Hi Everyone,
The second half of the day went very well (I found my rose colored glasses!)
One of the out-patient goals we had for Corey was to build her physical stamina. We knew that the 2hr commute + 3hrs of therapy was going to be difficult for her. We were right!
The progress she’s made in 10 weeks is astounding. It’s imperative that we continue to work with her current abilities in order to further develop her strength and endurance. The added behavioral challenges must be considered if we want quality sessions. With that priority in mind, we are going to experiment with Corey’s schedule.
Corey’s schedule was 10am to 4pm. It included 3 one hour sessions with a 2 hour break. This week we’ll try 11am to 3pm. She will participate in 2 one hour sessions and keep her 2 hour break for rest/lunch. The sessions will alternate PT all 3 days and alternate OT/ST for the other session.
Our reasoning; the hour commute one-way is a session in and of itself. By the time we get to Bryn Mawr for the 11am start she’s tired, but (Corrine) can push through it by rest time at 12. Corey and I have lunch at 1pm and then she is rested and nourished by the 2pm afternoon session. By 3pm, she’s ready to go.
Fortunately for Ted, Corey met with him after rest/nap…Corrine attended Kate’s morning session. Corey was telling Ted that we are going to NY this weekend to see our family. We’ll be staying with Aunt Louise. Her house has 7 steps that lead to her front door. Ted thought it was a good idea to spend today’s session on the steps!
Corey and I (yes, I’m working my way through freshman year of Parent PT school) worked together to climb the flight of stairs in the hall at Bryn Mawr. (Ted was the spotter) You know the saying…what goes up MUST go down. We practiced coming down the staircase as well ~ Back wards! It took the full hour but we did it; up and back. Ted was very impressed with our teamwork. He looked at Corey and whispered; “Aunt Louise has 7 steps, call her and tell her NO PROBLEM, you just did 24”!
Corey climbing the staircase with you today felt like climbing a mountain. Reaching the top was the goal but there was so much more to the climb. All the steps in-between were the most important. It took a very long time to reach the top but once we did, there was a chair waiting for you on the landing to rest and celebrate your accomplishment. What an accomplishment it was!
Standing at the bottom of the staircase wanting to reach the landing is not enough. It was each step, pushing through pain that got you where you wanted to go. The view from the top is the result of staying focused with consistent effort. As you look back, it’s important to realize each step you took came from the energy, dedication and training time you’ve put in over the last year. You reached the top today because of the hours of hard work, your patience, discipline, and commitment to continually move forward.
Without that training you wouldn’t have had the energy to make the climb.
Winning doesn’t come from crossing the finish line, but from running the whole race ~ Ryan Hall.
Congratulations on another first! xoxo