NEW BLOG ADDRESS

SINCE MIKE'S RECOVERY IS COMPLETE WE ARE

CLOSING THIS CHAPTER IN OUR LIFE.

WE HAVE BEGUN A NEW BLOG FOR OUR FAMILY.

TO SEE WHAT WE ARE UP TO PLEASE GO TO:

LARSEN8.BLOGSPOT.COM

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU AND KNOW IF

YOUR FAMILY IS BLOGGING AS WELL.

We've Made It A Year!

Well it's hard to believe it's been a year already... But we're much happier on this side the year mark the on the other side.

Mike as you know has surpassed all of his doctors expectations. He's back to full time work and pretty much back to "normal".

This past weekend we took the kids along with 4 other families up to Prosser Camp Grounds in Truckee, Ca for Memorial Day Weekend. Mike was so excited since he had official passed his 1 year mark and could now ride the quads. Well he made out and in less than 5 minutes of riding he managed to get himself thrown from the quad and ended up with a badly broken right wrist. We spent the next 3 hours in the ER in Truckee and then back to the camp site. The doctors asked him if he would be heading home and he told them, "It's only a broken wrist, why would I go home?" Gotta love his perspective.

We have a very busy summer planned with the older kids having some sort of camping trip, EFY, girls camp, scout camp or something else to keep us busy.

We are grateful for everyone who has kept our family in their prayers and thoughts.

MIKE CAN DRIVE & STEVIES CHICKEN POX

I'm sure most of you are wondering...and YES Mike passed his driving exam at DMV on Monday. He is now a free man to drive as he wishes. He couldn't be happier. Jonny told me,"Now our family is normal again." Mike not driving affected everybody, even the little ones. Today is actually the first day that Mike has been able to drive himself to work by himself. It's been a good week for the family...

Well almost...as you can see from the above photo, Steven has the chicken pox. It's not any real surprise. I was suspecting he might be coming down with them when he started a fever a few weeks ago with no cause, and with perfect timing the chicken pox arrived Monday night. I'm pretty sure Jonny will have them with in the next two weeks as he has yet to have them and he ran his fever a week after Steven. Everyone else in the family has already had them. So for now it baking soda baths and what ever the 2 year old wants to keep him happy.

STITCHES, SHINGLES & A DRIVER PERMIT

Ok...I know I haven't updated lately but things have been very hectic around the Larsen home. Let me break it down....Tommy kept the family motto going of "He who is most active this month goes to the ER", Tommy ended up with 4 stitches on his right check bone after getting hit in the face (accidentally) by a friend. They were digging a hole (4 feet deep) and while Tommy jumped into the hole his friend pulled the shovel out and you can figure out the rest...the shovel won.

Alee got the shingles and has finally cleared up from the sores. This wasn't fun as any of you know who have had a child with the chicken pox. We found out that shingles are the chicken pox virus that lays dormant in your body until your body is stressed or has a week immune system. Our pediatrician told me "With all the stress your family has gone thru over the last 9 months I'm surprised you all haven't come down with the shingle." Alee is still very sensitive to what Mike and I are handling. Her emotions feed directly off of mine and when I'm stressed she is also.

Mike (Sr not Jr) got his drivers permit last week. He went in for his DMV interview, past his written and visual exam and will go in next week for his drive test, so in the mean time he's acting like a teenager and grabbing the keys every chance he has to drive. And yes, as with teenagers who have their learning permit, he can only drive with a person over the age of 25. I guess he deserves it after all his been thru. All the driving he gets will help him to be ready for next week. Mike says the hardest part is trying to drive as your suppose to and not with the habit s he's created over the past 20 years.

Mike has also started back to work, going in 2 days a week. His doctors want things to go slowly, not to stress him out or overwhelm him. We are hopefull that by the end of summer he will be back to work fulltime.

FALSE START

Well, thinking since the doctors said Mike was cleared to drive, we thought "no problem...we'll just take the release letter to DMV and Mike will be back on the road..." NOT! We showed up to DMV and found out we needed to go to another DMV office with a Medical Department(...who hew they had one...) We went to the new one (25 miles away) only to find out the wrong form was submitted and were given the "correct" one to take back to the doctors.

Long story short...if we get the correct forms to Kaiser on Monday morning and everything is perfect we might get the paperwork back in 10-14 days...we can then drop it off at DMV and then DMV will take another 10-14 days to review the paperwork and decide (most likely) to hold a hearing (panel review) with Mike, and then if that goes well, then they will schedule him (in another additional 10 or so days) to come back and take any combonation of Drive test, Written test and/or Visual test.

