Sep. 16, 2022
BEST DAY YET (09.15.22)
Hello, welcome to this exciting day.
It started with a phone call from Shane who had been with Larry this morning & said that Dad did most of the talking. He was very alert & when he heard the rec therapist was coming, he started to do warm-ups, by shaking his legs. Shane was over the moon excited at witnessing such beautiful progress. The Rec therapist, by the way played "Go Fish", so he didn't need his legs quite then. When I arrived, the physios came for him. He said that I didn't have to come, so I held back. I did walk down after a bit, with the gym door open, to see Larry stand up straight & tall. The physios were hooting & so was I. If last time he did a 75% stand, I asked what she called this one. "Awesomely amazing!" is what she answered. Larry belted out a shout as he made the huge effort. Once he sat down, he was asked if he'd like to try again. "No!" He was done. before this, I think that Larry had already had the speech therapist & O.T. visit, along with this & the O.T., so that really was a lot.
Larry's face was so beautiful, without the tube coming from his nose. When the physio asked how he was feeling, he said "I'm just so happy!" Music to our ears for sure. He was so jolly & enthusiastic. That alone took a lot of energy for him, & it sure did for me. After his 'stand-up' workout, I was able to wheel Larry to the end of the hallway, where there is a sitting area with a beautiful view. He was pretty tired & rested for much of our break away from his room.
The feeding bag wasn't connected until around 2:00. So, he was without food for 18 hours in preparation for the procedure until this afternoon.
When Larry speaks, he opens his mouth wide, shows teeth & intentionally annunciates, speaking loud & slowly. His vision over the past couple of days has been bothering him. I'll find out about that tomorrow. Our quiet time together this afternoon consisted of hand holding & squeezing. At one point, my head was down on the pillow that his arm was resting on & he began to scratch & tousle my hair like he would a golden retriever. When he was done, he said it looked nice!
Larry opened wide his eyes with a big grin when our friend came in. He greeted him, & said such appreciative & loving things to him. It was quite fun when he told Larry that his son is doing his driving test tomorrow. Larry turned into driver training mode "Make sure he does shoulder checks, that's what always gets them!" repeating it & demonstrating his advice. Then it was about how to fix a mechanical issue with their car. Oh my! Where were we 4 days ago, with conversation. This was huge.
When Mary-Lynn arrived, our friend left. A lot of kidding between the two of them & Larry guessing with his eyes closed, whose hand he was holding. He asked where I was going for dinner & that I "Must not go to McDonalds, for burgers & hot dogs!" I promised! "What will you eat?" I told him that our Syrian daughter had made me some food. Oh, he couldn't say enough about how wonderful she is. He said "Yes!" when I told him it was her birthday yesterday, would he like to call. I made a video call! It was so exciting all around. Loving & joking! When they told him how much they loved him, he was very emotional. After the call, he really cried, saying "I can't believe how many people love me, I just can't believe it! Why are so many people good to me?" Well, let's all cry together! I told him why. I was about to leave, so there were extra-long hugs. I'm sure the spirit of love & appreciation is still happening between bro & sis.
It's the best exhausted I've ever been. I pray that Larry will continue to have his spirit of determination, courage & perseverance. Larry has been a man of few words, but the real him is emerging. All those silent beautiful emotions & beliefs are bursting into bloom! Grace upon grace! My heart is full! We are rejoicing in this day!
God bless you. Thank you for being part of what is making Larry so grateful & feeling loved! xoxo
*** See Pics for a couple more peeks at Larry today... & my Mom, on what would have been her birthday today.