History

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 12:28 AM CST

Twelve days since we last updated, sorry, we’ve just been busy and have meant to do it earlier and well, you all know how it goes. So, what’s new? Lots! Last week I got a call from the kid and he was riding a high. He said your talking to a quad who can now cath himself completely and without any help. What an achievement, the independence that this brings is huge. He has been working on this for some time and with strengthening and range control he accomplished another milestone. His bed transferring continues to improve and given time I’m sure he will master this also. This all revolvers around continued strengthening which is done through his therapies. He has started working on transferring into an automobile. The amount of improvement he shows is growing week by week. The call last night was another one of excitement. He had been out on a shopping trip with two other patients. Andrew was so excited as he did everything throughout the trip completely on his own. It started with activating a debit card at an ATM, he ordered food, paid for it, filled his cup, put the food on a tray, fed himself and put the tray in a designated area. He bought a pair of shoes on his own. He repeatedly stated that throughout the day he asked no one for help. It is great to see these and other simple walks of life being accomplished. My feeling is that he’s only begun to master these, what most of us would call little, and other aspects of every day feats that most of us take for granted. It will be around the middle of April till the next update. Our last boat show and then Bev and I are heading south to relax for a while. One last piece of business. My long time friend Steve has been diagnosed with cancer. He had surgery and all seemed to being well until last week. He is back in the hospital and under went surgery again due to a complication. His attitude is fantastic and all will be well. A few prayers will certainly be appreciated. Peace.

Thursday, March 16, 2006 4:46 PM CST

Hello to all. For some spring is here, for others it looks like winter has just begun. The last two storms to hit the southern half of the state left not one snow flake in the McGregor area. I haven’t seen Andrew since I last reported the good byes with Lisa nor has he been home. We are deciding it is best not to bring him home with the remolding mode going on. Our house is quite a disaster area with furniture constantly being moved from one area to another to make room for the work we’re doing. I’m approximately two-thirds done with the hardwood floor. Bev is progressing rather well with the painting and it’s nice to see a change there. Our goal is to have the flooring and bathroom tile complete by the first of the month. Which month and good luck to us. I talked to Andrew today and he was disappointed as they canceled his drivers training, he was looking forward to driving in the snow. By the way this training is going quite well. He did say last week he hit the forty-mile an hour range and that was a little intimidating. It is obviously a little new to him and a different way to operate a vehicle but he is learning it and adapting quite well. He said he is still getting used to his new therapist as she does things differently and it takes time for both to adapt to each other I’m sure. He continues to work out on his own in the fitness center at the CC along with the standing frame. He is also into his first week of a new block at school. It sounds like it’s a little more difficult and that it is going well also. The grades he received from his first two blocks reflect this also. A very close friend of Andrew and our family needs major surgery in the near future, please keep Brian in your prayers that all goes well for this young man. Another aspect of life that seems unfair, why me along with many other questions surrounding him. Things will only be better. Better for Brian and things will be better for Andrew as well. Peace to all.

Sunday, March 5, 2006 1:31 PM CST

Hello Everyone. Another ten days gone by since our last update, oh well. Andrew stayed at the CC this weekend, which probably was a good thing. Today is his last day of his second block of schooling and time was needed yesterday and today to finalize his papers. He feels he did well again this block. It’s nice to see him giving his all to this very important part of ones life. He did come home the weekend before and kind of hung around with friends, gave his inspection and approval of the house renovations, and made an early departure back to the CC to watch Nascar Sunday, he’s like me when it comes to racing, we both enjoy the sport. Friday was a sad day of sorts; it was Lisa’s last day at the CC. I don’t think we fully realize the gift this lady has and the impact it has made in this family’s life. Life will move on and a new chapter is beginning. We all wished her well, I was down and spent the day Thursday and Bev was down on Friday to say our good byes. We penciled in plans to visit each other hopefully this summer when we again plan to travel to Pittsburgh for another round of therapy with Dr. Haber. Andrew’s new PT is in place but I don’t know who she is, I’m sure she’ll do fine. The push is for Andrew to depart the CC, I am asking for their time frame to be extended a while. There are many logistics that are not in place and our remolding is far from being done, although it is slowing coming together. Andrew continues drivers training and that also is going well. We are also adding on to our showroom at the marine and plans are in place to have a workstation set up for Andrew. I’m looking forward to see what we can get out of him, I’m expecting we’ll get plenty out of him to be honest with you as I feel he well excel with whatever is thrown at him. He also is skiing on most Wednesday and is enjoying that. We put a few new goals in place for his achievement, these goals are important for him to track his improvement. In watching one of his therapies last week Andrew transferred himself from his chair into bed two and a half times in one hour with almost no assistance. Little by little big strides are being made. Patience is truly a virtue. Peace.

Thursday, February 23, 2006 11:50 AM CST

Hello to all. Again we need to apologize for our tardiness with Andrew’s updates; one days delay seems to transfer to three, four or more. Andrew had a boring last weekend staying at the CC. Plans are in place to get him home this coming weekend. We spent the day with him on Tuesday, His twentieth birthday, and visited the logistics of his departure from the CC. There seems to be a big push for this as a lot of therapies are being eliminated. Still no FES bike, pool, even less OT and PT sessions. Lisa, his primary PT, is one week away from leaving the CC to return to their native state and an impressive new job. She is a very gifted lady and will truly be missed not only by us but other patience’s and staff as well. She had lots of questions for me in regards to our home being completed and ready for Andrew’s return, who we might want to replace her as a primary PT, and one that I feel shows our relationship and that is whether we would see each other next week. She calls me Pops and it has been an extreme blessing to have her working with Andrew. It is going to hard to see her leave. Andrew has access to the fitness center now and uses it some, it would be nice to see him use it more but one can only try to vision the constant drain of continually working out. He called us Monday afternoon with an issue, a flat tire on his wheel chair. He was put in a demo and complained of how uncomfortable it was. Fortunately we were on the way to Brainard and were able to purchase a replacement and made the switch Tuesday. We also switched his wheel chair control from his right hand to the left hand. This already shows it will only help strengthen his left side as he tires easily when operating the chair. They are trying to put in place some new goals in therapy to assist in keeping him there a little longer. Yes that means that Andrew has achieved most of the goals set forth. Last Sunday’s Gospel was about a young paralyzed man who was lowered through a roof into a crowed room to see Jesus and that man walked away. Prayer for thought. Peace.

Monday, February 13, 2006 11:20 PM CST

I am hoping we have not lost all our faithful readers as we have fallen down on our end.
Todd has been extremely busy working the boat shows. This week includes a move from the
Rivercenter in St.Paul to the DECC in Duluth. Andy was able to spend Saturday afternoon
with Todd, I asked him if he was planning to sell any boats there. Recently Andy noticed
he was getting a muscle firing in his left arm that goes to his wrist and fingers.
Although it is only slight at this point, we have learned to be patient and with E-stim
and the lazer machine we now have, I expect it to get stronger. The FES bike has yet to
be added back into his schedule but we have been told it will happen. Skiing was canceled
last week but he has gone twice and plans to go again this week. I believe they will try
using the small skis that attach to his arms so he will have better control rather than
using his head and shoulders to steer himself. A trip to the mall is in the works. Carie
wants to check out the Sleep Number beds. She will have Andy try to transfer on to the bed.
The firmness can be adjusted thus hoping he will be able to one day transfer in and out of
bed himself. We want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day - Todd and Bev

Thursday, January 26, 2006 12:13 AM CST

Another week almost gone by, where does our time go. Of course we all know what encompasses our lives and yes the days seem to get shorter, fact of life. In Andrew’s life his week was a good one. As of today he is still not on the FES bike, hopefully next week. Still waiting on an approval from insurance. Drivers training started earlier in the week and of course you would expect the best results from Andrew and yes he was out driving a vehicle on his first session. His Mother had to pry this information from him, very exciting for not only him but us as well. It will be interesting to see how this progresses but I’m sure it won’t be long and we’ll have to convert his van. Another step towards independence. He also finally lined up transportation in the cities and joined fellow residences in skiing last night. He called when they got back to the CC and stated how fun it was. It sounded like he thoroughly enjoyed the outing, which will take place each Wednesday weather permitting. Andrew again made his way home last weekend and enjoyed some time with friends. Haven’t heard of any new movements or muscles kicking in but maybe next week. We are continuing our home treatments of E-stem and also a minor laser treatment. The later is a spin off from the great Dr. Haber, the doctor we have visited in Pittsburgh. I wish her treatments could be done more often but the distance to travel and time commitment is one that takes some scheduling. We’ll type at you all next week with, who knows maybe another miracle. Peace.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006 11:41 AM CST

Mid week and finally an entry. Boat shows have started for me and with them comes the traveling and being somewhat out of touch. Andrew stayed down at the CC again last weekend and for entertainment went to the snowmobile races at Canterbury Downs. After a fun day at the track he came down to visit me at the ST. Paul Show. It’s nice to see him get around. He’s been attempting to get his credentials for a transit network in the cities as he’s signed up to go skiing on Wednesdays. He missed last week and again will miss tonight but all paperwork is in and should be done for next week. Andrew informed me Monday that he will soon be going through drivers training, another exciting chapter soon to start. If you recall this has been quite a struggle with the State to get this started. Therapies are being done at times with our electronic stimulator, E-Stim as we call it. They use it by hitting a button when attempting moves and it enhances muscles into doing what they should by mental command. I’m told it is working quite well. When I visited him last week I witnessed him transferring to the mat, getting to a lay down position, rolling over to his stomach and then pushing himself backwards and pulling himself forward. Amazing to see this all done with very little assistance and what a workout. When viewing this routine and others it just reiterates what we’ve said all along the importance of therapy and why we will keep him at the CC for a while yet. Grandpa Gene along with a neighbor has been doing the demolition at our home as we continue the remolding. Lots to do so they are a great help. Have a great week. Peace

Wednesday, January 11, 2006 11:35 AM CST

Andrew stayed down for the first weekend in a long time. I spent the day with him on Friday and Bev came down for the weekend. We have finally made ground towards more therapies, basically trying to get back to were. We found out the reason for his pool and bike therapies being eliminated, Insurance dictates what he gets and they were shutting down those therapies. Last Friday while he was in O.T. his legs spasmed so much that it was interfering with his routine. We discussed this and related the increased spasms to the lack of leg exercise. I was told by Andrew yesterday that he should be back on the bike next week. That is good news. We feel strongly on how important this machine is to his overall well being. Last Friday Andrew and I attended a Gophers hockey game. It was quite a thrill as we were seated next to glass and just to the side of the goalie, what a view to watch the great physical game of hockey. Andrew won the tickets on a bet with one of his therapist so I told him to tell her that my Dad wants us to do more betting. We are starting to remodel our home getting it ready for Andrew’s return home in the future. We’ll do our best to keep him at the CC for a while yet, it’s a great facility with many fine employees. Hope this finds you and yours well. Peace.

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 10:43 AM CST

Happy New Year. With the start of this year comes excitement of where the good Lord will lead us along the path of a full recovery with every muscle moving and all body functions working as they should. We also finished the year with some excitement. Andrew told me while lying in bed doing schoolwork he attempted to check his left wrist for any sign of it coming in. He is also quite knowledgeable with where muscle are located when a particular group of muscles kick in like with his wrist there were muscles twitching up his arm when he tried to hold his wrist against gravity. Even though his wrist isn’t working to date like his right wrist there are signs of it wanting to. Same thing happened days later when attempting to get fingers to work. This information he doesn’t share with us always, even so it lifts our spirits and reminds us of many good things yet to come. In OT last week Carrie experimented with him in maybe trying to cath himself. Things went so well that it very will might become a reality. She stated that quads with an injury level of six to seven aren’t even able to do what she had Andrew do. All good stuff. Andrew was home for New Years but wanted to get back to the CC early so he could get a jump on his new block of school. His first block is complete and we await his grades. Therapies still remain on the weak side and we’re still trying to get that changed. Have a great week. Peace.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 2:04 PM CST

Bev and I both traveled down to spend the day with Andrew last Friday along with some last minute shopping being done by Bev. It was a day that both Andrew and Lisa where looking forward to as the workout Andrew did in PT had been in the works for some time. He immediately started transferring himself to the mat, this he did completely on his own except for the unhooking of his seat belt. The routine he worked on simulated the transferring and shifting of his body while getting in and out of bed. Working on independence. In his OT therapy Andrew was with a volunteer so he directs this person with what they do. Andrew asked to do weights on his wrist. It wasn’t too long ago when he had reached like six ounces; now he’s up to ten and usually will do six to eight reps between resting. He must have had a bunch of extra energy or his strengthening is coming along rather well because he did twenty some reps, then had the therapist put on a two more ounces and did reps of twenty repeatedly. He continues to strengthen the muscles that are working, if only a few more would kick in. His overall therapy sessions are somewhat bleak, still no FES bike, no pool and more and more time is being transferred to volunteers. Still it is therapy and continued strengthening. I talked with Lisa in regards to his future there and she made it sound like maybe six months max before discharge. I just hope that Andrew’s body will kick in, giving him more to work with and more time to stay put. We are going to start to convert our home shortly after the New Year for when Andrew does come home. Until that day the task at hand remains. By the way we had a great Christmas with most of our family being present. Peace be with you all.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005 2:11 PM CST

I went down last Friday and spent the day with Andrew prior to us heading north for the weekend. I was a little late arriving so I missed some of his therapies. He continues to improve in all areas. He transfers himself to and from his chair to the mat for therapies. He does on occasion lose his balance and then needs help getting upright. They, both OT and PT, are working on some new things that Andrew won’t share with me as it is to be a surprise, see I am planning on spending Fridays with Andrew as my schedule permits and they’re keeping it a secret till then. Andrew’s shoulder blades are again winging; this is the therapist wording. It must be caused from a group of muscles over powering another and causes some problems. They will use a stretch tape that pulls against the over powering muscle to try to correct this. Andrew should be back in a manual chair for an additional workout between therapies this week also. He still is not scheduled for the pool or the FES bike and I intend to try and get that changed with my visits in the near future. I also intend to discuss his future as far as the extent of his stay at the CC. There is more talk of when he leaves type discussion lately and I guess it’s just a matter of time. We do wish to prolong this departure as with his therapy comes the improvement we see with motion and strength. Last weekend while at home was one of not a lot of activity due to the cold temps we had. I know he really is looking forward to doing some ice fishing so maybe this coming weekend that will happen. He’ll be home for three days over this special holiday weekend. Peace to you all and Merry Christmas.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005 9:47 PM CST

Last weekend Andy chose to stay at the CC to work on his 1500 word, persuasive paper on performance enhancing drugs. I'm pleased that he is not waiting til the last minute complete it. Todd and I have finally moved into the 21st century, we now have internet hookup at home. This will be our first update from home, now we have no excuse to be late with our updates and Andy will be able to do his homework from here.

Persistance continues to pay off for Andy, for the first time he was able to somewhat scoot around in his bed. He reminded me that I said, when he is able to get himself into bed he can stay up later, this was his incentive to reach this goal. He also told me that Lisa has been strapping a weighted vest on and this too has helped him with his balance. Sore sholders have stopped him from being in the manual chair. Today he had a lady who knows a technique to relieve the knots from his shoulders,it made quite a difference and he was able to get back into the manual chair. Andy continues to be upbeat and this evening he was doing some Christmas shopping online. It always amazes me how much he is able to do on his own. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. God Bless

Tuesday, December 6, 2005 3:13 PM CST

This was to be the first thing on my agenda this morning and it’s now after three. Guess it’s good to be busy. Andrew again was home for the weekend and on his list of entertainment was ice fishing. It’s been quite a few years since we’ve had good ice this early. Instructions were given to verify good ice and off he went with a couple of friends. They managed to catch a few. Andrew at this point is out there enjoying the company and I guess we need to figure a way to get a fishing pole in his hands for future enjoyment and just maybe a lunch or dinner from the catch. Andrew’s therapy schedule is being modified in the wrong direction as of late. Last week he did not have any sessions on the FES bike and I was told this morning that Friday was his last pool therapy. I have instructed Andrew to request that he get back on the bike therapy. Also to have Lisa get on order a standing frame and if we have to we will purchase our own FES bike. The therapy and exercise that Andrew receives is obviously of the utmost importance to his well being and to his overall improvement leading to a full recovery. On the bright side Carrie has made a new type of a cuff enabling Andrew to do his own therapy on his wrist with weights. School continues to go well and already is in his sixth week. Andrew mentioned to me this morning that he might not be able to come home this weekend because a lengthily paper he needs to write. I hope that Andrew’s time at the Courage Center is not running out but it’s only a matter of time and we’ll be remodeling our house to make accommodations for him at home. Have a great week. Hope this finds you and yours well. Peace

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 11:30 AM CST

Again two weeks have passed by since our last update and so much is happening in young Andrew’s life. I will not go with a day by day of sorts update but will jump around and try to cover all the bases. As we have had Andrew home most every weekend we don’t see his improvements automatically, but when visiting him at the CC and watching him do therapies it sticks out like a sore thumb. I arrived last Wednesday early so I could watch a couple of therapies prior to an extended weekend, which would start with a dentist appointment late that afternoon in McGregor. His first session was in his room dressing. Carrie, his OT, and I saw a first and that was watching Andrew crossing his legs by himself, this is a step in the process of putting pants on. Carrie just kind of shakes her head with amazement and goes on to tell me how his abs are also coming in. So we watched him balance on the bed and see the abs flex with movement. I’m told of routines in both PT and OT that work on new movements, helping him balance, do transfers and get him more independence. We had Andrew talk with Lisa, his PT, on his bike therapies and they are still on his schedule. They have eliminated his pool times though, which is disappointing. We’re told that he can get back in the pool if we find a volunteer(s) to assist him. If anyone wishes to help Andrew with this therapy please contact Andrew. We are purchasing some equipment to make things easier at home and to enable us to do therapies there also. Therapy and that positive attitude along with the many prayers being answered are everything in regards to where he has come. The last day of the deer season presented us with another opportunity and we couldn’t have written a better script This time a nice ten point buck presented himself at the creek crossing. Andrew fired and the deer ran maybe fifty yards and stopped, Andrew stated that he didn’t know if he had hit it and told me to shoot. It would have been great if he had hit it, but he didn’t. I shot his gun and found that his scope was off. We did together though as a team harvest a nice deer. Andrew also did a little ice fishing last weekend. Little by little he keeps moving forward and with that I ask that you please continue to keep him in your prayers. He will walk again. Peace.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:15 AM CST

My apologizes, I assumed that Bev had updated last week as I was in deer camp. She gave me instructions yesterday to make sure and get it done today so in from the outdoors and in front of a screen for a bit. I will start with Andrew’s schooling. First thing Sunday upon returning to the CC from a weekend in McGregor Andrew got on line and checked his marks for the week. He was pleased with all but one as he felt he had done better. He scored a high mark but felt it should have been higher and so he looked up his answers and still he felt he deserved better. For me to witness that was exciting. It shows that he is taking this new chapter of his life seriously. His past two weeks of therapies have gone well. His PT told him one day that if he failed transferring himself from his chair to the mat by tipping over he was out of the Courage Center. Well he failed and so she said we will try one more new exercise and to her astonishment he did it the first time. They have been working quite a bit with E-stim on his abs and it seems to be helping with his balance as the therapist and Andrew is seeing some good improvement with these routines. They are talking of eliminating some or possibly all of his bike therapies do to the number of patients at the Center. That disturbs me and I have Andrew keeping us informed of the situation. We managed to get Andrew out in the woods on Saturday of opening weekend. Bev drove Andrew to Northome in the morning, we hunted all day, had supper in deer camp and then I drove him home. Next was some hunting around home on our own turf. We started out with van problems again though we managed around that and out in the woods we were for the better part of two days. Saturday afternoon a doe came out in front of us and presented an opportunity, Andrew fired and dropped the doe in its tracks. Talk about excitement, I think he is still flying high. Plans are to get back in the woods this weekend and that where I’m headed now. Peace

Wednesday, November 2, 2005 1:16 PM CST

Sorry for the late entry, I’m having a hard time coming out of the woods to sit in front of a computer screen for even a short period of time. Any way Andrew’s week has been another one similar to last week with not a whole lot to update. I can tell you that Andrew’s OT sessions are being centered more on his AB’s. They are using E-Stim and trying to get them to come in as he does show signs of them working. His PT has been out of town for the past week and that does mix things up and gets him out of whack maybe a little. Andrew was going to come home last weekend but we had issues with his van and by the time Bev got the problem resolved they decided to stay down there. We had plans on going out and doing some more shooting and mess around the hunting land. When I talked to him Sunday he sounded pretty down, I wonder if the starting of school had something to do with it. Monday was to be the start of his first class but was postponed as computers at school were having issues. So yesterday was his official start and things went all right according to Andrew. I think he needs to be elevated again as I feel he’s getting into somewhat of a rut so to speak. That happens from time to time with all of us I guess. Plans are in place to get him up to Northome for Saturday to try his first hunt since his accident. The area we go to is a wildlife refuge and is closed to motorized traffic, I attempted to get a permit to travel just one trail with no luck, too much red tape. Image that. Good Luck to you hunters and Peace to all.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 11:24 AM CDT

Andrew’s week was one of a somewhat uneventful one, which is there are no great happenings or new feelings, sensations to report. I know that there is more excitement amongst us and his therapist about him starting college than he. With that said some of his therapies are centered on the starting of school. In OT Carrie worked with him and his tino, this is the device that is put on his hand enabling him to use a pen, hold a fork or other objects. They are setting up his computer with other components to create an user-friendlier workstation per say where he will spend a little more time schooling. I’m told he did some cooking last week also. He still is getting in a manual wheel chair, which is a huge workout. I would like to see him in this chair more often but it is truly psychical and does take away from other therapies. The plan to get back out in the woods scouting and shooting last weekend didn’t happen as I didn’t get back from a hunting trip till late Saturday. Although a friend of mine along with a friend of Andrew’s took him out Saturday afternoon to the local rice patties and Andrew watched them shoot some ducks and geese. It is truly remarkable what a little outdoors can do for a person. That statement comes from me. Peace.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 3:09 PM CDT

Andrew stayed at the Courage Center last weekend so I came down to be with him. The weather was unforgettable for mid October. I walked along the leaf-covered path to my favorite bench under the colorful trees, with sunshine dappling through them. It brought back memories of the warm fall days of last year and then thoughts of where Andy was at this time last year, how far he has come, and how far he has to go.
Last week, while working with Andy, Carrie, noticed his feet were sweating. She had never seen this happen to a quad. I had noticed his warm feet previously, but did not realize it was not the norm. That same day while riding the FES bike, Andy scored a never before, 1.9, that is a perfect score on level two. However, on Friday he didn’t do so well, maybe it was fatigue. The one disappointing happening was that he is now having some bladder problems, I hope this is temporary situation. The highs and lows are many, I have been trying hard not to get too excited about these and other events, you just have to hope bigger and better is yet to come.
I was introduced to a woman, who’s daughter, recently came to the Courage Center. Her daughter is having a difficult time adjusting and has the same concerns as we did. I talked with her daughter, I hope I have eased her mind that it will get better, relationships will form, and you must push to get your therapies going.
I hope you have a wonderful week,
God Bless

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 9:43 AM CDT

My turn to update and a day late as I was traveling Monday. Andrew’s week was somewhat uneventful as far as any new feelings or accomplishments. His weekly routines in therapies continue to go well. I know both Lisa and Carrie are working with Andrew on new routines enabling more range of movements and with that will come more independence. One exciting bit of news for Mom and Dad is Andrew will be starting college on the 31st of October with an on line program. We had Andrew home for the weekend and I think he misses not being home on the various weekends that we’re not able to get him there. This weekend we had plans to attempt shooting a rifle. We purchased a Polaris Ranger earlier this fall, added additional seatbelts, a gun turret and after making various modifications it was time to give it a try. After transferring Andrew into the Ranger and strapping him in we went cruising. The harness we fabricated kept him secure and upright across some fairly rough terrain. Next was shooting a rifle. We had two targets set up, one at 100 yards and the other at 200 yards. After a little tweaking here and there the first shot was fired and did that light up Andrew’s eyes. He shot three rounds at 100 yards and four at 200 hitting the target with some fairly good accuracy. This was a huge event, the excitement of shooting a firearm and knowing he can accurately shoot, applying for a permit to hunt out of a vehicle, and soon the opportunity to get back out in the woods hunting. It should be a great November for all of us. Have a great week. Peace

Sunday, October 2, 2005 8:52 AM CDT

I am always surprised to see the support that Andy continues to get through this web site, we thank you for this. Andy stayed at the Courage Center again this week-end and I came down to be with him. It seems like a long time since I had spent any time here. Darryl left to a group home on Monday. He and Andy had many good times together and I know it was hard for Darryl to leave, as the Courage Center had become his home. Todd is in Wyoming with friend on an Antelope hunt that they had purchased at Andy's benefit, Todd is their photographer.
Andy's grandfather Gene, is quite a woodworker. He made a rifle shape from wood so Andy can practice lifting it to his shoulder. At this time he can hold it for a bit if I put it to his shoulder. There is also a pipe that can be attached to it and filled to get the correct weight.
One thing Andy worked on this week was to take his shoes off. He must sit in bed, pull his leg to him, then pull off his shoe. During PT he practiced getting his legs on the mat and then transfer his backside. His new wheelchair raises his legs up, then he must pull them over to the mat with straps that are attached to his legs and have loops for him to put his hands in. While on the FES bike this week he had an episode where his heart started pounding through his body, he got a headache, and became very hot. Kate took him off the bike and told the nurse, we have no idea what that was all about. His spirits continue to be good, and we give thanks for this. Have a great week and God Bless~

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 5:04 PM CDT

Hello Everyone. This weeks update comes out a little late as Bev and I was traveling over the weekend and didn’t return until late last night. That also means that Andrew spent his weekend at the CC. He had been on a long run of weekends at home. I’m told his week of therapies were good with the FES bike scoring a little above average. This is a therapy I’d like to see more of as it keeps his leg muscles working. He also got into the standing frame a couple of times of which he will do on his own in the evening with the assistance of aids. That is a question he gets from us every night we talk, did you get into the standing frame. This is a piece of equipment we are looking at purchasing for home. It does just what it’s named, getting the patient standing and applying his weight onto his feet and bones, good therapy and it can be done anytime while at home watching TV or reading. He also mentioned that E-Stim went well and that was when applied to his abs, this is an area they have been working with off and on. We are getting a little closer to his actual starting date of college of which I have been pushing for quite some time. He woke Sunday with a sore throat and was tested for strep, he said he felt a little better today and of course that is good news. As I write this I gaze at his picture on my desk and think how much I miss him. I then realize that he is where he needs to be and is in good hands. Have a great week. Peace.

Monday, September 19, 2005 2:13 PM CDT

The days go by too quickly and already a week later and time to update. All in all Andrew had another good week. I had a sales seminar in the cities last Friday and was able to make his last therapy of the day. I was amazed at what I saw. I see Andrew most every weekend but it’s hard to rate or see his weekly progress until you watch him in the gym. I arrived in the PT gym five minutes into his therapy and watched him without assistance transfer himself completely from his chair to the mat. Like I said, I see him weekly but to watch him work and see what he’s achieved is impressive. Carrie, his OT, was also there observing as her and Lisa, his PT, are planning on working together with Andrew on some new routines. They both are very dedicated and greatly appreciated. Like Lisa said, not that I don’t like my job because I do but if it were 4:00, Friday and I had no clients scheduled I’d be headed for home. Young Andrew is in great hands. Unfortunately I don’t make it down there that often, so it was nice to see both of them. I think Lisa switched gears and had Andrew do various routines to show me other achievements that hour. He’s made some major strides in the past year. I spent the night and brought Andrew home for the weekend. He spent most of Saturday hanging out at the Sport Shop and that evening we attended a yearly scholarship fund raising event. Andrew also had a feeling in his hip this past week and he also stated that his abs felt like they were firing and that he tried to do sit ups while lying in bed. One of these days. Peace.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 11:00 AM CDT

Andrew had another eventful week prior to coming home for the weekend. Tuesday afternoon he informed me had had been fishing. For your information there is a nice pathway around the CC and it also goes around a nearby lake. So he calls to say guess what. With this statement who knows so I reply, what. I went fishing today and caught two fish. Carrie, his OT, came up with a device enabling him to use a fishing pole on his own. He caught two Sunnies so I asked him how did he get the fish off the hook, he said by putting the fish in his mouth and of course I fell for it which means he set the hook three times that day if not more. Wednesday I traveled down to pick him up and we attended a fundraiser for the Spinal Cord Society. There was a speaker there that told of the progress in regards to various breakthroughs and the time frame of human trials. It’s amazing how much red tape is involved as to the bucking of getting this done from the drug companies. They would be the ones who would suffer the worst if a cure would be achieved. Sad but true. I’m moving along in regards to getting Andrew’s ranger ready for him to hunt out of. The equipment necessary for him to shoot a rifle is ordered. I’m still working on a harness to keep him upright along with a couple other items but all in all we’re getting closer to completion. We had a family picnic at our home Sunday and enjoyed seeing most everyone from Bev’s side of the family. A nice day it was. I’m still struggling in getting Andrew started with college although we’re getting closer to that also. He had a couple huge workouts in therapy that pretty much kicked his butt, that’s good and he’s been getting into a manual chair more lately also. He’s involved with a fantasy football team and I believe he won his first week by one point. He keeps busy. Peace to all and have great week.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005 4:57 PM CDT

The weeks are constantly going by faster with lots of events making routines harder to keep. This web site reflects that and for the later reason we apologize. Andrew ventured home again last weekend and enjoyed a lot various activities in the McGregor area and visited with many. This is good therapy for the mind and soul. His weekly therapies continue to address areas that need strengthening. He’s not gaining by leaps and bounds but still one small achievement continues to make an overall impression to us all. Since returning from Pennsylvania he’s not had any miraculous events although he had some tingling on his inner thigh. That is what we pray for and the day these feelings stay is hopefully soon on the horizon. We have scheduled a surgery date in Portugal and will be travel there next April. Tonight we’re heading to fund raiser for stem cell research with quest speakers informing attendees of what is going on with this new medical treatments. It should be interesting. We’ll talk more on this in the weeks to come. In the meantime please keep this young man in your prayers. Peace to all.

