We had two sets of guests from Minnesota this summer, which was great fun. We did as many sights and events as we could and Rand went with us on many of them. We had several serious problems with the Chevy minivan conversion – in fact we had one too many so I traded it in and got a Honda Odyssey instead. The problems were with the conversion, not with the Chevy. The Honda conversion is by a different company and so far we are very happy with it. We named it Henry after Henry Honda/Fonda!
We had lunch on the beach in Capitola more than once this summer.Rand is doing so well in most aspects of his life. Yesterday he finished the fall series of golf lessons. When he started a year ago, he could not stand up alone to hit the ball. Instead he sat in a chair and hit from there or Thuan held him in a standing position. At the beginning of this session a few weeks ago, he could stand, hit six balls and then had to sit down and rest. Yesterday he stood, hit 21 balls in succession and then rested for a few minutes, stood and hit 20 more – on and on! Thuan no longer has to hold him in place, he just stands behind him, hands at the ready. Rand’s stamina and balance are so improved. Recently, he stood up in his room, took his cane, walked out the front door, down the ramp, down the driveway, down the sidewalk about six houses, turned around and walked back to his room – unassisted! Three caregivers were around him to keep him safe, but he was fine on his own! We all jumped for joy and applauded his accomplishment! Just think, 30 months ago he couldn’t even hold his head up! Next week he starts adapted bowling again. He continues to have physical therapy every three weeks at the hospital and Thuan works with him two hours a day, following the therapist’s direction. It makes all the difference in the world!
Notice that Thuan is not holding Rand in place but is ready to keep him safe while he swings the club.
Thuan doesn't even have to duck when Rand follows through on his swing!Every Monday Rand attends a small group speech therapy class at a local rehab hospital. He is more verbal now, but his words still do not make sense. I’m working on getting him involved/enrolled in a speech program at Stanford. He also has music therapy once a week, which he enjoys. We have made little progress in the area of reading and writing. The letters, sounds, pictures just don’t stay with him from one day to the next. On the other hand, he is getting very good at Solitaire! A year ago he couldn’t play because he couldn’t tell the difference between the colors and suits. He couldn’t put the numbers in ascending or descending order. Now he can do all of those things but still struggles with seeing/understanding the possibilities of combining cards. We play every day, a friend visits him every week and they play poker and other card games. Rand usually wins! As usual, he is amazing, has a wonderful attitude and is the sweetheart of the Western World!
Rand loves company, loves to go on outings no matter where. The destination doesn’t matter to him, it is the journey that he enjoys. Often we get in Henry and just go for a drive in the country, stop for lunch or ice cream and he is happy as a clam!
All is well. Stop by for a visit, send a card but above all, keep Rand close to your heart, in your thoughts and prayers. He is remarkable!
Love,
Connie
