HAPPY BIRTHDAY COREY! 24…how in the world did that happen?

Corey’s age truly is just a number to her. She does not remember how old she was, is or will be. Those of you who know us, we keep our sense of humor when it comes to living with brain injury (sometimes a little warped, no malice intended). When Corey shouts out the answer to a math fact, our reply is “thank you RainMan”. When she walked her last 6min timed test for Devina, she turned to me and whispered, “run Forrest run”. When it comes to the date, day, month or year, she reminds me of the cartoon Frosty the Snowman when his hat fly’s off. Each time he puts it back on it’s his birthday…Corey virtually puts her Top Hat on multiple times a day…if we can find it! That’s ok because every time she remembers she’s celebrating her day!

We’ve learned a lot in the last 6 years but the greatest lesson is best explained in a poem called The Dash by Linda Ellis. The meaning behind the poem mixed with that lovable character trait from Frosty is how we celebrate everyday.

My wish for you Corey-girl…renewed Confidence, Independence, Freedom, Joy in the quality of your life, Laughter, Friendship, and Pride every time you put on your Chefs Coat xoxo I love you so much xoxo

The Dash – by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came her date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile

Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Hi Everyone,
Most people think of January 1st as their New Year, not me. I have always thought of Labor Day weekend as the transition date for our families New Year. Summer was officially over and our new year began with new schools, new classes, new friends, new schedules, new teams and new social activities.

Facebook has been flooded with pictures reflecting the first day of this New Year for many of our friends. In some cases, our friends post a comparison pose from the previous year to highlight the transformation that was captured by the camera’s shutter yet eluded the naked eye.

The transition from year to year can be surreal. The common question “Where did the time go”? “How can we be starting the next new grade, job, life experience”? We might not have noticed the day-in-day-out changes but hopefully when we take a moment to glance back through our minds eye, we can answer, “wow, look at what we accomplished!”

I haven’t been able to get the words ‘transition and transformation’ out of my head. These words, for me, represent my definition of our New Year. I don’t have a side by side photograph to post for you but the following summary will give you a clear portrait of Corey’s last year.

Transition, n.; movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change:
Transformation, n.; the act or process of transforming; change in form, appearance, nature, or character.

This time last year, Corey could stand with the assistance of a walker and a therapist for 10 minutes. Gravity and weak muscle strength would give way to a bend in her knees as we jokingly chanted, “you’re melting, oh what a world, what a world”. Corey’s long distance walking was consistent; she averaged 100-150’, with an all-time high of almost 400’.

This time last year, we flew to Texas for vision and vestibular therapy at Cerebrum Health Center. When Corey was first evaluated, she spent the majority of the day in her wheelchair except for short distance transfers, she couldn’t focus or work on the computer to answer the concussion IMPACT questions and her alter ego, Corinne, was a daily influence in the form of volatile outbursts.

This time last year, she had been suffering from chronic migraines for years. We met a Neuro Optometrist who corrected Corey’s vision using a prism. Suddenly she could see the world around her, read with more accuracy and only complained of headaches as the barometric pressure changed with impending weather.

This time last year, we were discharged from Bryn Mawr after receiving 5 years professional therapy post injury. That in and of itself was an amazing accomplishment but as many of you remember, I was terrified of this transition; what would the ‘New Year’ bring? How can I continue to help her make the transformation she needs to continue progressing and live each day to the fullest with her physical limitations? Now What? How does she keep advancing in this TBI school of recovery? Does she ever graduate? Will she ever realize her dream of becoming a Chef?

I can’t answer the last few questions but we were lucky enough to learn the definition of a new word -HARNESS, verb.; to bring under conditions for effective use; gain control over for a particular end.

A verb is an Action word and Miss Corey is certainly gaining control for a particular end…INDEPENDENCE! She is now walking at a slow but more controlled pace. Each morning she walks from the chairlift to the kitchen without my holding onto her gait belt. She’s managing the turns around the island with more control and speed! We continue to practice long distance walking at the grocery store; last week we added hills. Caitlin challenged Corey to get the mail at the top of the driveway. Saturday Corey wanted to get the mail again, only this time I pushed her to try and go further, so up the hill past our box, along the street to the neighbor’s mailbox and back (600’). Labor Day, Corey has never been scared of hard work. She surpassed every long distance record to date; up the driveway, past the neighbors mailbox, turned the corner, down the hill and WALKED ¾’s around our block for a total of 1300’! Corey hasn’t walked through the neighborhood since September 2010!