Sunday, August 28, 2005 9:38 PM CDT

Upon Andy’s return to physical therapy on Monday, Lisa started him back into a manual wheelchair and was surprised with the improvements he has made since the last time he tried it. He spent most of each day last week in it and was able to transfer in and out of it too. She also got him into another type of manual chair called a rugby chair. The wheels are slanted inward at the top and outward on the bottom. Lisa got into one too and what they did was ram into each with a lot of force. There are games that the disabled people play using those chairs. They must be more stable and safe for there bodies. Andy really enjoyed it. The bike didn’t go very well, he’s wondering if the bike is not functioning very well. Andy asked Dr. Haber (Pennsylvania) to focus on his triceps, so getting in the manual chair really works them. Carrie was also doing exercises for Andy’s triceps and was pleased to see much more strength in them.

We were up north again this weekend. Saturday evening we went out for dinner at the Golf Course for my mothers 80th Birthday, it was a great time. Andy was asked by his cousin to be on a Fantasy Football league with him this year, so today (Sunday) Andy went to the Fantasy Football Draft, I’m sure this will be a fun thing for him to do. Monday Andy will be going to the State Fair with a group from the Courage Center. I guess they will be gone for 6 hours. I think he’s having second thoughts about going, I’m sure he’ll have a great day. I can’t believe summer is almost gone, I hope you enjoy the remainder of it and I know we will. ~ God Bless ~

Monday, August 22, 2005 11:27 AM CDT

We completed what I’ll call another very successful trip with Andrew to see Dr. Haber in Pittsburgh. This is our second go around with this very special and gifted lady. We had two office visits throughout the week and Andrew responded almost immediately to these treatments which are measured with thermal imaging. Dr. Haber has a neural surgeon who is among the finest in the nation read the treatment results and observe via the internet the thermal images and his remark was that Andrew’s door of opportunity is still open. That was very exciting to hear. While we were there I was e-mailed from the gentleman who schedules the Portugal procedure. They want us to commit on a date for Andrew to have this procedure done. There are many dates available with the time frame beginning in January 06. With this commitment involves three different medical tests which could be accomplished in Minnesota and two appointments where we need to travel to Detroit. Lots of things are continuing to happen with future treatments and with Andrew’s overall improvement. We’re still in the same boat but there is like a new motor on board with the newness of our latest chapter. Many things continue to happen and with that we are very grateful. I know Bev had in mind a more detailed description of our trip but I’ll leave that for her to update if she so desires. Please continue to keep Andrew in your prayers. It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this site and it is very refreshing to have the support of everyone. With that I’ll close. Peace to you all.

Monday, August 8, 2005 11:49 AM CDT

This update is late as I arrived Friday night and Saturday morning is a rush to head up north, then back on Sunday and another late return. It was another hot weekend, so of course Andy has to hang out on the pontoon with friends who take good care of him.

Todd and I sent an e-mail to Dr. Lima in Portugal on Tuesday evening. We wanted to stress the fact that Andy’s acquired movement and feeling in his arms is very important and do not wish to jeopardized the loss of this. We also asked if this is the path we follow if it could be expedited. To our surprise on Thursday afternoon we received a response back. Dr. Lima suggested that we delay our plans for 6 to 12 months because it sounds like our son is continuing to improve. Because of his high injury Dr. Lima cannot guarantee 100% that he will have some loss. I think we were all relieved to get this answer, Andrew included. We didn’t want to rush a decision and with Andy’s continued progress we will keep moving forward.

On Wednesday, Todd and I came down to see Andy, for Todd it had been many months since he had watched Andy do his therapy. He was overwhelmed to watch Andy get himself dressed with little assistance, see his much improved trunk stability, and the ability to transfer himself from chair to mat and then back again with such ease. After his therapies, we took both Andy and Stacy to the Senior PGA Golf Tournament in Blaine. The temperatures were stifling, but with frozen water bottles, a spray bottle and a towel to help cool Andy down, all went well. Andy and Todd were excited to see a nascar driver, Greg Biffle fly in on a Air National Guard helicopter to sign autographs. Of course we got in line to have a hat autographed. We found a shaded area near the 13th and 18th holes to watch the Pro Am tournament that day. Tom Kite was among the pro players we saw.

I found out Andy went on a little shopping trip this week with Darryl a gentleman who is also a resident here. They took their wheelchairs for a 1 ½ to 2 mile drive to a small shopping center near by. With his money on his lap, he was able to make his purchase.

Have a wonderful week, God Bless

Friday, July 29, 2005 9:20 PM CDT

On Tuesday evening We received a phone call from a gentleman at RIM (Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan) in Detroit. He was asking me questions, not knowing Andy had already gotten the ok to move ahead. We discussed Andy’s situation, I asked for names of patients that I could contact and my concerns about the possibility that he could lose some of the feeling and movement that he has gained. 21 people are ahead of Andy but suggests we may want to expedite a trip to Portugal because Andy is a very good candidate for the procedure that is called “OEG Transplant Surgery“. Thursday we again heard from Detroit with the names I asked for, MRI’s, contact information for Dr. Lima (Portugal) and again suggesting us expedite this with Dr. Lima.

I was able to make four contacts of the nine patient names I was given. All said they would have the surgery again in a heart beat and were very helpful and informative. One suggested we check into going to China which is much less invasive and getting better results. We will be contacting Dr. Lima to push ahead and to get answers to concerns we have and we will also check out what China has to offer.

We have made an appointment for the week of Aug. 15th to go back to Monroeville Pennsylvania for the light (photonic) therapy and plan to stop in Detroit to see their Rehab facility.

This week Andy’s therapy seemed to make good progress. Carrie said that dressing in the morning seemed to go easier, while sitting up in bed he was able to balance on his left arm so he could pull his right leg up with his right arm to get his leg in his pants. She has also been doing E-stim. His left wrist and hand both showed slight improvement, his right hand was able to make a fist with the stimulation. Today during PT Andy sat on a rubber cushion that is filled with about 3” inches of air while sitting on the mat then had to balance while sitting on it, he didn’t do too bad.

Our prayers continue to be answered, new doors open and now we must continue our journey.

God Bless

Sunday, July 24, 2005 4:32 PM CDT

It is Sunday afternoon, Todd and I are returning from a 4 day Polaris Dealer Mtg. in Nashville Tennessee. We stayed at The Opryland Hotel that is an immense complex, it is like going through an arboretum with a river, waterfalls and lighting too.

I have been trying to contact people in Detroit this week to get an answer in regards to Andy’s MRI and on Friday we finally got our answer. Andy’s lesion is small enough that we can now send his medical records on to Dr Lima in Portugal. We are one step closer but it is still a waiting game.

Andy grilled again this week. This time he marinated goose and made shish kabobs with it. The people who tried it seemed to like it but liked the venison better. One of the three days he rode the FES bike went well, and PT was more balance work.

Have a great week
God Bless

Saturday, July 16, 2005 8:43 AM CDT

I am trusting Andy to fill me in on his therapy this week, unfortunately he isn‘t always very informative. He tells me his FES bike rides this week were not very good. E-Stim was done on his abs while he tried to do sit-ups, and OT was a typical week.

We are still awaiting a phone call from Detroit to find out the status on the MRI we mailed them two weeks ago in hopes that Andy will be going to Portugal for the Nasal stem cell treatment.

Last week-end Andy was again enjoying time on the pontoon with friends when he started feeling the effects of the heat. His friends took a towel, dunked it in the lake and put it on his head. They came home where I gave him some cold water to drink, got an ice pack for his head and chest, and turned a fan on him. Then I decided to take his temperature. I couldn’t believe after what I had done it was still at 102 degrees. We will now be much more careful about the heat. His sweat glands are paralyzed so his body has no way to cool itself down.

Andy and I will be heading back to McGregor this am (Sat.), hoping to get some relief from the heat and Andy is planning to go fishing.

Peace to all

Friday, July 8, 2005 10:12 PM CDT

With perfect weather how could you not have a wonderful 4th of July. We enjoyed having many friends and family stop by and some spend the weekend with us. The fireworks get better every year and enjoying them on the lake is extra special. Andy reached the 1 year anniversary of his accident. Faith has helped Andy except his disability and he is looking forward to continuing with his hard work and what ever the future has in store.

This morning Andy got his new wheelchair. He was fitted and given some instruction on it and then he was off to see what it could do.

We brought back some venison and today Andy marinated and then grilled it for his OT therapy. I was surprised to see how many people had never tried it before, but it was a big hit. The heat from the grill caused Andy to spasm but he did a lot of the grilling and then cut some of it into pieces using utensils that were fitted with u-cuffs (Velcro straps). Today, while sitting up and balancing his body at the side of the mat, Lisa would shove him on the shoulders to get him off balance and he would throw his arms back into the tripod positions to stabilize himself. They did it repeatedly and with ease. Another exercise was to balance and stretch one arm and then the other out to touch the stool in front of him. When Andy said he had his balance, she stepped away to get something and again I became nervous remembering a situation where a patient lost his balance and fell face first on the floor and went to the emergency room.

We will be heading up north again this weekend, this time we will be attending the second “Andy Streeter Volleyball Tournament” I’m sure it will be a great time.

God Bless

Sunday, June 26, 2005 10:24 PM CDT

While I was up north, Andy set up an appt. for his MRI with Dr. Thompson. Thursday morning we headed to Sister Kenny for that appointment. I was a bit surprised that they weren’t better prepared for a wheelchair so we had to go to a different area in the hospital. When we arrived there they had to call for a lift to put him on the gurney. They arrived with the lift but it was too big and Andy slid right through it, finally they just lifted him onto the gurney and wheeled him out. While I was waiting a gentleman asked me a few questions about Andy and then went on to tell me, he has a brother who was excellent at the trampoline and was planning to try out for the Olympics until he had an accident on the trampoline that left him a quadriplegic. He went on to become a Dr. and at 81 years old, he is now the oldest quadriplegic. He sounds like quite a man.
Results from the MRI should be available on Monday or Tuesday. Next we will have to get them sent to Michigan to be read.

One highlight in his therapy this week was during PT when he sat at the side of the mat with a foam wedge behind his back, leaned back on it and with his elbows down he was able to push himself into the sitting up position. Carrie did E-stim on Andy’s fingers and wrist and noticed that two of his fingers didn’t hyperextend like they did previously. His wrist has more muscle tone too.

We took another trip to McGregor, Saturday morning works best and then we arrived back at the Courage Center on Sunday night. I will not be back to the Courage Center until Friday so I can prepare for our annual 4th of July get together.

I must thank you again for your continued support and prayers it means so much to all of us
God Bless

Friday, June 17, 2005 10:13 PM CDT

A call from Dr. Thompson finally came on Wed. afternoon. She asked me many questions about the nasal stem cell process and mentioned that he would not be accepted into any clinical trials in the U.S. if he does go to Portugal. She also asked us to keep her informed.

Short weather has finally arrived. Carrie helped him put them on yesterday but it seems to be opposite as when he puts on long pants. It was easy to get them over his legs but had trouble pulling them up over his body. He also did his laundry that meant he had to put his basket on his foot rest, strap a pole with a hook on the end to his hand, then hook the clothes and put them in the washing machine. The clothes were too heavy to take out but he could pull them out of the dryer. Andy missed his last two pool sessions because he had surgery on two ingrown toenails. Today’s pool session included putting paddles on his wrists to give resistance, with arms stretched out, he would bring them together and out again. This exercise works his weak triceps. Today he scored a 1.2 and yesterday a 1.7 on the FES bike. “Super Quad” is what Lisa calls Andy because he does things quads aren’t suppose to do. Such as getting in and out of his chair using a sliding board.

The feeling Andy sometimes has in his left leg has changed to a feeling of being run over - that’s how Andy explains it. I have a hard time imagining what that must be like. I know it is not painful, I can only think it must be like a pressure or squeezed feeling.

Andy’s enjoying the Twins game while I’m getting him packed for our trip home tomorrow. The Twins just tied the ball game hopefully they can pull it out.

Have a great week - Gods peace to you

Monday, June 13, 2005 5:16 PM CDT

I was asked by Bev to update this moring and I just got around to it now. It's the same schedule that prevents me from visiting Andrew on a regular basis and that in its self down right stinks. Anyway, Andrew came home for the weekend and as expected he looked great. We had a family gathering in outing we attended Saturday afternoon and the plan for Sunday was to get out on Sandy and go fishing. We put the kabosh to fishing due to high winds but managed to enjoy an hour and a half pontoon ride. The first time since Andrew's accident that he was in a boat. It was an enjoyable ride but fishing would have been better. We visited more freinds attending a graduation party and that in itself made for a busy weekend. Last week the best news we heard from him was in OT. Carie used E-stim on his left wrist and after she was done she felt more muscle contractions than ever before. She was very excited as reported by Andrew. Little things continue to happen. We continue to push him to push himself with therapies he can do in his room. We know the harder he works and the more he can put into his routines the more he will gain. Andrew and myself are starting to work on hunting and what it will take for him to pull a trigger, you know where my mind is at and that season is just around the corner. The plan is to come home again this weekend. I want to get out fishing and it's always funner with a partner. Thanks for your continued prayers, support and emails. Peace be with you all.

Friday, June 3, 2005 8:33 PM CDT

Todd and I made a call to Andy on Mon. evening, he mentioned a drive he took through the neighborhood and down a little road where they’re building some new homes. He must have went through some loose sand and got his chair stuck. He called out, but being a holiday there wasn’t anyone around. He sat there for 1-1 ½ hours before someone heard him call and helped him get out. Then he told us he’s been going out on the dock every day - THAT KID- maybe I need to be there 7 days a week to keep an eye on him. Thankfully, I did find out the dock has bumpers on it, that makes me feel much better.

I arrived in the cities Thurs. AM, a picture perfect day. My first stop was to feed the Mallards and Wood Ducks that are nesting in a private little pond, on a wooded lot, at a beautiful home that I now call my home away from home. I have been staying here for a couple months now, and I hope that I am not intruding on the welcoming and generosity that I have received here.

Next it was off to the Courage Center where I found Andy enjoying the outdoors. He was told that Lisa called in sick but she wanted to make sure Andy was told “ It wasn’t because Cleveland was playing the twins”. They often talk sports and she loves to give Andy a hard time. I’m sure he let her know the Twins won that game. After a Ham dinner (one of Andy’s favorite meals here) we went out looking for golf balls. Four other residents joined us, it was an enjoyable evening laughing as balls were bouncing around us and learning about the others and there situations.

Carrie stopped by this afternoon (Fri.) to see how Andy’s shoulders were doing. She proceeded to explain to me that she did E-stim on his shoulders because she noticed he was struggling to get his hands up on the seat of his chair when he falls forward, thus he can’t get himself upright. Some of the muscles in his shoulders weren‘t doing much. After the E-stim treatment, Carrie then noticed that the muscles started to work the way they should. She truly goes above and beyond for Andy and as I’ve said before, we are so thankful for the people who work with him.

Peace to you,

Sunday, May 29, 2005 1:37 PM CDT

I cannot believe that the McGregor School year has come and gone. Tuesday will be my last day at school and we’ll have to decided if my days down this Andy will change. He is wanting more time alone and he doesn’t want me at his therapies. Being 19 years old I can understand that he doesn’t want his mom following him around but it does make it harder to update when I have to rely on him to give me input.

Wednesday evening I was told a resident broke a leg when they were trying to transfer her. A fear of mine that I have conquered since he got a different wheelchair. On Friday morning I found Andy still in bed. Somehow, a RA had accidentally cut him causing quite a bit of bleeding so by the time he was back in his chair he had missed both pool and the bike.

As far as therapies went this week, Andy tells me he got a 1.8 on the bike, it’s the highest score since he went up in resistance but Thurs. was only a .5 and Fri. was canceled. During PT this week he laid on his stomach and scooted his body using his elbows. I am always impressed at the different techniques they use to strengthen his body and teach him how to get around and accomplish tasks.

Again, Andy chose to stay down here this weekend because of the unstable weather. He hopes the weather will be sunny and warm next week. He is outside right now looking for golf balls with another resident, Darryl. I bought Andy a ball retriever and Carrie attached a cuff (strap with velcro) to the handle so he can TRY to pick up golf balls. With a golf course next to the Courage Center there are often balls going over the fence so they enjoy getting out and looking for them.

Hope your weekend was good, God Bless

Saturday, May 21, 2005 10:02 PM CDT

Stacy was home last weekend and Andy insisted I go home too. I don’t see Stacy as often as I’d like but her life has been quite hectic with college and working two + jobs. She is getting ready to move to a different apartment next week so I visited her yesterday, (Friday) to help her clean. Todd and I will be there again tomorrow to move her out, unfortunately she has to wait a week to get into her next place-I imagine that will be another trip to St. Cloud.

I returned to the Courage Center Thursday morning, because I had a test to take on Wednesday evening. It was good to be back, I hadn’t seen Andy in nearly a week. He increased weights on the pulleys this week, used the arm bike, light machine (board with lights that randomly flash and must touch them), dressed, and worked with wrist weights during OT. He continues to practice getting in and out of his wheelchair and while sitting on the mat he is working to slide his body to the edge of the mat rather than using the ladder straps that other therapists were using. The FES bike could have been better, wish we could find out why he does so well one week and bombs it the next.

We have decided to pursue a trip to Portugal for the nasal stem cell (olfactory) surgery. The forms have been sent to the Rehabilitation Center of Michigan and Andy will need a MRI or CT scan to find out if his spinal cord injury will qualify. Andy thinks he may want to wait for a different treatment that may get better results. There are many questions we have and we will keep you informed when we get more information.

God Bless

Sunday, May 15, 2005 6:32 PM CDT

It’s been another chilly week. Andy chose not to go home for the fishing opener because of the weather. He seemed fine with his choice and wants to wait for a warm weekend so he will be able to enjoy the outdoors. While watching some golfers, he noticed a bird in a tree. At first he thought it was a turkey but discovered it was a Canadian Goose sitting on a limb then watched it fly to another, a sight we’d not seen before.

Andy reached a mile stone this week. He was able to transfer from his chair to the mat while using the sliding board and without falling. He also went from the mat to the chair without falling, this has taken a lot of time and hard work to get to this point. Another gradual improvement is when he falls to one side he can usually get his arm wrapped around his head rest and upright him self. That means less chance of him tipping over and getting stuck for 2 hours, as in the past. The bike was a bit of a disappointment, he doesn’t remember Tuesday’s score, and got a one on Thursday. Friday’s session was canceled because one bike was broke down. Hopefully next week will be better.

We have really come to care and appreciate Andy’s main RA (resident assistant). She is very caring and thorough. She was off work for a few days, what a difference. One day he was unable to have his OT session because he was not up in time and two days in a row he had to be changed because his AM program was not done properly. It will be good to have her back again

Thank you for your prayers. God Bless.

Saturday, May 7, 2005 8:50 PM CDT

It has been a pretty quiet week. Andy is busy and working hard in therapy. Driving is still on hold while we wait to here from Mn. DOT. OT has included, dressing himself, lifting wrist weights (still lifting 5oz.), arm weights, and working on the computer. Andy told Carrie that he has been assisting the RA’s with his shower so Carrie wouldn’t have to help. I found out this has not been the case. I know Lisa the PT therapist and Andy’s lead therapist has been giving him a good workout because he sometimes needs aspirin for his muscles. They continue to work on balance and getting in and out of his wheelchair from both mat and bed. I asked her if there is a timetable when she thinks Andy will be going home. She said that he is still improving and will remain for now. The FES bike scores were slightly improved from last week. .8 on Tues., 1.5 on Wed. and 1.5 on Thurs.

The grounds at the Courage Center have been spectacular this week. The apple trees are in full bloom with a half dozen or so of them filling Andrews view of the outdoors. Many people have been apart of the grooming and planting process around here. There is a shrub here that I’m not familiar with, it has flowers that look similar to a magnolia and it has large pink blooms on the end of otherwise barren branches. As you can tell I am enjoying the beauty around here.

Have a great week, God Bless

Friday, April 29, 2005 8:26 PM CDT

We are going to be updating weekly, It has been difficult to find enough to write about without feeling like I'm repeating myself.

The FES bike is going well thou his scores seem to vary alot. This week he got a .9, .5 and today a 1.5, Fridays seem to be the day he does the best. OT sessions this week consisted of reconciling a bank statement on the computer, dressing himself while in bed and lifting weights on his arms. No increase of weight thou. PT is still focusing on learning to balance sitting up while catching a ball that is thrown at different angles and he is also working on transfers to and from his chair and to and from the bed. He is needing less assistance almost every time I see him. Ingrid, a physical therapist who works with him ocassionally, noticed a big improvement in his balance. Andy continues to get pool 2 times a week. today at the end of his session I observed Amy take off his floatation devise and I watched Andy try to swim, with arms flaling and Amy assisting as little as possible. I found out that Andy made a deal with Lisa, for every time he lost his balance during PT and would fall over he would have to tread water for one minute in the pool. He sure likes his therapists.

He is still having some feeling in his left leg at times and we are making an extra effort to get his fingers moving so 3 times a day I am making him try to squeeze his fingers together while I hold his wrist because it seems to work instead of his fingers. All is going well, we are hoping for some warmer weather so we can be outdoors alittle more. Oh, I must give you an update on the wild life here. The ducks have all gone north but one day a saw a Black Capped Night Egret, a bird I had to look up cause I've not seen one befor, it reminded me of a penguin.

Thank you again for your prayers, God Bless

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 3:40 PM CDT

I had business down in the cities over the weekend, finished early and was able to spend most of Monday with Andrew. I had traveled down the previous Monday after work to visit and the improvement continues to show. Before the boat shows and our busy season and being with him weekly, his status didn't seem to be progressing but I can tell you he makes big strides. In therapies they continue to work different routines, excersises and it's remarkable the progress me makes. With each milestone comes one process closer to independence. I'm putting the push on for him to get signed up for on line classes and with that a little more emphasis on the future and what lies ahead. With that said we are not in a hurry to depart from CC, it's a great place with a great staff and that is where he's getting it done. We do appreciate everyone's support and prayers. Thank you and Peace to all.

Friday, April 22, 2005 8:19 PM CDT

There is much to update you on this week. Andy's feeling in his left leg only lasted one day but says it ocassionally returns but the feeling in his left heel that I have written previously about continues. This evening he permitted me to poke around on the palm of his hand, I was amazed at the amount of feeling he had. I also asked him to try to move his fingers, on the right hand I got just wrist movement and on the left there was slight movement, Andy thought it was wrist but I felt the tendons that lead to the fingers move.

On Monday Todd received a call from an excited Andy. He had just come back from drivers training. He drove a van that was adapted with 3 posts on the left side of the steering wheel to slip his hand into and hand controls on the right side for the gas and brake (I didn't see that contraption). The man let Andy drive down some of the streets near here, Andy said "he didn't even put his foot on the gas or brake pedal", I guess that means Andy did a good job. He was to drive again on Thurs. until Steve (the instructor) discovered Andy hadn't reaplied for his license so I guess there will be a slight delay until he gets a Doctors OK and it gets sent into MNDOT. Steve asked Andy if he would be willing to do a photo shoot for a brochure on the driving program, I was surprised when he said yes and it was shot today.

Last week Andy's wheelchair went on the blink for 3 days. He ended up in bed for most of the time because they didn't have another one for him to use. He will soon be getting another one to use while he's here. It's a Permobile, one like he is planning to purchase.

God Bless

Sunday, April 17, 2005 9:45 PM CDT

We must appologize for not getting an update sooner. Andy's computer is messed up again and the Courage Computers are often busy. Andy has another roommate, his name is Dustin, he always has a big smile on his face but is unable to speak and has difficulty walking. Dustin is out of the room for much of the day so Andy still has quiet time to himself so it's going well.

Cliff, the gentleman who practices Qui gong visited Andy Friday. Some of his comments were that Andys legs and feet seemed softer and more pliable also that his energy-field (not the right word I'm looking for) was larger. I'm not sure what this means but I believe it to be a possative sign.

On Thursday evening we received a call from Andy, he seemed quite excited to tell us he has some feeling in his left leg. He noticed it when kate put the electrodes on his leg. Unfortunately it was gone the next day but these things seem to come and go - we're hoping and praying that this is just the begining of many more new feelings.

Todd and I had a wonderful vacation in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. The weather was warm, food was good, and the evenings were fun but we were ready to come home.

Enjoy the beautiful spring days ahead - God Bless

Sunday, April 10, 2005 1:49 PM CDT

Hello everyone,

This is Stacy, I have come to visit my brother today since his wheel chair broke yesterday. He finally got ahold of me this morning and told me that he hasn't been able to do anything all weekend. His chair can tilt but it can't do anything else. Andrew has been watching a lot of TV. He had seventeen messages and couldn't check them. Otherwise there is nothing else too exciting to report. We're just switching between the race and the masters. My parents will be back from Mexico on Wednesday so the reports will continue then.

Saturday, April 2, 2005 9:00 PM CST

It was a special day Friday, both Todd and I were here in the am to be with Andy. After pool Andy came back to the room and excitedly told me, he had tingling in the back of his leg. I was flabbergasted and thought to myself I knew this was going to happen, then he said “April Fools”. When Todd came in Andy did the same to him, Andy thought he was pretty smart. I attempted a couple pay back jokes to Andy but they didn’t quite have the impact that his had. For OT he played the card game Uno. He put his cards in a wooden block that has slots cut in it. Sometimes I feel it doesn’t look like much of a workout but Andy did say his arms and shoulders were tired. They also tried a different gadget that is used a lot for stroke patients to gain eye/hand coordination. It’s a 5’ X 5’ board on the wall that has many lights in a circular pattern, they flash one at a time, when the light is pushed it goes off and another light randomly goes on. Andy did this 5 times, his best score being 23 . Carrie said its pretty hard for him to balance and push the buttons, it was a good first time and 52 is a goal for him to work towards. The remaining therapies went well including PT where they worked on balance. Lisa would push him over while Andy tries to swing his arms into the tripod position (arms behind his back for balance). This did not go very well so I’m sure he will get more practice.

Todd and I will be going on a vacation April 5th and returning on the 13th, we will be unable to update until we return. God Bless.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005 1:02 PM CST

My plans for Tuesday were to tie up some loose ends prior to departing to the cities for our last boat show of the season and to get in town early enough to see Andrew. On the way down Andrew called with new news, he had some feeling on his left heel. It was a feeling like pressure being applied, all exciting. With the show not opening till two today I headed over to see Andrew and enjoyed watching his am schedule and lunch. When I arrived his OT was in the room with dressing. He has come a long way with getting his pants on and needs little help in accomplishing this task. Carrie mentioned that he just needs a little more strengthening along with a little more range and he’ll do this completely on his own. With PT he continues to work in different areas, all striving to increase strength and range. I do miss being here more as the staff is so kind and dedicated to helping all here and with being a coach of sorts it is truly appreciated. This is truly a great facility and it shows with most all of the patients having a great attitude and a smile along with every greeting. Andrew just left for another therapy and I need to head back to the convention center. Peace.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005 1:00 PM CST

Andrew called with new news, he had some feeling on his left heel. It was a feeling like pressure being applied, all exciting. With the show not opening till two today I headed over to see Andrew and enjoyed watching his am schedule and lunch. When I arrived his OT was in the room with dressing. He has come a long way with getting his pants on and needs little help in accomplishing this task. Carrie mentioned that he just needs a little more strengthening along with a little more range and he’ll do this completely on his own. With PT he continues to work in different areas, all striving to increase strength and range. I do miss being here more as the staff is so kind and dedicated to helping all here and with being a coach of sorts it is truly appreciated. This is truly a great facility and it shows with most all of the patients having a great attitude and a smile along with every greeting. Andrew just left for another therapy and I need to head back to the convention center. Peace.

