Friends and family, 

I have great news to share with you! 

Oliver was able to go home on October 27 and is getting better and better with each passing day. His incision is healing nicely and he's quite mobile now. 

He had a follow-up visit yesterday and the doctors were delighted with his progress. They have cleared him to return to school on Monday! He will start with half days and build up from there. I can't tell you how excited he is. He loves learning and he loves his friends and he can't wait to get back to both. Plus, he gets to ride the elevator for a while so that's pretty cool. :)

Riley is glad to have her brother home and likes to keep him close by her side. That said, they are starting to pester each other again so I take that as a sign things are getting back to normal. Sophie has found a new snuggle companion and I think she is going to miss him when he goes back to school!

So, what's next? 

The musculature will likely take 6 months to fully heal.  In the meantime, he will continue to build back muscle strength, increase his flexibility, and learn to listen to his body. He wants to be 100% healed RIGHT NOW so he's pushing himself hard. This is great in many ways, but it often leaves him stiff and in quite a bit of pain. I'm hopeful he is able to strike a balance so progress continues and he doesn't set himself back.

We have a couple of follow-ups for some new vision issues and for occupational and physical therapy evaluations. The numbness in his hand has improved but he still lacks appropriate sensation in it. We are hopeful this will get better with time. If it doesn't, well, it feels like a small thing compared to the "what might have been."

In early 2024, they will repeat scans to see what things look like internally. If all is well, this will become his new baseline to compare against in the future. We are hopeful that this will never reoccur again.

I don't know how to thank you all for your prayers, your support, and your kindness. It was overwhelming and awe-inspiring the first time around so how can I explain what it feels like to have so many people rally around him for a second time? Honestly, it's a feeling that doesn't have words. I can only say that we are immensely grateful, forever indebted, and profoundly moved by it all.

Thank you for being there for us. 

Much love, 
Heather, Tony, Ollie, and Riley