Hi Everyone,

Today was a tough day for Corey. She introduced a new personality to us ‘Nervous Corinne’…I’m in trouble, not only because Nervous Nelly and Crazy Corinne arrived together but now she’s creating names for outbursts. Humor aside, it’s very encouraging that she is trying to express her emotions with the character names we’ve created.

We worked with Elaine, OT, and showed her a game Corey played at home yesterday. Corey cups her hands; fingers intertwined and fully extend her arms into a volleyball “ready” position. We toss the ball and she pops it back to us. She has amazing eye hand coordination and she can raise her arms from her lap to waist height. Elaine was very impressed.

Lokomat update; Marketing has our email requesting they film Corey. Keep your fingers crossed this will happen soon. I can’t wait for you all to see her in action; she walked another 5 football fields.

The machine initiates the movement of Corey’s legs. Natalie is beginning to dial down the computer to see what Corey is capable of doing. The machine is normally set at 100 when it is “doing all the work”. Today Corey’s right leg came down to 70 and her left leg came down to 85. The exertion accelerates her fatigue and you can truly see it in her gate. Natalie dials it back up and she finishes strong. This is completely amazing to watch!

We happen to run into one of Corey’s roommates, Samantha. She was 2 years older than Corey, hit by a drunk driver on her way home from work. 2 years later, Samantha is back to work 12 hours a week, she is walking without a limp, she has function of her right arm, her speech is no longer slurred and she remembered our names and greeted us with a big hug and smile. Sam commented on how great Corey looked and shared her mother’s words of encouragement. “My mom tells me Keep Going and I say why wouldn’t I; I’m alive”!

Corey and I enjoyed our visit and headed to lunch. The cafeteria keeps a television on for general interest. As we sat at lunch the news reporter for CNN announced the story of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords facing her shooter today in court. Corey was focused on her lunch; or so I thought. She was listening as intently as I was but didn’t appear interested.

Corey randomly asks questions about her accident but recently is recalling details that only she would remember. After Mark Kelly’s statement Corey looked at me and asked if the person that hit her and Shelly knows how much he hurt them. I told her I didn’t know. She was quiet for a few more minutes when she looked at me and asked if I knew who he was. “I don’t know him”. She was silent but I could see she was thinking. “Did he come visit me”? “No honey he didn’t”. She continued pushing the food on her plate with her fork but had no interest in it. She looked up at me again, “I get to start over. I think he is stuck”.

For most of the day I replayed Mark Kelly’s final statement, “From this day forward Gabby and I are finished thinking of you”. Tonight I heard Corey’s words. I wasn’t going to write tonight. I have been having difficulty processing another challenging week let alone the difficult day. I’m very tired but can’t sleep. But I know the words are out there that help release the minute, the day, the week, the month; you just have to keep searching. This is what I found:

Life is now, so be here now and give your focus to what you can do with now. Life is now, so live it now without being weighed down by what has already come and gone. Be truly thankful for what has brought you here, whatever it may have been. Then let the past go and let yourself soar into a magnificent, fulfilling future ~ Ralph Marston

I am thankful we get to start over, xoxo