Hi Everyone,

Our day was pretty good. Corey had her moments but she had a good session with Diane (ST), Jen (PT) and Alice (OT).

Diane worked on analogies and was surprised by Corey’s accuracy in answering questions she could not answer before. Jen and Corey walked 20 feet; up the center hall, left into the kitchen towards the dinette table. Corey is consistently lifting her left knee to kick through each step. She had added motivation; her first Chef Salad with Italian Dressing. Corey did a great job with the lettuce, ham, turkey, cheese, tomato and hard boiled egg. She takes small bites but she ate ½ a cup full.

After a late lunch Alice arrived. She and Corey are working with manipulative toys that require two hands. For example, Corey is using a Bumble Ball. She grasps the key ring with her left hand, extends the toy by pulling the string, she releases her left hand and it bounces back. She is also grasping large peg blocks. She holds them when they are connected then has to pull them apart. In case you’re missing the significance of these exercises…Corey is using her LEFT HAND to grasp, pull and release each of these tools!
Alice is also starting to feel her left shoulder muscles begin to engage as manipulates Corey’s left arm exercises. THE LEFT SIDE IS COMING BACK!!

Corey, there are days that we both don’t know how we will find the energy to keep moving forward. If we think of “how long” it will take to regain all the muscles that will have you moving naturally, it will be too overwhelming and we’ll be tired before we start our first exercise of the day! The good news is we have the energy to get started…the rest will come as we need it. There are many trite sayings about achieving long term success but my favorite is “How do you eat an elephant”? ~ “One bite at a time”.

Look at how many bites you took today! You began with pureed foods, moved to soft solids and now you’re eating the meals you are preparing. Think of the steps you took today. It wasn’t that long ago you were just wiggling your toes and now you’re walking down the hall and into the kitchen.

We can not be discouraged at how long the road ahead of us is. Instead we must be thankful and excited about each step you take. Our job is to keep moving forward one step at a time; each step taking us closer to our goal of full recovery. It’s within your reach honey…just take another look at your left hand! xoxo