I took my little sister to school today - I haven't done that since she was in 8th grade and I believe she is just starting the second semester of her second year of college...so it has been a while! I took her to school and went and checked out a thrift store where I found a book that I just had to have. I picked up a few things from the grocery store and picked her up before heading home and walking down to see what my dad was up to today. He and my brother were playing Yahtzee. I brought down perfection and we worked on putting the shapes in the right places, by giving him the shape and asking him where it goes and also by putting all the shapes together and then pointing to the game board and asking him to find a specific piece. The look for concentration as he completed this was just amazing. I also brought down the bucket of bean bags where we went over colors and shapes and counting. He has always gotten green right, the others have been a little more difficult but he has great accuracy when tossing the beanbag into the bucket after telling us the color or shape. Vanessa told him to pitch the beanbag into the bucket and he simply replied, "No ball." Of course you don't pitch using bean bags! We got out a little ball from the boys toy box and he was throwing it and catching it with Vanessa. I was surprised when Vanessa asked him to try a knuckle ball and he remembered and threw it - all left handed, even though he is right handed. She also had him saying something after he made it into the bucket....uploaded that video just for her!
I went to go pick up my Ivan and Vaughn and Vanessa hung out with my dad. When I got home I saw him out in the yard, walking around the yard and also doing squats and lunges! He tells us he just has to go to work. My Aunt Pam stopped by to see him and visited with him on the porch. We then loaded up to head to his eye appointment. We were concerned with vision issues since the stroke. The doctor he saw at Brooks said sometimes with a lot of swelling it can affect the eye sight and it might just correct itself in time. They scheduled this appointment as a follow up, and oh what a great follow up it was. We learned that my dads vision has NOT been affected, he still has all peripheral vision as well! The therapists were concerned about that at Brooks. I am so grateful that it has not been affected. And the best news about the eye appointment today is that while he and my mom were sitting there waiting for the doctor to come in my dad lifted up his right arm. We all got a text from my mom that she was calling a family meeting and panic set in. We were back to their house before they were, and when Dad walked in - this is what he showed us:
The look for total pride and accomplishment in his eyes is a great thing to see. He kept saying, "I have a plan, you can't stop me." The crazy thing about this is every day his arm has been on the arm skateboard - and even this morning - setting his arm on the crate in the video above when he was throwing the ball. At one point in that video he drags his arm off that crate to go pick up the ball and then when he goes to throw the ball he stops and uses his left hand to put his right arm back on the crate. So even this morning, that arm was not moving, at least not like this. I think it is neat to have video of him from this morning and then video of him from this afternoon....what a difference a few hours can make! We have to remind him to breathe because he gets so focused on moving that arm that he forgets to breathe. I am so happy for him that at the end of this week he has such a great feeling of accomplishment. I pointed to his arm and said, "it is working!" And my mom followed it up with, "she told you it would work again!"
I can't wait for that next follow up at Mayo with those doctors who said he would probably not get use back of that right side...I can't wait for him to walk into that appointment....
I wish I had some profound insight to share but really I am still kind of speechless. I have always been a firm believer that actions speak louder than words - my dads action this afternoon definitely speaks volumes! It speaks to the power of love and family. It speaks to the importance of never giving up on those you love. It speaks to the power of prayer. It speaks to the power of hope and belief. It speaks to the power of God to bring healing, a healing that man says was not possible.
I love my dad so much!
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