Pam had another great week of positives as she advanced through each day and has worked hard to push her limits, building her stamina and endurance to make each day count. At the beginning of the week she was also able to get out of the facility to take a much deserved break and enjoy Jon’s last concert as a high school student.

This week Pam worked on some new skills in her physical therapy, namely practicing the ability to walk backwards and to pivot from chair to wheelchair, and back. She worked very hard in her daily walking routines, and a handful of times she did not need assistance with moving her right  leg as she was able to make the steps on her own! Many times when Pam was asked to do an exercise “just one more time,” she would try to do an extra before quitting. 

In Occupational therapy Pam showed more great motion in her right side! She was able to rotate her arm a few times on her own, and she continues to gain more movement with her thumb, some twitches in her fingers, and a few flexed movements with her toes. There is more movement every day and we are beyond thankful for these promising gains! Pam is also working to rebuild the muscle on her left side due to experiencing muscle atrophy. Little by little, she is working to put her best foot forward in all areas and we are so proud of her!

In Speech Pam continues pushing for better clarity in her pronunciation and has not had to rely on a communication board for some time. She is working on her sentence building and annunciation of words. She has truly made great gains in her speaking abilities! She is also enjoying her ability to eat foods at normal consistency and free liquids without any thickeners. Nausea is still an ongoing issue, but it is sporadic and does not happen as often. We are hoping this continues to improve as well.

Thank you all for the continued support and prayers, for checking in with family members and for those who have gone to visit Pam while in Battle Lake. Thank you for the inspiration and words of encouragement brought forth by many and for your generous monetary donations to aid in her ongoing medical expenses. All of these acts of love and support for Pam have helped her and her family tremendously and have encouraged her to push her limits beyond what many thought was possible. We cannot express enough the unsurmountable gratitude we have for the support, love and prayers that have been received during Pam’s journey. God has blessed us abundantly and continues working through Pam, showing us daily that faith can move mountains, and a village of support can make anything achievable.