Miracles Do Happen

Hello everyone, I have some great and promising news for you. Mike has been at my sister's home now for three and a half weeks and oh what a difference in him from what I saw before. I spent Labor Day weekend with him and Nancy and I just kept being amazed at the progress Mike has made. The hyperbaric oxygen therapy has made a difference in Mike's speech, his thoughts, and his mobility. No he still has no balance but is moving a lot smoother and with not as much effort as it was taking him before. Mike says he feels better, has way more energy, and is just more fluid in everything he does. What we have to understand is it was very hard for Mike to even get out of bed, get dressed, put his shoes on, and tie them. It exhausted him to do these things and he would take naps during the day and just be out of it after physical therapy and now he is not taking naps and is able to sit down, get back up, and walk short distances without his cane. He was also falling down a lot and has only fallen (lost his balance and went boom on his bottom or side) a couple times since he has arrived to Nancy's. Mike is almost at 40 oxygen treatments now and will be going back home soon to continue his physical therapy there and his therapeutic riding. The neurologist that he has been seeing in South Carolina is going to try Botox in Mike's bad leg/foot because the muscles are so tight and that might be some of what is keeping him from walking better. But what he does have to do is practice, practice, and more practice of walking. That is what the neurologist has said to do. We walk without even thinking about it and Mike has to think with every movement and step he takes. Mike always says, "If you only knew how hard this is for me to do." Which we don't and never really will but we do know that Mike just keeps on keeping on and we will always be there to help in any way that we can.

We are so proud of him. My sister and her husband has also had a lot to do with Mike getting off this plateau he was on. They are right behind him constantly pushing him all the way. They do all sorts of extra exercises with balls, stretchy rubber bands, and with a pilates machine. Their working him hard. But it is all helping him recover better than ever. Keep your thoughts and prayers coming and may God bless all of you.