Hi Everyone,

Last week we were given an amazing gift. A couple in our community generously donated a vacation to San Diego for Corey’s 25th birthday. This opportunity allowed us to fulfill a bucket list item and create new memories.

As you know, Corey’s memory loss is severe. In the past (and present)she often can’t recall events that happen within her day let alone the past week, month or previous year(s). I’ve noticed a change in her since June/July. She is much calmer, has better responses and can handle conversations that require more advanced reasoning skills. The ‘brain fog’ seems to be thinning. The day after our return home, we practiced our memory recall exercises. For the first time in 7 years, she was able to recall a single piece of each day from our trip. The individual memories were not in detail but when asked “describe the picture you see”…she could give a vague description that I could place to the experience within each day. A few descriptions reflected a piece of the day I forgot, yet she recalled. It was very exciting. That being said, as we continue to work on her memory recall throughout this week, the descriptions are getting more vague and slipping away despite showing her the photo’s capturing the trips events.
C – I don’t remember but I know I liked being there.

This week she started back at the GoBabyGo Cafe. First day back, she handled the cash register and standing for 40 mins (30 without sinking knees) then she came home to get in our home harness and help me cook our 1pt chili recipe. Another 30 minutes of standing.

Living with the diagnosis of TBI but not knowing the prognosis of recovery is incredibly frustrating. We live in the moment yet can’t help think about the “when” of healing. We could stay home and wait for “it” to happen, or we can LIVE because the reality is, we have TODAY.

Corey is getting stronger because of the enriched environments we seek to experience. This isn’t necessarily a therapy tool…it’s a tool for all of us to use daily. Conversations, laughter, shared moments, paying attention to the little details of our day that we’ve come accustomed to overlooking because they are ‘always’ there; these ‘ordinary’ examples are what gives us TODAY. HEALING doesn’t come from the regrets from the past nor the worries or impatience for the future, but the perspective, observations and appreciation of TODAY. Recovery is recognizing it and Living is acting on it.

Never Give Up and Never Give In, xoxo