I know that I haven't written in so long. It's hard to know what to write because I feel like the impact and consequences of Greg's crash switched from him to all of us. I know everyone comes here to see how Greg is doing, but the struggle really lies within the rest of us. He has remained largely the same since he came home. He may walk a little better and remember a little bit more. But he's sort of frozen in a purgatory of the present and confusion. 

For the rest of us, this has been really, really hard. Bringing home a co-parent, a friend, a son and a dad who cannot function in those capacities is hard. Trying to figure out a way to patch those holes by myself is hard. Being a caregiver and a single parent is really effing hard. Watching the girls try to cope is painfully hard. And watching Greg struggle is hard.

We've had a LOT of support. I still have friends taking him to dinner to give the girls respite on the nights that I am shooting. We still have people coming over to help with things around the house. Our parents and family are doing all that they can to provide some comfort and relief. But even amongst all of the helpers, it's real hard to not feel helpless. So I will move on from this part to give some better news, but, you know, watch out for your people because there is a lot of heartache in all of us. 

I just reread the last update from April and not much has changed in the sense of how Greg is doing. his personality is intact. He has his long term memory intact. He taught me all about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the other day. The history behind it, US and world involvement, the point of view from both sides . . . He can remember and teach all of these things, still. But his short term memory is still gone. Not like, 50 First Dates, you-forget-each-day-by-the-next-morning gone. But like, 60 seconds to gone. Some things will stick longer than others. He might remember where we went to dinner all of the way home, but then it's gone. He might remember what concert he saw until he gets to the car, but then it's gone. If you tell him something many, many (100+) times, he can then "guess" the correct answer. But he still asks us all day long why he isn't teaching. If he asks a question, he will not remember the answer even a minute or two later. And he doesn't seem to be able to really retain any new information for any length of time. From what we understand, there is still the possibility that he can literally grown new neurons that can sort of "remap" his brain, but it will be a slow process. 

The bright side is that he is happy, funny and pleasant to be around. It would be so much harder if he were angry and bitter. When I am in a little lighter mood, I'll try to share some of the funnier sides of his journey. He is nothing if he isn't really entertaining. 

We decided not to do anything on the anniversary of his accident (October 1). But we have decided to celebrate the day that he woke up from his coma, which is this Saturday, October 21st. We will all be at the Des Moines Biergarten in Waterworks Park from about 4-6 for anyone who would like to stop by and see Greg. That was the spot that we went to on our last bike ride before his accident and it was where we went on the first bike ride that all of his friends and I took right after he woke up in the hospital. You can bike there or park near the amphitheater. He might ask you the same questions over and over, but he'll be real happy to see you. 

Thank you for your continued love and support.