Monday, March 28, 2005 10:37 AM CST

It was great getting Andrew home this weekend. Bev brought him up Saturday morning and he hung around the marine and sportshop all day. That evening Mcgregor school had its annual alumni basketball tournament so he was able to see lots of freinds. Andrew also enjoyed a little Elk dinner that night and commented on the way back down to the Courage Center Sunday how good it was. Our Easter was also a very enjoyable day spent with family and good food. Bev started early in the morning and we were able to get Andrew to church also with a warm welcome back from the congregation. We were hopefull to try a little ice fishing but that didn't happen. All in all again it was nice to have him home. I drove him back to the CC, asked him to continue to work hard and strive for our goals, gave him a hug and returned to McGregor. Peace to you all.

Friday, March 25, 2005 8:36 PM CST

Today’s pool session was with a different therapist, I’m sure Andy missed his weekly visit with Amy, but all went well. A women who has sat next to me by the pool the last 3 weeks, told me that she has noticed an increased in his movement since she has seen him. His bike ride was a 1.1 score, a fine ride but hopefully it will increase. During PT he worked on a few new things. One was to lay on his stomach, arm out to the side with his fore arm up. Lisa had to hold his wrist up off the mat, then Andy could raise the rest of his arm off the mat and then push his arm up and down. He also practiced turning over from his stomach. She had to lift his upper body up so he could balance on his elbows and forearms, she crossed his legs at the ankles, then he leaned to his left side until he tipped over, then using his right arm to push against the mat and with very little help he was able to turn over. He also practiced balancing at the side of the mat then punched at a ball, he falls off balance many many times but it is very good for his balance.

Our plans have been up in the air all week but Andy decided he wanted to go home for Easter, and once he made the decision he seems to be excited about it. We are looking forward to attending Easter Services, and spend the rest of the day with friends and family. May you have a wonderful Easter ~ God bless ~

Thursday, March 24, 2005 9:39 PM CST

This morning Andy managed to get his shower in before Carrie came to the room. She was intending to help him learn how to shower on his own. Getting himself into his chair, putting on his shirt and sweatshirt were the alternate session for OT today. Andy has had a student therapist for the past week doing his pulleys, he was back with Christa, his usual therapist and she seemed happy to be back with Andy. The rickshaw, wooden bars that resemble a rickshaw, is done twice a week. Andy presses down on the boards that have 8 lbs of weight on them. Some days he will have Ora (the volunteer PT) put on extra weights and the next time he is unable to push down on that amount of weight. Andy had another good ride on the FES bike, he scored a 1.1 out of a perfect score of 2.0.

Andy got his hair cut this evening. Michelle, the daughter of some friends from church, comes to the Courage Center to cut his hair. He had been trying to grow it out but has decided to give that up, he looks so good with his hair shorter. We have experienced so much kindness that a thank you just doesn’t seem enough. We are so blessed.

Peace to you

Wednesday, March 23, 2005 8:48 PM CST

It's Wednesday everning, on my drive down I decided that spring is truley on its way. When I got to the Ann River in Mora, I saw a small flock of geese flying above, they looked like their intentions were to continue north. As I headed south the sky would soon be dotted with small flocks right up till it was too dark to see them. I would venture to say that tomorrow you will most likely see geese in the open waters of McGregor.

When I greeted Andy this evening he seemed pleased to see me, was it because pancakes and macaroni and cheese were on the menu at the Courage Center, and he wanted me to make a food run? Probably, but thats ok this is becoming a Wednesday tradition.

When I asked Andy for a report on therapies this week, I get his same response..."the same as always" I guess I'll have to wait and see for myself tomarrow. Have a wonderful spring day.

God Bless

Friday, March 18, 2005 7:42 PM CST

As usual Andy started his day going to the pool. He does his laps doing the back stroke, that too seems to be improving. He has an hour to shower and get ready for the FES bike and today he scored a 1.6 which is his highest score since he increased the resistance. Kate the therapist said he must score a l.9 consistently to increase the resistance again. Carrie (OT) told Andy that she wants to start working on showering. She thinks Andy should be able to do that quite easily but I could tell Andy isn‘t interested in doing that. I was surprised when she said he has really increased his trunk strength. I was feeling things had started to slow down some, but it’s good to here from others what they are seeing. He will no longer be doing Saturday therapy, there is much documentation that must be filled out and reasons for it, then it must be accepted. We do have many things we could be working on ourselves. When I went to watch PT with Lisa, I found Carrie observing what they were doing. They discussed what each is working on and how they could incorporate treatments to each others sessions. We are so blessed to have such caring people working with Andy.

The snow fell all day, we have about 5 inches and it is now finally tapering off. Stacy came down for a quick visit, they said St. Cloud had no snow and didn’t run into it till they got to Maplewood. Andy will be enjoying all the hockey and basketball tournaments this weekend.

God Bless

Thursday, March 17, 2005 10:01 PM CST

Todd, Stacy and I came down Wed. intending to all go visit Grandma Ev ( Gene’s mother) at the hospital but found out she was already sent home. At 93 years old, she is still living on her own and a very special lady. She had a slight heart attack and ended up having surgery to put in 3 stints. We went to visit her at home today. She is coming along great and of course she was so happy to see Andy and told him she prays for him every night.

When Todd and I arrived this morning Andy was in bed trying to put his pants on with Carrie. He seemed to be tired and was having a hard time getting them over his feet and then pulling from side to side with some help. 45 minutes later he was in a manual chair and on his way to weights, rickshaw and then PT. He was very tired after a strenuous weight regimen but recovered enough to practice pulling his legs to the side of the mat and working at balance on his left side so in time he will be able to move off the mat and get himself into his chair. The FES bike went ok with another .8 score

Peace to you

Sunday, March 13, 2005 11:55 AM CST

Thurs. I went with a friend to a class on how to make Espresso, Cappuccinos, Lattés, along with other specialty drinks. The lady who taught the class was very much a connoisseur and there is definitely a preferred way to make a perfect drink. We were there much longer than we expected and managed to waste the rest of the day away. Friday was a day to get my car fixed. I had a flat tire with 4 holes in it. One with a screw, one a finishing nail and the others just holes. The only place I can think I’d get them was when I looked at 2 parade of homes near here. During the oil change they found another problem, with all the driving I do I guess I have to expect to have some car trouble.

Andy’s therapy went well this week, although bike is not going as well as we’d like. Lisa will be working with Andy on Tues., Thurs., and Fri. for PT because she wants to work with him on her days here. Thurs. she must have worked him hard because he was still quite sore on Fri.. During OT they gave him a massage because he was so sore and just not up to par. We thought he was coming down with a cold or flu but it became apparent that it was probably a UTI (urinary tract infection), the first one he’s had. The nurse is surprised that he hasn’t had one before this but I’m disappointed it had to happen. Drinking water is one of the most important things he can do to keep healthy. I’ve been frustrated that it takes so long to get results from the sample that was taken on Fri. evening, It was picked up on Sat. am and we are told they will test on Mon. and results Tues., seems so long to wait when he’s not feeling good. He does seem to be feeling better today (Sun), after drinking lots of water and Cranberry juice.

We’re hoping next week will be a healthier one. Hoping your week will be happy and healthy too.

God Bless

Monday, March 7, 2005 9:38 PM CST

It has been over three weeks since I’ve seen my good buddy. Long over due. This time of year is the start of our busy season and so it goes. Last night Andrew called home and asked me to do a favor. He wants me to trade his shotgun in. I asked on what? He said for a left handed shotgun, I can make my trigger finger move. It’s not an every day event but Andrew continues to gain. When I arrived this evening he looked really good, big smile and all. I wish Andrew would update his sight when we’re not here but he must feel a little uncomfortable doing it, so it doesn’t get done as often as we would like. Therapies are going well and all I can do while away is to continue to keep his drive strong. It gets old telling him and I’m sure he gets tired of hearing it. I miss watching him doing therapies and well have to wait to watch in person. Willey’s has business to attend and I am on the road tomorrow. People ask me all the time how is Andrew doing and with the same sentence ask you must get tired of that question. The truth is we don’t mind at all. It’s nice to have the thoughts from all. Peace to all.

Friday, March 4, 2005 8:48 PM CST

Yesterday was 8 months from Andy’s accident, my thoughts sometimes go to “have we made the right choices as to where we are doing therapy, is their more we could be doing, is Andy working his hardest and are we missing out on some new therapy or treatment that we have yet to hear about? I do know we have a great network of friends and medical people who will also keep us informed.

Therapies were light today, pool went well, but PT was canceled then later rescheduled only they forgot to tell Andy , thankfully the therapist came looking for him. The FES bike went well but the electrodes were not sticking thus the score was not accurate, Andy does think it was a good session.

Andy has his computer back after taking it in to have 936 infected files removed and added some programs so this doesn’t keep happening. We also purchased a program called “Dragon Naturally speaking”. It runs the computer by voice commands. I am amazing at what it can do, I told Andy that he can only use it for college because he does well at using his computer now, it just takes him longer, but it is good therapy.

Have a great weekend - God Bless

Thursday, March 3, 2005 7:04 PM CST

Therapy started early today, 8am OT, 9:00 pulleys (1/2 hr), 10:00 PT, then rickshaw (1/2 hr) at 11:00. That leaves the afternoon light with just bike that went ok. Andy was expecting to have Liz for PT but was pleased to see Lisa back. His response after therapy was "It was nice to have Lisa back". They worked on using the ladder strap to sit up, she also had him sittting on the mat, with his trunk turned, leaning on his right elbow and forearm then he had to stablize his body and swing his left arm behind his back. It sounds like a simple task but he was unable to do this because his triceps are still very weak.

This afternoon I went to the Home and Garden show with my two sisters. I couldn't count the many times we were asked "are you all sisters?" It was fun to get out together and yes I saw sooo many things I would love to do to the house and yard.
Have a great day - Peace be with you

Wednesday, March 2, 2005 9:12 PM CST

Hecktic, thats what Todd's schedule has been like. He was unable to come down this week to be with Andrew, but all went well and Andy seems to be doing fine on his own, although their are times when he needs someone to give him a push to go above and beyond his scheduled therapies, such as using the E-stim and Qui machine that we brought back from PA., the stander and even the fitness center is an option.

I was expecting to see Andy's roommate today but he has not yet returned from the hospital, I hope all is well with him. Andy's therapies must have gone well this week but he doesn't give me much detail. Lisa returned to work but she was not on Andy's schedule, he seemed dissapointed about that. I am sure she will be on next weeks schedule as she is still his lead therapist.

Enjoy your day, God Bless

Friday, February 25, 2005 9:53 PM CST

Welcome - Here I am again wondering if I can find enough to say without sounding redundant. Andy's Friday schedule went well, but is not as physically challenging as is his Thursday schedule. OT was light because he asked Carrie to make him something to help him type with his left hand,it should also help him strengthen it. Then they played Yatzee, Carrie won two days in a row! He is able to hold the plastic cup in his hand and throw out the dice, he can also pick up the die with his right hand. On the bike he scored a .9, I found out that a perfect score would be 2. now that he is on the second resistance. PT was more balancing this time with a big bouncy like ball.

Andy's roommate went to the hospital again today. He still had a low grade temp. and throwing up. He has open wounds and they are afraid their is an infection. We are blessed that Andy has not had any of the typical medical problems that occur with spinal cord injuries. We do try to keep a watchful eye on things and remind Andy how important it is to care for your body.

Andy told me that the other day he again tipped over on his side, a resident saw him and tried to straighten him up only she tipped over too, on top of Andy thankfully she was able to upright her self and get assistance for him. I guess it was quite a sight. It's so nice to see the closeness among the residents.

I will be returning to McGregor Sat. afternoon and will not be back to the Cities until Wednesday.

Have a wonderful weekend and God Bless

Thursday, February 24, 2005 9:08 PM CST

Last evening upon returning to the cities I decided to meet Andy and our friends at the hockey game. Of course I had to make sure they made it safe and sound and besides it was better than sitting around the room waiting for them to return. The game was great unfortunately Blaine lost.When we returned to the Courge Center we saw an Ambulance had pulled up and to our surprise they came to Andy's room and picked up his new roommate. He was running a 103 temperature, it turned out to be the flu and he returned to the room later that night.

This AM Andy was to have OT in his room but Carrie found him still in bed at 8:00, this meant no OT for the day. Thankfully the rest of his morning was filled with weights, PT that was again practicing sitting up using the ladder straps. By the end of his session he was finally getting the hang of it and looked to be easier for him. I watch him with much pride, I know the easy way would be to quit, but he just continues to move forward no matter how hard the challenge. Rickshaw, is another type of weight lifting he does. The volunteer he has been seeing resently is from Isreal, her name is Ora and she is very friendly. She plans to go into PT and must put in so many volunteer hours. This afternoon was quiet with only the bike on his schedule. He got a 1.0/8, Andy tells me the scoring is different now that he has gone up a resistance. I guess this is just an ok score.

It always surprises me when I talk to people and they mention that they continue to read the updates. Thank you so much. God Bless you~

Monday, February 21, 2005 6:38 PM CST

As I drove off last night I realized that I had forgotten to update. Here's a quick summary of Friday. The bike was a bit of a dissapointment when he only scored a 1. During OT he worked on weights for his wrist. The left wrist is still not in,so E-stim is all we can do at this point and for PT he sat at the side of the mat, balancing and catching a balloon that she tosses at a different spot each time. On Saturday he had a sub do his OT, she was impressed with his improvement from last time she had seen him. We decided it must have been a month or so ago. The weekend was pretty uneventful except for racing.

Today was Andy's 19th birthday! School was closed for President's Day so I didn't have to work. Todd and Stacy came down to spend the day with him too. He wanted to keep it quiet but we did get to have cake and ice cream with him and classmate surprised him with some balloons.

Today was a day of improvements in both PT and OT. He did estim on both his abs and back and it was the first time Todd and I got to watch it. As she held his wrist he was able to pull himself up into the sit up position. In OT he increased his weight on his wrist from 3 to 5lbs. This was his second increase since he has being working out his wrist. Kate told us that he really had a lot of arm movement in the pool also. Todd will not be down here this week so there probably won't be any updates until Thursday due to the fact that Andy will be at the Blaine hockey game on Wednesday night.

We learned that Andy was to have a new roommate today while the RA's made his bed about ten minuets before his arrival. He's a 24 year-old paraplegic. I'm getting ready to take off to McGregor, we'll talk to you soon. God Bless.

Thursday, February 17, 2005 8:15 PM CST

Well, Its race week - This is the official start of the NASCAR racing season, all week they have races and qualifying that leads up to the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Todd is obsessed with racing and Andy isn't to far behind him. You can't imagine how excited they are about this.

Andy worked again on putting his pants on, the hardest part continues to be getting them over his feet because of the spasms. The FES bike is going ok, he got a .6 today which I think is pretty good but Andy doesn't agree with me. I was pleased to see how well he is able to sit himself up on the mat with minimal assistance. Using a strap that has sections like rungs on a ladder, he is able to pull his whole body over on his side, then gradually pull himself upright. The more difficult task is to push his legs over to the side of the mat so he can work on the transfer into the wheelchair.

Ordering a wheelchair was on our agenda today. The regional mgr.and a gentleman out of Brainerd who will sell and service the chair were there along with a Dr. and staff person who will submit our request to the insurance company.

We spent the evening with our neighbors. It's always fun to reminise about old times when the boys were young and here stories we didn't know about. What a neat family.
God Bless

Wednesday, February 16, 2005 10:54 PM CST

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Greetings to all,
I arrived at the Courage Center in time to watch Andy's favorite show - Lost. He got into the stander for an hour this evening and then it was his down time (10:00). I tried to pump him for information, but he was pretty vague. I do know he tried putting on his pants again this morning and he said he didn't do very well. Bike could have gone better, he needed some assistance so he didn't get an accurate score. He mentioned that he is looking forward to have Lisa back from her maternity leave in a week.
Yesterday he cooked during OT, he said he must be the only person to take an hour to make Ramin Noodles and then ruin them. He also mentioned that When they did E-stim on his abs she said his abs were starting to work.He said they were very sore and tired from that workout.
Thank you again for keeping up with our reports on Andy.
Peace-

Monday, February 14, 2005 10:32 PM CST

Happy Valentines Day - Todd is moving into the Duluth Boat Show today, so he will be unable to be with Andy this week. When I talked to Andy this evening I found him quite talkative. Monday's pool session, new starting this week, will only be 45 minutes long. It should be beneficial to Andrew to have two sessions a week. He was late to OT, they said they will try to adjust his schedule. Carrie checked the sensation in Andy's arms and found it had moved down some and he says the sensation was more intense or that he felt more feeling instead of tingling. During PT they did E-stim on his abs, but didn't give any more detail. He recieved two packages today, one was from a daycare in McGregor. The children sent him valentines and some cookies, he seemed quite touched by the thought. The other package came from California - it is a pair of yoga footwear that people seem to be having good results with. We will try most any avenue and alternative medicine is finally being seen as a legitimate form of treatment. Dinner was steak and twice baked potatoes, sounds like Andy cleaned his plate, which doesn't happen very often. I must let you know that Todd will be turning 50 years old tomarrow, unfortunately he will be spending it setting up for the boat show. Enjoy your day and may God bless you.

Friday, February 11, 2005 3:59 PM CST

It's a bright sunny day and balmy temperatures, feels like spring. I'm looking out Andy's window, the ducks must be thinking the same thing. They are much more active than usual, bobbing their heads, and chasing away any would be suitors that may interfere with their courtship.

Andy had pool this morning and will have a second session starting on Monday. The bike was programed to an increase of resistance to 2 out of a maximum of 8. Kate said he did good for the first time and got a score of 1.3. When we went to OT, I asked for Carries oppinion of yesterdays therapy. It was quite different than what Andy had told me. She said Andys tone (spasms) was the biggest problem so it was difficult for him to get his pants on his legs but once they were on, he did really did good at pulling them up and over his hips, which is usually the hardest part of it. So she expects that if we get his legs stretched out before and has his medication given earlier, he should be able to do it himself. Today Andy did E-stim on his fingers and weights for his wrists. He does 40 to 50 reps at 3oz and then tried several reps with 5oz. PT was canceled with his scheduled therapist but did have a half hour session with a different therapist.

Cliff, the gentleman who does chi gong will be coming to the Courage Center this evening to give Andy his therapy. We have missed the last two weeks so I was suprised when we recieved a call from Cliff to say he would be able to come down here. what a special man.
-Peace to you-

Friday, February 11, 2005 10:30 AM CST

Well, again I didn’t get the update done last night so I will quickly jot a few things done this AM. Todd is at the St. Paul Boat Show at the River Center this week. So we will only see him if we get down there. Andy’s OT was at 8:00 yesterday, It didn’t start off very good because the RA’s go him up late so his regular morning schedule didn’t go as usual. Carrie came into his room to practice dressing himself, Andy says it didn’t go so well but I don’t think was very interested in doing it, and maybe a little embarrassing too. For PT Andy asked to use the fitness center. He worked on one machine that is handicap accessible and does a variety weight lifting exercises. On the bike Andy got a .8 so will be increasing his resistance today. We went to the Blaine H.S. hockey game last night. It was a nail biter, Blaine was down 4-1 in the 2 period and had 4 goals in the 3rd period to win. It was fun getting out and visiting with friends. Have a wonderful day - God Bless

Sunday, February 6, 2005 9:49 PM CST

It’s Superbowl Sunday, Gene and Mary and Todd came down to watch the game with Andy and I to my surprise, Todd had invited some friends over. We all enjoyed great food, conversation and of course the great commercials, oh yeah the game was ok too.

I came down with the flu and a bad cold on Wednesday so I slipped in long enough to let Andy know I was down here and went back to the apartment. I was still pretty miserable on Thursday and didn’t want to infect any of the residents so I didn’t go to the Courage Center. On Friday I decided if I stayed my distance it would be ok for me to go. Andy continues to work hard and see improvements. Once a month he has an appointment with the resident psychologist, he never wants to go to see her but I make him. When he came back, he was very upset and said he’s not going back there. He said she had suggested that he think about moving down to the cities when he is ready to go home. I then said that maybe he should think about it because of the accessibility of so may things. I felt bad for saying that because he couldn’t believe I would suggest that. He was so close to tears and his lip quivered as he responded to me. On a lighter note, Todd came down Friday to go to a Timberwolves game with Andy, then on Saturday afternoon, two of Andy’s friends came down and we all went to a McGregor basketball game at the Target Center. Andy had a great time seeing lots of friends. Well it’s getting late and I have to head up north. Have a great week, God bless.

Thursday, February 3, 2005 2:04 PM CST

I apologize for not having an update posted since Sunday. I have elected to put some time in at work prior to our next boat show. When calling and conversing with Andrew the amount of information he shares is usually limited. Our update schedule should have been on track again with Bev's arrival last night but she headed to the appartment with flu like symptoms. She called last night and asked to update, so here goes without my presence with Andrew. I just made contact with Andrew and asked for info as we have not updated and low and behold he opened up. He's had a large morning of workouts and was quite tired as far as muscles go. Since I left him last week he has increasd weights in two excercises. He's been told he is two bike rides away from having the resistance increased. This means if he continues to score well, the bike will be set up to make it harder to pedal. He continues to have the light sensation on his arms and also told me his sensation to touch on his arms has increased also. Obvisouly by the pre mentioned Andrew is continuing to progress and we believe it will not stop. It is all exciting. We also realized the progrss is slow but still he is moving forward. We're patient and time is on his side. I will also share his displeasure with the CC's menu, chicken is served as many as five times a week and chicken is chicken, whether on rice, baked, alaking, chicken fingers, and so on. Lets hope Bev feels better and will update tomorrow, If not I will do my best. Peace.

Sunday, January 30, 2005 3:33 PM CST

It was pool day today (Friday) and after missing my exit, I arrived 20 minutes later than I intended, but I did get to watch half of his therapy. I did watch him doing the back stroke, but starting with his hands at his side and then bringing them up over his head. He has become stronger and quicker at doing his laps. When in the pool he uses a blow-up flotation devise around his neck, so when Amy seated him on the underwater bench at the side of the pool, got him balancing and then went to get a beach ball. I watched Andy balancing, kind of teetering there, it seems to be much harder to balance in the water, probably because his arms are up on top of the water. I had such a nervous stomach watching him, thinking I was going to have to either yell for help or jump in after him. He did managed to stay sitting upright until Amy returned and they hit the ball back and forth to each other. It is fun to watch the interaction between Andy and Amy, they talk and laugh the entire session. Andy tells me she’s going to have a fantasy Nascar team and Todd is going to help her, I guess their going to have a little friendly competition. Carrie was sick again today but he did have another therapist who did a nice job. A week-end friend stopped by to see Andy during OT and had not seen him since Sister Kenny. He could not believe the improvements that Andy has made. For some reason the bike is not being set up properly therefore is not getting an accurate reading, but he did seem to have a good session, and it’s great just a great cardiovascular workout and gets his legs moving. PT was last on his schedule. Erin S. kept Andy working hard, again he assisted with his transfers, while sitting on the side of the mat, he did push-ups with his hands on a ball, did more balancing without using his hands and practiced getting upright from being tipped to his side.

Your support continues to uplift and give us the patience and confidence to know Andy will walk again. God Bless

Friday, January 28, 2005 10:31 AM CST

I arrived Wed. evening, Andrew was reluctant to give me the lowdown on his day so I decided I’d wait till today to update. He is getting tired of hearing: “So how was OT ?” Or, “what did you do in PT today ?” And “did you have anything new happen today?” So I tread lightly on these questions when he has that look, and last night I wanted all the details when I heard about his Tuesday PT session. Unfortunately, I had to wait until I found Erin C. today and she explained to me that since Andy is doing so well she thought she would try doing E-stim on his abs. She said she was surprised to see that with a small amount to stimulation she was able to get his abs to contract. Andy had told us on our Tuesday phone call that he had done a sit-up. I’ll be anxious to see exactly how this therapy works.

As for today, PT started by having Andy try to get out of his wheelchair. Liz first put a sliding board partially under his backside, she had him use his hands for leverage, one on the chair and one on the board, then he had to wiggle his hips from side to side using his whole upper body to get the momentum. He was able to get some movement but needed quite a bit of help. Once on the mat she had him lay on his back, knee up and with his right arm he would swing it across his body again using momentum to turn his body on his side and then onto his stomach. Once he was on his stomach she had him hold his upper body up with his elbows and then do mini push-ups. Next he had to slide forward so his head and arms were hanging over the edge of the mat and he worked his arms with a small skateboard like devise that he would push back and forth and make circles. Finally he had to assist at getting himself back into his chair. Andy did both weights and rickshaw along with his PT before lunch, he mentioned that his arms were exhausted. I guess that’s a good thing. After lunch he went to OT and found out his therapist was sick and their was no one to replace her. He did go on the bike though, and they finally got it working properly. He had a great ride with a score of 7. That’s it for today.

Peace to you all

Monday, January 24, 2005 6:42 PM CST

I stopped in for a short visit last night after moving out of the Minneapolis boat show. It’s been a long two week period with back to back five day shows. As expected Andrew looked good, was in good spirits and had some news to share, new feeling on his arms. The left arm doesn’t have as much, but the right arm goes down to his wrist. The sensation he feels is a light feeling sensation as when blowing on the skin, really exciting. The last couple of weeks we’ve seen some great improvements and I expect many more to come. Today’s schedule again a very light one, two therapies, both in the morning. We’re hopeful they’ll add a pool session on this light, extremely light scheduled day. In OT, Carrie’s eyebrows raised when Andrew told her about his new feeling. Again she said it really didn’t surprise her as Andrew is not the norm. We worked on his left wrist and his hands. PT was done in the fitness room. He hadn’t been in that room since Lisa was here prior to her maternity leave. The amount of weight he started with had increased dramatically. Erin was really impressed. She asked Andrew if he had been scheduled for an additional pool time. I told her Monday would be a great day with the extremely light load he has. Erin told Andrew to come back after lunch and she would put him in the manual chair. This just turned a light day into a constant work out maneuvering the chair. Still in the chair after supper he started to show signs of tiring. I’m heading north tonight instead of Wednesday as I need to be horizontal in my own bed and also catch up time at work. I’ve made arrangements to get Andrew into the standing chair prior to bed. This Monday was finally a full day of therapy. Nice. Peace To You All.

Friday, January 21, 2005 8:14 PM CST

I was unable to update last night because Andy and I went to the boat show and returned around 9:30. I had to go back downtown to meet Todd to give him some things I forgot to bring him, and then we decided to go out for a late dinner.

Thurs. - OT went well, Carrie did E-stim on Andy’s hand and for the first time saw some wrist movement in his left hand. She also worked his fingers that are showing slight movements too. The miracles continue, and your prayers are making a difference in Andy’s healing. -Thank you-

Andy was on the bike but didn’t do well, they believe it is not working properly. Today they will use the other bike. Mat work was a little different. Andy was slid back against the wall, using his best posture, then he is asked to press his shoulders against the wall to improve the winging out of this shoulders and improve his left shoulder that is higher than his right. Next she had him box at her hands while still against the wall. She would move her hands, sometimes having him cross over and lift high.

Fri. - Pool was good, as Andy says “ Same as usual” . The bike went well and he pedaled the entire time but it was not set-up properly so he didn’t get a reading. For OT he was fitted for a clavicle support to hold his shoulders in good alignment and did some strengthening of his midsection. PT was mat work much like yesterdays.

We now have about 8 inches of snow so Andy went outside to check it out - he told me to come and get him if he doesn’t return in a bit. I must close for now so I’m not out on the roads too late.

God Bless

Wednesday, January 19, 2005 10:47 PM CST

It’s Wed Night, Todd is at the Mpls. Boat Show and my trip down here was uneventful. I thought I had missed the cold snap when I returned to McGregor last Sunday but little did I know I was to return to the coldest day in years. It was 24 below zero on the drive home and dropped down to 36 below that night. Our furnace ran continuously and our off peak heat was completely depleted by morning. I also had a day off work because school was canceled for a second day due to the cold weather.

Now for the daily report direct from Andy - He did mat work today, mainly working on balance. During OT Carrie came to his room and he put his shirt on needing some assistance. Pulleys are a daily session and continues to make progress. Lisa, Andy’s lead therapist has been on a 12 week maternity leave. She stopped in to see him today and brought in her new baby boy, Owen and also baked Andy some goodies.

