Hi Everyone,

Corey had a good day. Her OT therapist came to work with her. Our day nurse reported that the OT therapist sees an improvement in Corey in just 5 visits! Unfortunately, the PT therapist missed both sessions last week and did not come today either; she has injured her back with another client. This is where home therapy gets extremely difficult. The agency does not have another therapist available to come and work with Corey. We have begun to notice leg spasms in both Corey’s legs as a result of not getting regular intensive PT. Range of motion, which is all the nurses and I are qualified to do, is not enough! We need to find additional therapists ASAP.

One of Corey’s college girlfriends came to visit tonight. I gave the girls some privacy to truly “dish” the gossip. Kelsey works at a day camp, as did Corey. Corey was all smiles listening to the gossip and the camp stories. As Kelsey was chatting with Corey, she was making twine bracelets. This was a summer activity the girls used to do all the time. Corey watched Kelsey intently. I asked Corey if she wanted to try. She reached out and took the clip board from Kelsey and began to pull at the twine. Corey does not have the dexterity to manipulate the multiple strands; especially with only the use of her right hand, but as Kelsey folded the strands Corey would pull the twine taut so Kelsey could complete the “Chinese staircase” design. I was amazed that Corey not only remembered this activity but she wanted to do it herself. To watch her concentration and eventual frustration was both encouraging and a little disheartening. Kelsey was amazing with her. She would give Corey simple yet detailed step by step instructions and allow Corey the time to try to follow the commands. When she would get frustrated, Kelsey would ask if she wanted help. Sometimes Corey would allow it and other times she wouldn’t (I know she was thinking “I can do it”). Kelsey kept encouraging Corey and told her she’d be back weaving bracelets in no time!

The highs and lows of this recovery process are exhausting. Corey’s progress gives us such encouragement and hope. We are excited, surprised and get a rush of adrenaline at the achievements. You can’t wait for the next first! In the next breath, it can be maddening; the denials, appeals, fighting for therapy hours, fighting for better than substandard equipment, letters of medical necessity to try to get adequate quantities and quality of medications and medical supply’s. We are home 3 weeks today. I keep hoping that it will get easier once we get into a routine. To some degree it already has. In the last week I’ve noticed Corey seems more content and we are beginning to see that she’s sleeping through the night. This gives me great comfort…now let’s hope I can follow her example!

We will continue to do whatever it takes to keep this kid moving! She demonstrates her desire to want to keep working each day. There’s no reason she can’t. To that end, we will keep coming up with ways to provide what she needs for her recovery. We now have a PT table, we’re going to make a list for the other therapy tools and keep raising money to help us get the private therapists if the ones from the state can’t show up!

We have a few new fundraisers coming up. The Delaware Blue Rocks (minor league baseball) will host a Care for Corey night on Saturday, July 30th at 6pm. The flyer will be posted on the Care for Corey page on face book as well as www.careforcorey.org for those of you who are not on face book.

One of our friends is hosting a Pampered Chef fundraiser and my nieces are putting together a Run for Corey on September 18th in Philly. All information for these is on the Care for Corey websites mentioned above.

I was sharing with a friend of mine tonight how blessed we are to have so many people help Corey. Without these fundraisers and the donations for the house and equipment, Corey would not be making the progress she is. She would be another statistic instead of the miracle we are all praying for. Thank you to everyone who has donated their time, products, services and support. Thank you to those that have organized fundraisers and all those that have attended. Thank you to all of you that can’t attend but have sent financial donations. You all have helped provide for even the simple pharmacy needs that add up! “Thank you” is two simple words that truly can not express how much we appreciate you!

I have made a promise (speaking for Corey) to the Project Rake team…I’m going to extend it to everyone…Corey will recover from this. She will get strong enough to get back in the kitchen and cook again. I have promised her that she will go to Johnson and Wales to Culinary School. When she gets to this point, I am going to rent a tent for a huge party at the house and she’s going to cook up one of her best dishes as a Thank You to all of those Angels that helped her get there. Come with an appetite…it will be worth the wait! xoxo