Monday (day 158)

Good morning all. We had a beautiful weekend with Shawna. The highlight of which was being able to stay with her in the ADL apartment at Chedoke. Thsi meant we would have to take total care of her with the nurses availabe only if we had troubles. Everything went very well. We're a bit tired at the end of Sunday but you dont get a lot of sleep. I did but Deb didn't. Deb slept in the bed next to her and found out Shawna likes to make a lot of vocal noises in her sleep or maybe that's her practice time. I slept on the pull-out(got the boot to the couch) and was only required to wake up every 4 hrs to assist with changing Shawnas position. On Saturday, Shawna was on the exercise bike and the therapist was going to set her up in a higher gear. Well he sure did. Accidentally he started her in gear 5 and she was only used to gear 1. Well, she kept at it pedalling slowly but still determined till the gear flashed up on the screen and the therapist quickly adjusted it to gear 2. Then she was tearing away again at 44 rpm and a few hills in gear 3 were added to the route. After pedalling for 15 mins. she was allowed to rest and the results were tabulated. Shawna has had some real positive results just in one week. Last Saturday she pedalled 1.3 km in gear 1 with no changing gears to simulate a hill in the route. This time She went 1.8 km in gear 2 with two gear 3 hill durations of 1 min. Her leg symmetry or balance of pressure exerted from one leg to the other is steadily improving. Amazingly enough it gets better in the higher gear and when I was videoing it she had 42% left and 58% right. After her workout we were off on a day trip to Selkirk Provincial park where the Buist family was holding their annual family reunion. When Shawna showed up she was surrounded by many of her cousins, second-cousins, aunts and uncles wishing her well. I think for Shawna it was a hard part of the day as her limitations were brought back to her as she really enjoyed playing games with many of them in the years past. It was an enjoyable afternoon though and we managed to squeak in a couple of hours between the rain. It's been a pretty wet affair this year and listening to the tales of pulling Hein and Ria's trailer out of the mud finally with a tow truck, it is almost with relief that we're not there(almost : ( ). We made the trek back to Chedoke slowly traversing many potholed roads especially the campgrounds. After a good night in the ADL we went to Katie's (and Will's later) apartment for lunch on Sunday. It was a tight squeeze for the wheelchair in the elevator and the apartment hallways but also an enjoyable time. We had planned to go from there to Attercliffe church for the afternoon service but due to some of Shawna's meds. had to stay closer to Chedoke. Again and again we have experienced the riches of God's blessings in our lives as we continue in the life He has planned for us. We know He works everything for the good of His children and we look forward to and pray for his continued guidance. Thanking you for your continued prayer and support Al and Deb

Thursday (day 154)