Take Care and God Bless

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 8:24 PM CST

I arrived late Monday evening to visit before heading to the apartment and found Andrew relaxing. His appearance was good and he stated he had a good weekend and his therapies went well. Our Mondays routine continues to be a slow one. Tuesday started on the FES bike and like last week it went very well scoring a .5, last Tuesday was good also with a .4. This is strange as usually early in the week we’ve been scoring low and finishing strong. Last week started high and Thursday was lower with Friday’s even lower. Go figure. He next did pulley’s and I could see an improvement with his range and motion. Our afternoon was also good. In OT Carrie worked again on his hands with E-stim. The results we’re seeing are exciting. Andrew is really excerting a lot of energy during these therapies. She only works on one hand at a time and she is excited also to see what’s developing. She is also a little confused because on his left hand the wrist movement he had has left and hand movement enhanced with E-stim has come. She stated he is truly a strange patient. We decided to try his left wrist with E-stim and low and behold we had some movement. Things are happening. I’m asking the therapist to try to schedule more and more to try to really work Andrew harder the next few months. They are in agreement and my intentions are to drive him hard and he knows my plans and also is in agreement. In PT we worked on his shoulders and put him in a manual chair. When we got back to the room Andrew left and wheeled around. After dinner he was bushed and we got him back in his chair. He’s tired and spent. He’s had a good day. Peace Everyone.

Sunday, January 16, 2005 12:47 AM CST

Friday - Andy's session in the 92 degree pool included sitting on the side of the pool stretching from side to side, and swam several laps doing the back stroke.He returned to his room via a VERY cold entryway. He is wrapped in blankets and quickly wheeled back, Andy said it wasn't too cold. He then gets a quick shower and is off to the FES bike that has continued to be dissapointing. Andy had OT three times today, because there is a gentleman who is volunteering at the Courage Center, he is hoping to go to school for this. PT was moved to their lower level room because all mats (4) were in use upstairs. Again Andy sat on the side of the mat, they attach straps with loops on his thighs, then he has to put his hand throuh a loop and try to pull a leg up on the mat and then the other. He struggled with this so they have him lay on his side on the mat and have him pull up his legs one at a time.This exercise is to learn to get himself into bed.

Saturday was a quiet day, we didn't go to Pine City due to the low temps, but he did have his OT with Monica, they worked on his fingers and wrists and played some games. Andy and I watched a movie and then I went to visit Todd after his boat show.

Sunday - Today we are enjoying Gene and Mary's company and goodies they brought down. We tried our hardest to root the Vikings on to victory but it wasn't to be. Todd will be here later this evening after his stint at the St.Paul Boat Show.

Have a great week,
God Bless

Thursday, January 13, 2005 9:04 PM CST

We meet again - Andy's computer has hundreds of viruses and it's impossible to use it, so I'm on one of the many computers here at the Courage Center.

Carie used the E-stim on Andy's fingers today and she used different electrodes with some gel to get a better connection. She got a bit of movement from both his left and right fingers, some with stim and some on his own,it doesn't take long to tire them out. He was again in the manual chair for the entire hour and practiced going through two doors that are quite heavy and that close behind you. He asked to take a short break before he attempted it and did need a bit of assistance. It will take a some practice to find a technique that will accomplish this task. We didn't even look at the score he got on the bike, as Kate had to assist him several times. The weights seem to be pretty consistant, he hasn't increased any weight since we returned from Pennsylvania, hopefully that will change soon.

Stacy stopped by with a friend this evening and we also had some friends from California visit us. I feel bad that they have to endure this bitter cold but their hanging in there and making the most of it.

God Bless

Wednesday, January 12, 2005 10:47 PM CST

Today Todd had to leave the Courage Center at 10:30 to work at the St. Paul Boat Show this week-end. I can’t imagine they will be very busy with expected cold temperatures. After talking to Todd, we decided it would be best if I came down today cause it may be icier tomorrow morning so, I left McGregor at 3:45 expecting to have treacherous roads to drive in, but they weren’t too bad.

According to Andy, things were pretty typical. In the AM with assistance he put his shirt and sweatshirt on, he brushed his teeth, and washed his face. It sounds like a pretty light work-out but for Andy it’s quite exhausting, yet it is getting easier. He did the rickshaw again today and also mat work.

When I arrived, I had to order dinner out for Andy, cause he didn’t want pancakes that were on the menu here. Then I had to feed dinner to the ducks. Speaking of, I must tell you about the last time I fed the ducks in the creek, suddenly they started squawking and flying off. I saw one duck struggling in the water, then I saw an animal was trying to kill it. After yelling and throwing rocks at it, I finally went to the other side of the creek and saw that it was a mink. He dropped the duck for a moment and stared at me, if it would have started swimming across the creek, I would have been on the run. I found out they must have a pair of them here and as I thought, they are quite ferocious for there size. Oh it then took the dead duck and tried to get it though a drain pipe that is near the creek and he must live in.

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 7:02 PM CST

This morning first thing was a session on the FES bike. Andrew said he was stretched fairly well and at nine we were headed to this therapy. The usual Tuesday on the bike doesn’t go as well as later in the week. Andrew made an exception today. He scored a .4 and rode it on his own for the entire half hour along with some resistance off and on as well. After the bike we headed to an OT session. Carrie started with weights on his right wrist. Bev mentioned last week he was up to three ounces on this exercise. His right wrist continues to get stronger while the left remains idle. While we were out east over the holidays we saw a little inkle of motion in his hand so I asked Carrie to explore this and with E-stim we went to work. After a while there were signs of Andrew trying to assist the E-stim in making a fist and extending his fingers. I think we’ll continue with these exercises in our room. Carrie expressed to me that as time went on during this therapy Andrew tried harder and was able to assist to a degree where Carrie felt him trying to assist when extending fingers or making a fist. After lunch Andrew had pulleys and a PT. The pulley session continues to improve both with range and with the amount of weight increasing. It seems like every time I watch a PT session on the mat they are working on a different balance or weight transfer. Today was another exercise I had not witnessed. There are so many muscle combinations we use one doesn’t realize how important they all are until watching one trying to get them back working together as there meant to be. He’s progressing but has a long way to go. Peace be with you all.

Monday, January 10, 2005 7:33 PM CST

Its was News Years Day when I last saw Andrew. When I arrived this morning he was still in bed but was ready to go to make his therapy's on time. A typicle Monday but the workouts he had were good. He looks good and reported to me no new developments. Yet. I kind of sense a downward slide in his overall attitude. It's hard to put in words but I sense a rut. I see a little more range and strength in his therapies. Carie is working more on his tricepts lately and they continue to strengthen as well. I heard talk twice today of when is he going to be leaving and what are his plans. I quess we better start to dwell on that issue soon. In my mind as long as he keeps improving, this is where he needs to be. Andrew's computor is acting up so I'm at a differant station making this entry. I'll return to his room and work with E-Stim prior to leaving and look forward to another day tommorow. Peace.

Saturday, January 8, 2005 11:03 PM CST

It’s Sat. evening, Andy and I are enjoying some country music on the tv tonight. He enjoys lots of different music and does a lot of down loading from the internet. He’s also drinking a bottle of pop while holding it in his hand using his tino. He isn’t able to open and close his fingers with the tino by himself yet, but the more he uses it the stronger his wrist should get so he can.

On Friday, Andy first went to the pool and as he says “I swam”, guess that means it was a good session. OT was his next therapy, he took off his sweatshirt in 10 minutes and put it back on in 15 minutes with a little assistance. That afternoon I noticed some red marks on his hand, when I asked him what they were he decided that they must have been bite marks from when he was taking his sweatshirt off. During PT he sat at the side of the mat and leaned to one side, he put his elbow and forearm on the mat and then would try to straighten his elbow to sit upright. Erin noticed that he seemed a lot stronger, but still needs quite a bit of assistance. He also sat up and I would hold a ball in front of him and he would have to balance his trunk and take it out of my hand and then put it back into my hand. He did a good job but it was pretty tough. Bike also went well but we forgot to look at his score.

Today we went to Pine City to do his Qui Gong for a 12:00 appt., when we arrived Cliff was not there and had canceled our appt. by mistake. We drove back to the Courage Center and got a return call, he apologized for the mistake and said he was going to be in Minneapolis tomorrow and he would like to come here at 1:00 to do his treatment. We enjoyed a bit of company this afternoon and had a lot of good laughs.

Enjoy your day, Peace to all

Thursday, January 6, 2005 10:32 PM CST

I arrived at the Courage Center this am. When I left home this morning the temperature was 19 below and south of McGregor it dipped to 23 below, Thankfully the temps warmed up quite a bit. Andy was just getting on the mat when I arrived. This session included laying on his side, putting his wrist in a strap and try to pull himself to a sitting position. He will need a bit more strength to master this but it will be an important skill for him to learn. Andy lifted weights on his wrist in OT and to Caries surprise, he was able to increase the weight from 1 oz to 3 oz.. Next, he did push ups off the side of a table and then leaning forward in his chair (tilted back slightly) until he is completely slumped over, then using his arms he pushes himself upright. He was exhausted after repeating this a number of times. We were disappointed when Andy was unable to get on the bike today and unfortunately he wont be able to reschedule it for Saturday.

May God bless you richly

Wednesday, January 5, 2005 12:22 AM CST

I reached Andrew mid afternoon Monday as he was on his way to a therapy session, no chance to talk too much. He did mention he was sore as they had him in the manual chair. I am staying up north all week to catch up so Andrew is on his own till Thursday when Bev goes down. I finally got a hold of him late evening and as usual he doesn’t have much to report when we’re not there. His Monday routine hasn’t changed, as it is a weak day of therapy. I had a chance to go fishing in the evening so he was real interested in the results and his spirits were good. I did ask him to please call me during the day so I didn’t have to play phone tag. That phone call came late Tuesday evening, he was a little grumpy due to a not so good dinner. His day went well with therapy. He said he rode the FES bike on his own but didn’t reach the resistance mode. That to me is good, as usually on Tuesday’s bike session the therapist’s needed to assist him periodically to maintain the Rpm’s. He also started a new therapy and I can’t remember what it’s called. I can tell you that it has to do with pulleys and weights. He is a little sore as to not exercising for close to a two-week period though it isn’t as bad as I would have expected. I told him to keep the good attitude and to continue to work hard. Bev will be down there tomorrow and hopefully will update this with a hands on in person update. Peace.

Saturday January 1, 2005 1:10 AM CST

We arrived back to the CC at three AM New Years Day. I had kept a journal throughout the week but obviously could not update. I will leave this update of our trip till I return back to the CC.

Day One and Two. An early start from the CC it wasn’t but it just takes more time than one might think. It was a slow start with Andrew’s Am program to start with along with time consuming good byes to many. There were a number of fellow residence’s that were leaving the CC to go on their way. I can’t say we’ve grown close to these people but I can tell you they’ve touched our lives. I can only hope one day our paths will meet again. We were in route just before eleven and I planned on driving till the roads got bad. That never happened. The freeways were dry the entire way. We arrived to our destination after fourteen hours and fifteen minutes and that included going through Chicago during the evening commute. I had made resy’s at an Extended StayAmerica which doesn’t have an on duty person after eleven so we found a hotel that accommodated us quite well and at a premium price. The rest felt good as you can imagine. We checked in to the Extended Stay, went grocery shopping, found a Church to go to after watching the great defense of the Vikings and had dinner after. Merry Christmas. PeaceDay Three. We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen. I know we all would have preferred to be with family and friends and also know that next years celebration will be even brighter. A quite day with a little time spent site seeing to get familiar with our surroundings and the remainder lounging and just relaxing. A special day even so. Peace to yours.

Day Four. A final day of lounging filled with anticipation of tomorrow’s appointments. We’re scheduled for two appointments daily with the results of the treatment to determine how many and how long we’ll be here. We are filled with many questions and soon there will be answers to most. I can tell you that the Steelers rule in this town. Peace.
Day Five. We’re up at six thirty to make the nine thirty appointment. First thing was for us to fill out information on Andrew along with past history. We’re now in the Doctors’ office being interviewed and she plugged Andrew with any and all kinds of various questions. She describes to us in layman’s terms what does and doesn’t work within Andrew’s body and what she intends to do and how she will track his progress. The tracking is done by taking pictures through thermal imagining. Pictures are taken of his feet, hands and arms, chest and neck profiled. They are saved as 12-27-04 feet pre, 12-27-04 hands pre etc. Now the first treatment which is done in two phases called Photon, a series of different colored rays simply placed over various areas through two wands. After the first phase she takes the same pictures over and saves them as 12-27-04 feet mid, 12-27-04 hands mid, etc. She then proceeds with the second half of the treatment and after again takes thermal photos, saves as 12-27-04 feet post etc. Now she has a track record of heat sensing images to show changes to various areas. Her initial reaction was one like a hockey player might make after scoring a goal, punching and kicking air and makes a comment of you are kicking ass. This Doctor is very upbeat, positive, kind and full of many expressions and is a pleasure to be around. We’re sent home. Andrew is told to take a nap, drink plenty of water and in the afternoon we’ll do it all again. Now afternoon, we start with the thermal images again, saving as 12-27-04 feet aft. pre etc. After taking all the images and comparing she felt Andrew has reacted so much that she doesn’t want to repeat this treatment. She now switches gears and brings in a machine that uses small amounts of voltage. She is searching for muscle reaction when placing the pads in various locations and was able to get hand and finger movement. Her reaction to Andrew’s first day was exciting as she saw more results from him than she expected. We departed with orders for the evening and were all anticipating our second day.

Day Six, our second with Dr. Haber. Tuesday’s AM appointment, nine thirty and our kind Dr. Haber is ready to go at nine thirty, that’s three appointments in a row where there is little time spent in the waiting room. We start again with the six different thermal images. She then placed the six different groups of four pictures on the screen, this room is equipped with five monitors and all are on, to compare and made a comment saying the poop is falling from the ceiling. When Constance Diane ( Dr. Haber ) gets excited I wish one could only remember a portion of her sayings, a special lady who grows on you by the minute. She now takes the time to explain what she is so excited about. When comparing one can see the difference in all areas. We do another two phase treatment and of course taking more images. She has a medical staff in California that she works with and tells us she’s made contact with a specialist, a top ranked Neural Surgeon who is interested in Andrew due to his first day results. Permission is given to exchange information and the next step is to do a nerve reading test I believe called a Neurometrix. This device detects whether the nerves are still active. This will be sent to this high ranking Doctor who she continues to rave about. Andrew’s told to go take a nap, eat and keep drinking lots of water and back for a five thirty appointment. We start of course again with thermal images prior to another Photon treatment along with more thermals. Next we go into a different room and transfer Andrew onto a flat surfaced machine, it’s called Neotone therapy and it sends magnetic fields to areas that she wishes to. As she moved the lever to control the energy fields Andrew would react with movement in different areas. Andrew could also feel these different surges in most of the areas she tried to effect. When we’re at our hotel room we continue to stretch and use weights in hopes of keeping what Andrew has gained in the strength department.

Day Seven. A nine thirty appointment and the Neural Surgeon wants Dr. Haber to do some tests. She is simply taking a plastic wire like needle and begins to probe and asks Andrew to tell her when he feels any sensation. She then puts a dot on each spot that Andrew has feeling. She then connects all the dots. These dots and connected line goes completely around his shoulder line and partially down his arms. Now pictures are taken with a still camera and a video camera is used and the Dr. asks Andrew to try to do different hand motions. All these pictures are also documented with date and pre RX. Next is a two phase laser treatment with, you guessed it, pictures, dated with RX mid and the same exercises. After the second phase Andrew showed a little response in his right hand. He was only able to contract his hand for a short time, possibly with some wrist movement but even so a change it was. Then we go back to marking his sensation with a different colored marker and connect the dots and low and behold the line and dots has moved down his arms. Exciting. Pictures are taken to show the change. These will be sent to the Neural Surgeon for him to examine. We leave and head back to our room to rest Andrew and wait for a five thirty and we start again with connecting the dots with again a different color. The dots now are way down his arm and Dr. Haber leaves the room to contact the surgeon. She comes back with a headset talking to this doctor and does a series of tests and we again do the laser routine. Before departing we discuss our time frame and the plan is to stay through Friday possibly Saturday depending on the Surgeon’s requests. We’re also told by Dr. Haber that she wants us back here in June.

Day Eight. We start again with thermal images, feeling sensation marked by dots and connected from dot to dot. The sensation has again more down his arm even farther. She is very excited. Also the heat in his hands and feet are quite warm. The thermal images also show signs of arteries opening on both arms and legs, all good stuff. Andrew is asked to do some contracting with little response. Her comment is, it will come. We do the photon routine again along with thermal images during and after the treatment. Andrew’s response now is a cool down which tells her that his body is aware of changes and reacts to these treatments even more. She now does the sensation probing and connects the dots. The sensation has moved down even farther. Next we go into another room and do another treatment of Neotone, magnetic field, therapy and we leave. The afternoon session begins with discussion on our time frame and what are thoughts are. Dr. Haber states that even too much of a good thing can be bad and maybe it’s time to back away. She suggests maybe four more treatments which would be through Saturday. We begin treatment with the thermal images and Andrew’s extremities are really warm. As we proceed through the Photon treatments Andrew’s extremities respond again by cooling down. It’s quite amazing to look at a monitor and see yellows, orange and reds turn to blues while the treatment is being given. She then proceeds to do sensation probing only down his arms to reveal his sensation even father down the arm. While doing various therapies throughout the week Dr. Haber has occasionally asked Andrew to move extremities, at times we can see a tweak or two. Discussion again on where we should go with further treatments. We depart and await another day to visit the fine Doctor.

Day Nine. The final day of 2004. Our discussion last night as a family was to do one more treatment and head home. The appointment today was scheduled late due to scheduling with other patients. By going later she felt she could dedicate more time to Andrew. She is fine with our decision to leave after therapy also. Andrew’s treatment is a repeat of the previous days to a T with the exception of the sensation positioned dots. They have not really moved down his arm any farther. We finish the Photon treatments take a few more pictures, dress Andrew and begin discussion on the weeks events. Prior to beginning therapy earlier Dr. Haber presented us with a set of thermal image photos. They are of day one before treatment and Thursday’s second, they are quite different to say the least. She again is very excited with the results. She tells us that she will send us a complete set when she completes her paper work. This heaven set angel of God has been at this project for ten years when she first invented the Photonic equipment. In 1998 her invention was FDA approved. She was awarded a US patent in 2000 and a second in 2001. She has been partners with investors who wanted to travel a different road, she refused and went her own way. She has a technical staff based out of San Francisco and a highly ranked Neural Surgeon in Southern California. It is a financial monster that get funded by her and her alone. She is determined to find answers and committed to her project beyond belief. She obviously very dedicated. She is a workaholic blessed with need to find answers to helping people and yes, an angel. We depart and no Andrew is not walking, he is not making a fist nor pointing a finger, YET; it will come.

Friday, December 24, 2004 10:04 PM CST

Day One and Two. An early start from the CC it wasn’t but it just takes more time than one might think. It was a slow start with Andrew’s Am program to start with along with time consuming good byes to many. There were a number of fellow residence’s that were leaving the CC to go on their way. I can’t say we’ve grown close to these people but I can tell you they’ve touched our lives. I can only hope one day our paths will meet again. We were in route just before eleven and I planned on driving till the roads got bad. That never happened. The freeways were dry the entire way. We arrived to our destination after fourteen hours and fifteen minutes and that included going through Chicago during the evening commute. I had made resy’s at an Extended StayAmerica which doesn’t have an on duty person after eleven so we found a hotel that accommodated us quite well and at a premium price. The rest felt good as you can imagine. We checked in to the Extended Stay, went grocery shopping, found a Church to go to after watching the great defense of the Vikings and had dinner after. Merry Christmas. Peace

Wednesday, December 22, 2004 11:24 PM CST

Bev and I arrived just prior to eight this evening with Bev needing to go and finish shopping. She missed a couple of therapist that we felt were important to us and so off she went. Give her an opportunity to hit the mall and she’s off, haven’t heard or seen her since. I think she knows we’re planning on leaving tomorrow. Andrew was put in a manual chair again today and this evening I’ve heard numerous times how sore his shoulders are. Andrew said his therapies went well. He was anticipating a tired body from yesterday’s workout but said things went well. We’ve been given weights to take along so we’ll figure some routines to help maintain what he’s accomplished. Bev just called, she said she’s done. I don’t believe a word she says when she talks of being done shopping. No way. The plan for departure is as soon as Andrew’s ready in the morning we will make our rounds passing out gifts, say some good byes and be on the road. Looks like we’ll be running into quite a bit of snow as we head east. I’m looking forward to see what a lot of snow looks like, it’s been awhile. As I reflect back on the last seven months we’ve made a lot of progress and Andrew continues to improve. We also know we have a long way to go and that we will get there. This next chapter brings a lot of hope for new improvements, movements, range and functions. This doctor has had great success and our plan is for Andrew to be one of her success stories. We again want to thank you all for the continued support and prayers you have given us through this trying time. Time does heal and your kindness and love has been an enormous help to us. We are truly grateful. Merry Christmas. Peace

Tuesday, December 21, 2004 6:52 PM CST

We started the day in the FES bike and prior to this therapy I stretched his legs hoping for a high score. Not so, Andrew scored a verily low score. It seems this therapy scores low on Tuesday and improves Thursday and again on Friday, go figure. Today was a full day. He was put into the manual chair and he just was transferred back into his electric chair moments ago. He is stating how tired his arms are. In OT he did push ups, he had pulley’s and also worked on the mat in PT. A full day it was. Tomorrow he might not produce much, well see. His Teno was also delivered to him today. He didn’t work with it much due to being in the manual chair. This device will take a little time for him to completely figure out. He will need to learn how to put it on as well as how to use it. Another learning curve of sorts. I’m heading home tonight to pack and Bev and I will return tomorrow evening and when Andrew is ready Thursday morning we’ll head east. We’ll type at you all again tomorrow. Peace

Monday, December 20, 2004 9:23 PM CST

My early Monday start was delayed with a snow fall that resulted in a need to plow. I had a ten o’clock business appointment in Plymouth and due to the lovely icy roads I was only an hour late. After travel and business I arrived just in time for lunch. Andrew had all his therapies scheduled in the morning today. His afternoon was left open for an appointment to get his Teno fitted. He was put into a cast for sizing prior and today was the fitting. A Teno is a mechanical device that will enable him to grab smaller objects and hold on to them firmly. The wrist strength is most important in using this device and Andrew’s right wrist has finally gotten to the point to allow him to use one. Tomorrow the company will bring the finished device to us here and Andrew will start the learning process. His PT session today was in the manual chair and he continues to improve. Tomorrow they are putting him back in the manual chair and he will remain in it during the day. This is good news because it means he’s improving enough to use the chair without supervision, good stuff. We just finished an hour in the standing chair and now we’re into a little R&R. I’ve been tracking the weather and it looks pretty good for our trip out east. I think we’ll leave Thursday morning as Bev doesn’t want to be traveling on Christmas. We have a few items we’re trying to locate yet to assist us while being away and tomorrow is the D day to find what we need. No one rents what we need unfortunately. Tomorrow is a busy day for both Andrew and me, we’re both talking an early bedtime. Peace

Saturday, December 18, 2004 8:44 PM CST

The pressure is on, Andy’s giving me 45 minutes to type this and then it’s his turn to get on the computer. As I told you yesterday, his pool went well and Amy, his pool therapist, stopped by today to say hi to Andy. Friday was an overall great day in therapies. He got a 9 on the FES bike. Carie from OT is so impressed how much progress he’s making. She had him lay his chest on a table, while he’s in his chair, then he had to get himself back into the sitting position. With some assistance and holding his elbows close to his body he was able to get up. He did that three times and was quite exhausted when he was done. Erin S., his Wed. & Thurs. PT therapist did his usual upper body strengthening and used a balloon for part of it. It was fun to watch him try to hang on to it and when it started to roll off his lap he was able to get it back, he even had me rub in on his clothes so the static would keep it in place.

The number of geese in this area is unbelievable. Hundreds of them fly over Andy’s room both morning and evening, they fill the sky. We went out and fed the ducks yesterday, we estimate a couple hundred in the little creek. Its fun to see them come running when they see Andy’s blue bag that’s full of cracked corn. Today the temperature is taking a nose dive, I feel sorry for all the ducks and geese that have decided to tuff it out up here.

Thank you for all your caring and support - God Bless

Friday, December 17, 2004 9:44 AM CST

Last night I left and forgot to update so I hope I’m getting this one off in time. I was trying to finish up Andy’s and my Christmas shopping - with not much luck I might add. Yesterday Andy got a .7 on the bike with just a little help. It seems to be improving little by little again. During OT Carie did weights, E-stim and is making him a mitt that he can use to help wash himself.

This morning is pool day and I did find him there. Two Fridays in a row, I think they have it figured out. It seems they have a therapist, nursing, and a RA schedule and he wasn’t on the RA schedule. Andy was balancing on the side of the pool when I arrived. As I watched I noticed his shoulder blades at times were almost touching each other, and were moving in unusual ways as he stretched out his arms to his sides, I assume it is due to some muscles that work and some that don’t. We now are putting his binder around his stomach which seems to help his light headedness. He now has his shower in and I know it’s going to be another great day

Enjoy your day, God Bless

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 10:46 PM CST

This morning Andrew’s first session was in room with working on getting his T shirt and sweatshirt on. From there he went in the bathroom, shaved and brushed his teeth. This routine continues to show improvement little by little. While he was in his PT I brought my folks to the airport, California bound for the holidays. Andrew was put on the mat and worked on his side to side movement. He told me he had a good session. This afternoon he started a new routine while doing weights. This exercise will work on strengthening muscle which will enable him to help and eventually do transfers. We just got back to the room after supper and our plan was to do some E-stim and the standing chair. The phone rang, Bev’s on her way down and has a flat. I thought I would start this update and head to the rescue. I’m betting someone will have it changed prior to my arrival. I’ll end and head her way.

Well, it’s 7:30 and the changing of the guard. I finally arrived at the Courage Center an hour and a half after my flat tire near Ham Lake. Todd saved my day by driving over to change my tire. I am so thankful that I didn’t pull over at the Knife Lake rest area because I could have been stranded there for who knows how long. I also drove about 10 miles with the “low tire pressure” message flashing, when I did find a station to stop at, the tire seemed to immediately go flat. I’m just glad to be back here.

I did have the chance to see Andy in the standing frame this evening and he is able to go directly in the standing position without getting lighted. We also did E-stim on his right hand and I‘ve noticed that his wrist goes up but his fingers are in a more closed position. I’ll have to ask Carie why that is happening. It’s the end of my day here, I’m looking forward to another busy day tomorrow.

Thanks

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 10:46 PM CST

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 10:38 PM CST

I was able to finish early with my meeting today and made it back to be with Andrew for weights and a PT session which was with a his new therapist. They were going to go into the manual chair but it was no where to be found so he was put on the mat. They worked on a new maneuver of getting from a laying down position to sitting. This exercise worked a combination of muscles that gave him another hard workout. It seems lately he’s stated how tired certain muscles are. He said today while doing weights he was tired as he struggled to work the full range of an exercise. He was put on the FES bike this morning and he did alright so he said, I keep telling him to look on the screen to read his final results. The result percentage tells all and is good info to track. I had a friend take me this afternoon to pick up Andrew’s van from the body shop. We’re now mobile again and went to watch a hockey game. A friend of ours plays for Blaine and let me tell all what good entertainment it was. We will be going to a few more I’m sure. Good night. Peace.

Monday, December 13, 2004 9:22 PM CST

I had a business meeting today and with travel I arrived just prior to dinner. I expected to find Andrew in his room but he was already down in the cafeteria eating. I’ve been away since last Tuesday and tomorrow I have another meeting so I’m somewhat out of the loop. Andrew doesn’t communicate in great detail on how things are going when we’re absent so I’ll have to inquire and observe starting Wednesday. He mentioned he had good news but can’t remember what it is, he’s good for that. Andrew is getting an additional therapy now with a volunteer program so today he did weights twice. He tells me they’ve been getting him up closer to his scheduled time in the morning which is good so he’s not rushed in the morning. We both have mixed emotions on our trip and are continuing to make plans for travel. I am so hopeful for good things to come from this treatment. Need to keep pushing Andrew to over achieve in all his routines. Tomorrow and the next I hope to update with better info. Peace to all.

Thursday, December 9, 2004 11:11 PM CST

Wednesday afternoon is when I typically head to the cities but this week Willey’s had their Christmas Party so I didn’t arrived at the Courage Center until this morning. I found Andy at PT with his new Therapist, Christa. She seems to do his therapies very much like Lisa, so that was good to see, in fact she worked him quite hard. Andy fed the ducks during OT, along with his usual therapies. The FES bike didn’t go very well, Kate had to assist him for half the session. Today there were student therapist here and they used Andy to practice doing transfers.

Andy got a new roommate yesterday, he’s about 40 years old and has a vascular disease that is making it difficult to walk and use his hands. He says he will only be here for a week, but it looks like he could use more therapy than that. He was a pretty heavy snorer last night, I hope Andy gets more sleep tonight.

If all goes well, our family will be heading to Pennsylvania for Christmas this year. I was able to make an appointment with Dr. Haber starting on Monday, Dec. 27th. He will have 2 treatments a day on Mon., Tues., Wed., and we made an appointment on Thurs if we need it. The Courage Center will hold Andy’s room, we were happy to hear that because he has such a great view of the wild life. Andy doesn’t say a lot about this trip but Stacy and I think it will be an exciting adventure.

