1/14/2010

We’re so sorry we haven’t updated Blake’s blog for several weeks. We got so tied up with all of the holiday preparations and celebrations that it got away from us. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and hope that you did too.

We also want to apologize for any misunderstanding we may have caused regarding Blake’s condition and progress. The video footage Steve shot from his camera when Blake first began using his walker had to be converted to a different file format to upload to this blog. This change caused the action to speed up and it looked as though Blake was walking at a fairly normal gait. He actually walks MUCH slower than that. However, that was the first available footage we had and we were so excited about it that we used it anyway.

Blake’s subsequent blog entries about his Thanksgiving escapades may also have given some of you the impression that he traveled easy; just not able to drive. The fact is we take all necessary precautions to get him into and out of our vehicle and it takes several minutes just to get him into the seat and arranged comfortably.

The good news is that we were able to take him out to celebrate Christmas with family. Blake’s brother, Dusty, and his wife, Chesha, came in from Hawaii. Blake enjoyed being able to spend time with all his brothers and his son, Tresden. And we made a trip to church one Sunday, too. We even got to take Blake out to Spaghetti Warehouse for New Year’s Day dinner.

The better news is that Blake will be discharged from Columbus Rehabilitation & Subacute Institute on Monday, January 18th. At this time we plan to have him stay at his grandparent’s home. Although Blake is able to care for himself in some respects, we don’t want him left alone in case he should fall or otherwise need help. He will still be participating in physical therapy sessions and will need regular doctor’s visits, clinical visits, blood draws, and the like.

It’s been a long 6 months and Blake’s ordeal is far from over. However, this marks a turning point in his recovery. We are so very happy to be bringing him home. But, he’ll need a period of adjustment. We need to get him “de-institutionalized”.