SUMMER TIME AND THE LIVIN'S EASY!!!

SUMMER TIME AND THE LIVIN'S EASY

.... WELL, NOT REALLY

But we are trying our best. I just wanted to share these photos from the first day of summer. We were over at Aunt Pammy's for a BBQ. Steaks cooked to perfection, thanks Kev. Chie saw the pool and informed everyone that she was going for a swim. It was pretty funny. We just picked her up over the ledge and in she went!! We always strive to make her feel comfortable and as back to normal as possible so when she wants to do something we always do our best to make it so for CHIE.

Her smile makes it worth while!

6 Weeks of Madness!!!!

6 weeks of Madness / May- June '08

I am sorry for the absence. It has been 6 weeks of madness for us over here. The last month of school is always hectic with end of the year planning and events that keep me very busy. Then, summer school began the very next day for teachers involved in a 21st Century Summer Camp Enrichment Program and we have been scrambling to get things together for the kids. Our school mismanaged the funding and we were alotted only 400$ for supplies and guest speakers for the children while all the other schools had between 4 and $8,000, so we have been having to creative, to say the least, in planning activities to liven up our camp.
I have also been completely stressed out over taxes and social security papers and insurace paper work that needed to be sent in and were/are in utter chaos, as things have just seemed to all run together this year. I have almost everything in order now, just a few more tax items to be finished up and we should be good to go. FINALLY!!!
ON top of all that we had some car trouble, the drier broke, and our Air Conditioning went out!!! Ain't Life Grand? So, after a couple of weeks without Air conditioning and hang drying all of our laundry all over the house I am thinking we can just live without these luxuries, its not that hot..
JUST KIDDING! Hopefully all will be restored to working order by Monday if the repairmen do their job properly, Im keeping my fingers crossed!

CHIE,,,, She has been in positive spirits, but it has also been a very emotional time for Chie the last couple of months. I think she is concerned about our upcoming discharge from CNS and what the future will hold for us. It can be scary for her to look forward towards the unknown and what will happen to her, I know it is for me, thats why I do not do it. In counselling, she too, has been taking some time to look back at and reflect on the progress she has made over the last year and a half, the friends that have come and gone, and feelings she has been through. All of this has caused her emotions to run high at times, but she is learning how to conrol and deal with them.
Chie was able to lead two of her own counselling groups at CNS. She chose the participants, topics of discussion, and directed the class. Our counselor said that she did very well and made sure the class progressed as it should have. Chie made sure to ask questions and keep everyone involvcd. The counselor said she did very well, YEA CHIE!!!!! She was excited to do it as she now hopes to one day be a counselor for people who have been in situations similar to hers. This helped her to see what its like to have to help others stay positive about there situations.
She has also been participating in some cooking classes. She really likes them,, and me too since she brings home treats for me! She made some peanut butter sandwiches, choccolate chip cookies, and cupcakes! Its been a lot of fun for her to do and it is helping to prepare her for being able to take care of herself.
***JAPANESE TRANSLATOR*** She has also had Japanese translators come to her speech lessons from 1-2 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. Its been a lot of fun for Chie. This has allowed are speech therapist a chance to see how well she is doing in her native language, and we are happy to say that she is doing fantastic. Obviously much better in her native language. Thank you Hiroe and Megumi. Unfortunately for us, Hiroe has recently taken a new job and can no longer continue so we will be looking for anyone who thinks they might like to help us out, from 1-2 pm at CNS on Tuesdays and Fridays. You need only speak japanese, you dont have to be a certified translator or anything. If you may be interested please let me know, 469 363 6611 or at suckadave@hotmail.com
We are set to leave her current Rehab facility, CNS in mid July. Chie has handled it very well in comparison to previous changes in her schedule. She takes it personally and views the situation as though her therapists are throwing her out and giving up on her. We quickly had to shift gears and look at it as a graduation or positive change, meaning that this is a step forward for her and that her therapists would not discharge her if she were not ready to take that next step. She made that adjustment fairly smooth minimizing the emotional outbreaks and crying. We will be moving to PATE, a new Brain Injury Rehab just a few miles from CNS. I think it will be a positive move for her to get some new faces and routine going in her life. She is a bit burned out at CNS and needs a change of scenery. I have toured the facility before and think she will do just fine there. She has a few friends from CNS already going there so she will be excited to see them.
Chie has also been dealing with several of her friends discharging from CNS, whitch is another touchy area for her, again feeling as if they are leaving her and taking it quite personally. She has, this time, done really well understanding and internalizing the departures. I think it is because she knows that she now has her own date set to leave. Almost all of her immediate group is leaving or has left either this month or last month and her newest and closest friend was sent home unexpectedly last week, and that really upset her. It is hard for her to see others, who arrived after her, leaving before her. She feels left behind as if she is not making progress and not getting better. She feels as though they are personally abandoning her and she is left behind and forgotten about. Thank you to all of our supporters who visit her and call her and write letters, and cook, for this has been critical role to help Chie know that she is cared about, has friends and feels loved to help her stay out of that downward spiral of deppression and negativity. I cant tell how important you have all been and we are so greatful for you help. I have explained to her that we want to stay as long as possible because this is our life line and once we are finished with it, we have nothing else. It also took some time to explain to her that most of the people who leave CNS are going to continue therapy in their home towns and that they are not leaving because they choose to, but because their insurances companies will no longer pay for the rehabilitation. Many want to continue therapy it is only that it is not there choice and most cant afford to continue on their own. I think now she realizes how lucky we are to have this great therapy and how fortunate we are to have such a supportive case manager at the insurance company.
I do believe we have set the record for longest stay at her rehab. The average stay is 6 months and we are going to be coming up on 21 months in July. Our conselor pulled me aside to talk the other day in preparation for our next move and she was telling me that she had never seen anyone stay this long and that is was because Chie had fought so hard, I had fought so hard, and our case manager had fought so hard. She commended us all on a job well done and has been helping us prepare for our next step.
We too, in turn, would like to commend all of our therapist, counselors, case workers, supporters, friends, and doctors for all their hard work in making Chie's recovery a success. Its hard to believe it has been almost two years, what seems to me like a couple of months. We have come further than some would have ever expected and we are not finished yet. We know that we still have areas to focus and improve on, both physically and cognitively. Chie is continuing to make progress as we set new goals and strive to meet them. Never in my mind did I think that we would not come this far. Failing has never been an option for us to consider, but never in my mind would I have ever thought that it would have taken so much to get here. All the support, the visits, the food, cooking, the books, cards, videos, conversations, flowers, phone calls, advice, translations and the list goes on and on. I never could have imagined the importance of all these things and how much they would mean and the affect it would all have on Chie to provide her the security and self confidence to keep a positive attitude and that fighting spirit alive in her. Never, Never, Never Surrender! It is truely an extraordinary thing to see so many come together in an effort to take part in and help this one recover from such a tragic event in life. I would just like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, for the success we have had in Chie's recovery. We could have never accomplished so much without you.
CHIE and DAVID