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 6:49 PM CST

I was at a business meeting all day and arrived to the CC prior to Andrew’s dinner time. He looked good again and stated he had a good day. Tuesday’s are a full day of therapy and he said he was a little tired. First thing to discuss was the good news of his therapist Lisa, last night she had her baby so it was a exciting day here as she is well respected by all. So with changes to his schedule Andrew had all his therapy’s. They put him in the manual chair and he stayed in for almost an hour. A good work out. OT consisted of the same beginning with weights and then on to the computer to start working with some new software. Andrew was pretty excited about his session on the bike. He rode it at higher than normal RPM’s along with not needing all the stimulation. I asked him what his score was and he told me he forgot to look. I will make sure I ask next week to see the log book to see how he scored. His last therapy was weights and Andrew said he really struggled so that tells me he had a good day. Peace.

Monday, December 6, 2004 8:17 PM CST

I arrived earlier than usual for a Monday and Andrew was up and ready. He had a nice smile and was ready to get on with his day. As his Mondays go this day was another weak one with therapy. Stacy was down and spent the night so she assisted me in getting Andrew’s van to the body shop and headed back to school. Today we had our first time in the fitness center on a fairly sophisticated piece of equipment. The objective is to get trained in with the various exercises and then we will be able to use and work out on our time. We have also new starting this week some volunteers who will work with Andrew on weights. This will give him an additional two days of this type therapy. The above is good news as now a weak Monday should soon turn into a good work out for Andrew. Also Andrew has been told the pool schedule will stay the same with the change being Andrew’s scheduled wake up time being earlier to accommodate the time needed to ready him. His leg spasms are continuing to get worst so now the doctor has increased his baclofin. The dose he now takes is four times greater that when we first arrived here. Hopefully the spasms will be more tolerable as at times it interferes with therapy and transfers. We now have a good supply of corn to feed the wild life here and did we enjoy watching the ducks go crazy when we threw some out. We also placed some corn after dark to hopefully attract some deer. Time for football. Peace

Friday, December 3, 2004 10:24 PM CST

This morning I arrived at the Courage Center to see Andy still in bed. I really thought they would have the pool situation figured out, but I guess I was wrong. We have talked to the program liaison, therapist and nurse, we have now been told he will be in the pool next Friday.

His next therapy was the FES bike that didn’t go well at all. Kate had to help him peddle the bike the entire session because he couldn’t do it on his own. I believe the qui gong that was done on Andy last night contributed to this. We will try to change his qui gong sessions so it doesn’t interfere with his therapy at Courage Center - the problem being Cliff only works 3 evenings a week. On the other hand OT and PT both went quite well. Carie worked on E-stim again today trying to find the best placement of the electrodes to get the most effective current, she also used the E-stim on his fingers. Wheeling himself around in the manual chair for most of the hour, it seems to be getting easier each time he gets into it. His biceps are now so strong that he can almost take me down in arm wrestling.

Well it was dinner and a movie this evening with some Timberwolves thrown in for good measures. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, spending the day with friends and then going to the Michael W. Smith Concert. We did this last year and enjoyed it so much. It’s a great way to start out the Christmas season.

Have a great day

Thursday, December 2, 2004 11:37 PM CST

This will be a quick message because Andy and I went to Pine City this evening and didn’t get home till 10:45. His therapy was similar to last week, using pressure on specific areas to soften and relax the muscles. He found a lot of tightness in the hips and was able to relieve it along with his shoulders and legs. He had hoped that his spasms would lessen but we didn’t notice any change. He also worked on Andy’s tailbone and felt that he was able to get some fluid movement that felt like a cushion on top of the bone.

Andy’s regular therapies went well. Carie from OT used weights on his wrists and feels that it won’t be long until he will be fitted with a Tino brace for his hand. She also checked for any movement in his fingers, and did find slight movement in his right hand. He worked on strengthening his sides by rolling a tube like ball from side to side during OT and got a .5 on the bike, that is better than he’s gotten in awhile.

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 8:28 PM CST

Wednesdays are somewhat like Mondays whereas Andrew doesn’t have a whole lot of therapy, An OT, PT and a pulley session. That is why it is nice to be able to do various things on our own and then we have to be motivated to do our part. At times it’s hard to do not only on Andrew’s part but also on ours as well to keep this motivation going. Andrew today was put into another loaner chair to try out. This one is a mid wheel drive of which maneuvers quite differently from the front wheel drive. At least this one seems to fit him better. His chair that he’s been in since arriving here at the CC is way too big for him; it even obstructs his movement when doing certain exercises. Today I discussed with his therapist the need to work one side at a time, by this I mean like when doing weights swinging both arms the right side gets more movement than the left. By concentrating on one side at a time they would be able to assist in the last percentage of range therefore working the entire range of motion in a given exercise. Concern keeps growing with the amount of spasms Andrew is having; they are starting to interfere with some of his therapies. We’re going to keep a closer eye on his fluids and a few other variables prior to upping his meds. Bev is in for the weekend and I’m north. Tomorrow Andrew heads for Pine City again to visit Cliff. I think we’re all anticipating the next few weeks with this gentleman. We’re taking all we can now so maybe tomorrow we can give back a little. Good Night. Peace.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004 4:02 PM CST

I’m making an early entry today as I’m soon to be on my way to St Cloud, Stacy turned twenty one today and Bev and I are meeting her for dinner. Andrew isn’t all that excited about going to a restaurant and will stay behind. His day was a fairly good one although it somewhat seems like he’s struggling lately with lifting weights. Therapist are starting to hold pressure on certain muscle groups to keep them from interfering with the muscles they’re trying to strengthen. Andrew is also complaining of his shoulder popping. This also can be controlled by applying pressure to certain areas of his shoulder. In his OT today we worked on range. They seem to mix things up so maybe it takes the same routine boredom out of the equation. We stretched prior to getting on the bike and I can tell you his legs are very stiff with spasms. Maybe it helped as Andrew scored a tenth higher than last Tuesday. He is suppose to be stretched twice a day from the RA’s, the word suppose isn’t happening and this we need to address with staff. Andrew says they’re too busy in the mornings and it doesn’t get done. We all know it’s not a perfect world but still we’ll bring it to their attention. I mentioned in yesterday’s journal that we were going to go into the fitness room today but that didn’t materialize. Andrew’s primary PT is expecting soon and needed to go to her doctor and so the schedule changes. It will be interesting to see who Andrew will inherit while she’s at home with her new baby. Either way we will all miss her and that includes the staff here as she is a very respected by her piers. Well time to head for St. Cloud. Peace to you all.

Monday, November 29, 2004 10:19 PM CST

Andrew looked tired this morning and stated that he was interrupted many times throughout the night. His first therapy was at nine thirty and he was ready, on time, and even though with little sleep was eager to start. With only two hours of therapy on Mondays the day is somewhat drawn out. Today was the day scheduled for the manual chair. We are now timing him making the tour around the residence rooms. It’s a square route with today’s best time making left handed turns was one minute forty seconds and making right handed turns two minutes fifteen seconds. That time difference somewhat measures the strength between his right and left side. This weekly routine continues to show improvement with each ride. Tomorrow there is talk of training me with Andrew on a fitness machine of sorts. This is another piece of therapy equipment once trained we can do it on our own. Andrew has only been on this machine once since here and I don’t even know what it is. Tomorrow also he’s scheduled for the FES bike and I will do some stretching prior to see if we can see improvement with his score rating. On an outside note, it’s amazing to see the ducks and geese that looks as though they will winter here. Also I’ve seen as many as three deer on the grounds the last two nights. I’ve made a mental note pick up some corn. Good Night and Peace.

Sunday, November 28, 2004 9:52 PM CST

We arrived back to the CC just after nine this evening after a most enjoyable weekend. We did have a little trouble as a small buck ran in front of us just north of McGregor and we made solid contact. It’s unfortunate as there is a fair amount of damage to Andrew’s van. We didn’t do anything too wild over the weekend other than enjoy company and some good food. Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a domestic and a wild turkey and both were very good. Andrew did spend all day Friday between the Marine and Sport Shop and then that evening we, our local Deer Hunters Association Chapter, salted over five hundred Deer hides for our Hides for Habitat program. It was a long day and tiring for Andrew but he had two day to rest after. This week we are again applying for our spring turkey permits and we including Andrew. He now has a new goal to shoot for and that will start tomorrow with a new week of therapy. Although I don’t see a new schedule on his bulletin board. Well I’m going to get Andrew unpacked and we’ll get ready for what lies ahead. Good Night and Peace to All.

Thursday, November 25, 2004 8:50 AM CST

Happy Thanksgiving. I was hurried from a late call from Bev needing wine and forgot to update prior to leaving. Andrew’s day was decent though he was really weak like and it was not due to sleep, He rested well Tuesday night. I ‘m attributing it to his Monday night visit with Cliff. Cliff mentioned that Andrew might feel tired. In his OT Andrew struggled to do his weight lifting when he normally rocks through the routine. It leads me to feel even better towards the next five office visits with this gentleman. While still in OT he was brought in a pair of special hands gloves called decent gloves by the therapist. These help in providing grip while on the matt and in the wheel chair. Also Carie had a special hand strap made enabling Andrew to use a tooth brush on his own. It will take some time but he managed to use it quite a bit on his own. I now, he just summoned me to the bathroom as he was in a stuck position, have him in the bathroom attempting to brush his teeth. He will need some help to get the job done but over time will master this simple routine. The remainder of the day went well. I am now going to assist him and then were off to McGregor for the weekend. Enjoy the day. Peace everyone.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004 8:29 PM CST

Another rough, hurried, and late start to Andrew’s day which left him ten minutes late for a nine o’clock. I’m told it’s due to employees calling in sick and I was also told scheduling changes would be addressed. It just continues to be frustrating not to be getting all he can get and also we’re being charged whether we’re there or not as he is scheduled in that time slot. Today Lisa put Andrew on the mat instead of the manual wheel chair as she wanted to work with some balancing. I didn’t know that Andrew was in the manual chair again last Friday and continues to show improvement. He went downstairs and wheeled around in the dining room area maneuvering around tables. Tuesday has been the chair day but mix it up they do. His mat work is hard as now and then they have him try to catch himself prior to falling backwards while sitting. When he’s able to get his arms behind him soon enough to keep upright he then has to work his way back up to a sitting position. It’s a workout. His OT’s lately have been dealing with working on hygiene on his own, it goes slow but continues to show improvement. The FES bike session scored a low .3, I need to try some leg stretching prior to this therapy to see if he improves. Andrew finished therapy today with pulleys and now is in the standing chair watching the wolves game and catching up on some mail. Good night and Peace.

Monday, November 22, 2004 10:29 PM CST

Andrew had a fairly long run without myself or Bev at is side. While I was getting some more time in the woods Bev spent a couple of days with her sisters and I believe shopping was involved. For me it’s so hard to update his journal when I’m not here. Well anyway I’d like to say I’ll be here more now but it’s still hunting season, so if there is no update chances are I’m in the woods. I was going to go back and read the past few Monday’s entries and or just copy it as our Mondays are weak. Today unfortunately was worst as Andrew had only session because of some personal issues. We did get the E-stim going but it certainly was a weak day of therapy and somewhat boring also. Stacy came down from school and spent the afternoon and evening with us and that was nice. We left just before five and headed for Pine City for a six thirty appointment with a gentlemen with whom I was real impressed with. His field of expertise evolves around our bodies energy fields, quite interesting. He worked with Andrew for almost two hours and we will visit him five more times and evaluate the results after that. Tomorrows schedule is a full one with the need to resume his forward progress and I’m sure Andrew will give it his all. Type at you all tomorrow. Peace.

Sunday, November 21, 2004 3:31 PM CST

It’s Nov. 21st and I can’t believe the temperatures we continue to have. The wild life is still abundant here, as I walked in this morning, I still see geese flying and remnants of them on the ground as I walked along the pathways. To my surprise I also saw quite a bit of deer droppings too, but I have yet to see them. The ducks are still busy eating on the crab apples that fall to the ground. The trees are still full of apples and little by little they seem to fall to the ground. I feel sorry for the poor ducks that must see a smorgasbord in the trees but it’s just out of their reach. I do occasionally shake the trees to feed them but I end up pulling the apples off because they’re really stuck.

I hope you continue to read Andy’s updates even though we may miss some of them. On Thurs. Andy laid on his stomach, they put a wedge shaped foam form under his stomach and then do push-ups to strengthen his triceps. He does them till he tires, then takes a short break and continues until he tires again. Friday was getting into the manual chair and pushing it around the halls, Lisa is amazed at his progress. The bike was a little discouraging with a .4 on both Thurs. and Fri.. His spasms seem to be what is causing the low scores.

I set up an appointment with Cliff, the gentleman who does the “qui gong” for Monday at 6:30 pm.. I’m very anxious to see if Andy will have any improvements. Spasms are one thing he said he’s had a lot of success with. He was taking a class that he felt will be something he can work on with Andy.

I will be leaving a bit early today so I can beat the traffic.
Peace to you all

Tuesday, November 16, 2004 8:37 PM CST

Tuesday's first therapy is becoming an interesting one with his PT session being in a manual wheel chair. He continues to show improvement weekly. Lisa has not had him on this session since the fist one four weeks ago and she stated how impressed she was with his improvement. She had Andrew adverse some obsticles today to make it harder yet, this is a workout and at times it is hard not to assist. Lisa told Andrew she has already started making contacts to various parties to get his wheel chair process started. We are and have been very pleased to have her as Andrew's primary. Andrew's OT sessions continue with addressing every day activities, these are what we take for granted, simple tasks turned into chores. Tuesday's are Andrew's toughest day as with just being in the manual chair for an hour, throw in the OT, pulley's and an hour ride on the FES bike which Andrew scored a .4. Not the best score but Lisa did not assist Andrew at all when his RPM's drop. The R's usually drop in the beginning of this half hour ride and then he gets going and maintains the machine. Last night while I was between the football game and the computer Andrew said he'd be right back. Forty five minutes later he's back in the room tracking mud. He tells me he went out to this little pond close by to check and see how many Malards it was holding. Next time he needs to inform someone where he's going for one of those incase something happens and he didn't return situations, no one knew where he was. A minor butt chew. He laughed. Peace everyone.

Monday, November 15, 2004 9:55 PM CST

This Monday was a typical one and it is starting to get old. Seems as though it might be starting to look like staff cuts. Andrew’s AM starts are getting later and later. This morning we were eight minutes late for his 9:30 OT and that also left Andrew with no stretching what so ever. The Doctor has now also increased his baclafin dose, muscle relaxer for spasms, do to his spasm’s increasing. With less and less stretching happening it would make sense he would have more spasms, maybe so, maybe not. It was discussed that his wrist movement has not continued to improve as rapidly as hoped but the flip side is that his triceps are. He had one PT session and that was it for the day. While in PT they made the switch and Andrew is back in his old chair which does not fit him very well. He was very pleased with the comfort the demo chair gave him. The demo was a front wheel drive which seemed to work good out on the hunting land when on rough terrain along with the maneuverability being better also. We discussed these features and others and decided it would be a good chair so Lisa, Andrew’s head therapist, will attempt to get one on its way. This might be a time to reflect on a good saying I use off and on, patients is a virtue not a stress test. It is quite a selling process on Lisa’s part to get extra options on equipment for patients. Andrew will be on his own here for a few days again but seems to do well. Bev feels uncomfortable about his care while we’re not here but Andrew is comfortable with it and so it will be. Well enough for one day. Peace to you all.

Sunday, November 14, 2004 9:43 PM CST

I have been informed to make sure that I do an update as soon as we arrive back. In looking at the journal I see Bev somewhat missed a day or two, she had her excuses, but Andrew and myself know better. She wants me to go back to Friday with this update, first off I wasn’t here Friday and secondly that’s a long time ago. When I talked with Bev last Friday I was informed that Andrew’s pool therapy was canceled as they had to close the pool temporally. This is a little disappointing as it’s the third Friday with pool therapy not going in Andrew’s favor. We are working on a different time as 8:30 in the pool is hard make to start with. His day of therapy was a light one with one bright side which was a .9 score on the FES bike. Saturday’s plan was to head for McGregor right after his AM therapy and to meet me out at the hunting land. He arrived around two, we put on some warm clothes and I parked the van overlooking a food plot we have planted. I took our boat lift canopy witch is green and covered the van , then we waited. Finally a big doe popped out but Andrew told me to wait, then that doe was gone and another showed and we passed on it. I was standing out in front of the van looking at two deer while Andrew and his friend Steve were watching others which I couldn’t see and one turned out to be a buck which was described to be the biggest deer the guys had eve seen. I did finally shoot one of the does which was just what we intended to do. It was a fun afternoon followed by steaks on the grill. Our Sunday was a quiet one with just hanging out and relaxing. Tomorrow starts another day with the main goal at hand and our attitude continues to be a positive one. Good Night and Peace To You

Thursday, November 11, 2004 11:42 PM CST

It was a chilly am when I got in my car this morning. I guess I’ll be scraping windshields soon, something I’m not looking forward to. I took a detour to Target to pick up a popular CD that’s put out by a local radio station each year. It went on sale at 8 am this morning and in the past they’ve sold out in 15 min., but in the store I was at today it sold out in about 50 min.. They said people were standing in line at 5 am this morning.

I missed watching Andy do his pulleys today, but I did get to see him in PT swing one arm behind him, then the other and then he had to lock his elbows to get himself in the tripod position. This was a first, he has been working on the tripod position since he was at Sister Kenny so it was quite an accomplishment for him, and Lisa was quite proud of him. During OT, lucky Andy got to cut his fingernails. They attach an extender to the clipper, slip his finger into a splint like gadget to help him stabilize it, with his other hand he just pushes it down. Carie said no one gets it the first time, but Andy didn’t do too bad, he just needed a little help. His next task was to take his sweatshirt off again. He got it off with some assistance and several little breaks, Carie asked him if he was frustrated or just taking a break, his reply was both. I wonder if he’ll quit wearing his sweatshirt to OT.

Todd’s first week of deer hunting was unsuccessful, although he did see a 3 pointer but didn’t want to shoot it. Gene on the other hand had a great hunt. He sat in Andy’s tree and shot two bucks in just a few minutes apart. One was a spike and one a fork horn.

God bless

Tuesday, November 9, 2004 11:37 AM CST

I was finally able to reach Andy at about 9:30 last night.
He didn't give me very much information but I did find out he got a new wheelchair to try out for a week. He seems to be quite impressed with what it can do and how well it fits him. I'm also very happy because the old chair was so big for Andy that he would slide down in his chair, tip to the side and just have such poor posture. I worried about his spine and also when the RA's lift him from his chair to bed, he usually has a spasm and that causes his leg to fall behind the foot and leg rest, get stuck and it could cause injury. I'll sleep better knowing he's in a better chair.

A friend will be stopping by to bring Andy a duck dinner this evening, Andy can't wait for a wild game meal.

Thats all the news for today~ have a great day .

God bless you

Sunday, November 7, 2004 6:00 PM CST

Another week of therapy has come and gone. It’s hard to believe that Andy’s accident was just over four months ago. Time seems to be flying by when I look at therapy and our busy weeks. But looking back at the
accident it seems long ago and truthfully I try not to go there because there is no reason to.

On Friday Andy’s pool therapy was canceled for an unknown reason, I think it’s because they didn’t get him up early enough, obviously we were very disappointed. His next therapy was the FES bike at 10:00 it went well but got a .5/8 score, not good enough to increase the resistance. Andy’s spasms are getting stronger and we have been told they want to increase his baclofen medication because it is interfering with his therapy, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do that. Off came his sweatshirt again in OT, this time it took a lot less time and effort but he was still pooped when he finished. After his incident last week, (falling over on his side for 2 hours) he worked on leaning forward in his chair as far forward as he could with control and then try to get in the upright position. Next he had to lean all the way forward (almost into his lap) put his forearms on his thighs and push himself up. He was able to do a few reps with a little assistance but tired quickly.

At Andy’s benefit someone gave me a business card from a Dr. Constance Haber in Pennsylvania ,who has done some remarkable things. On the back of the card was a name of someone who had been helped by her. I finally made the call to the name on the back and they had marvelous things to say about her, and went on to say she is a Christian and has committed her life to helping others. Dr. Haber has invented a device called photonic therapy, which is a type of light therapy. This, along with other devices and supplements have changed this persons life. I was also given the name of a lady in Aitkin who had a spinal cord injury and went to see Dr. Haber. So I made my second call, and heard how Dr. Haber had helped this lady. She was not able to walk before she saw Dr. Haber and can now walk with assistance. She proceeded to tell me about a man from Pine City, who practices “qui gong”. She also saw many improvements, including reduction of spasms after visiting him. Her last comment was, “alternative medicine has done more for me than traditional medicine“. I looked up qui gong on the internet, a part of it has to do with body positions. I tried to talk Andy into going to see the man in Pine City this weekend, but he maybe felt too rushed to make that call. I will see if we can visit him next week. I made a third call, to Dr. Haber’s office and to my surprise I spoke directly to her. She said that she would do three therapy sessions and if after that she does not see any improvements, she would send him home. She also said that it is not something we need to decide immediately, a few months would not make a big difference. She would like to work with him if he is willing to work hard and wants this. I know there are so many choices out there now days. I don’t want to rush into anything but we do need to be open to any practical and safe options. If you’d like to look at Dr.Habers web page it’s “www.ampmcenter.com (if you can watch the video clips the lady from Aitkin is in the second clip.)

Well it’s time for me to head back to McGregor, Andy will be by himself again on Mon., Tues., and Wed.. Andy has also informed me that he plans to go to McGregor next weekend to go out to the hunting land, their little piece of heaven.

May God bless you

Thursday, November 4, 2004 11:28 PM CST

Pulleys was his first therapy today followed by PT. Lisa told Andy that he should have another electric wheelchair to tryout next week. Permabilt (we think is the brand name) is suppose to be a high quality chair that should work well for Andy’s life style. I requested that Andy be scheduled Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on the FES bike because Mondays don’t seem to get very good results. My feeling is that he may not be as limber after 3 days without using the bike. It may take some time to reschedule therapist and wait for openings on the bike. Therapy was working on more balance, sitting on the side of the mat holding a ball in his hand and then moving the ball with small movements. Concentration is written all over Andy’s face and he falls out of balance quite a bit but I think its because he’s trying so hard. Instead of working with free weights in OT Andy used therabands that focus on his triceps. They look like large rubber bands and when you stretch the bands in different positions you can get a good workout that target certain muscles. Well Andy is enjoying a Timberwolves game, I hope they win this one. Have a great day!
May God bless you.

Wednesday, November 3, 2004 8:16 PM CST

It’s amazing how fast the days go by here as now Andrew is in the standing chair and we just discussed that we haven’t yet done E-Stim. Again today Andrew worked what seems harder than he has in the past. Maybe it’s the increased range he’s bending to and straightening back or the increased amount of weights used or the decision to do maybe one more repetition, doesn’t matter just so he continues to push himself and with that comes improvement. Bev just arrived and brought the local paper with the article from Andrew’s benefit. It still is overwhelming to look back at both events put on in Andrew’s behalf and the tremendous amount of involvement put forth by so many. Again please except our gratitude and thanks to all. Tomorrow’s schedule looks to be a full one along with Friday’s also. We’re looking to get a few changes to Andrew’s weekly therapy routines which we feel would work better obviously for Andrew. Friday’s pool session is right away in the morning and is too much of a struggle to make it on time and also we would like to see the FES bike done on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Soon Bev and I will have our Doctors degree as we’ve both spent a night at a Holiday Inn. With the big weekend coming I am off with my dad and friends to deer camp, it’s a family tradition and am looking forward to it. Again Andrew will be on his own for the first part the week but states he doesn’t mind and is comfortable with his surroundings. Of course that then gives me the green light. To all who are headed to the woods this weekend , good luck and be safe. Feel free to share your hunting stories with Andrew, he enjoys hearing them. Peace.

Tuesday, November 2, 2004 10:57 PM CST

First off let me apologize for Bev and I not getting this journal updated on a daily basis. Between the CC internet down, my hunting trips and a work schedule of sorts there will be a few days we’ll miss. Again it was good to be back and with Andrew. He looked good when I arrived this morning as I expected he would. He was having a late start to his day but managed to make his first therapy on time. Usually his first session is an OT but today they were reversed and we went to the gym for a PT session. As like last Tuesday the plan today was to put Andrew in a manual wheel chair and after a short mat workout he was in the manual chair. The improvement from last week was quite noticeable and it was nice to see him working so hard to direct the chair down the halls and around corners. He asked if he couldn’t make one more lap and got the most out of this session as he possibly could. After this and his morning OT he voiced the soreness prior to lunch he had from the chair workout. The improvement I’m seeing in his triceps is exciting. The discussion was to possibly go to the big gym next week so he can solely push the chair backwards which would further workout the triceps. After lunch he had pulleys and a bike session. Tuesdays have and continue to be a good workout day compared to our Mondays. We also got in the standing chair prior to being put in bed. A good day. While I was gone Andrew’s move to the other side of this room is a nice one, it’s nice to be by the window as we’re creek side along with the warm evening sun. I’m having a hard time concentrating on this update as I’m also watching the election results so I’ll end with that said. Again, Peace to all.

Saturday, October 30, 2004 11:17 PM CDT

Another Friday am late start, rushing to get Andy up and then his blood pressure dips so low he starts to pass out, has spasms and then can’t get to his pool therapy on time, it was 15-20 minutes late today. The FES bike went very well. He got a total of 1.0 which is a perfect score. Kate, his TA (therapy assistant) said that they may increase the resistance to 2 next week if he continues to get totals like he had the last two days. PT and OT therapies went well, Andy tells me the same a usual.

Andy’s roommate Cory, moved out last week so Andy has moved to his side of the room and is enjoying the beautiful view outside (and so am I). Yesterday we had a lot of rain and today our little creek is swollen, rushing and has spilled over its banks. Andy let me know this side of the room is bigger, when I asked him how he knew, he said “I counted the tiles in the ceiling”! I guess he’s had too much time on his hands. Our temperatures were a very balmy, 77 degrees (on my car thermometer) and this evening we watched the t-storm move in and out with only a little rain.

It’s Saturday evening and our internet is up and running again so I thought I better add a little more and send this while I can. Today Andy went out with some friends to a snowmobile show at the Blaine Sports Complex. He really enjoyed getting out with friends.
Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers, they do sustain us as we travel this new path.

Thursday, October 28, 2004 11:36 PM CDT

10-28-04 9:00 am
Again I’m sorry for not writing this last night but the evening just slipped by. When I arrived at the Courage Center Andy was in the stander which was a pleasant surprise. When I walked over to him I realized he wasn’t feeling very well. His eyes were red and he just looked droopy. He told me that he had gotten his flu shot earlier in the day and then proceeded to tell me that he was in his room, door closed and had decided to turn up the heat. He said he reached up for the dial on the wall and because his left side is still very weak, he slid off the side of the wheelchair with his head and neck bent in and uncomfortable position. The call button was not within his reach, so he sat in that position for 2 hours before someone came in to help him. It’s very discouraging to hear these things happen. We feel we’re here most of the time when Andrew is up and we don’t understand how situations seem to happen during the few hours that we’re not here.

On a lighter note - Andy told me during PT he was put in a manual wheelchair, this was the first time he was able to push himself. That tells me his triceps are getting stronger and may be put in a manual chair before long and this would help to strengthen his upper body.

Well, Andy’s off working his triceps right now. It’s 9:30 am and pulleys are his first therapy of the day, so I better check in on him.

My attempt to send this message was unsuccessful again. I believe our internet is down more than its up - How frustrating. I will continue to try.

10/28/04 11:00 pm

As usual Andy had a full day of therapy. Today his mat work consisted of laying on his stomach with a foam wedge underneath his chest and then did many pushups with little assistance. Next she sat Andy at the side of the mat and put a large boat bumper like ball that was about 12 inches in circumference beside him, she put his arm on top of it and had him try to roll his arm and body to one side and bring it back upright for approx. 6 reps and then repeated it on the other side. He needs quite a bit of assistance with this but it’s a tough workout. Andy got a .8 on the bike, I stretched his legs out before we got there I hope that’s why he did so well.

This evening we had a Halloween Party complete with a DJ, goodies, games, prizes, and quite a few residents were even in costume. I think Andy enjoyed it.

God Bless

Tuesday, October 26, 2004 6:46 PM CDT

An early entry this evening as we're hopefull to get Andrew in bed for some needed rest. He has not had a good nights rest since friday, he does look tired. His roommate Corey left today and is now on his way to a new home. We'll pray that all goes well for him. A very well likeable young man with a thuff road ahead. Andrew's day went rather well with therapy. His bike routine continues to slowly decline in advancement. They possibly might increase the amount of stimulation as the therapist needs to assist for quite a while to get him to do it on his own. The tone of his legs is also starting to be more of a problem with spasms so they might increase his medicine. My parents and sister arrived prior to lunch and stayed the day. Susan's flight back to California is this evening so spent the day here visiting prior to departure. I will share a little sad news with you all, yesterday we had to put down a long time friend and hunting companion, Buddy. He truely was one of my better hunting dogs if not the best and that's how I will remember him. Many, many good memories. We wanted to wait for Andrew to say his good byes and we all did that this past weekend. Andrew is still adding weights to his pulleys and hopefully will continue to push himself. Bev arrives tomorrow and I again will head for the woods for a couple of days. Tis that season I most enjoy. Peace Everyone.

