☘ Happy St Patrick’s Day! ☘ 
Been meaning to get this out and what better day than this to celebrate this spiritual giant whose famous prayer is on my heart today and on the lips of many this day (along with an accompanied green beer…😆).

It’s been a while since my last post and I wanted to provide an update on Marshall’s continued remarkable recovery. Hard to believe but we’re beyond the seventh month mark, and Marshall has continued his steady and stellar healing trajectory. Since the more noticeable macro healing (walking, talking, eating, etc) was so dramatic, the micro and less obvious progress (clear thinking, remember dates, and “why did I walk into this room?” etc) is still in process, though improving all the time. It’s frustrating for him because he’s living his life much closer now to when before this all happened that the mis-remembering and small “forgetfuls” are typically inconsequential, but still bothersome. He knows he needs to be patient with himself, but it can be hard at times.

He is continuing to move toward working full time again which should happen sometime in April. He’s done it the right way, that is, take on only what he thinks he can do well, and slowly introduce those things that present a potentially higher visual challenge — and then rest every day afterward. For the most part, he’s done a good job of resting as his brain is still in healing mode and needs time to recover. Again, his employer, Tooth & Nail Records, has been a wonderfully supportive and sympathetic partner in all of this. 

Marshall continues to do his after-work visual therapy, too, a program he and his good friend developed based on a study of similarly visually impaired individuals through a study he found at Wake Forest University. He doesn’t qualify as a participant unfortunately but has built a friendly email connection with several of the key doctors who have taken an interest in his situation.  Marshall and his friend have concocted a clever training tool based loosely on the Wake Forest model which includes flashes of geometrically shaped light connected to a sound programmed at varied intervals. Marshall’s job is to stare at a solitary object in front of him hoping to identify the shape aloud. It’s been amazing to watch the iteration and complexity of this homemade therapy. It’s provided a good source of creative energy, but in the end hopes it further extends his field of vision, even if slightly. He combines all this with his continued physical, speech, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy which gives him a full after work regimen to which he is very committed! 

Marshall is also working with two local low vision clinics (Pacific U and OHSU) who have done extensive testing and analysis of his vision and have given him a variety of tools to use to navigate the world in his current condition. 

In the coming months, he will return to his neuro ophthalmologist and surgeon for routine check ups and make sure all is progressing as expected. So far that’s been the case. The big unanswered question is still why this happened in the first place, and if it could happen again. His recent imaging has not shown the source of the brain bleed which would help to answer these questions. He’s even had a second opinion at another university that seems to concur with the mystery, though there may be future diagnostics that may shed more light. That’s coming.

The really encouraging news is that over the month of March, Marshall has had an opportunity to test out what it would be like to live on his own again by house-sitting for his brother and sister in law. Though excited to feel more independent again, there was a bit of fear and trepidation on his – and our part (remember dropping your kids off at college...same feeling) but he knew this would be a good test for him.  And so far all is going very well! We check in with him briefly on most days, and even took him to Indian food the other day in St John’s (see pic) but he would say this independence experiment has been a big boost to his confidence and ready him for the day he can return to living on his own. 

And just writing these words after knowing what he’s been through these past 7 months–it’s breathtaking how much his recovery is doused in miracle. We are grateful beyond words. Thank you for loving on him and us. 

Todd & Brenda

I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me

(Excerpt from St Patrick’s Breastplate)