Good Evening all. We've again had a pretty busy week. At the team meeting on monday Shawna's progress was gone over. Generally they are very happy with her progress and see quite a bit of improvement. There are areas of concern though. In the bone density scan the good news was that there is no bone forming in the soft tissue areas which can happen with inactivity. The right leg has a deficient supply of blood which they could tell from the scan. This warrants further exploration. A blood vessel most likely was damaged from the accident and didn't repair properly. This lack of adequate blood supply to the right leg could impede exercise as the muscles would become oxygen deprived and thus very sore from strenuous exercise. The brain CT scan, which was shown to us and explained, showed no signs of swelling or water buildup and therfore no shunts will be required for draining. The skullcap being reinserted was discussed and with our permission they will start the process to have the operation done at the General while she is still enrolled in Chedoke. They can easily monitor the incision and her phsiotherapy will be unaffected(so they claim). They will also be giving Shawna a drug (under close scrutiny and small amounts) to stimulate her by making her "more awake". The physiotherapist's goal as explained to us is developed in stages to get Shawna to take her first steps. That would be an awesome blessing! The speech therapist continues to work with Shawna's swallowing and vocalizing. This dedicated team is trying every effort to get Shawna to develop as much as possible during her stay with them. Shawna also continues for her part to be determined and aggressive as she can. Last monday I saw and coached Shawna as she sat on the edge of the bed for almost a half hour, while the therapist moved her from side to side to exercise the back muscles. She stayed very straight for the exercise and was exhausted after that. Tuesday Shawna went for an EEG at the General. They attached probes to Shawnas head to monitor brain activity and then flashed lights in her eyes rapidly. Shawna had a hard time staying calm during the activity and after when they were taking the probes off and cleaning the locations she had a small siezure. This was averted by the nurse who massaged Shawna's left arm to confuse the brain messages, and the siezure stopped. We will find out more about the EEG later when the doctor discusses them with us as the technician could not divulge any information. Wednesday was a recreation day and Shawna went with the other members of the ABI unit to the Royal Botanical Gardens. She had a beautiful sunny day and under Deb's watchfull eyes came back with a bit of colour but not a burn. Today Shawna returned to the physical workout and again progressed further. She stood up in the standing frame for a half hour with out showing signs of extreme fatigue due to downward bloodflow. She maintained good posture with her head centered during the exercise . On the bike she cycle for over 2km. the therapist will now move her to gear 2 full time with some pressure zones going into gear 3.
Then while I was there tonight we (Jeanette and I) were talking to Shawna and she seemed to be really involved with the conversation moving her mouth and tongue when she opened her mouth a bit more and slowly said "Yah" . We were so excited to hear that and Shawna was also smiling knowing she had communicated, but we couldn't get her to repeat it. Later, because she was so awake in her wheelchair, I tried to give her some water to practice swalowing. She was obviously trying to still talk and couldn't concentrate on swallowing and choked a little bit. After a couple of good coughs, I asked her if she wanted to keep trying. As I was waiting for a response from her eye blinks she opened her mouth again and with a slow deliberate sound said "no". It was so beautiful to hear that even if it wasn't a perfect "no". Practice will help her to develope that again. The blessings we continue to recieve from God's hands remind us that he never forgets us, he has engraved us on the palms of his hands. Isaiah 49:15,16. Thank you for your continued prayerand support. Al and Deb

Monday (day 151)

Good morning all. Sorry for being a little tardy on the post, but we had couple of busy days. Shawna continues to progress under the therapists. She is getting more and more movement in her right arm, and right leg. Her left side continues to improve but seems to be a couple of months behind the development of her right side. She turns her head from side to side especially if she can't get her eyes to track and she wants to see something out of her line of vision. It still takes a lot of effort though and repetition is the best way to strenghthen the neuro connections to her muscles. We have taken the boredom of the hospital on Saturday and Sunday away by using the van to transport Shawna home for the afternoons on those days. For her it is very stimulating and for us it's a reality check on our preparedness at home. Our main rooms, kitchen, dining, living and caregiver's room have been completed with some small "honey do lists" left. Shawna's room will be getting the new flooring, and trim today and will be completely finished by this weekend. The only major thing left will be the modification to our bathroom converting it to a roll-in shower with accessible toilet and sink. Shawna(and us) will have a busy week this week with a "meet with the team" scheduled for today, an EEG for Shawna at the general tomorrow at 11.00 and a recreational outing on Wednesday. We thank our Heavenly Father for the continued blessing of good health and the continual progression of Shawna and continue to rely solely on His providential care. May you all have a blessed week and thank you for your continued prayers and support. Al and Deb

Wednesday (day 146)