Monday, October 25, 2004 10:12 PM CDT

It might take a few days for Andrew to catch up on his rest. WOW! What an incredible day. To all who made it possible we are truley gratefull. Words are hard to come to mind in describing what a great weekend we had. I know of so many who wanted to attend but couldn't and we are gratefull to you also and to all for your thoughts and prayers. We have come a long way yes, but the road were on is a long one and we'll keep moving forward. Andrew and I arrived back at the CC a 10:30 and moring came early. Therapy startd with OT with a normal routine as of late. Next was PT and Andrew spent an hour in a manual wheel chair, what a workout. He had been in one weeks ago and the improvement was like day and night. The rest of the day was light as our monday's seem to be. This was good as Andrew enjoyed a nap. We've done the E-Stim in our room twice, got in the standing machine and I just finished with one more E-Stim on his triceps. We do this in bed as this position allows him to work against gravity. We are focusing a little more on the importance of pushing hard in all he does. It is so important not only now but he needs to care for himself even more as time goes on. Peace to all.

Friday, October 22, 2004 6:38 PM CDT

I just got off the phone with Bev. She called ealier than usual to inform me I had to make an enrty as the computers at the CC were down. Their day in general was one of a different sense. Andrew's pool routine ended with a little stress to Bev. She was bringing him back to the room and he got light headed, I think she was a little scared and rushed to the room prior to elevating legs. We discussed a possible reason for this reacurance due to Andrew not eating breakfast, this is a meal he just doesn't wish to partake in. This and a few other changes might need addressing as we're starting to see an attitude swing in Andrew. His OT session concentrated on adapting a device and working on signing his name. PT consisted of a FES bike routine with no topping of his high mark this week. The computer generates a printout and shows various ratings and what not, this is how they measure his acheivements and where the settings should be. I talked with Andrew a little and asked if he wouldn't try to get a little extra sleep as the events this weekend I'm sure will prove to be overwhelming. His reply was, I'll be fine. It is a day I'm sure we will never forget. It is hard to except the time and effort put forth by so many while we stand on the sideline. Peace to you all.

Friday, October 22, 2004 8:37 AM CDT

I know Andy had been looking forward to Wednesday. OT was his only therapy and then he and Todd headed up north. His first stop was to visit Dr. Dave, our local dentist. He got his teeth polished and one cavity filled and then they were on there way to the Sport Shop and Marine. To Andy’s surprise many of his friends had come to see him and he had lots of catching up with all the local news. That left him no time to go out to the hunting land, I guess that will have to be another time. We had a few minutes at home to see the animals and get a bite to eat and then it was off to the football game. Andy had a very busy and great day!
Andy’s PT therapist returned to work today after nearly two weeks of vacation that included a two day speaking engagement to PT students at the College of St. Kate’s. She was worried about having enough to talk about for two days but felt she really could have used another day. She focused on strengthening Andy's Triceps by positioning his hands palm down, arms slightly bent and then pushing down. He could slightly lift his back side on the mat and then he worked on transferring himself from the mat to his chair using that same technique to scoot his body little by little and with quite a bit of help he accomplished it.
Today Todd’s sister Susan flew in from California to see Andy and to help with the benefit. It was great to see her. Stacy came down for the reunion and Gene and Mary had picked her up at the airport. We had all planned to go out to dinner but Andy was having second thoughts about it. I think he was uncomfortable going out in public in his wheelchair and needing assistance to eat, but with a little persuasion he decided to go. We had a fine meal at the Sunshine Factory restaurant and Andy sure enjoyed his Prime Rib dinner. Andy and I returned to the Courage Center for a quiet evening. Peace to you all.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004 9:06 PM CDT

It was nice to be back and when I arrived at 8:30 this morning Andrew was in his chair and ready to go. It still impresses me that he can be that alert, showered, dressed and his AM programs complete at that time in the morning. He looked good and showed a big smile. For me it was twelve days of being absent from his presence. I asked if he had been stretched, he replied they were too much in a rush and didn’t have time. I answered a few hunting questions as I did some stretching until his 9:00 PT. He continues to increase his range of motion and also his strengthening and that means he is still progressing. The new signs might be slight but we’re still moving forward. Carrie, his OT, feels his hand and wrist is just on the verge of also finding it’s new track (nerves finding their way). She’s been working him using small pieces of play dough and has Andrew pick these little balls up and put them in a cup. This and also having him attempt to remove his sweatshirt is hard to watch as he really has to work to “get err done”. I almost seriously had to stop watching as he struggles, but succeeds, doing these exercises. Andrew was on the FES bike again today and it doesn’t go as well early in the week as it does later. Andrew stated that it’s been that way the last couple of weeks. We continue doing E-Stim in the room and just finished in the standing chair. For the most part all is well and again it’s good to see Andrew and his progress. There are a few concerns we need to get resolved here as with this morning’s RA’s being too much in a rush. His stretching is so important. When we’re absent we wonder if Andrew is persistent enough to get all routines done. Most of the RA’s are very dedicated and do a great job, then there are the others who seem to be here just collecting their check. There has been a theft of Andrew’s St. Cloud State Hockey hooded sweatshirt taken out of the dryer. I find it hard to point a finger but I strongly believe it’s not other residence’s. This doesn’t sit well with me and it will get addressed. Tomorrow we head for McGregor after an AM session for a visit to Dr. Dave to get his teeth cleaned. We’ll make a few stops hear and there and Andrew wishes to go out to hunting land in the evening to see some wildlife. There might not be an update tomorrow but please continue to look for our updates. It truly is uplifting to have the continued support. PEACE.

Friday, October 15, 2004 10:15 PM CDT

Today was one of the first rainy days that I've spent down here and it really was more of a off and on drizzle, so you could be outdoors if you chose to.
Getting to the pool on time has been a struggle, but Andy was only a few minutes late today. He has been sitting on the side of the pool first to do strengthening excercises for his trunk muscles and then floats on his back with paddle apparatuses on his arms, brings his arms over his head and to the side to propel him. He stretched his arms further up than he had previously, which made for a great workout.
I learned alittle more about the fes bike, it is quite a piece of equipment. Resistance of 1 was added to Andy's workout a week or so ago and he has been handling it quite well. Each time he rides the bike a print out is generated which showed Andy got a .8 or in other words 80% of the time his legs were doing the work (with some stimulation)and 20% of the time the bike had to help him maintain the rpms. If he can go 3 consecutive times at .9 or higher they will move him to a resistance of 2 and so on. 10 is the highest resistance and 4 is the highest they have anyone on at this time. I know Andy will be increasing that before long.
Andy and I played catch today in PT. He can catch the ball pretty good but struggles with throwing it back, that to will come soon I know.
Another week has come and gone and a chill is in the air. I can't believe we'll be scraping car windows before you know it. I bet up north you have already been doing that. Have a great weekend. ~Peace~

Thursday, October 14, 2004 11:57 PM CDT

Greetings~
Here we go again. I had just finished updating the journal and ready to enter it when I must have hit a wrong key and lost it all. If I knew more about these things I problably could have retrieved it, so I'll try again.

Typical, is what Id say the day was. Andy had a new therapist for PT. I sometimes think he's not going to get the workout he would get from a therapist who is familiar with him, but she did a fine job. Again weight was added this time to his left arm during OT. He also picked up various objects of different size, shape and weight with his thumb and forefinger, then had to turn his hand and wrist upward to try to grasp the object and put it in a bowl. It sounds pretty easy but Andy's wrist was exhausted when he was done. Next, he had to put his key into his mailbox and he successfully opened it for the first time. Finally she worked on his fingers and noticed alittle movement in them again. His nuckles and the ligaments that extend down to the wrist are also more visable.

Visitors were numerous today and Stacy came too. We were planning to go out to dinner or something but Andy chose to stay at the center. Now I finally found out why he never wants to go in the van. He doesn't think I can lock the wheelchair into place! I guess I'll have to prove him wrong.

Peace to you all

Wednesday, October 13, 2004 9:59 PM CDT

I managed to leave Andy alone today and it wasn't easy. After work I anxiously headed down to see him. Usually I need to get 15 min./half hour of shut eye along the way and the Knife Lake rest area always looks so inviting, but today I actually drove straight through.
When I walked into Andys room he tried to fight back that little grin, but I saw it, and then he said "would you fix my leg" (it had fallen off his leg rest) I wondered how many little problems he probably let be cause he didn't want to bother someone.
During the evening he offered alittle news, at OT he sometimes lifts weights on his wrist, and today the therapist had increased the weight on his right arm to 7 1/2 pounds. He also missed pulleys this afternoon because he had company, I think they were more interesting and pretty too.
Todd called this evening and again he hasn't shot anything. Maybe he'll have to give up his hunting. In my dreams, huh!!!
Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

Tuesday, October 12, 2004 1:20 PM CDT

I wish I had more news to tell you but, I think Andy is wanting to be independent . When I called him for the second time yesterday, he abruptly said "do you have to call me all the time?" So I'm trying to honor his wishes but its hard. He did relay to me that yesterday went fine and he didn't have anything new to report except, "Did you hear who died yesterday? " He didnt say anything else but, I can imagine that there were alot of sad and dissapointed people, althought I know Christopher Reeve's legacy will continue and I hope this will again bring new urgency to this dibilitating injury. Thank you again for all your prayers - God bless

Monday, October 11, 2004 11:46 AM CDT

Here we go again. The computers are down at the courage center so we were unable to write a journal update. I wonder if Andys computer isnt the culprut because every time we use it we get all these pop ups and then it wont run.

Friday was a typical day, his pt therapist didnt work him too hard and during ot he practiced picking up a styrofoam cup with his right hand, first with water until his lap got alittle wet and then with a plastic cup and popcorn that he was able to get it up to his mouth, suck on the cup so it would stick on his mouth, tip his head back and then eat the poporn.

Saturday, pt was added to his schedule as well as his ot therapy. During his pt he practiced sitting back on the mat so just his feet were hanging over the edge. He then leaned forward and tried to move from side to side to scoot his backside forward to move to the edge of the mat. He did move six inches or so, it was quite challanging but I know he's up for it.

The fall colors were beautiful at the cc this weekend so I borrowed Andy's camera and took some pictures, I hope to figure out how to put them on Andy's web site.

Todd is hunting in North Dakota this week and Andy has decided he wants to stay by himself til Wednesday pm when I drive down to be with him. He seems to be fine with it but I must admit Im alittle nervous about it all. I must get back to work - Have a great day * Peace *

Thursday, October 7, 2004 10:30 PM CDT

When I came in to see Andy this morning I was dissapointed to see that he was soaking wet, I later found out they had forgotten to cath him during the night. Serious complications can occur from urine backing up and is very critical for the health of his kidneys and to keep his bladder functioning well. We will make sure they dont let it happen again.
Today started with lifting weights on the pulleys and next Andy anxiously went to PT where a new wheelchair awaited him. This chair is either loaned or given to the Courge Center in hopes that the company will sell some to the residents here. Seemed that the therapist was quite discouraged with the chair and the salesman. She had spent quite a bit of time measuring Andy for this chair but they sent a standard chair that didnt seem to fit Andy very well. It also looks to be higher than the previous chair, so tomarrow we will go out to the van and see if he will fit. During OT we had to go back to Andys room to see if the wheelchair would fit under the sink so he can do some of his grooming ie: wash his face, brush teeth and hair, and shave. Unfortunately it wouldnt fit under the sink. Andy is thinking the old chair may have to do til he gets one of his own. Vocational Services was on Andys agenda today so, we watched a movie and listened to a gentleman discuss job possiblities when Andy goes home. Of course Andy's plans are to work for his dad when he completes Courage and School. Another day has come and gone, they seem to go by so quickly - Peace to you all

Wednesday, October 6, 2004 8:20 PM CDT

This morning started out in a scramble. I arrived just before eight to find Andrew still in bed and his Am routines not started. This was not good as we were to be on our way to Sister Kenny shortly after nine for a ten o’clock appointment. As I stated we scrambled and made it on time but were not able to do any stretching or eat prior to departure. Dr. Thompson was quite pleased with Andrew and his appearance. She stated that he looked like a different person and after a short exam also stated that he was a role model patient. We had a nice visit with her and also with some of the staff. We were hoping to see more people but scheduling had most of Andrew’s past care givers off or on different shifts. We arrived back at the CC just in time for lunch, good timing as we were both hungry with no breakfast do to our late start. Therapies were light as Andrew had an OT and a short session with pulley’s. Today was a perfect day to be away at the Doctor as it was somewhat wild. There was a United way fund raiser going on and it had to do with dogs. Every employee who had a dog brought a dog. There was big dogs, little dogs, wild dogs, barking dogs, ,it was quite a show. It seemed as though there might have been more time spent controlling dogs. It was fun listening to the therapist and their commands. The one I liked best was that this particular dog enjoyed playing stick, I replied you mean fetch, no stick. We did a routine with the E-Stim in room and also used the standing machine in room. It went well and Andrew remained in it for close to a hour. A full day of therapy continues tomorrow and hopefully some new signs of feeling. Peace.

Tuesday, October 5, 2004 9:47 PM CDT

We just finished a late E-Stim while Andrew lies in bed watching the Twins. It's been another decent day, sure is nice to type that over the the alternative. Our Tuesday's have been a full day compared to Monday's which has been the pattern of late. We made a mild complaint to the easy Monday routine and the resolve will be a Monday session in the fitness room. Good news. We discussed with Lisa the time might be right to attempt another run in a manual wheel chair, she agreed and should see that in the near future. After Andrew's full day of three PT's and one OT he ended with a massage. This was his first one and he really enjoyed it. The FES bike went as well as it did last week. There is a computer read out after the session and the results were the same as last week. Andrew gets the bike routine with two different therapist's and they are having a contest of sorts to see who can get Andrew to have better results. We try and do have a little fun while trying to stay focussed. The Doctors orders finally came in this evening and tommorow we can start the standing machine in our room. We will now be able to do that as often as we wish and will as my plan is while Andrew is strapped in and standing I'll be horizontal and napping on his bed. Good plan eh. Tomorrow we head to Sister Kenny for a follow up with Dr. Thompson. We are kind of looking at it as reunion and are looking forward to seeing all who cared for us at our stay there. It truely was and is a great facility. The games over, how about those Twins. Type at you all tomorrow. Peace.

Monday, October 4, 2004 9:26 PM CDT

It was another Monday with not a whole lot of therapy, one OT, one PT and an acupuncture session. We did however do two sessions in his room with the E-Stim. Just because we weren't overloaded with therapy doesn't mean things weren't happening. In OT we confirmed that Andrew has some muscle movement in his right hand. He is able to move his index and thumb toward each over. Carie, Andrew's primary OT, then went for some playdough and had Andrew try and squeeze. He made his imprint in the playdough, it was slight but it was there. Progress continues. In PT Andrew was put on the mat and tried to maintain balance as we tossed a ball back and forth. He did quite well with this also. We worked with some self feeding, trunk strengthening and stretching. Progress continues. I like his acupuncture and Andrew is not so upbeat, maybe if I had twenty to thirty needles in me the role would reverse. The overall picture supports taking any and every therapy that can stimulate, strenghten and improve mobility. Bring it on. Tomorrow will start with a pepfest. I feel the need to emphasize the importance in striving harder each day to and acheive the main goal. It's not that he isn't working hard but we need to stay focused. Peace.

Saturday, October 2, 2004 8:57 AM CDT

I talked with Bev early in the evening last night but was not able to access the computor till now. In her opening remarks she stated that it was the most gratifying day she's had. So what made this day that good? Good things continue to happen and Andrew strives to work hard in all he does and it is quite "gratifying" to watch him as he goes through each and every session. His day started in the pool at eight AM. He made four laps doing a backstroke type swim using paddles on his hands, stretching and also a routine of working his trunk muscles. The four laps to me seem like a ton as this pool is quite a bit bigger than the one at Sister Kenny. The FES bike was next and again he maintained the RPM's and percentage of stimulation. Since the firt time I saw this bike in action at Sister Kenny I felt it would do good things. When he was on the mat they worked on trunk control and he had a huge work out and continues to excel. They had him lean forward and go to a sitting up position without using his arms. He would get to sitting upright and maintaining his balance and then the therapist would push him backwards, sideways and for the most part he would remian balanced. He keeps on improving and Bev stated the expression on the therapist's face was one of an impressed type reaction. In OT it was time to try a little undressing. Andrew had a hooded sweatshirt on and was asked to take it off. Twenty plus minutes later and with very, and I will repeat very, little assistance his shirt was off. As this was happening one of the RA's was in and out of the room numerous times. His therapist said to Andrew we have twenty minutes left, you can either feed yourself some fresh peach cobler or put your sweatshirt back on. Andrew started putting his shirt back on and did. As he was struggling through this excercise The RA passed through again and Andrew asked Mike, the RA, if he wouldn't help him. It got quite a laugh from all in the room. He's got such a good attitude. Truely someone we can all be proud of. I need to get after my duties here at work and will type at you all Monday. Everyone have a great weekend, be safe and God bless you all. Peace.

Thursday, September 30, 2004 8:21 PM CDT

Andrew had a fairly good day again, his schedule was a not as full as yesterday but look out for tomorrow's. We're on a easy hard easy hard schedule it seems. Although there is not much excitement to report, I was told that his therapies went well. The pulley's went to more revolutions with the same amount of weight. The OT and PT sessions I quess were uneventfull, oh well. I think Andrew likes to hold things back when I'm not there and not give me the whole skivey. The FES bike session went like this - Andrew started and maintained the 40-50 RPM range required and used ninety nine percent of the same amount of stimulation as in previous sessions. The change made today was putting the resistance to one. That means something to the effect of peddaling up a small hill, the bigger hills will follow. Andrew told Bev he thought he could feel resistance in his legs, good stuff. Tomorrow is a day I've been waiting for, the pool. Finally and Andrew is actually looking forward to it also. He was not to excited about the pool therapies back at Sister Kenny so I'm glad that he's wanting it. Enjoy your Friday and keep believing. Peace

Wednesday, September 29, 2004 8:07 PM CDT

I am making an early entry this evening as Bev has arrived and I will be heading north. It's been another good day here at the CC, Courage Center not Country Club. The later CC will come. After today both Bev and I can now use the E-Stim in our room and on our own schedule so that gives Andrew two additional sessions of therapy a day. The more the better. Today in my last learning session with the E-Stim, Carie had Andrew bringing his index finger and thumb together during the stimulation. All three of us raised eyebrows with excitment as this was another first. Later in the day Andrew tried to connect his finger and thumb without the E-Stim and couldn't though this evening's E-Stim in our room showed with wrist flection, side to side movement, he was able to connect the fingers easier than this morning. His mat session was also a good one. His balancing shows improvement almost each time he hits the mat. During this session we were told of some other good news. Andrew has been approved for Saturday therapy. This is also huge. Andrew is getting more and more spiffs so to speak due to his progress and the signs of his medical advancements. The medical side of things seems to puzzle more and more each day. The word we like to use is believe. We believe that Andrew will walk again. I've accepted the fact that it might take some time, but time is on Andrew's side. His spirits are good as ever and he also maintains a positve attitude of what lies ahead. I wish I was here for tomorrow's FES bike session to see first hand what changes they might do but a phone call later will give me the details and an update will follow shortly thereafter. Peace to all.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004 9:50 PM CDT

I have Andrew now in bed and he is watching TV. We start and finish the day with a stretching routine and as I mentioned in yesterday's entry his range has really improved and he's not as stiff in his muscle tone. Andrew had four therapy sessions today and all went well. On the pulleys (like doing weight lifting ) he continues to increase the amount of weight used, not dramatically but still the percentage of increase is big at this stage. On the mat he also balances with less effort and still works hard. His OT sessions concentrate on acheiving every day activities like feeding, brushing teeth and so on. With OT they will tackle these milestones, continue practicing and introduce new control motions to acheive. His last session was on the FES bike and it went well also. His primary PT therapist is a little puzzled with the amount of stimulation needed. Andrew starts this routine and the amount of current will reach ninety nine percent with Andrew not able to keep the RPM's maintained. Lisa well then assist Andrew in the pedaling until Andrew maintains the RPM range. The computor readings when adjusted to each individual should read ninety nine percent stimulation with the RPM's at fifty. When Andrew takes over after being assisted is when he puzzles Lisa. He will keep the RPM's at fifty but well only use forty to fifty percent of the stimulation. Hopefully a good sign, Lisa said this has never happened to her before. Before dinner Andrew and I went to Gander Mountain to pick up a few items I needed, it's nice to get out. For dinner a resident bought pizza for the whole first floor. Thats a lot of pizza. All enjoyed. Makes me hungry, I'll think I'll make some popcorn for a snack. Good Night and Peace.

Monday, September 27, 2004 10:03 PM CDT

It seems like it's been a long time but actualy the time went by quite quickly. The wait and anticipation prolongs and then comes showtime and in a flash back to reality. I had a lot of time to reflect and remained upbeat and enjoyed positive thoughts and day dreams of future happenings with Andrew. Reality, dealing with traffic on Monday morning. I arived early enough this morning to assist in getting Andrew dressed, and it was nice to see him. His day was somewhat under scheduled but Tuesday's workout will make up for it. It seems like Mondays are a little on the weak side with therapy as the therapist have AM meetings and they overrun in time and so on. I could really tell the difference in Andrew's range of motion when I was doing his streching, big difference. His control is also improved and he now enjoys using his computor and works it quite well I might add. We started to experiment with ways to allow Andrew in getting water to drink on his own. It won't be long and that will be another acheivment, it's all about control. He now is able to use an electric razor that has a special hand loop, we put it on his hand and he does the rest. These are all steps to independence. Oh by the way, Andrew still believes he will walk and so do I. If you believe and ask for it in prayer you will receive. Your prayers are and will be heard. Peace.

Friday, September 24, 2004 10:37 PM CDT

Andy's first therapy, FES bike was at 10:00 am this morning. His "AM routine" starts at 7:00 so he is finished by 8:00 or 8:30 depending if he gets a shower that day. This leaves him alittle extra time for him to rest in his chair in the lay back position, with a blanket over him and his head, and a hooded sweatshirt too. He's usually quite cold in the am because his body is unable to regulate his temperature.
E-stim is still Andy's therapy of choice in OT. Today his therapist noticed that his tricepts are getting alittle stronger. He was able to lower his forearm down to his side when the current was on. This evening he was again able to do this with his right arm. Andy was put in the stander today and from his sitting position he was then put directly into the standing postion for an hour. this now means that once the Dr. gives the ok, Andy can be put in the stander in his room, that means he can do more mat work to build up strength and to learn techniques to gain more independence.
We are in and out of the room quite a bit of the day so its been pretty hard to reach us by phone, but have no fear we now have a answering machine if you need to get ahold of us.
It's another late night (11:30) by the time I finish this - I'm anxious for Todd to get back from Montana to take over his journal update job.
God Bless

Thursday, September 23, 2004 10:28 PM CDT

I had hoped to update a little earlier in the evening but the time seems to fly by. Andy would prefer that I do his evening stretching because his shoulders pop, and he doesn't always like the way the RA's do the stretching. His face and head seem to severely itch and it is quite frustrating for him, so I'm usually scratching his head and face for awhile. Foot braces at night are another routine we take care of so the foot doesn't fall forward and he wears hand braces to keep his hands in the correct position. If Andy had the choice he wouldn't wear them because when he tries to scratch, he ends up hitting his head or face because he can't control his movements yet.
yesterday Andy told me that he had to wipe a bead of sweat from his brow. I'm not sure how sigficant this is, and I did try to find out more information on it but the therapist were kind of vague and didn't really have an answer. PT included leaning to one side, using his arm and a foam wedge to hold himself up and try to move his other arm forward and backward to help improve his balance and strengthen his shoulder muscles.
Todd suprised us with a phone call from Montana. No Elk have been harvested as of yet, and with a wet summer the Elk's food has been plentiful, thus they don't need to vie for food.
Peace to you

Wednesday, September 22, 2004 10:27 PM CDT

I had to travel to the Courage Center this evening to find out the scoop on Andy, and he wasn't very receptive to all my questioning. I managed to find out that yesterday Andy went to the Fitness Center that is across the hall from the PT gym and they used a bicycle like apparatus that Andy used his arms to pedal, I guess it was quite a workout. Today he balanced on the mat again, only this time they had him raise both his arms, first one and then the other, he was able to accomplish this. OT included E-stim to work his Tricepts that are begining to come in. Andy's cousin David, came to visit him today and took him to his tutoring class. Andy chose to take advantage of this to refresh his academics. Math was the class of choice so David, the math wiz he is,was Andy's tutor/teacher, I think they both enjoyed it.
When I watch Andy struggle to sit at the side of a mat, cough, or to take a bite of food, I am reminded of our complex bodies and how we take for granted all those movements, muscles, and nerves we have, and don't even realize we are using them. God has created a complicated and perfect body, I hope you give thanks for that, and I know Andy is giving thanks for all the miracles he is experiencing.
God Bless to all

Tuesday, September 21, 2004 1:35 PM CDT

My access to a computer is limited so I'm updating when I can. Yesterday I was unable to talk to Andy and Grandpa Gene, but I did get ahold of then this morning. Andy, again did E-stim but this time they connected the electrodes on his inside of his upper arm and one on the inside of his forearm to make his hand form a fist. His left hand was able to do this better. Gene told me that during PT he is now learning to get himself on the mat by putting a sling on his leg and waist and there is a loop for him to put his arm in, and then he has to pull his leg up and lift it to the mat. He then has to turn his body so he ends up lying on his side, this will be important for when we go home and need to get him in bed.It was alot of work, but Andy was able to accomplish it. Accupuncture was on the agenda again, they put the needles on his neck, arms, wrists, and legs but Andy doesn't seem to notice any benefits from it.
God Bless

Monday, September 20, 2004 11:47 AM CDT

I apologize for not updating Andy's journal but we had a COMPUTER VIRUS at the Courge Center and all the computers have been down since thursday. Friday, Andy's day was pretty typical. He had a new therapist at OT so I had to show her how to use the E-stim machine on Andys arms. I have a correction on the last report, Andy is lifting 5 pounds when he is using the wrist weights (up from 4 pounds). During PT today he did mat work and balanced himself with no hands (hands in his lap)
a first, that is a very difficult feat for him. The Fes bike is going well and he is having lots of tingling. Sorry for the short note but I'm at work and its time to get back to the kindergarten room. Peace to you all!

Thursday, September 16, 2004 9:47 PM CDT

greetings~
I was finally able to get a look at our new vehicle. It's going to take some getting used to driving a full size van and Andrew wasn't sure if he was to excited about buying a Ford.
Andrew and I were given instruction on a E-stem stimulator for his arms and hands. Our OT therapist was able to get the insurance company to partcially pay for one so we can use it during off therapy times so that during therapy sessions we can work on other things. His PT was the stander again, he was able to get in the standing position in 2 moves, the next time she said she will try to get him up in one move. During OT, he was able to increase the amount of weights to 8 lbs.
The last couple of evenings Andrew thought he might have been feeling pressure from his arms on his chest when he is laying down. Tonight I poked on his chest and he seems to have feeling approximately 6 inches lower than he has previously had. What a miracle!!!!!!
Visitors were numerous today,so dinner was late but all that good conversation and company was worth the wait. Even I was blessed with visitor today. My sister came down for a couple days, to keep Andrew and I company.

