September 2013 --Not the 22nd mom!

I'm sitting in the living room with Alex. She just finished a phone call to her sons pediatrician in New Bern. (Yes, she has a 4 month old son). We are discussing something. I recall it has been nearly two years since our Day of Infamy. "Two years on the 22nd" I say with confidence. "The 27th mom" said Alex "It was the 27th." I'm sitting on the couch, tired-- "No Alex, I'm almost 100% sure it was the 22nd." "Let's bet" she says. We look back. She is right. It was the 27th. "I apologize" I sheepishly mumble. "Guess I was thinking of your baby's birthday on the 22nd of April." Alex smiles big, "I had a brain injury and I remembered! I can't belive you forgot" Alex was right. In fact she has been right on with her memory, her awareness and focus. Here we are nearly two years after a terrible car accident resulting in her DAI and TBI. Despite the challenges, Alex graduated with her high school diploma earlier this year, she obtained her drivers license, she is in college, and is working on moving forward through despite residual physical problems. She also has her emo moments, and they can be over the top, but overall, her progress IS above what could have been. So as Alex revels in her "rightness" I thought to myself, "I'm glad Alex was right, that she objected and stuck to her own memory. I'm glad she has such strong memories and confidence" "Most of all, I'm just glad she is here to be argued with"

A warm day in May

May will mark the seventh month from our car accident on 27 Feb 2011. Alexandria is in motion! She has completed all speech and physical therapy, passed her recent neurological testing with above average on her vocabulary and is slightly above average IQ!! She was declared fully competent to handle her own affairs. I knew she had it in her, but so fast, wow!! Her diagnosis back in the fall was a Traumatic Brain Injury, Diffused Axional Injury. Dealing with that and overcoming fractures and two collapsed lungs, it was touch and go for awhile. Alex is working on completing her high school credits and enjoying the spring with her boyfriend Robert...just trying to do some drama free calm living. She will continue improving up to 18 months out and we will focus on helping to sharpen the processing speed/cognitive reaction time. Those who interact with her should keep this in mind and give her extra time to process a question, sucj as receiving it fully, understanding it, considering a response and then providing a response. When she is baraged with to many questions or activities at once she can show her frustration in the form of impatience...or just plain anger. It is faster to sometimes fall back on anger when we are overwhelmed. Please continue to show mercy and dont take her short responses as aimed at you...she is just trying to keep up. Im not sure if anyone is reading anymore, but Ill update every so often for history. Thanks to all!

January 2012

Thank you all soo much for the power of love you sent to Alex. Since she arrived home late November 2011 she has continued to make excellent progress she thrives! What an amazing young lady to overcome so much in such a short time. I apologize for not posting sooner. You see between Thanksgiving and Christmas Alex had dozens of follow up appointnents, most in Greenville. This month she is going to be pushing the academic bar higher as she prepares to return to school. I love love love having her back home and again I must express my gratitude to everyone for helping through all those difficult moments. Alex has at least 4-6 more months of overall healing ahead of her but her neurologist did say they anticipate a 100% recovery! Happy New Year Alexandria!!

Friday 18 Nov 2011 -homecoming

We left the behind Pitt Memorial Hospital, the rehab team and Greenville today! It is what we looked forward to day after day and now after nearly 2 months, it all feels sorta weird and sureal...we will miss many people and will visit them again. The best news today is that there are no special equipment needs, no handicap stickers, no special meds, helmets or braces. No special diet, home or auto modifications or other supports. Alex will have outpatient PT 2x's weekly and in home classes til next semester. She does need supervision in terms of safety for awhile as a fall for her would be far worse than one for most of us. She will follow up w/an ENT specialist to examine the status of her vocal chords as her voice remains whispery, but otherwise clear, which is not uncommon. Her brain is still healing and will be so for several months...we will continue seeing progress up to a year out, although she has done so well so fast, she does not have much more to go. Thank you for all your prayers and support. Please send out good thoughts for a positive back home adjustment and continued progress.

Monday 14 Nov2011 --New checkout date

Alexandria the Great has done it again! She has improved soo much that she will be discharged this Friday, Nov 18 before noon. Everyone cheer!

Saturday 12Nov2011 Day Pass!

Alex took full advantage of her first weekend day pass --a chance to get out of the hospital--YES!!! We left after rounds this morning about 0750, hit up Starbucks, then had our nasty hair washed and trimmed at the spa, picked up soap at bath & body works, jeans at American Eagle and watched "Jack & Jill" starring my brother Jacob...LOL, We then headed to Winslows for a sandwich, watched the BMX tour in downtown, went to Greenville mall then hit the movies again for Paranormal Act 3 (oooh). Made it back to Rehab clinic just after the 9pm curfew. Alex is now in dreamland..zzzz. For her next weekend(Sat) pass, we will be taking a bunch of her stuff home and letting her spend the day readjusting. She will go back once more and check out for good on 22 Nov. Pray for her ongoing healing, increased focus and improved Short term memory. She continues to amaze us daily.

Monday 07NOV2011 --Update

Alexandria's discharge date has been moved up and is estimated for 22 NOV 2011, exactly two weeks from tomorrow. She begs Dr. Crawl for this every day during his rounds and was hoping for sooner, but honestly, she is grateful, considering this date is already moved up from her original date of 01 DEC --still far sooner than we originally anticipated and this is decision is based on how fast and furious she is progressing. After busy days of PT, OT, RT, AAT speech and school, she is generally exhausted and watches a movie before falling asleep.

Thanks to Jackie & Chip, Thair and Zach who came up this weekend to hang out with Alex. Thanks to Jasmine who spent several days and nights brightening up the atmosphere; thanks to Caleb who came tonight and hung in the Posey with Alex and thanks to her Dad who drove up and read Cat in the Hat to her.

PRAY FOR:
Her areas of effort are now towards focus, increasing her attention span and short term memory, stabilizing her walk and bringing up the strength in her right arm/shoulder and right side generally including the evening/night pain she experiences on this side.

She also needs prayer for the ongoing motivation and energy to get through the long nights and her sadness over being away from home. She misses her own environment and looks forward to being home.