Good evening all. We were richly blessed on last Sunday to be able to bring Shawna to worship service in Attercliffe for the afternoon. It was God's providential care that we could listen to a sermon on Lord's Day 1. Our only comfort in life and death. Shawna remained awake for the whole service and even shed a couple of tears after prayer. I'm sure she was not the only one! We do know that she has good comprehension from the meetings she has had with the therapists and she may have also been able to concentrate on the whole sermon. It was a beautiful afternoon of fellowship with her brothers and sisters of Atterclife, hopefully this can be repeated soon as we start to train to have her home for the weekends coming up. She was exhausted though and spent most of the trip home fast asleep. For Monday through today though she has been quite awake for her sessions on the bike, standing frame, and sitting on the edge of the bed. Monday she spent 15 mins on the bike in gear 1 and today she spent 19 mins on the bike in mostly gear 5. Shawna has always thrived on competition and besting own scores in physical activity. This aspect of her personality is beginning to show that it hasn't dissapeared. Her left to right leg pressures on the bike have gone as high as 52%right to 48% left which is a fantastic development for her left leg. She is also starting to lift and move her left leg around a bit. She's also moving her left arm slightly. Today she was very alert as my mom worked with her hands. Shawna picks up tiles and places them in Grandmas hand. Somehow when my mom comes Shawna is very alert and know she has to work her hands that day. We recall the beautiful song "Great is Thy faithfulness" which speaks about "morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand has provided. Great is Thy faithfullness Lord unto me". God has indeed richly blessed Shawna that she continues to improve steadily and we continue to pray for His ongoing care in the life of our daughter. Thanking you once again for your continued prayers and support. Al and Deb

Saturday (day 142)

Good Evening all. Shawna had another beautiful day outside. I arrived this morning and Doug was working her physio. She is developing more and more ability to control her muscles on her left and right side. The physio therapist is extremely pleased with her progress especially with certain muscle groups which are hard to control on command but Shawna is managing and slowly improving. They dressed her appropriately for an outing today and I took her to the soccer tournament in Smithville. She watched Darryl and AJ's team(Attercliffe) beat the opposing team 2-nil. At first we were a bit aprehensive about flying soccer balls but nothing even came close to her. It was a beautiful time with her teammates as she clutched a spare jersey while watching the game. Shawna manages pretty well inside the rear loading wheelchair van. She can keep her head very immobile and not slipping from side to side. It's a bit of a bumpy ride and you have to be careful of the route you choose with regards to road condition.
Tomorrow we hope to bring Shawna to the afternoon church service in Attercliffe, so she may be able to worship again with her brothers and sisters there and be able to hear the singing and preaching in her church again. It is amazing that our God has blessed her so richly that she may be able to do this again. We are so very thankful for His covenantal grace and fulfilling of the rich promises that He has given us. May you all have a blessed day of praise and worship. Al and Deb

Wednesday (day 139)

Good evening all. Shawna had a beautiful day down at Bay Front Park in Hamilton today. Aside from falling asleep in the beautiful sunlight with a nice cool breeze blowing sofly on her she still did manage to catch the biggest fish.(not a fishermans tale!) It was a small catfish about 9" long. then she caught a small perch about 4" and aside from one small gobie that Brian caught that was the total the group caught. Shawna did enjoy the ride in her new wheelchair van(she was wide awake for that!). When we got back since she had slept most of the afternoon the therapist wanted her to show off for her dad on the new bike they recieved this week. It starts them off with assistance to pedal for 1 min and then they are on their own. It also measures distance pedalled and can adjust gears to make it more strenuous and measures leg strength from left to right as well as amount of tone. Apparently on Monday Shawna was on the bike and they challenged her that she had to better the boy who was also on the bike. They said the girls had never beat the guys. Wrong thing to say to our girl! She beared down with determination expressed by the grimace on her face and pedalled on her own for 9 mins doing 1.14 kms narrowly beating out the competition. Her right leg produced 72% of the power and her left leg amazingly produced 28%. Its beautiful to see her left side developing. Today when she was on the bike she pedalled on her own for 10 mins producing 1.27 kms and using 65 % right leg strength and 35 % left leg strength. That was a remarkable improvement. This time though she was showing off for me. She was exhausted when she was done.
There have been other significant improvements. Her comprehension in group therapy is very good and she has been getting more consistent with her ways of answering. The lady sitting with her daughter across from Shawna today told me that Shawna was saying " no, no, no" in her bed this morning. I asked her if she really did want to go fishing. She blinked once so I was good to go on the fishing trip today(lucky me). Yesterday they also had her standing unassisted for 25 mins. She is slowly getting stronger and able to be up for longer periods of time. This is helping her blood circulation.
We remain thankfull for the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit through the communion of saints as you support us in this time of need. Thankyou for your prayers and support. Al and Deb.