Peace to all

Wednesday, September 15, 2004 10:48 PM CDT

Greetings~
Well I've tried to avoid writing an entry because Todds heart felt messages won't be easy to follow.
Todd left Mpls. early today to do a dock installation so Andrew was pleased to have his grandpa Gene here to enjoy a rather rainy day. Todd and I had to coordinate our travel schedules so we could exchange our one set of apartment keys. I finally arrived at the Courage Center just after 9:30pm and I was able to assist as they used the Hoyer Lift to put Andy into bed. The Hoyer Lift reminds me of a crane, it lifts him out of his chair and is then wheeled over to his bed and then he is lowered in. Andrew prefers that they physically lift him into bed using a sliding board but I worry that a foot or leg will get caught up or twisted during that type of lift. He had just received his nightly stretching and was readied for the night when a fire alarm went off. Thankfully we did not have to get him back out of bed and go outside. The room and hall doors automatically close and we waited in the room for the all clear signal. Andrew tells me that there is nothing new to report, he had the electrodes on his arms during OT and mat work PT.
We want you all to know much your prayers mean to all of us and we hope that you continue to hold us in prayer.
God Bless~

Tuesday, September 14, 2004 11:12 PM CDT

Last Tuesday's outing was fun but I think both Andrew and myself enjoyed the Twins game more. First off the day began with a mix up in scheduling. Andrew was to go on the FES bike this morning but it's hard to put three patients on two bikes. They were able to reschedule this therapy for later in the day, so Andrew had another full day. I just got done doing some stretches and he is a little stiff and sore. Tomorrow will be no different I'm sure. We were told that on Thursday we will recieve a new electrical stimulator for our personal use. Bev will be the first to get trained in on how to use it. For me the training will be put on hold as I will be chasing Elk in Montanna with Andrwew's blessing. In watching Andrew go through his sessions it can be amusing between conversations with therapists and Andrew's facial expressions. At times I find myself with a controled laugh, one expression translated to why does she push me so hard, that hurts as a big oooohhhh comes out of his mouth. His hard work will pay off. Andrew was first in line for dinner and we were off to the Metrodome watching hopefully the Sy Young winner Santanna. He pitched a great game and with a nine run inning it's hard to lose. Between innings Dan Gladden came over to introduce himself to us and say hi to Andrew. It was a huge surprise and brought alot of excitment around our seating area. It was a nice touch. Well tomorrow is coming soon, time for rest. Peace.

Monday, September 13, 2004 9:50 PM CDT

With the new season upon us there are many events taking place, both with business and personal. I attended another dealer meeting over the weekend and arrived to the CC just before suppertime. Stacy filled in Sunday evening and left for school shortly after Grampa Gene arrived for the start of a three day stay. Somewhat a learning/training session as Dad will spend time with Andrew while I'm away at certain times throughout the fall. Andrew had a full day and is again one sore dude. His day started with pulley's, immediately followed by was an OT session with weights and electronic stimulation. The prior took one and a half hours and it was followed by another full hour of PT. Also today they placed Andrew in a standard wheel chair. This also was quite a workout and he really liked the manual chair. It will take some time untill he is able to use this type chair for extended periods. Please keep in mind of course that whether it's an electic or manual chair it's only temporary. You see, Andrew plans on walking and that is a goal he's working on daily. Tomorrow's schedule is also full and we're throwing in another roadtrip to the Metrodome to watch the Twins play the White Soxs. His toe by the way looks good and is healing very well. It's good to see him again and we'll help keep the drive going. I'll write at you all tomorrow. Peace to everyone.

Saturday, September 11, 2004 10:26 AM CDT

Good Morning everyone. This is Stacy, I'm taking over for my dad. We wrote last night but my entry somehow deleted. Andrew talked with a resident that broke his c6 and c7 vertebrae trying to do a flip off of a snowmobile for slednecks which is an extreme snowmobiling video company. During OT Andrew again had electrode therapy for his wrists and last night was able to hold his right wrist up straight for quite some time. The FES bike was also used and Andy experienced tingling sensations in his legs which therapists say is normal. Mom and Andy walked the grounds and were told that the water fowl will soon be arriving to feast on the crab apples in the grove. They have also enjoyed watching a blue and white heron family that have made their home near the creek, I'm sure my mom enjoys this more than Andy. Peace and Prayers with you all!

Thursday, September 9, 2004 9:39 PM CDT

Another day is done and it was also another good day in regards to therapy. Andrew is one sore person with stiffness in his shoulder area. When doing his range and stretching exercises you can really feel the tightness. Bev and I are doing these series of stretches two to three times a day and it really helps his tightness. This morning I arrived just before eight to find a doctor in his room cuting out an ingrown toe nail. This was not a pretty sight, he basicly used a type of scissor and cut down the middle of his big toe nail and then removed the nail. We've been watching this toe for a couple of days, evidently the doc felt it was time to make a move. Andrew didn't feel a thing, that's probally a good thing. Andrew worked with pulleys, was put on the mat and rode on the bike. I think he'll be looking forward to the weekend and a time to get a little rest. But that will have to wait as tomorrow will be another full day of workouts. Just before getting to this update Andrew was stretched and is now laying in bed watching the season opener of football or maybe he's not, your eyes need to be open to see. Good Night and Peace.

Wednesday, September 8, 2004 10:06 PM CDT

Andrew is awoken at 7:00, seven days a week, and He's use to it. That in it's self is an amazing situation. He was just like me growing up and getting ready for school, sleep in till the last minute and scramble to be on time. Now He's ready for the day and knows when and where He needs to be. Today was no exception and he worked extremely hard and his muscles in his shoulders are sore tonight. He again this morning was put on an electrical stimulator for the wrist muscles. This is a great therapy and also makes for a good workout. We discussed again the need to either purchase or rent this type of equipment to free up sessions to tackle other needed therapy's. We're in the process now of checking into the above. Andrew was put on the mat for his PT session and that is where He really got the workout. Here He worked on balancing placing arms in front, behind, using elbows and trunk muscles. This routine grows with new exercises almost every time Andrew's gets on the mat. The trunk muscles were a new excersise today. We'll look for lots of improvement with this one. Andrew is sitting on this mat and is bent forward with his head by his knee's, He then sits up straight without using his arms. Man does he work hard to do that one. Both tomorrow and Friday are set up with a few more sessions and both days include the FES bike. We feel this machine is going to do good things for Andrew and look forward its use. Andrew has expressed a couple sighs through the time I'm typing, He did work hard today and has soreness. He has pain and we all know he has gained. Please keep him in your prayers. Bev and I both feel good things are continuing to and going to happen. Peace.

Tuesday, September 7, 2004 10:01 PM CDT

It has been so long since my last update I'm not sure where we left off. It's hard to update when I'm not here with Andrew, not to mention it's harder yet without internet service at home. Andrew's busy schedule last week is not carrying into this week. We are hopefull that we will get more sessions scheduled. Andrew's progress is impressive to say the least. It seems when ever he is put on a new peace of equipment or machine he adapts well and works hard. There is a small electrical device that has been used twice now on him. It's used on his wrist and tricept muscles and Andrew does good things with it. It's being discussed if we shouldn't purchase one to enable us to use it more often. Likewise with other equipment. Andrew is one session away using what's called the standing machine and being given the green light for him to use it on his own, along with an aid. When these events break loose this will free up time for more therapy sessions which we're after. Andrew and I attended the World Cup Hoockey game tonight with the USA team defeating Russia. It was a most enjoyable evening. We both had a great time. I was a little nervous with parking and transfers but all went well. Andrew's now in bed and I'll now sign off. Have a great day. Peace.

Thursday, September 2, 2004 10:33 PM CDT

Andrew's day started out a with a change in his schedule. The change involved his OT scheduled for 10:00 moved to 9:00, we were told at 8:50. It made the start of his day a little wild, he was showered and dressed but was still in bed trying to warm up. The chilly morning starts are pretty much the norm after his daily shower, we keep him fully covered and it takes a while to get warmed up. His shoulder muscles are a little sore from the previous days workouts. His next session of the day involved some different balancing positions using trunk muscles, this was new to him and he adapted quite well. It will be interesting to watch his progress with these new muscles. After lunch, a nap and some time outside we made our way to our last session of OT, on to the FES bike. It took a little extra time setting Andrew up with it being his first time. Things went well. There are patients who wait to get on this machine and there bodies can not tollerate it, others who might not handle the cardio part of it and we're told of other issues I can't remember. His OT therapist questioned him quite often and the routine went well. She actually shut the machine down and lowered the amount of current used to get his muscles to peddle the bike. Andrew said he could kind of feel like his thigh muscle being tired. As of a few minutes ago his sensations in his right foot are not as strong as before, so there are no immediate signs of newness. A full day is scheduled for tommorow and with tomorrow is a new day and a new beginning. We're packed for a long road trip, if thats what it takes, thats the road we'll follow. Peace to you all.

Wednesday, September 1, 2004 10:04 PM CDT

Andrew had a full day of therapy working hard again in all his sessions. It wasn't long after his second session, pulleys (weights), when he stated his shoulder and arm muscles where so tired he didn't know if he could continue operating his wheel chair. He is giving it his all. When he goes through these sessions, the expressions on his face really show a face of determination. I experimented with a few things with his sitting while in the wheel chair and the presure being put mainly on his left side. Part of the problem I believe is due to his left side being weaker, therefore he tends to lean that way. I placed a pillow between his left hip and the arm rest which seemed to helped. After three plus hours of sitting the skinny little toosh looked pretty good. We still are in need of improvement and need to continue watching the situation. Andrew worked hard, ate well, enjoyed the warm sun, watched a few groups of golfers, conversed with quite a few visitors, watched our Wednesday rugby in the gym and found a little time to relax. Time goes by fairly fast. Tomorrow is a day we've been looking forward to. He gets on the bike with the FES, functional electronic stimulation, and we are looking for good things to come from this. That, along with another full day of therapy should bring about a position he looks forward to after a full day. Horizontal and resting. Good Night or Good Morning. Peace.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004 10:20 PM CDT

Overall Andrew has had a good day. There are a few issues we're dealing with, nothing of which we won't overcome. Andrew stayed in bed except for meals and therapy as his bottom side is still sensative and shows signs of a sore after just a little time sitting. Tomorrow they are going to check his wheel chair seat, they call this mapping. Part of the problem is that the chair they have for him is too big. His head PT is trying to get a different demo chair brought in, that would be nice. Part of our OT session this morning consisted of Andrew being hooked up with electrodes which were placed to control his wrist. Carie, his primary OT, and I were quite impressed with the range and control he maintained after the electric pulses stopped. They did this for the last fifteen minutes of the session and Andrew told me afterwards it was quite a workout. He likes the workouts when afterwards he feels somewhat spent. He has also doubled the amount of wieghts used when exercising his shoulder and arm movements, another great milestone. All of Andrews sessions are documented so they are able to track this stuff and the wieght increase also impressed Carie. He'll continue to impress her and others, I,m sure. Back to Lisa, his primary PT, we are very glad to have her, prior to us arriving and after we continue to hear good things about her. In the early stages of our relationship I can tell she is very skilled and dedacated to her patients. She is and will continue to be a huge asset in Andrew's road to recovery. Andrew just let out a big yawn, time for bebebaba. Peace to you all.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004 8:03 AM CDT

I was almost to our apartment last night when I realized I hadn't done Andrew's update. It was late and I wasn't going to turn around so we'll have two updates in one day. No one is perfect, I believe thats my second, maybe third mistake of 2004. After my weekrnd in Mcgregor it was nice to be back. He had a Saturday session and again lots of visitors to pass the time. He did manage to save me a taste or two of the treats brought his way. The sensation continues in his right foot and at times it is most of the foot having feeling. We continues to show wrist movement and a start to his tricepts also. Andrew got on the standing machine, made it to the standing position and stayed standing for forty-five minutes with no light headedness. Soon we will be able to assist in this exercise leaving open anopther time slot for other therapies. This will also be the case with the pulley's. The pulleys really gives him a work out. The pulley's is a wieght machine like device allowing wheel chair accessability. We had our weekly accessment Monday also and by the sounds of things our concern with Andrew's amount of therapy he is to recieve is paying off. They agree with us in giving him all he can handle as he is showing great signs of improvement. We'll keep pushing him and continue our upbeat attitude. It's the only way. Peace.

Saturday, August 28, 2004 8:44 AM CDT

Good Morning. I again headed north for the weekend early friday to work. Bev and I are switching days spent with Andrew as we're trying to get into a routine with being at home and work. I just talked to Bev to see how Andrew's day was yesterday and things went well. First of all I can report the starting of the bed sore that we detected thursday night is almost gone and thats good news. He had two therapy sessions of which one was new. It's called the pulleys and it is a device designed for pateints to work out with weights. Andrew's attitude is, as it has been for the most part, very upbeat, He is certainly a role model and we are obviously very proud of him. He's adapting to his new surroundings quite well and geting to know a few more residents and thats also nice. Now on to the good stuff. Andrew has had feeling come and go on his right thumb, mostly come, and now has feeling on his right little finger. Also this morning we're adding to the list all five toes on his right foot have feeling. This is big. Little improvements at atime well take. I know when I went down last week after working the weekend his face shines with excitement when he tells or shows new developments. I will wait for the phone call this evening for additional improvements and know his day will be a good one. I'm told there are new pictures on this sight also. Have a great weekend and be safe. Peace.

Thursday, August 26, 2004 9:52 PM CDT

Overall I would say our day has been a typicle one as we seem to keep riding the roller coaster. He still had only two sessions scheduled today but I can see the beginning of more sessions. For instance, he was on the standing machine and I was told that when Andrew can go to the standing position without getting light headed, we will be asigned to help him do this three times a week and it will leave time slots open for other therapies. Hopefully we will be able to do more hands on in other areas to open even more slots. It might sound confusing but there are so many different exercises, stretches and pieces of equipment that he can utilize, a person could stay very busy. The busier the better. Thats when we seem to see the most results as far as improvemnets and new motions and muscles wanting to kick in. While on the standing machine Andrew said his right foot was tingling and when I put him into bed this evening there seems to be more feeling in the toes. Also I was tickling the bottom of his feet and I did get some reflexes. Very exciting stuff. We also are hoping that we're seeing some slight fist type motion. This small finger flex is very very slight and hopefully it is happening. It hard to say one way or the other as it could be other muscle groups causing the small twiches we see. We will continue to watch for this and any other. I will report on the bad sign of a what we'll call a bed sore starting to show on the left side of his bottom. We might be laying in bed all day tomorrow. It would be better to lose one day rather than weeks. We'll wait and see. I actually thought we were doing good with shifting him and trying to avoid what we're seeing. He's now tucked, taged and bagged. (in bed and ready for lights out) Peace to all.

Wednesday, August 25, 2004 9:43 PM CDT

I am opening todays journal with a description of what I first saw when I woke up to a foggy morning. The apartment we're staying at over looks a fairly big undeveloped area, for an up north kind a guy thats nice to look at instead of home after home. Anyway, as I first glanced out the window the timing was perfect, a huge flock of geese where lifting and you could hear them coming my way. I couldn't see them nor could they see the three story apartment, of which we're on the top floor, until they were almost in contact. Let me tell you what a sight it was watching this flock raise to avoid making contact with the building and it was right in front of me. Now on to the Courage Center. Andrew was showered and dressed when we arrived, his AM routine continues to get underway early. His first session was OT and his therapist made a comment that the doctors must have made a mistake on his injury being a complete one. What she meant with this comment is Andrew should not have the range of movement he has. He has come along way and has a long way to go and we feel he will get there. The remaining schedule for the day was canceled and we didn't know this until he showed up for his next session. This is how our roller coaster ride goes. This type of happening is so dissapointing you can not imangine. He basicly got thirty minutes of therapy. I don't think we're getting our monies worth and for him at this stage of his injury the therapy is so important.I explained to Andrew the importance for him to do the complaining as he needs to be assertive to his care givers. He talked to his head nurse, a therapist and his liason leader and explained his dissapointment. We've heard from so many that it takes two to three weeks to get up and running here but we will not except that. I did my best and we together did our own therapy sessions. Tomorrow will be a better day, you can count on that. Peace.

Tuesday, August 24, 2004 10:23 PM CDT

I had a late start this evening and when I arrived to Andrew's room he was in his chair watching TV without a neck brace. It was an instant show of gleam on all of our faces. Earlier today Andrew was in his room visiting with a friend while Bev was visiting in the conference room when Dr. K called. Andrew was the only one who was able to talk to his surgeon. Dr. K reported that all looked good and he was pleased with the fusion and asked Andrew about his improvemnets. By the sound of Andrew's description of their conversation Dr. K was impressed. The doctor told Andrew he could go without the brace when sitting or laying down and will have a soft brace shortly. The removal does not include when he goes to sleep. It was so nice to see Andrew turn his head and with a smile say, "what do ya think". I don't remember if I reported last thursday while we were doing Andrew's range of motion that both Bev and I thought we felt a little wrist motion, of which we have been looking for. Andrew's wrist motion is there and he was also quite proud to show this slight new movement of which hopefully will improve. These new developments have really had a change on his attitude also. I have to admit I was a little dissapointed with him and his displeasure he was showing with the new surroundings. As I stated yesterday, we know there will ups and downs and we will not dwell on the downs very long. Andrew worked hard today in his therapy's and is a little sore, another good sign. He is also excited for tomorrow to come to get working on his wrist as am I. Time to tuck him in, time to rest, time to dream. Peace.

Monday, August 23, 2004 8:45 PM CDT

As I have been in Mcgregor since friday afternoon and working for a change, a nice change I might add, I am not totaly in tune of Andrew's proress. At this stage, the progress I refer to is not only any new developements, but also his daily schedule, how he's adapting to his new surroundings and his attitude. After talking with Bev this evening, I can tell you not all is going as well as we would like. He did have one therapy session of PT and one of OT over the weekend with a fair amount of visitors again to help pass the time. His schedule today included streching his legs for fifteen minutes and a hour each of PT and OT. This we, Bev and I, feel is not adaquate as we believe he needs to push himself harder and farther each day. The sessions he had today were good and he worked hard but in a twevle hour plus day out of bed that just doesn't cut it. Bev was told today that there are no times available as of yet for pool therapy either. To complicate matters Andrew is not liking his new suroundings. Why, I don't fully know but have a fair idea. As I would prefer to report of more positve events and signs of progress, it is more of a downward side. This we know there will be more of, we just need to keep these at a minimum and WE so intend to do just that. Everone keep smiling, treat your neighbors as you would want them to treat you and share a little peace along the way.

Monday, August 23, 2004 8:45 PM CDT

Saturday, August 21, 2004 8:17 AM CDT

As I discussed in yesterdays journal things are taking a little time to get up and running. Andrew only had one therapy session friday. His schedule for the following week is given to us on friday and also doesn't show a lot of therapy sessions. We're told they will be adding sessions to his schedule as the week progresses. This we will follow up on as we feel they have known he was coming and of his condition. These sessions are so important for him as not only the conditioning and additional strentgh, it will also helps to develope new movements. He needs all the therapy he can handle. In the meantime Bev and I are doing his range of motions which keeps his muscles stretched. He does have two sessions scheduled for saturday. As you can probably tell Bev and I are anxiuos for a full day of activity for him. Andrew will be starting to get on a cycle that we have good feelings about. This machine, which in medicle terms is a functional electronic stimulator, attaches electrodes to certain mucsles, it then sends electronic pulses and the recipient then pedals this bike. This will be good for many reasons and can also and get new feelings and movements. We are so anxious for his workouts to begin. Hopefully we won't push him too hard but we know he's after the same results as us. I am so proud of his attitude. Everyone have a great weekend and we'll type at you all monday. Peace.

Thursday, August 19, 2004 9:47 PM CDT

We are again on line and have made our move to the CC, Couage Center, without many problems. It actually went rather well. We are meeting so many different people. These people are the therapist's, nurses, resident assistances, liasons, cooks, nutritionists, directors, etc, it will take a little time to remember them all. Overall we are all quite pleased with our surroundings. When we arrived we had to check off the condition of our room and our equipment in case of damage on our part, I made a note on the carpet needing to be cleaned or replaced as it smelt. There is new carpet in Andrew's room this evening, this was a pleasant surprise. Andrew's roommate is a twenty year old from Michigan and is a nice young man with a similar injury as Andrew's. The food is also good and we're told the menu is not duplicated too often. Today we had many assesments made on Andrew's strenghts and his goals and we were explained what he'll have in terms of therapy. It will take a little time to get up and running in full swing and then will be a varily full schedule of which pleases us. There are only a few issues we feel we need to address which should not be a problem getting resolved. Bev and I are staying at my neice's apartment which is only about eight miles from here so that is really nice and conveient. Please continue us in your prayers and support. Again it makes a difference and means so much to our family. Peace to you all.

Tuesday, August 17, 2004 9:35 PM CDT

It dawned on me earlier today that I forgot to mention an exciting event that took place yesterday. Our routine in the pool goes like this. I stage Andrew next to a chair we use to go down a ramp and into the pool with, before we make that transfer I go into the locker room and change into my suit. Prior to me changing I tilted Andrew back in his chair to relax. I forgot to switch his wheel chair to the off position and he had his chair going to the pool and couldn't stop it. He gave a yell and fortunatly there was a therapist close by. When Kevin stopped Andrew's forward progress he was within inches of going in, chair and all. I came out of the locker room and could see Kevin's heart beeting through his chest. It was good for a few laughs throughout quite a few conversations. Todays sessions went well as we were trained a little more with mobility stretches and Andrew had another workout while laying on his stomach. His morning routine is going well, maybe a little too well. We are cutting back with some more meds and Dr. Thompson is putting Andrew back on a muscle relaxer for his spasms. She feels we need to control the spasms more so we'll see how it goes. We haven't heard from Dr. K in Duluth on the neck x-rays. Andrew is anxious to get his neck brace off and into a soft one. I made some rounds today saying goodbye to some other patients. There are a lot of good people in the same boat so to speak, some worst, some better. We shared thoughts and wished each other well. It felt good to do so. We have also said many goodbeys to the staff here and will do the same tomorrow with others, so many great people. They will be missed. We are on the road to the CC tomorrow and are scheduled for departure at 12:30. Hopefully I will be able to be on line there and will update the home page with address, phone and room number. So ends the Sister Kenny Institute chapter. Thank you Sister Kenny and staff, peace be with you all.

Monday, August 16, 2004 7:30 PM CDT

Seems like it's been a long time since my last entry even though the time has gone by so fast. Does that make sense? We so enjoyed our short time at home and it is so difficult to be here and not there after that short visit. It was very hard to leave. After we visited the willey's crews we went straight for home. After the greetings with the dogs Andrew headed right for the lake and wanted to go on the dock. I was a little reluctant but gave in, I did however opperate the wheel chair controls. When we made it to the sundeck of the dock Andrew took over the controls and continually circled so to speak scanning the horizon, this he did for quite a while, then turned and drove his wheel chair off the dock and back onto the lawn. Most everthing went well for the remainder of our stay. We, Bev and myself, now realize the envolvement and effort needed to care for Andrew at this stage of his recovery while not having nurses and assistants at our disposal 24 -7. We arrived at SK at 9:30 sunday evening and had to be ready for therapy on monday a half hour earlier than usual, this went well and so did our remaining sessions. We are still on schedule for our departure to the courage center on wednesday, therfore tomorrow will be our last full day of therapy here. We'll pray for all to go well as we still have many unknowns to be answered prior to many other previous prayers to be answered. Does that make sense? Peace. Bev just came out of the room to tell me Andrew has a little feeling now on top of his right hand. It does make sense now doesn't it?

Friday, August 13, 2004 9:45 PM CDT

We were dressed, stretched and in his wheel chair well before his first PT session. When I first transfered Andrew he got light headed but quickly recovered. We made it down to Kenny Square, that's where most of the therapy happens, on time for his PT session and after Andrew was on a mat for his workout I left to get a van for transporting home for the weekend. We have the green light. I found out when I got back he made it through most of the PT before getting sick to his stomach. Bev said he again had to really fight from getting sick. He recuperated, ate lunch and was in bed resting when I returned. We got up and made the remainder of our sessions and they went rather well. It was a pleasant surprize. In his last PT of the day he asked his therapist if she wouldn't stretch his arms and that really felt good, so he said. We are now watching the opening ceremony and I'm hopefull that I'll be able to sleep as we all are very excited to be heading for home tomorrow. I anticapate making Mcgregor by 3:00 and Andrew wants to stop at the sport shop and marine first. We haven't heard much of anything from his test yesterday but his doctor is coming in to see him in the morning. Also I can tell you that we are cutting back on his meds and not trying anything new till next week. We were aslso told today that it sound like were off to the couage center on wednesday this coming week. We had a visitor this evening who is a good friend of a customer of ours who lost control of his vehicle missing a deer. His injury was higher than Andrew's and came in to give him lots of encouragement. Also that every wednesday he goes to the courage center to visit patients. He has come a long way and he made an impact on all of us. I'm looking forward to wednesdays in the future. I'm out of here, my hot fudge sunday is melting. Peace.

Friday, August 13, 2004 8:58 AM CDT

It was 11:15, August 12 when I attemped to enter Andrew's journal for thursday, like with Andrerw's day this computer was not at it's best either. I attemped three times and still it wouldn't transfer my entry, so I'll try again now that I've been informed it's not there. Yesterday Andrew's day started off as well with him being on time and ready for his strching and hygiene therapies. We usually finish this routine a little early and have time to relax before on to physical therapy. Due to the complications we've been having with his stomach and low blood pressure I thought I would transfer Him to his wheel chair early for him to adjust. It didn't help. He struggled through most the day. He made the last ten minutes of his first session, could'nt make the full length of another, sat through one and he canceled another. For me it was a most disappointing day. In one of the sessions he held back from being sick to his stomach so much I could hear him swallowing what was trying to come up. We made it to our room and I put him in bed. The Doctor came in and after examining him ordered blood tests and x-rays. Andrew went on and had a great evening in bed as he was takitive and even joked around. He exercised alot also while lying down, it was a well welcomed change. I can tell you he is dressed as I'm typing and is being streched, they took more blood this morning and his blood presure is up. Hopefully we can learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow. Ya all have a great day.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004 10:04 PM CDT

It's amazing how we can go from a good day to a almost completely lousy day. Andrew woke and ate and was dressed prior to his first session. During this process his vitals are taken and I sensed some trouble as his blood presure was quite a bit lower than the past days, his presure actualy has been increasing a little. He was put on a muscle relaxer last night due to spasms in his legs that have been getting increasingly worst. This will make him drowsy and he also had a stmach ache after he was put in his chair. A stomach ache relates to feeling nauseous due in part to low blood presure. He delt wiyh it all day. He didn't even make it through his therapy sessions in the morning. Oh so disappointing to watch and see. After laying down and lunch we did go on our outing which was to the science center in St. Paul with three other patients, this is part of thier therapy prior to being released from Sister Kenny. Well enough, it's just been a day I would rather forget along with the past six and a half weeks. He slept through most the evening while I took the opportunity to catch up on his medical book we're suppose to read. I got him up around 9:00, he had some ice cream and is watching tv. I told him I made it through eight chapters of his book. He asked me what I learned. I said nothing. He smiled. Finally. Peace .

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 8:14 PM CDT

This has been a good day as Andrew started early with good responses starting with food right after I awoke him. Then on to therapy throughout the day. He worked extemely hard in each of his sessions. When a therapist would ask if that was enough he would reply , no I'll do a couple more. His expressions on his face were those of a determined individual and also showed signs of pain as he did his routines. He was put into a new position on the mat this mornig to start strenghtening new muscles. His movement was slight and he gained more movement as the session progressed. His therapist would look at me and smile like to say he's doing good. He also for the first time today got into this piece of equipment that gets you in a standing position. He made it to the standing position in about five moves, something that usually doesn't happen for the first time in this machine. He was determined again. He now is operating a different wheel chair, a rear wheel drive, smaller in size and it is faster and operates it left handed. He is doing quite well with the left hand even though it's weaker. The mear fact of the speed this little chair has puts a smile on his face. His comment was it'll almost pop the front tires off the ground. Tommorow plans to be another busy day. Were off to his room again for our evening entertainment of a movie. Good night and peace to everyone.

Monday, August 9, 2004 9:13 PM CDT

It was a restfull weekend for Andrew with a fair amount of visitors to help pass the time. His spirits are for the most part very impresive as he is most always upbeat and finds a way to ocaisionaly make people smile with his charm and comments. The times that are still challenging for him and us is when he's in pain or when becoming light headed, these are times when his spirits go the opposite direction and for me are difficult to watch and see. He continually pushes himself hard during therapy and really works hard and wants to do more repetitions to gain more strength. He will exercise quite a bit while even lying in bed. He is each day gaining more movement and strength. His sore on the rear is looking better also and we will continue to keep watch on it. He is going to get a different wheel chair to get a feel on differnt options and features to help him make a decision down the line when it comes to purchasing one. The new chair will also have the controls on the left side to help strengthen that side as it is weaker than his right. Andrew is also looking forward to tommorow as he possibly might start another form of therapy, we'll wait and see. Hope this finds everone in good health. Peace be with you all.

Saturday, August 7, 2004 4:34 PM CDT

I apologize for missing fridays entry, I didn't have access to a computer. I left Sister Kenny thursday after Andrew's sessions for home to construct an access ramp to our home. We are now a least ready to get Andrew in our home and hope to do that next weekend if we can get permission from his doctor. Things are progressing well as Andrew continues to gain strength and movement daily. He is still having to remain in bed most of the time to let his toosh heal. On one of his sessions Andrew was able for the first time to swing his arms to the front of his body when doing a sit up exercise. We continue to look for more feeling eveyday. He had a light load today as he only had three sessions. He also had a special visitor come, Sheri his ICU nurse from his stay in Duluth. She is a special lady. She was amazed at Andrew's progress as are we. I am off now to a dealer meeting and won't be with Andrew until monday. Peace to everyone.