So maybe in a month (if we're lucky) he'll get his license back and then he can start driving and working. How many hoops can you jump thru one day?

RELEASED TO DRIVE :)

Okay, so Mike had his Phsycological evaluation last week and it was a VERY long day for Mike and I both...more him than me. His testing started at 9am and went until 4pm with only a 45 minute break for lunch. I met once with Mike and the Psychologist and then again at the end of the day privately with the Phsychologist. The testing covered almost everything you could imagine checking every area of the brain and it's function.

Earlier this morning Mike and I met with the Psychologist to get the results from all the testing. The doctors are releasing him to drive and return to work in early February in a part-time position. The testing is consistent with some damage they think may or may not be permanent in his right frontal lobe of the brain. Because of some deficits they want to ease him into working and will re-evaluate his work load and ability to transition at a later date. The doctors are still advising him to wait another semester until he goes back to school.

What does this mean???He's very happy to be getting his drivers license back and will start working back at the Smog shop in early February, working 2 days a week. Just having the drivers license back will give him the ability to get things back to normal...This will help tremendously with the kids.

We are very grateful this is over and we can start to move onto the next chapter in our lives.

Moving Along

Well since the last post nothing new...nothing exciting...that's a good thing. We are waiting for Mike to meet with a few more doctors in the next week and half before he go's in for his Phsyc exam / review. Mike and I are both anxiously waiting and wondering what all it will in tell. This appointment happens on January 15th and will take 6-8 hours and will determine when he can return to work and if he can get his drivers license back.

We were able to celebrate the holidays with family and friends and had a nice Christmas. We had many friends and family who made sure the kids got just what they ordered from Santa. In the photo below, Mike, Jonny, Stevie and Madie (my niece) are on a jungle gym that a close friend gave to the kids for Christmas. Mike and Tommy built the gym in about 6 hours over two days. There were a lot of screws and bars to assemble but Mike and Tommy did a great job. I think it was a great project for the two of them and I know Mike is very proud of the work. It may seem like a simple thing but this would have been a breeze for Mike before the accident and it took a little longer than he would have liked. I'm very proud of all he's been able to accomplish in the past few months.

Since this is the beginning of a new year we naturally set off to decide on what we would accomplish together. Our plans are a little different than last years goals...We will be happy to have Mike return to work, get back into shape and make his trip with Mikey to Philmont, NM (high adventure scout camp) in August. I'm hoping to get back into shape...set a little more time aside for myself and hopefully get away with Mike.

We are so thankful for everything and everyone who helped our family have a great Christmas.
Here's to a new year. Happy New Year to all.

NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED

As you can see from the photo below Stevie has joined the broken bone club here at the Larsen home. Last night while jumping on the bed with Jonny he took a tumble. He fell from the bed INTO an aquarium that the two boys placed on the floor to look at...little did they know it would literally break his fall...more specifically his left collar bone. He landed head first with his shoulders on the frame of the aquarium...the aquarium sustained no injuries. Stevie is a trooper though...he hasn't left the couch all day, watching one video to another. He knows if he moves anything above his waist it will hurt..so he hasn't moved all day.

For those of you keeping count...Stevie is now the youngest in the family to have a broken bone. Jonny was the reigning youngest broken bone member with the break of his right leg on his 2nd birthday...Stevie won't be 2 for 2 weeks. The kids are all helping by waiting on him hand and foot and Dad has held him most of the day.

Speaking of Mike...he's still on unable to work. We've seen his two main doctors in the past few weeks and they have scheduled an appointment to have his Psych. exam in mid January. This test will last about 5 hours and is the key to releasing him to work and to drive. We were hoping to have had this exam earlier this month but the doctors wanted to wait until January. This testing is standard for all patients who have sustained a traumatic brain injury. It will test his memory skills, stamina as well as physically and mentally.

Mike has finally started back with the physical therapist to start stretching and strengthening his right arm. Since he wasn't able to do much of anything with 2 surgeries so close to each other he lost a lot of mobility and range of motion. He's glad to be back in therapy.

