Not so much an end, but a new beginning

Jan. 24, 2010

Tuesday will mark the end of this round of intensive therapy. We’ve been happy with the things he’s done and the things he’s beginning to do now. The key is not to rest on the leaps forward but make sure we are continuing to move forward.

In our weekly PT, we’ve learned that what is done during that hour isn’t as much for Nathan as it is for Annette and myself. For children with brain issues, many of the hurdles are as much mental as they are physical. Tasks take more repetitions for these kids than you or I. (This is where intensive therapy is key, having multiple repetitions, on multiple consecutive days, with multiple different exercises.) Ask any golfer who goes to the driving range and hits ball after ball, finding the right groove, swing, feel, rotation, etc. Many golfers can fine tune a shot, hitting 20 balls in a row, from the same spot in 15-30 minutes. Then a week later they approach the 1st tee and cry when they sent the ball 2 fairways over.

Tuesday’s session is more for Annette and I than Nathan. It’s the sharing of the home program. Learning how to continue to build strength in the arms and legs, endurance on his weak areas, and how to do without all the equipment of theirs and doing it with things already in the house. One thing we’ve definitely learned is that if you want Nathan to roll, crawl or reach, nothing works better than a McDonald’s French fry on the other end.

It may seem silly, but there’s a lot of truth to the success or failure of work at home simply by finding the right motivation. When Nathan saw the bike, or saw something he thought he would get as a reward the effort he gave seemed to jump to new heights. Without motivation, we’re all just going through the motions and nothing is being accomplished.

Another trade-off in the new building of muscles for Nathan is the level of fight in the bear when he wants to dig in his heels and wants to roll when we’re trying to change a diaper, or trying to put him into the car seat when he doesn’t think he wants to go where you want to. If nothing else, it gets me motivated to get back in shape to maintain my upper hand.

The second new beginning to start this week, is no longer having a babysitter to refresh myself in the afternoons or all-day Mondays. We’re hoping that it’s not going to be too long of a spell, just until I find a full-time job. We’re very happy with the job our babysitter did with Nathan and we know that he’ll be sad not to see the other kids as much. Maybe that’s another bit of motivation I’ll need to dwell upon to return things to a more normal state.

Annette’s already running dates and scenarios in her mind as to when we can do the intensive therapy again. It’s been a very positive experience for all of us, and has helped to rekindle our family. I know I need a break for a little while, and I’m sure I’ll forget the aches and pains, the getting up at 5 a.m. for that two-hour drive, five days a week. As long as the progress continues it’s something that we will always look back upon and point to all the things he’s built and the foundations established for us to move ahead.

I am working on the video and will do everything I can to have it up before the end of the week. Those on the e-mailing list with get the link first, then I’ll post it on the home page, and then probably to Facebook as I have the other movies. I have almost 3 hours of footage to sift through, all the different exercises, routines, equipment, people… Looking back, a lot of people put in a lot of effort to make this experience a very positive one. The key is to look forward and show everyone that the real journey still lies ahead.

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