of her feet, but she will settle into standing flat on her feet after a few moments on most occasions.
On the cognitive front we are really piling it on. Ashley is currently listening to three different books being read to her. Her friend Sam got her a couple of books on CD. We took the opportunity of the holiday road trip to start one of those. Ashley has enjoyed it and so far has shown an ability to keep track with the different story lines and characters.
When we consider that a year ago at this time Ashley was nearly in a coma and we were still on a day-to-day basis dealing with her condition it is a blessing to interact with her today (you can view the daily reports we emailed from Virginia in the 2007 archives at the bottom of the page). While there is still a ways to go there is no question that Ashley remains steadfast on maximizing her recovery. We have high hopes for this coming year.
We know that the combination of Ashley’s determination and hard work combined with your continued prayers and support will make this a reality.
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