We’ve learned so much in our 5th year of recovery.
1.‘Action is difficult, complicated and inconvenient. And action is worth all the trouble, because action will make a difference. Action will bring you experience and achievement, and provide options you never had before. Action will transform problems into opportunities, and dreams into reality’ – Ralph Marston
2.“When life knocks you down, put a Harness on and stand back up” – Devina Kumar

Wonder what lessons the New Year will bring? xoxo

Hi everyone,
For those of you that may not have seen the piece on Corey and harness house; thank you 6ABC and Ali Gorman for telling our story.

http://6abc.com/health/young-girl-returns-to-passion-for-cooking-thanks-to-udel-program-/1485117/

Please share…this system could change the direction of rehabilitation for thousands of individuals with TBI, stroke and movement disorders, xoxo

Good morning Everyone,

When I sign on to write a carepage, our last post is listed. Where did the last month go?! We have been very busy and have many new firsts – too many to post at once, so you can look forward to more frequent notes from us this month.

To begin we had a recent adventure filled with 1st’s for both of us. We used our points to go to Las Vegas! Corey and I helped my sister, Diane and my godson, Andrew move into his first college apartment; not my first move your child into a college apartment but more importantly…my sole purpose – my experience building IKEA furniture!

It was our first flying solo with one suitcase; this was a very big deal (remember the days we packed a bag for medical supplies, a bag for bedding/her clothes and a bag for me). The only extra bag is for a luggage carrier for the wheelchair we check at the gate. Corey can now walk down the ramp with her cane (and my guarded assistance) to board the plane. She gets an aisle seat and I climb over her to sit in the middle seat, haha. She handled the flight very well and fortunately, didn’t have to use the restroom while in flight (I was very grateful for that’s a very tricky maneuver for the two of us to fit in that small space!)

I was most concerned with the heat this time of year (averaged 104) but she handled that well too. We were only out of the air conditioning for short spurts walking in/out of Bed, Bath & Beyond and Staples. If you didn’t notice, I wrote WE and WALKING. Several times through the trip, Corey didn’t use her wheelchair as she has developed her long distance walking. She even pushed the cart in Staples for her cousin’s school supplies.

The trip wasn’t all work, after all we were in Vegas! Now that Corey is over 21, she played her first Roulette wheel. It was a $10 bet (very pricey from our comfort zone of penny slots). She won twice and lost twice…losing her original $10 BUT she stood at the table and placed her own bets! She had fun walking around the casino for about 700′ then rested before our dinner reservation.

We asked Corey to choose one restaurant of the hundreds in Vegas. She picked Gordon Ramsay’s Pub & Grill in Caesars Palace; the casino is celebrating their 50th year. As we walked into the restaurant, we met Caesar and Cleopatra with their entourage. Of course we took advantage of the photo opportunity. For those of you on facebook, I will be posting her pics and a short video of her walking on my page.

Caesar and Cleopatra weren’t the only celebrities there that night, COREY became the celebrity too. The restaurant manager noticed Corey’s entrance and came to introduce himself. She told him she wanted to meet Gordon Ramsay because she wanted to be a Chef. We gave him the back story of her recovery and he instantly was her newest fan. He shared her story with his staff and after dinner we were visited by Chef Christina Wilson. Chef Christina was the season 10 winner of Hell’s Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay’s Executive Chef for the U.S. restaurants.

Christina sat with Corey for about 20 minutes talking about their love of cooking, their shared roots in the Philly area and when they will see each other again! If it works out, Christina MIGHT be able to arrange a future meeting with Gordon Ramsay himself at the Atlantic City restaurant. Wouldn’t that be amazing!! Christina shared her contact information so Corey can keep in touch about her continued recovery and new culinary creations.

On our way to the airport for our flight home, we noticed the line at the ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign was not as long as when we arrived. We were leaving Las Vegas but didn’t care…we took advantage of the photo opportunity. My sister Diane captured a video of Corey walking to the sign (I was not guarding her for about 20′)

Good news, Corey handled the heat, the crowds and the noise very well. She was very tired by the end of every day because of the over-stimulation but only had a few meltdowns and better news…she remembers SOME of the trip…”the girl that was the Chef”…if that’s the only memory she has, we won more than any casino in Vegas!

Never Give Up and Never Give In – xoxo