Jason Can Read
Hope you let Dow and Jason know that you want blog updates; I am heading to FL to help out Lisa while she has outpatient surgery coming back on Tuesday. Dow will be coming to visit and help Jason. Neither of them are bloggers, give them a call at Jason's room 202 782 9627 and ask, "How are things going?" Martha has offered her van, so I imagine them to be out and about and adventuring in Silver Spring.
I was busy packing today and cleaning up so Dow would have space in the room. Jason had his usual session at PT and I found him in OT trying on his socks using a grip extender to hold his socks. He was using a shoe horn, very long to put on his shoes but the horn was not long enough. Heidi said she would extend it. The PT's found him this lace system for his shoes, I believe used by the triatheletes, etc to quickly loosen and tighten the laces. Very clever, Jason could handle the left but had difficulty with the right. Later in the day we ordered velcro tennis shoes from Puma, no ties. Jason said all the one arm amputees tie their laces so he expects the Pumas to be short term till he can do it.
Jason said he met a ortho MD who talked about his "bone growth" in the muscle tissue. The MD wanted to study all the pictures of the hip and see what he sees as far as the possibility of surgery. We are chasing a copy of the pictures for Uncle Bob and hope to get them soon. Dr. Golarz came by and checked Jason's last open wound and said they should continue the wet to dry dressing. Said the wound looked good.
While Jason was talking to Jodi at noon, I headed up to the 7th floor to see about the arrival of his reading glasses. Yes, they had arrived and I had the tech check the prescription as I did not want to have disappointment for Jason again. She assured me that this was the correct prescription so I headed back downstairs and waved them in front of Jason's nose. Now Jason will not quit talking to Jodi, and I thought, "what will he do?" While talking to Jodi, "Give me my glasses and give me a book." J. Foxworthy's latest "dictionary of the south" was on top so he read to Jodi, "bemoan: I don't like my boss, I want to quit and bemoan boss!" So those were his first words, to go down in the annals of family and reading... The rest of the day, he was saying, "I think I'll read my book." It is a sci-fi called Ghosts. OT was cancelled so Jason decided he needed to spend time with his email and searching for tieless shoes. He has been doing computer work without glasses, I said, "want to try them?" The reading glasses did not help as he needed to be too near the screen. The far sight glasses did help, but he wants to talk to the opthamologist about "computer distance glasses," don't know if it will work but he is willing to give it a try. Took Jason about an hour but he chose a pair of shoes and a tee shirt to go with the shoes.
Jason headed for an afternoon PT session and I went out to dinner with another mother who will soon be heading back to Alaska. Diane ran for Governor a few years back and is thinking of running for office again. Her son lost both of his legs, is doing well and his wife will be the "non-medical attendant" so she feels it is time to go. I have met such interesting and inspiring parents and family members; I feel we are in this class of life together. Our experiences are unique for this generation what will we learn, what will we do?
Yesterday I attended, with another mother, the Post celebration for Martin Luther King Day. The celebration began with singers from among the patients (I believe) who have created a accapella singing group. Barbara and I wept as they sang We Shall Overcome and read from MLK's speeches. The presentation was spellbinding, you could hear a pin drop. The invited speaker was the Rev.A Knighton Stanley. Rev. Stanley has lived near Walter Reed for over 35 years. He was born in 1937 in the South and spoke of racism from his own lived history. He could not use the library, nor eat in restaurants. He had to sit in the balcony in the movie theater and church was segregated. He could buy clothes, but not use the fitting room to try them on or could African Americans return them once out of the store. He talked about "separate but equal" and said "It does not exist." He was a student when Martin Luther King was marching in Mississippi so every weekend they would pile into busses and head over the 60 miles to join MLK and the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Knighton feels that racism is alive and well and much more subltle now. He (and the name of his talk) encouraged us to "Remember, Celebrate, Act! A Day On Not a Day Off." We came away energized and enlightened and honored to be part of the celebration of the memory of Martin Luther King who lead the non-violent movement for Civil Rights in this country.