Thursday, August 5, 2004 9:17 PM CDT

Andrew is a slow riser and doesn't like an early breakfast. He manages to know when he needs to open his eyes in time to make our 9:00 deadline, our first session everyday which is streching and is also done in his bed. I asked him if he wouldn't try to down just a little cereal as I'm thinking his daily upset stomach might be in part to his am medications without any food. He will attemp some am nurishment tomorrow. I also convinced him this morning to ask for some pain medication. He is most always in pain and the his pm nurse feels his body concentrates on dealing with the pain and not allowing him to concentrate on therapy. This morning somewhat proved that as he worked hard doing therapy. During his noon session, which is labeled self feeding, he is assisted by his therapist and they work on those movements and today he was able to take food after it was put on a fork and put it in his mouth. This was the first time he has been able to do something for himself, a big step forward and was very exciting. We met this afternoon with his counselor and it looks like we'll be leaving for the Couage Center either the 17th or 18th. Andrew is still not too hip on that next chapter. Wev've heard good things about the CC and it will just take time to adjust to the new surroundings and staff. Andrew is now on Doctor's orders to remain in bed except for therapy sessions due to his toosh not healing. It is showing signs of becoming a sore so that is the reason. He will be able to get in his chair for two hour periods ocaisionaly through the weekend which also puts the kabosh to our road trip sunday. I was going to take him to Willey's dealer meeting with our Premier Pontoon manufacture. We are still hopefull to get him home the following weekend. Peace

Wednesday, August 4, 2004 9:51 PM CDT

It was very frustrating last evening to see Andrew almost in digust to not have all his movement he had earlier. His night nurse immediately called the doctor to explain what was going on and we were told, not to be alarmed but to keep testing for feeling and for the movement to come back. It did. By 10:30 we all felt good about his movement. This morning started slow, he slept well as he's been doing quite reguarly but was hard to get moving. He didn't want anything to eat and so as our day progresssed till mid afternoon was quite depressing as far as I was concerned. We didn't do all therapy sessions we were suppose to do and Andrew had a fair amount of neck pain along with stomach discomfort when we were involved with scheduled sessions. OK, now for some good news. We had a tech session before the pool and Mat, the tech therapist, said he found some tricep movement of which Andrew shouldn't have, remember he is a C-5 level injury and should not have that movement. Dr. Thompson is back from vacation and verified the feeling Andrew has in his little toe, right foot. Also quite exciting is that he has gotten some type of stomach muscle that, to try to explain, you would use when you push lets say on the thrown. In the pool we experimented with more floating devices and found a comfort zone and Andrew actually for the first time moved his arms and had what I call his first good pool therapy. His toosh is still a concern as it sounds like tomorrow he can only sit in his wheel chair for two hours at a time. We do not want these type of sores. Good night and peace be with you all.

Tuesday, August 3, 2004 7:54 PM CDT

Andrew is now on his way down for his tuesday night shower, his other shower night is friday. That's why I like getting him into the pool on monday, wednesday and thursday as he gets showered after the swim. We took a road trip today to tour the Couage Center and get interviewed for future time there. Bev had good vibes but Andrew and myself had mixed feelings. The area around the center was well groomed with a nice park like setting and also where an evening stoll could happen, not like good old downtown Minneapolis. It's hard to describe what my feelings were when we left but I sense a tough time emotionaly for Andrew. The amount of therapy will be less than what he's recieving now which concerns me. Obviously there will be alot of things different and maybe we just are so intune with the fine staff here. Andrew is now back in bed getting readied for the night. He has sensed some differnt feelings the past few days that have come and gone. We're still hopefull that it's a sign of things to come, but as I'm getting close to ending this update Andrew has lost some of his movement in his left arm and is very concerned and showing it. He keeps trying different movements and gets dejected. I hate to close on a bad note but I wish to assist. Peace.

Monday, August 2, 2004 8:02 PM CDT

It was good to get back and see Andrew. When I arrived he was in the middle of a session and was looking good. His sunday was very restfull and he was kept in bed as much as possible. After his pool therapy this afternoon he had a shower and was put back to bed right away. I had a chance to see his toosh and it is looking better but he will be turned quite often while lying down to keep the presure off. In one of his sessions today Andrew was put on to his stomach, this was a first since the accident. His chest was placed on a small wedge and his arms placed in front, like watching tv on your stomach and elbows, and was instructed to do push up like exercises. It was quite the work out. Since day one we have and continue to have a lot of visitors and thank eveyone. I will not make it a habit to give names of visitors but this evening my cousin Cheryl brought Andrew's great Gramma to come and visit, a very pleasant surprise and it is always great to see Gramma. Tomorrow we are headed for the Courage Center for an interview and tour as it won't be long and this will be Andrew's next chapter. Peace to all.

Monday, August 2, 2004 8:02 PM CDT

Saturday, July 31, 2004 3:29 PM CDT

This mornings check in revealed another restfull night, it's becoming more of a common event and really makes a difference in his daily activities. His schedule for the day consisted of three therapy sessions, a light day. The staff has some concern as there is some redness on his toosh from sitting in the same position too long. They will keep him out of the wheelchair as much as possible today and reposition him often when in the chair. When I checked in minutes ago I just caught Bev in the room grabing some olives for a snack. They're out on the deck enjoying the nice day. That deck is a blessing as it is so relaxing to be outdoors enjoying the sunshine. Bev said a therapist tested Andrew on new movement earlier. She asked Andrew to imangine and also to try making a fist. On the right hand she felt some muscle movement with his wrist and also with his thumb. Andrew told Bev later she was just saying that to make him feel better. Maybe Andrew's way of not being to excited if it wasn't there but I am extremely excited. He has had some feeling in that right thumb for quite a while so to me it makes sense. That pretty much has made my day. I'm done at work and heading for the hunting land. Peace.

Friday, July 30, 2004 6:22 PM CDT

I finally was called in and needed at work, I was begining to get worried. I was planning on actually leaving friday late morning and working this weekend but left thursday evening to gladly help out. I called this morning and things were going well, Andrew was well on his way to being ready for his first session. I again called shortly after five this afternoon and heard that his day was what I would classify as one of his better days. They were watching the news and relaxing, the therapy sessions all went well and Andrew's spirits were very uplifting. I asked what his schedule was for tomorrow but they had not recieved it. I asked what he was going to do this weekend and Andrew replied, "nothing". He also said something to the effect that I'm not going to read either, just do nothing. A well deserved rest is on its way by the sound of it. We, Bev and I, continually, on ocaision forget to order in Andrew's meals as was the case for this evening, that means he gets what he gets,.Bev was on her way to get Andrew a fast food meal and he was looking forward to it. Al is well at Sister Kenny in room 2339. Peace to all and have a great weekend.

Thursday, July 29, 2004 7:50 PM CDT

Andrew just finished our first attemp of using a computor on his own. We put a brace on his hand, taped two fingers together and taped the remaining in a closed fist position. He was very patient on trying to locate the arrow where he wanted it and to also tap the touch pad to enter. His night went well and but still had a fair amount of pain. In one of his afternoon sessions his therapist did a massage to the sore area and it helped enough for him to want to go to the pool. The floating devices in the pool is what he was attributing the pain to, in fact it's the therapy working his muscles putting knots in them. We did use a new head float which kept his head move comfortable when in the water. Jen, his OT, got a big smile out of Andrew when she asked if Andrew would mind if he did his hour session outside. It was a nice break in our routine.We exited the building and went into this little park type area in the middle of this complex and enjoyed the day along with a good workout. The staff had a meeting as they do weekly to evaluate Andrew's progress, we were told he is at a 90% of accident victims with his type of injury. That was certainly good news and hopefully the sign of good things to come. Good night and Peace be with you all.

Wednesday, July 28, 2004 9:51 PM CDT

Our AM routine was fairily on time as our goal is to have breakfast, get medications, get vitals taken, get mother nature taken care of, see the Doc and get dress by nine. We've been batting around .400 and it gets closer to our goal daily. We've been struggling with an uncomfortable back rest on Andrew's wheel chair and are making strides to finding a more comfortable resolve with ajustments that work and with others that don't, as with the therapy everything takes time. As with his therapy we continue to strengthen whats there and are patiently waiting for new muscles to show signs of joining in. I see Andrew on occasion getting frustrated as he's wanting his triceps to do more. As of today there is a very slight signal of this the threapist are seeing. They tell us his wrist would be the first to show before the triceps. Although with a little motion in the triceps they are going to set up tech therapy on that area. The pool is more enjoyable for me than for Andrew as there is some discomfort with the equipment he is using to keep him afloat. I feel he needs some muscle massage's as like last week we delt with this and after a massage he felt much better. He is usally in a lot of discomfort this time of the night with tonight being a 7-8 on a scale of 10, it stinks, hopefully a good nights rest and a better day tommorow. Peace to all.

Tuesday, July 27, 2004 8:16 PM CDT

I left Andrew last night with a hand shake, something we haven't done in a long time. He slept well and was still hard to muster him up, he has never been an early riser except for duck hunting, fishing, deer hunting, golfing, ......, get my drift. When I came in to his room still asleep I ran my fingernail up the ball of his foot and it had a reflex, he had the same muscle reflex the night of his accident. I have not gotten the reflex to happen agian but thats what were after, new signs. Therapy went well with the highlight of the day being our session in the pool. On the way down there Andrew asked the therapist if we were going to learn how to dive, we all thought that was quite humorous. We also renamed the pool area to club med. No we were not served any shrimp cocktail but haven't given up hope. Andrew this evening has alot of pain. The staff feels it is sore muscles in the neck area and is laying on ice packs watching a ________, imangine that. Were hoping for another restfull night and another big day tomorrow. Peace

Monday, July 26, 2004 7:21 PM CDT

I don't really know where to begin this evening with andrew's update. It should be overflowwing with info as I did not update the sight on sunday. I quess I'll just start pecking and it'll get longer than it should. Sunday started with a normal early rise as we are still working on maintaining Andrew's schedule. Lunch was deliverd by special friends and enjoyed thoroughly with sweats remaining for many days. We then made our way to my room in the wassie center as we have cable there and Andrew and I watched the remaining nascar race. Just as we got back to Andrew's room the phone rang, it was the organizers of Andrew's fundraiser calling on a conference call. I had a hard time holding back tears listening to the great day they had and the great success it was. I can not put words to type describing what this over abundance of support means to us all. I've had about a five minute delay before getting these next words in print so now I'll move on. The day of course ended with a movie. Monday morning I woke Andrew and his night was a sleepless one. We addressed this issue with the doctor and we are implementing a plan for future nights when this happens again. The green light was given for therapy sessions starting tomorrow in the pool, I think I'm more excited than Andrew as I brought my suit down and will be in there with him. His therapy went well today with new mucsles being worked with and he works hard. It is like watching a weight lifter at times when they strive to do more. Our talk this morning centered around that with or without sleep were not going to lounge and be lazy as we have a lot of work to do to get us to where we want to be. I think it got him motivated as we had a great day without sleep. It's time for a movie. Peace to all.

Saturday, July 24, 2004 7:53 PM CDT

There wasn't much on Andrew's plate today as far as therapy goes. His night was restful and breakfast was served as usual at 7:30. His vital readings first thing revealed a temperature which sets off an alarm to the staff. They did a few tests and things were ok. One of his incisions on his hip is showing signs of some big medical term. Not to be alarmed, they'll keep an eye on it and start some new medication. We were in limbo with his fever as to our road trip but after his two sessions it was on its way down. Right after lunch we were loading into a small bus heading to the fair grounds for an afternoon of, we didn't know what to expect as with the bumps in travel hurt and sidewalks were rough and so on. We traveled through the crowd slowly and things started to go better as we administered some mild pain medication and it sure helped. We first met up with one of Andrew's friends, Tony, who hung out with all day. My hats off to Polaris as they really had a good event planned with representation of various games sponsored by the Wild, Twins and others for many entertaining things for all ages. Dale Jr., Ryan Nueman and Kyle Petty's car were there on display with individuals to explain things about the cars. As we were moving around we spotted Kyle Petty, he rides a Polaris Victory motorcycle and had just flown in from practice in New Hampsire. There was a long line of people getting autographs on a stage so we thought we would just try to get a closer look. He got up from his seat, jumped off the stage and came over to Andrew, asked a couple of questions about Andrew's condition. He then told Andrew not to give up the fight, signed an autograph and wished us good luck. It was actually quite emotional as I saw quite a few people with tears. It really was neet. We lasted till 5:30 and now we're taking on an early movie. I'm ready for bed now but will sit through another, we have all day tomorrow to rest. Peace everyone.

Friday, July 23, 2004 3:41 PM CDT

Our evening routine ends with a movie and off to bed. After his good day yesterday Andrew had a very restless night so the start of a new day is difficult to say the least. I feel his muscles don't have a chance to rest either as his pain was a little on the high side today also. He took a little nap after lunch and when his afternoon sessions were done we put him in bed for another catnap. With little rest and the pain he still gave all his therapy sessions his all. He has friends bringing pizza for supper tonight and is looking forward to that. We have gotten the green light for a little outing tomorrow and wil be going to Polaris' 50 aniversary celebration. We are leaving here around 12:30 and we'll just see how it goes. I expect it to be a farily tiring afternoon but will be good for him. He is looking forward to seeing Polaris' new products and some fair type food to consume. With sunday there is no therapy so we'will get have a good opportunity to catch up on his rest. Peace to all.

Thursday, July 22, 2004 6:20 PM CDT

I atteneded my required meetings today and made it back to Sister Kenny shortly after 2:00 to find Andrew in one of his nine sessions scheduled for today. He looked good and was in good spirts. This is always nice to see as yesterday when I left he was down with pain. As I watched his movement he would occasionally skirmish with pain, he's trying to use muscles in new ways. Andrew has had a different sense to him so to speak with his personality today, kind of mischief per sorts. When that session was completed while we were talking to the threapist Andrew took off in his wheel chair, when we caught up with him he was laughing as he was tryimg to ditch us. He had a session of acupuncture today also. Now he is having a lady do a healing touch session with him. Before she started he was laughung like when you get the giggles and can't stop. Maybe somethings up! We'll keep preying for that something. I need to again thank everone who stops by to say high, who brings lunch, who brings cookies, who brings snacks, to those who send us e-mails, to those who keep us in thier prayers. Words can not express how important and how meaningful that is to all of us, it is turely God's love being spread. We are also truely grateful for the planning and effort being put forth on Andrews behalf for saturdays fundraiser. We will be there in spirit. Peace to all.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 2:28 PM CDT

Andrew had completed his morning schedule and was dressed by 8:30, this is what we're after. Yesterday we did not accomplished this goal so we will continue daily to try and reach objectives and program Andrew's body functions to a timely format. As I am entering todays journal Andrew is somewhat sedated and napping. We have a somewhat long break now before his last sessions this afternoon as they're planning to remove his staples from the surgery on the back of his neck. He has been in quite a bit more pain today, neck area, also. I feel this is from over exerting on his part in therapy. It is hard to deal with for us as it really shows in his personallity. He is asked if they should stop there session, He declines and goes forward with the exercises. His will power is strong. We asked his counselor if Andrew would be up to a small outing on saturday and they will address this tomorrow. Bev and I are looking to take him to Polaris' 50 anniversary celebration. He is excited and really is wanting to see what is new for Polaris as I am attending dealer meetings starting tomorrow. Peace to all.

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 9:17 PM CDT

We've had another busy day with eight sesions and visitors. Andrew is on his way to restfull nights now and not taking sleeping pills to obtain it. He continues to make progress with his movement and range. It will be a slow process but we can see improvement daily. Andrew started two different sesions today, one is integrative therapy and the other is technology threapy. The later was quite interesting as they use wire hook ups to various muscles and this is hooked up to a computer. Then a game of solitare starts with a therapist using a mouse to finish the moves initiated by Andrew's muscle control. It was very taxing to the area they wish to address, which are areas that have liitle muscle control. The integrative therapy consists of various massages for relaxing the body. This will also include possibly using acupuncture in the future. Andrew just finished now with his tuesday night shower of which he enjoys, imangine that. We are anticipating another successful day tomorrow with more signs of movement and hopefully new muscles starting to come back. Peace to all.

Monday, July 19, 2004 5:01 PM CDT

Andrew had a good day of active therapy today. They are working and devoloping new muscle control of what he has. It's quite exciting to watch as they will start a new excercise and the movement might start with about a 10% arc and after his session he would be up to say 45%. We are seeing progress. After lunch he complained of muscle cramps between his shoulders so Cheryl, one of his therapist, worked solely on a massage of sorts and some wheelchair adjustment. This was a huge improvement for him both in pain and discomfort. They do not want to overwork Andrew and make it all painfull so there is time when they resort to other methods. Bev has aquired the services offered here of a reflex therapist. This person uses farious technics with massage and oil to stimulate muscles and nerves. Andrew enjoyed this also. We are also looking into other healing services offered here, the more the merrier. Peace to all.

Sunday, July 18, 2004 4:53 PM CDT

Ive talked to Bev and Andrew a couple of times today and for the most part they are enjoying a farily restfull day. They, nurses, have added some foam on Andrew's neck brace which is helping to releave a little of the pain. This is becoming a major concern of mine as it just doesn't seem to be getting any better. I know the pain is also taking its toll on Andrew. They have done a fair amount of cruising should we say the canpus today along with visiting with friends and family that stop by. I sense a little more downward slide of Andrew's spirits, we're to expect this so were told by medical staff. I will be working on the positive additude turn around this week as I feel a miricle coming and we need to stay focused on just that. For me it was nice to be at church this morning and feel the spirit flowing amongst us. As far as being back to work for a couple of days I can tell you it's over rated. Thank you all again for visiting this sight and please keep praying for Andrew. Peace.

Saturday, July 17, 2004 4:02 PM CDT

I just got off the phone with Bev and Andrew and things are somewhat on the up and up. He had a varily good night sleeping but still is having a fair amount of pain. Grampa and Gramma Streeter were there to sit in on one of his sessions today which is interesting to watch the therapist do thier thing. It is a small world as this therapist's father happens to be one of our customers on Big Sandy. There always seems to be a connection somewhere. During that session Andrew also had a little more movement in one of his wrist that had not previously been there. Bev said Andrew mentioned that he also felt some type of a sensation down lower towards his tailbone earlier this morning but has not felt it since. The therapist are always looking for different movements and muscle tones throughout these sessions and know when something new exists. It does give us hope and that is something we will never give up. Cousin Shawn stepped in while I was talking to Andrew and asked him where he could find some crappies. Andrew gave him some info and Shawn told Andrew that he should give us his quote of the day to add to these updates. His quote, "well I don't know", I asked is that what you want? "well I quess" I do miss being down there. Please continue to keep Andrew in your prayers. Peace to all.

Friday, July 16, 2004 5:36 PM CDT

Andrew's day now starts at 7:15 with breakfast being served. This is being done to get his system to function on a timeclock like basis. This went well as we were only five minutes late for our first therapy session. Last night we arrived to our room to find a new roommate, not the best situation. The night before it was sugested by a nurse that we request a private room as we need to initiate that. After that was said she also told me that it was already done, thank you _____. Now we will wait for one to become available. We had a meeting with Andrew's Dr. and counselor to disscuss Andrew's discharge plan which is estimated to be four to five weeks from now. After that the new chapter will be at the Courgage Center which will help him with the bigger obstcales of blending into society. The following are his accomplishments (goals) critical to his discharge.
1- Able to complete grooming with minimal assistance, able to drect self cares
2- Able to eat with set-up using equipment
3- Bowel and bladder programs established and able to direct caregivers
4- Lower extremity range of motion program established and family able to perform
5- Independent with power chair mobility
6- Spinal cord injury education complete
After this meeting we were heading for the sundeck to meet up for lunch with Sue and Katie Jensen, Famous Daves and it was good. As we passed Andrew's room they were in the process of moving his personal belongings to another room. This put a smile on his face. After the afternoons remaining sessions Andrew finaly asked for some pain medication, which he has not taken any since arriving, and laid down for a much needed rest. They just passed by me now heading down to the cafeteria for dinner. It was requested I get the dvd player hooked up in the new room prior to my departure. I'm going to work this weekend and spend some quite time out on the hunting land, a little therapy of my own. Peace to all.

Thursday, July 15, 2004 6:52 PM CDT

Good evening to all. Andrew sits at my side tonight as I enter todays events. We just got done taking a catnap on the patio which is on our floor level. It was nice to catch a few warm sunrays. Andrew had a good night and was still sleeping when I came in this morning. His program today started slow as we had two sesions in the room. The first again is the streaching of his legs. The second today was a self feeding threapy, we used a brace on his hand and was assisted. This is the norm as we start conditioning the muscles. We then did a little sitting and balancing followed by him getting fitted into an electric wheelchair. No, its not turbo charged , yet. After toning down the power and some training we were off and cruising. He's doing quite well with maneuvering. It was around supper time then and he directed the chair to the cafeteria and after supper we went touring which led us to our nap. We have new roomate this evening and have not met him yet. Peace to all.

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 3:46 PM CDT

We've had a busy day after having yet another sleepless night. Andrew will run a fever in the night and will not sleep sound till early morning. They are going to address this situation this evening. Bev and I are staying at the Wassie House, which is like a hotel. It is attached and accessible to Sister Kenny by enclosed walkways. Andrew started with pancakes, bacon, fruit with juice and milk. Andrew consumed all. Shortly thereafter they dressed Andrew in street clothes with his shorts being camouflage. He's aready dressing for the fall season - He looked great with clothes on. His therapy started in bed as will each day forward with streaching his legs. Then into his wheelchair for the remainder of the sesions with a lunch break in between. We were back into our room lying back in bed at 3:30. We will be applying ice to some sore muscles this evening. Most of the activity today consisted of finding his strenghts and also gaining his balance control when sitting up. The various sessions will change from day to day as we are given a schedule for the next days activity. They have a full house here so we learned that when someone is not on time to take Andrew to his next session we will take him ourself. It will take a few days to learn the ropes I'm sure. Peace to all.

Tuesday, July 13, 2004 5:45 PM CDT

Andrew arrived this morning to Sister Kenny at around 11:00. The ride was a litttle rough on him but overall not too bad. This place is big. The day has mostly consisted of Dr check ups and interviews. He was lifted into a wheelchair and it was custom fitted to him by another gentleman who is also in a wheelchair. A counselor who interveiwed Bev and I was also in a wheel chair. Andrew remains in his chair still as we had a tour of the facility and also went to the cafeteria for dinner. Bev and the nurses are washing his hair right now. Andrew will start fresh tomorrow with first getting dressed before breakfast and then he will have eight thirty minuted sesions monday through friday and four sesions on saturday. We will have a meeting with Dr. Thompson, this is the doctor we were hoping for,later in the week for her evaluation of Andrew. I would have liked to travel back to McGregor for the pray vigual this evening but both of us need some rest as we will be with Andrew as he starts his routine tomorrow. Peace to all.

Tuesday, July 13, 2004 6:45 AM CDT

Todd asked me to let everyone know that we added a couple of new pictures to the Photo Album of Andrew and his ICU nurses. Also, Todd added a new journal last night and if you haven't read it make sure to check out the past journal entries. They are in route to Sister Kenny's at 8:00 am this morning.

--bj

Monday, July 12, 2004 7:08 PM CDT

It has been a really good day for Andrew starting with a good nights rest and it's shown all day by his apearance. There are no more oxygen or IV tubes and very little medication has been needed. We had the green light for departure but is delayed untill 8:00 AM tuesady as the admitance papers were not all in tact at Sister Kenny. They are taking him by ambulance and Bev will be riding along. We had a ton of visitors again today which keeps the day moving. I had previously mentioned some of the special nurses here and one of them, Sherry, came in before her shift and gave Andrew a lotion massage on his legs, feet, hands and arms. While this was happenig another nurse, Tony, popped in to say good bye and good luck, it was very special. Talk about going the extra mile. Andrew was hoisted again into a chair and lasted well over an hour, so things are progressing. We are excited about the next chapter and are aware of the hard work that lies ahead. Oh, I forgot to mention that Andrew has gained a little feeling in his right thumb. I will inform all on the his new surroundings soon. Peace to All

Sunday, July 11, 2004 7:56 PM CDT

I've finally had a chance to get to a computer as Andrew continues to have a lot of visitors. Last night we ordered in and enjoyed a pizza as Andrew is not too fond of the food served here most of the time. I don't know why but Andrew really struggles at night. Bev left at around 10:30 and Andrew continually woke up in pain every 3-5 minutes. He also usually runs a little fever at night and then is uncomfortable. He finally rested well from 2:45 to 10:30 with minor interruptions for turning and a little breakfast. Yesterday we had him in a wheelchair for maybe 5 minutes. Today he was in that chair twice with both times lasting a little longer than the previous. Around 4:30 this afternoon the nurse removed his intervenious feeding so we are also now taking different pain medication as needed. The talk is to leave for Sister Kenny possibly tomorow but most likely tuesday baring any complications. This is good as we wish to get rehab started as soon as possible. Thank you all for your support and prayers, it really means alot.

Saturday, July 10, 2004 11:48 AM CDT

For yuor information Bev and I have been switching off with staying with Andrew through the night. I had the night off and enjoyed a much needed rest. We have temporaraly moved in with the Scott, BJ and the boys. As I walked outside to leave this morning there was Scott washing Bev's car, He said sorry I don't bake cookies.WOW! Bev said Andrew had a varily restless night as he has a lot of false feelings. He will wake up to nightmares also. As the medication is lowered we feel these will go away. His pain level has dropped down quite a bit and He is starting to eat. He wants us to have a contest on who can bring him the best breakfast. The plan for today is to get him upright and if blood presure stays stable they plan to hoist him in a wheel chair. His spirit is good as we will not allow anything but a positive attitude. Peace to all.

Friday, July 9, 2004 9:02 PM CDT

It's been an up and down day with the later being on the up side. We left the most unbelievable people in the ICU when Andrew transfered to level 4, room 409, around 3:30. I can not stress enough what an impact the personal there have had on Andrew, Bev and myself. They are truely remarkable and gifted people. Thanks especially to Sherry, Tony and Anna. Earlier this afternoon Andrew was tested for a program we were interested in. He was found to not be a canidate for this phase two program in Denver. It was a big disappointment but the risk was to big for him to take. Dr. K. this afternoon stated that he felt Andrew had a little more feeling down both arms. By the way, Dr K. was the surgeon that preformed his magic on Rory Olson years ago. Its a small world. I've been told that there will be a Community Prayer Vigil & Support for Andrew and Jordan on Tuesday July 13th at Grace Luthern Church from 7 - 9pm. Peace to all.

Friday, July 9, 2004 10:13 AM CDT

Andrew struggled with pain and discomfort through most the night. After watching half of the 50 First Dates movie on his new portable dvd player he finally dosed off and slep good till Dr. K (surgeon) stepped in promptly at 6:30. Andrews movement and feelig has not gotten better, YET. He still has the mobility he had when he was admitted. As I'm pecking this up date in he's being bathed and is going through a little PT (physical theropy). Concern is growing with his stomach as he needs a couple of good bowel movements. He possibly might leave the CSI unit today, we'll just have to wait and see. Bev plans on spending a lot of time today on the computor researching some of our options for Andrew and we'll keep everybody posted. Thank you to all for the thoughts and prayers, it means alot.

Thursday, July 8, 2004 4:36 PM CDT

Scott and I are up at the hospital right now. Andrew has lots of company...Rocky & Mary, Patty, Kayla, John and Nick are all here right now.

Todd's sitting next to me telling me what to type. Here's the update:

Andrew had a rough night last night...lots of soreness and coughing. He's having to learn how to cough from his diaphragm and even how to swallow.

We're seeing signs of his old self as he had stated that it must be hard to take care of a two year old again. We had the discussion that there were going to be some tough times ahead of us, but we'd get through it together. We're trying to be positive.

Shortly thereafter, a nurse came in to assist the head nurse, Tony. After they were finished, Andrew stated that she was hot. Todd said she's married, and Andrew replied "she's still hot".

There's been improvement this afternoon but he's still having a tough time swallowing. Andrew requested a "Grape Mr. Misty" and was able to drink a little bit of it this afternoon. The apple sauce didn't go over real...he'd prefer a cheeseburger but isn't quite up to it yet.

Please keep the messages coming, we appreciate hearing from everyone. Use the GUESTBOOK as often as you'd like.

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 7:57 PM CDT

Scott visited again tonight but Andy was resting and was not up to seeing visitors today. His throat is sore not that they’ve taken the respirator out after the surgery. He is sitting up slightly now.

Todd and Bev are staying strong and optimistic. Right now, they are checking into an experimental clinical trial in Denver, CO. If Andrew is accepted into the program, they will have to be in Denver within 14 days from now.

Todd and Bev also would like to convey their thanks for all the food that people have been bringing up to the hospital. However, they’re in fear of becoming fat, so they ask that if you visit, please don’t bring anymore food.

Please use the guestbook option on this web site to pass on messages to the Streeter’s. They can access the site from the hospital and get your messages there. We’ll try to get some pictures and more information posted out here on the site.

Please email me with any recommendations or new email addresses to add to the distribution.

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 8:09 AM CDT

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