Mike has had a good last few weeks. He did a great job on the last blog entry but is very humble to talk about his accomplishments. With the last break (10/24) he needed a bone graft from his hip and restructure of the bone. The doctors put back in two plates and 14 new screws to give his arm the strength it needs to heal itself. The recovery from this surgery was much easier on him and with less pain. We saw the ortho-surgeon yesterday to get a 2 week post operative update and to get his staples removed. The doctor let me remove the staples (and yes it was fun...not in a cruel way but one less thing to practice when I eventually go to nursing school) and he gave Mike the clearance to use his arm as he wishes...this means he can start some strength training...Mike's really happy about that. He's been on a "no weight baring" order from his doctors up until now. This allows him to final start working out and building back up his muscles.



On another "great" note...Mike has regained about 70% of his facial muscles and nerves back. His smile gets bigger each week and can now close his eye with out using his hand. This is huge! We are now eliminating the possibility of needing the eye surgery. We saw his ENT dr earlier in the week and he is just blown away at Mike's progress. He told us he can now say with confidence that he thinks there's no reason Mike won't get all of his movement back...but if he didn't he looks really good...he looks and sounds "normal". He had also mentioned that Mike's voice is much clearer (almost back to were it was before the accident) although he still can't yell. This is because the right vocal nerve is still paralyzed but the left is compensating quit well.

Mike has also had another great accomplishment. Last night he left to go on his first camp out since the accident with Tommy, Mikey and the scouts. I don't know who was more excited...Mike or our boys. The camp out was suppose to be for our 12-13 year old scout group but had 3 tag alongs, Mikey and two friends (high adventure scouts)..they all wanted to be there for Mike's first trip back.

In the next few weeks we will be celebrating many things. On Thanksgiving Day we will be celebrating Mike's 6 month anniversary of recovery and a few days later we will celebrating out 16 yr Anniversary. Mike and I are grateful everyday to have each other and our family together.

A Little break...

I went in on my birthday to have the staples removed and we discovered the break. This slows us down alittle but it was better to discover this now instead of later that the bone wasn't healed at the top of the breaks. Good news that all the other breaks have healed and are good. So now I have only 2 plates put back in my right arm. Much better than what was there. I have been very thankful for all the blessings and help I have received. I would not be here doing as well as I am if it were not for our Heavenly Fathers help. I hope that this experience can help us all to grow stronger with our Heavenly Father and our Savior. I would also like to say thank you to everyone out there that has helped my family and I. For all your prayers and support. Thank You.

Million Dollar Hardware

Well Mike's surgery got moved up a week and yesterday morning (10/09/07) Mike underwent a 3 hour surgery and the surgeons successfully removed all of the hardware in Mike's arm. In all there were 19 screws, two metal plates, a washer and a wire. (See photo below of hardware) The surgery was a success. They even had time to look and reset the Ulna nerve back to it's location. The surgeon feels this will help the nerve heal quicker and Mike can regain more feeling and strength back to his hand and arm.

A week prior we took the family to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had a lot of fun with the kids looking at all of the sea life and spending time with each other. We are slowly beginning to feel like our family is getting back to what some would term "normal". Mike's facial nerve is allowing him show more expressions and gives him more confidence. (No improvement in the eye yet) The kids are starting to get relaxed and emotions and fears are slowly dieing down (although we had a few very nervous about dad going back into surgery).

Mike's doing really good post surgery. He, of course has pain in his arm (they had to reopen the entire prior incision, about 8-10 inches over his elbow) and we won't be able to count the staples until Friday when we can take off the bandages. We are all anxious to get his arm healed and get his strength back. I can't believe that it's been four and half months since the accident. We are continually counting our blessings and thanking our Father in Heaven for all he has given to us.

A DAY AT THE BEACH

It's hard to believe that it's been 4 months since the accident...Sometimes it feels like it's been a year. As you can see from the picture below Mike's facial nerves are starting to connect. (Although there isn't any improvement in the right eye lid yet) Sometimes it's hard for him not to smile. :) We are all so excited to see his fuller smile.

We saw two different doctors today. First we saw his Physical Medicine doctor. We conducted another nerve study on the muscles and nerves in Mike's right arm from his neck to his fingers. This entailed sticking a 3" needle in about 1 1/2 inches into the muscles in his arms (in about 10 different locations). The doctor would then send a small current thru the needle to see how his muscles would react to the nerve being stimulated. Yes it looked painful! I'm sure it was. This went on for about 45 minutes and we found out the the # 8 nerve in the elbow has been damaged whether by the brake in the humorous bone or due to the surgery to repair the break. This damaged nerve will result in him having a weaker arm and hopeful over time (about a year) it will heal it self...if after a year there isn't a significant increase in the strength of his arm they can preform surgery to take a closer look at repairing the nerve. We are hopeful he won't need the exploratory surgery.

