Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!







Today we spent the day in Idaho with my Mother and some of our family. It was a small crowd, but we had a great day together. Our children are spread from Arizona to Boise, Idaho today and so it was Dan, Angie and I representing our family at Grandma's house. The food was wonderfully delicious - my Mom is an awesome cook. I especially love the homemade rolls...!

Dan and I are thankful for many things this year. It has been exactly one year since returning home from China. We flew home last year, and then traveled up to Idaho the next day for the Thanksgiving holiday. I remember that I came down with a cold and was sick the whole weekend....

What an amazing experience we have had this year! It has been one of great hope for improvement for Dan -- and also one of some disappointment that we have not been able to realize the progress that we had hoped for. It has also been a year that we have connected with others that share the same hopes for their loved ones, and we have been touched by their examples. We have fond memories of our friends that we met in China and those whose stories we have followed. In many ways, we are different people as we have a deeper appreciation of the struggles of others and the burdens they carry. We have connected to a community of people that has blessed our lives for good.

We have also been forever changed by the outpouring of love and support shown to us by family and friends alike. We were amazed at all the people that stepped forward and donated to our cause... it made us realize that we have a great group of people that care for us and have been willing to give of their means so that we could have this great opportunity for Dan. It was a risk that none of us knew if it would work, but the support came freely from so many sources that it humbled us to know how many others cared for us. We thank you again for your goodness to us and for believing in us!! Someday -- we want to be the kind of people that can see a need of others and be the ones to reach out and help. We want to give back to others as others have given so generously to us.

More than anything, we have a renewed hope and determination to keep going, even if the progress is slow. The things that we strive for in life do not always come instantly or overnight, but that does not mean they are unworthy of the effort. There are many lessons to learn on the journey and we are thankful to be traveling the road together.

Dan got a "reworked" leg brace back on Tuesday this week and so he is able to walk much better now. We are going to switch our insurance back at the first of the year - the carrier that we have been with this year has denied on many items. We hope to get Dan a new brace next year, but this one is better than not having one at all. We are working on not trying to slip back into old habits (of rotating the hip to move the leg...) I have it easy - I say "Dan, why don't you just stand there and practice transferring your weight from side to side... after you do that for about 30 minutes -- let me know how it is going..." He looks at me like I am crazy, but I think if he would listen more to his wife (therapist) that he would do much better! ;-)

We wish you all a great Thanksgiving time, and want to again thank everyone for their prayers and support in our behalf! YOU have made a great difference for us and we love and appreciate you all! Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

More updates on Dan...

It seems challenging to keep updating the blog when the progress is so slow with Dan's therapy. Many people who see him say that they think his speech has improved... that would be good. I am hoping that is the case, but it is hard to tell when you live with him everyday. It is like watching your kids grow... you don't really notice a change from day to day, but when you look back over a period of time, you can see the changes.

Dan continues to work on his improvement. We have applied for a Bioness device that can help stimulate his right arm. We are waiting to see if insurance approves this... it has been frustrating as my insurance quit paying for any therapy as they don't believe it is "medically necessary" for him to continue on in therapy. It is hard enough to stay motivated to work on therapy when the progress seems so slow.. but when you can't get the help of the insurance to back you, it becomes a situation that requires even more self motivation. Dan has been riding his bike down to Gold's gym and working out there...

He also went in for a brace evaluation - we are trying to get a leg brace that will work. Since going to China, he has been walking without the leg brace - and does ok if he goes really slow. But his right leg is still not stable, and so he has the potential to fall and thus we are looking for a brace that will work for him. We did have one made earlier in the year, but after use in therapy, it became apparent that it was not very functional for day to day use. The brace restricted him from bending his leg fully, and this made it hard for him to go from a sitting to standing position. He couldn't get the leg bent enough to get under him to lift him into a standing position. He also couldn't ride his bike due to the brace getting in the way... it seems like such a simple thing... get a brace to stabilize his knee hyperextension, but it becomes a very complicated, custom operation to get one that really works well. We are still working on it - we went back to the company that made him the best brace he has ever had. The orthotist there wears a brace himself, and so he seems a little more in tune with what is really needed to create a workable solution...

We are continuing to support Dan in his effort to make improvements. He is such a good guy, and if there is any chance of a better life for him, we want to help him realize it. We will keep you posted....