Hi Everyone,
Corey had a good day. She began with Brittany, OT, stretching her arms and working her hands. I have been working with Corey to do her exercises independently. Taking her right hand to move her left arm and open her left hand. Sometimes we’ll be sitting together and I will notice that she’s working on her arm while I wasn’t looking! Brittany was very excited to see how easily she could manipulate her left arm/hand.
The ladies moved onto some fun work. Keyboarding! We have a computer keyboard with extra large keys we hook up to the laptop. We are working with Corey to compensate for the left neglect she has with her vision. She is doing a very nice job moving her head and eyes to the left to find the appropriate keys, often without a verbal queue. Today Brittany was astounded. Corey spelled her name, JohnPaul, Caitlin, our nurse’s name as well as Brittany’s name with minimal verbal ques.
Traumatic Brain Injury is fascinating. If you give Corey a word, she can spell it perfectly without a prompt. If you hold the alphabet letters up individually, she does not recognize the letters and often name them as numbers. If you give her multiple choice questions, her responses are almost 80% correct. If you ask her to fill in the blank…she goes blank! Ask her the same question with choices and she nails it. There is so much more to learn and discover about what she knows and what has yet to reconnect.
We didn’t have PT today so Corey was stuck with the drill sergeant…ME! After her matte exercises it’s time for standing (I can not walk alone with Corey yet) We have been trying to get Corey in the Standing Frame every day twice a day but so far she doesn’t have the stamina for more than once a day and only for about 10-15 minutes. Our new mantra…Matter of time.
Corey when I went searching for our inspiration today I came across a reading that seemed to be dedicated to you ~
Progress is made by those who do what they are afraid to do. Progress is made by those who do what they did not previously know they could do.
You cannot push the world forward by staying safe and comfortable. You cannot make great advances by holding tightly to the tired excuses and outdated assumptions.
It is energizing and liberating to turn down a road you have not traveled before. To reach toward what you cannot yet touch brings new passion and strength to your life. You are amazingly able to do not only what you have already done, but also what you cannot yet do. Your capacity for learning and improvement has no limit.
Beyond where you are comfortable is where you will grow and improve and achieve. Nudge yourself away from what you already know, and discover how very much more you can be.
Give yourself the priceless gifts of new experiences, new skills, new knowledge and the confidence of knowing how quickly you can grow. Expand your horizons, again and again, and discover that every limit is there to be transcended ~ Ralph Marston
At the close of every day I think of the little achievements you make within that day. There is always something new that is different than the day before. The phrase ‘every limit is there to be transcended’ seems appropriate when I think of where you began, what you work towards daily and what you’ve accomplished. Even today’s keyboarding as an example. You typed with ease and fluency; it looked automatic. Just a few short weeks ago you couldn’t control your aim to strike the correct keys.
I know you are well beyond your comfort zone but you keep pushing forward and you are growing, redeveloping your skills, knowledge and confidence. I feel as if I’ve received a priceless gift. I am watching you transcend every limit! I’m so proud of you, xoxo