On that note...we saw the Orthopedic Surgeon today right after his morning appointment and Mike is scheduled for surgery in mid October to remove all the hardware in his arm. That's right all the hardware. His doctor said he had consulted with another doctor and they both feel his bone has healed and removing the hardware will allow his arm to heal and be used more effectively. Mike has had some pains that are directly related to the hardware (one wire, one 5" plate and about 14 screws). Let's just say that while he's not quit looking forward to the surgery he's looking forward to getting it all out.

Our goals are to continue getting him stronger, thru his next few surgeries and maybe back to work before the end of the year. We are so grateful for his rapid recovery and our continued strength from our Father in Heaven.

Moving Along

Mike had a few new doctor's appointments last week. We first saw a hand therapist and began to work with his wrist and hand for the first time. A normal grip strength for a man his age and size would be about 25# of grip strength. Mikes right hand (due to the injuries to his wrist and arm and due to the fact that he hasn't been able to use it for over the last 3 months) is at 8# of grip strength. His therapist has given him some weight barring exercises as well as some strength training exercises to increase the strength and range of motion. She was very optimistic considering the injuries and with how far he's come from the accident. We will be seeing her about every two weeks.

Mikes graduated up from using the gym at Kaiser to being able to return to our own gym. We hope to start a regular workout time together 3 times a week. He is looking forward to working out in a normal gym and at his pace. The fun part is that I can work out along side of him.

Mike also saw another Physio-doctor, (I think that's what they said he was) anyways...he works with patients who are physically recovery from major injuries and works directly with the healing of nerves. He conducted a preliminary (45 minute) nerve test (as Mike described it ...with a taser gun) on Mikes hand and arm. He said this was not fun. They determined the nerves are healing at an appropriate rate and the Ulna Nerve isn't damaged like they thought it was...this is good. The Ulna Nerve controlls the thumb and pinky finger and Mike has struggled with getting full control of these two fingers (he still can't get them to touch the two to each other. They will conduct another nerve test in a few weeks but next time they will actually put wires into the muscles to see how they react with the nerves. He is not looking forward to this.

On a more positive note...Mike has had a very small but noticeable improvement in "one" of the muscles on the right side of his face. After looking in the mirror about 2 weeks ago he came out and asked if I was seeing what he was seeing...while trying to smile there was a very slight twinge in the muscle between his mouth and nose. I told I could also see and Mike has a very slight but noticeable movement resulting in a slight smile. This is very encouraging that the nerves really are beginning to heal. This was a great bust for him and the family. He hasn't had any other improvements in the right side of his face and are still on track to schedule him for surgery on his right eye sometime in November. We are continuing to pray and are hopeful.

Camping Once Again

We took the family up to Prosser Lake in Truckee, California last weekend. My parents, both brother, my brother in law and his kids and some good friends of ours went with us. We spent two night and three days enjoying the nature around us as well as alot of ATV riding (not Mike of course, but he wanted to) and fishing.

It's always nice to get away from all the commotion and get back to what important...family! Mike had the opportunity to cook in the dutch ovens, he loves to do this...sometimes it drives me crazy but I know he loves it.

While we were camping, well before we could even get unpacked both our van and the Wiscombes had a flat tire and then a few hours later we both had dead batteries. We all took this in good humor and Mike had actually packed everything we would both need to fix the problems. He's a little more in tune to listening to the spirit and following the promptings that he gets. We don't take anything for granted any more...we recognize every prayer and are grateful for all the blessings we have been given. We knew we were blessed to make it home on the spare tire (a 100 mile drive), but realized it on Monday morning when we went to Sam's Club to get a new set of tires to replace the one bad one. We asked to keep the old/good tire but were told by the mechanic that it wouldn't be any good...when he removed it he found 2 nails still in the tire and a third one had gone thru the side wall but hadn't punctured the tire. I told Mike we really made it home on a prayer this time. I thought we were blessed not to have any problems with the spare...I'm glad I didn't know about the nails in the other tire until after the trip.

Mike's brother Roger and his family will be coming up next weekend (Labor Day weekend). We will be Ordaining Tommy to the office of Deacon and Mike is happy to be able to do this with his brother by his side. With all that his family has done for us this summer it means even more that they can join us in this event. Tommy is really looking forward to this big day.

Still Enjoying His Workouts

Mike is still working out weekly. Sometimes we don't always make it the gym but he's getting more active around the house.

