September 11 - Day 89

The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. -Psalm 138:8

Dean has a passion for life and he works on perfecting anything of interest. This past winter, Dean and I started the process of becoming instructors at Whitetail Ski Resort where we first met. He participated in the seminars and even took a clinic on ski techniques. He also spent time instructing me how to ski properly since my childhood memory of skiing was better left to be forgotten. (I prefer snowboarding.) He was so patient, knew how to build the confidence I lacked, and great at explaining the proper form. Even though he skied for years, he desired to perfect his own form so he could ski with less effort and more pleasure. He once told me that he mentally visualizes everything he does before he performs it. He was always using his brain to think of the most efficient way to do a task with the goal of saving valuable time rather than exhausting unnecessary energy. 

Today we had a family meeting with the doctors, therapists, and staff at Kessler to discuss Dean’s progress and future goals. Dean is making some progress and they say the journey will be long. The doctor still considers him to be in a vegetative state. We are looking for continued nursing care facilities closer to home where Dean can have more time to heal and become medically stable. My desire is to bring him home but currently he needs total care. I’ll receive more training and be involved with all of his care for the remainder of our time at Kessler.

While his family was visiting, his brother asked him to say “ahh.” A few seconds later, Dean opened his mouth and said “ahh!” This is a sound that the speech therapists have been working on. However, today was the first time I heard him respond with "ahh". He also turned his head towards the sound of his brother's voice. The staff notice how Dean responds more readily to family. In the evening, I gave him a click pen and he clicked it a dozen times! A click pen has a direct cause and effect in that the action is followed by sound. This could be used as a simple form of communication with one click for “yes” and two clicks for “no.” It's also a simple form to see if he will follow commands.

 



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