May you all have a great weekend remember Martin Luther King and his dream. Blessings to you and your family and keep Jason and Lisa in your prayers.
I was busy packing today and cleaning up so Dow would have space in the room. Jason had his usual session at PT and I found him in OT trying on his socks using a grip extender to hold his socks. He was using a shoe horn, very long to put on his shoes but the horn was not long enough. Heidi said she would extend it. The PT's found him this lace system for his shoes, I believe used by the triatheletes, etc to quickly loosen and tighten the laces. Very clever, Jason could handle the left but had difficulty with the right. Later in the day we ordered velcro tennis shoes from Puma, no ties. Jason said all the one arm amputees tie their laces so he expects the Pumas to be short term till he can do it.
Jason said he met a ortho MD who talked about his "bone growth" in the muscle tissue. The MD wanted to study all the pictures of the hip and see what he sees as far as the possibility of surgery. We are chasing a copy of the pictures for Uncle Bob and hope to get them soon. Dr. Golarz came by and checked Jason's last open wound and said they should continue the wet to dry dressing. Said the wound looked good.
While Jason was talking to Jodi at noon, I headed up to the 7th floor to see about the arrival of his reading glasses. Yes, they had arrived and I had the tech check the prescription as I did not want to have disappointment for Jason again. She assured me that this was the correct prescription so I headed back downstairs and waved them in front of Jason's nose. Now Jason will not quit talking to Jodi, and I thought, "what will he do?" While talking to Jodi, "Give me my glasses and give me a book." J. Foxworthy's latest "dictionary of the south" was on top so he read to Jodi, "bemoan: I don't like my boss, I want to quit and bemoan boss!" So those were his first words, to go down in the annals of family and reading... The rest of the day, he was saying, "I think I'll read my book." It is a sci-fi called Ghosts. OT was cancelled so Jason decided he needed to spend time with his email and searching for tieless shoes. He has been doing computer work without glasses, I said, "want to try them?" The reading glasses did not help as he needed to be too near the screen. The far sight glasses did help, but he wants to talk to the opthamologist about "computer distance glasses," don't know if it will work but he is willing to give it a try. Took Jason about an hour but he chose a pair of shoes and a tee shirt to go with the shoes.
Jason headed for an afternoon PT session and I went out to dinner with another mother who will soon be heading back to Alaska. Diane ran for Governor a few years back and is thinking of running for office again. Her son lost both of his legs, is doing well and his wife will be the "non-medical attendant" so she feels it is time to go. I have met such interesting and inspiring parents and family members; I feel we are in this class of life together. Our experiences are unique for this generation what will we learn, what will we do?
Yesterday I attended, with another mother, the Post celebration for Martin Luther King Day. The celebration began with singers from among the patients (I believe) who have created a accapella singing group. Barbara and I wept as they sang We Shall Overcome and read from MLK's speeches. The presentation was spellbinding, you could hear a pin drop. The invited speaker was the Rev.A Knighton Stanley. Rev. Stanley has lived near Walter Reed for over 35 years. He was born in 1937 in the South and spoke of racism from his own lived history. He could not use the library, nor eat in restaurants. He had to sit in the balcony in the movie theater and church was segregated. He could buy clothes, but not use the fitting room to try them on or could African Americans return them once out of the store. He talked about "separate but equal" and said "It does not exist." He was a student when Martin Luther King was marching in Mississippi so every weekend they would pile into busses and head over the 60 miles to join MLK and the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Knighton feels that racism is alive and well and much more subltle now. He (and the name of his talk) encouraged us to "Remember, Celebrate, Act! A Day On Not a Day Off." We came away energized and enlightened and honored to be part of the celebration of the memory of Martin Luther King who lead the non-violent movement for Civil Rights in this country.
May you all have a great weekend remember Martin Luther King and his dream. Blessings to you and your family and keep Jason and Lisa in your prayers.
posted by Katy (Scott) Zatsick | 1/12/2006 08:57:00 PM
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