We saw his Physical Medicine doctor this week and she has extended his work release forms until February. She said we will review his status in late November and go from there.

He's looking forward to seeing the Orthopedic Surgeon on Friday as well as seeing the Audiologist, which will give him hearing test. This will be the first one since the accident and we are curious to see the level of hearing loss due to all the breaks around the ear. We know there is some level gone...the TV is always on high...maybe that's to drown out the kids...but it would be nice to know.

Mike Took His First Jog!

Mike is doing well. He has continued to strengthen his lower body with physical therapy and last Thursday his PT "Bob" said it was time to try jogging on the treadmill. Bob said this is the one piece of equipment in the gym he gets his patients on last because it takes more than just strength and coordination to use. I have to admit I was a little bit nervous about it...there's a little more for me to worry about than Bob does, and Mike and Bob could tell when Mike got on the treadmill by the look on my face.

Mike began with a fast pace walk for about 5 minutes and than began a fast jog...it lasted for about 1 minute and then Mike brought it down to a slower jog for another 2 minutes. This wiped him out. He finished his trek on the treadmill with walking for the remainder of the time (about 12 more minutes). I was so proud of him. He said it felt really good but was hoping to make it longer than a 3 minute jog. Bob and I reassured him that this is HUGE progress considering where his was just less than 3 months ago.

Mike usually has to take a nap after his therapy sessions. We are still going 3 times a week plus the visit with Bob. He's managed to get his weight up to 182 now. He says it's all going to his gut...I told him that's the last place it leaves and first place it returns...for everyone. He has a great sense of humor about this all and continues to crack jokes.

Mike has taken the opportunity to look at photo's from his accident and has a hard time seeing himself in the pictures. He says he doesn't like looking at them. He has yet to read the blog or even the journal that I kept during all this. He says in time he will. I know this will be his final hurdle. It's him realizing what the kids and I went through, and I know it is, and will be hard for him to see the reality in it all. I know he will read it all when he's ready. We have had a lot of good conversations about what he calls his "dreams". These are times that people or I would be with him and he has no conscious memory of. He remembers them as dreams and they are very choppy. He'll describe a "dream" to me and then I tell him if it really happened or where it was. Even these are hard to listen to for him. I can't imagine what it would be like to have no or little memory for 3 weeks of my life.

The kids are continuing to enjoy having dad home all the time. Especially Stevie. He's really become attached to daddy's lap. And that's a good thing.

Mike's Enjoying His Work Outs!

Mike has been able to work out in the gym at Kaiser 3 times a week. His physical therapist (PT)set him up on an exercise routine that will help increase his endurance and stamina as well as strengthen his legs. I take him to the PT Gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and then he also works with the therapist on Thursdays. He does really well in the gym and is getting stronger each day. His physical therapist (Bob) wants to be an aid in getting him physically ready and back into the best shape he can be in to take the Fire Academy Physical Ability Test.

Mike's attitude, appearance and color has changed so much since he came home from the hospital...all in a good way. His hair is growing back around his scare and Mike told me this morning, "I never thought I would have a comb over." (Mike changed the direction of his part to cover the scare on his head.) He still continues to make me laugh...seeing the positive in everything.

Mike has yet to begin on his physical therapy for his wrist and elbow. It seems like no one wants to give the okay to allow ANY weight on the injuries. So he is still unable to use it or do anything with it. He reminds me and the therapist each time it comes up "I know it will take a little time but I'll get it back." He's very determined and optimistic.

This week we went swimming a few times and Mike actually got in the pool with the kids. He even initiated a splash fight by spraying me with a water gun just after I told the kids and their friends to be careful about not splashing dad. I then told all the kids and their friends it's open season on Mike, don't hold back. I think this was the first time he became fully engaged with the kids and their friends since the accident. It was like the old Mike was back. He had everyone smileing and laughing. This day at the pool and the water fight may seem like a small thing in comparison to everything in the world but it gives our children a huge sense of confidence that dad is doing well and on his way to returning to the dad they had before the accident. We thank our Father in Heaven each day for all of his improvements and for the blessing of his recovery.

