wednesday night

wow! another big day for gen and all those who love her. this morning she moved her arms to the front back without help. her arm was resting in the mobile arm support, but there was no mechanical aid. she had a tube of lipgloss in her hand (supported by a hand brace) and she applied it without making any mistakes (like hitting her nose or chin instead of her lips). her therapist was thrilled. in speech she worked on making a sound that lasts a whole breath instead of short bursts of sound and breathing. she did well with that. in pt she worked more on her legs and was moving them front and back better than she had yet. all this movement is initiated by gen's muscles, not by electodes. in afternoon ot, courtney the therapist had a surprise for gen. she let her use one of those machines (i don't know the name of it) that lookes like a bicycle for the hands and arms. gen pushed and pulled the pedals without any help, and the therapists were so excited they all had her do it for them so they could see it. afternoon pt and speech were together, and they worked on breathing and vocalizing. she ate three good meals today (lunch was pureed hotdog/bun, pureed potatoes and pureed baked beans.) then tonight she got the feeding peg taken out. that is wonderful...the last tube is gone. we thank God for all the medical knowledge and talent that He has provided in the right place at the right time to help gen on her way to health. we know that He is in control and that He makes all things just the way they should be just when they should be. olivia, we did get the cd just before we left ku. thank you so much. we thank everyone else too for gifts and cards and comments on the blog. thank you also for the financial aid via the smb account, and a special account at first presbyterian church in joplin. there are a lot of wonderful people keeping tabs on gen and her progress, and we are grateful to all of you for your support and prayers for us.

susan