Trecking Along

Mike is continuing to make improvements daily. As you can see from the picture on the right Mike has made enough improvements that we were able to go up to Girls Camp (where Marissa has been all last week) and spend the night. There is another photo below of the two of us in the campgrounds. Mike was able to make it all around camp, walking up and down the slope from upper camp to lower camp (about a 100 foot slope), visit with allot of friends and play dominoes until 11:30pm. He was really looking forward to the dominoes. I'll give a break down of his appointments and progress below:

ORTHOPEDICS - Mike got his cast off his wrist and is now wearing a splint to give it extra support. We got to have a copy of his x-rays and found out that there's about 14 screws in his upper arm, 2 of which are causing him some discomfort at times. When he bumps or puts pressure on these areas he gets a sensations that runs down his arm into his hands. Similar to hitting your funny bone. Only all he has to do it rub over it and it sends tingling down his arm into his fingers. The Ortho-surgeon said they will remove 2 of the screws around December, they have to wait at least 6 months for the bones to heal.

PHYSICAL MEDICINE - Mike had a check up with his regular doctor this week. He has come off his steroid medications (prednizone) and was able to also discontinue his blood pressure medication. He's officially OFF all prescription medications.

PHYSICAL THERAPY - Mike started physical therapy and occupation therapy this week. He will begin his Hand and Elbow therapy next week.

ENT & AUDIOLOGY - We will be meeting with these doctors and specialist this week to discuss his slight hearing loss and progress and treatment of the paralysis on the right side of his face.

OPTHOLMOGY - We met with the Ocular Surgeon last week and will re-evaluate the paralysis of the right eye. He will probably have surgery to place a weight in the right eye lid to aid in it closing.

NEUROLOGY - We will meet with his Neurosurgeon next week.

Mike loves being with the kids. We have created a new relationship between the two of us. It's been really good. We both have a new appreciation for each other and our marriage.

I'll probably update the blog once a week. That way I can update after all his doctors appointments and activites of the week. Thank you for your prayers and emails. Mike loves hearing form you all.

The Kids Are Home!

The 5 youngest children arrived home today around 3pm. Alee was the first to walk in and be surprised by mom and dad being home. Rissa came in second followed by the boys, Tommy, Jonny and Stevie. (Mikey is up at scout camp until Saturday)

Everyone gave mom a hug at the door and than went stright to Mike. I don't think Jonny's been off of his lap or left his side except to get a quick hair cut and bath. Stevie keeps walking around saying "Daddy and Doggie". Marissa after hugging us went straight to her room to change and with in minutes her best friend, Ciara was at the house and they were off to celebrate the 4th of July. I don't know who she's missed more, Mom and Dad or Ciara. What can I say she's 13 1/2 yrs. old.

As you can tell by the photo on the right the kids are very happy to have their daddy home. Our house is back to being noisy and that's a good thing. A noisy home is a happy home. I was just telling Mike this morning that it's way too quiet here. We both love the commotion and ciaos. We're so happy they're all home. (Well almost all of them!)

Home For Good!

Mike was discharged from the Vallejo Rehab Center this morning. We arrived home just before noon and this time it's for good! Mike has made so much progress in the past 10 days. He has surprised all of his doctors and therapist. We finally got to the point that the therapist had nothing for him to do except go home and begin our new life.

The kids don't know yet they Mike is home from the hospital. They think he won't be coming home until next week, so when the arrive tomorrow afternoon it will be a huge surprise. Neither one of us can wait to see the look on their faces.

I told Mike that we have a new meaning for Independence day...No longer needing the help or assistance from all the doctors, nurses and therapist. No more medications or IVs around the clock. Just the kids, myself family and friends to care for him and help him further strengthen his mind and body.

Sometimes it seems so surreal...Exactly 6 weeks ago today I was told it would take him 6 months up to walk, months to relearn how to speak and eat, more surgeries and to expect him to change things if his body wasn't cooperating. He sure has proved them all wrong. The spirit and will of Mike wouldn't accept any of this, neither would I, and either would all of you. Thank you SO MUCH for all your prayers, your faith and belief that his recovery would be possible in the time frame of our Father in Heaven and not of the doctors.

Mike has a major change in energy level and stamina from what he had before the accident. This will all return with continued physical therapy and the ability to put more weight back on. Mike will continue to have progress for the next few months and then they say it should tapper off over the next 6 months. The doctors give a time frame of 1 1/2 - 2 years for a full recovery. I've learned to realize that Mike is setting his own time frame for recovery. Just being home I know he will continue to progress and thrive.

Mike will not be returning to work for 6-9 months. He would love encouraging phone calls, emails, cards and visits for those who would love to spend some a little time with him. (He already has two close friends coming over on Thursday for a game of Domino's) It will be a nice break in the day. If you would like to visit please call ahead of time to make sure he up to the visit.

Thanks again for all of your love and support.