Monday (day 137)

Good morning all. Not much for changes since last posting since most of the therapists and doctors were at a conference. Shawna did manage to try a couple of other words though as she said Hi to Katie and tried to say Bye to Darrin. It is beautiful to see her attempting to vocalize more and more. I dont know if I mentioned before that her therapy is from 10.00 to 4.30 monday to friday. Saturday and Sunday are pretty laid back( hint visits) as there are no therapists there do work with her, and she spends most of her time outdoors if its not too hot. Visisting hours are 8.00am to 8.00 pm.
This wednesday Shawna will be going on a recreational trip to the bayfront. I hope to transport her in our new wheelchair van if its ready in time. I think I will probably enjoy this trip more than her as its a "fishing optional trip". Going to the garden to get some worms!
Every week there is some progress which we are so thankful for. We know God is providing for her and our everyday needs and we continue to pray for her recovery. Thankyou again for your prayers and support. Al and Deb

Thursday (day 133)

Good Evening all. I appologize for not posting last night but we've been very busy working on the house and our computer has been disconnected during some renovations. Shawna continues to improve. Just today she may have spoken her first words as the physiotherapist asked her to move an object for the second time to which she said "unh unh", kind of a slang for "no" which she was very familiar with and used it a lot at home. The physiotherapist asked her if she meant no, to which she blinked affirmative and refused to move the object again as it took a lot of concentration the first time. This brought out a lot of laughter from him and our sister_in-law Ruth as they realized she was serious. They are impressed with how far Shawna has come and can see improvements from day to day. We don't have the results of the bone scan and density check yet. They have said that if Shawna continues to improve and looks as if she may be on the verge of an important breakthru they will keep her longer. As it is they have set a tentative discharge date of Sept 5, 2008 which is already two weeks longer than they first said, but that could change.
They have splinted her ankles and wrists to maintain her posture which they have said is very good at this point. They don't keep them on all the time but it just keeps her wrists and ankles in the right position, mostly during the night. Last night when a friend brought some lilies to the room, Shawna delicately held one stem between her thumb and finger and once dropped it on her stomach and then easily picked it up rolling it between her thumb and finger. We were amazed! There are so many amazing things our Lord has done for Shawna we cannot but help but praise His Holy Name. We continue to walk the path He has chosen for us trusting that He is always in control and providing the best for us His children. Thankyou for your continual prayers and support Al and Deb.

Sunday (day 129)

Good Morning all. We are so excited to have Shawna at Chedoke. Although the first week or two is mostly assesments they are getting a lot of responses from Shawna and she is trying hard to improve. There is a therapist who works with her eyes and he is trying to increase Shawnas ability to "track" from right to left. Tracking show she is seeing things and moving her eyes to the left has been very hard for her. She is consistently able to look left now. When it gets too much for her she just closes her eyes and stops to rest. The speech theraspist who also works with swallowing and eating was very impressed with Shawnas ability to try to mouth words, moving her tongue and making sounds, which show she may be able to talk soon. When she told Shawna this there was a huge increase in Shawna trying to communicate. It was a great encouragement for her. They have also been able to have Shawna stand now for 15 mins full load bearing. She is kind of strapped in but on her own and they push her till she breaks out in a cold sweat. It takes a lot of effort from her as she moans and groans but with the encouragement from family members she keeps going and pushing herself. There are some concerns though because she favours her left side. From the accident she was heavily injured on her left side with major bone breaks and soft tissue damage. They are investigating this a bit more through the notes taken originally and examining what has progressed since. Monday is a short trip to the Hamilton General for MRI and ultrasounds. They were checking Shawnas eyes for bits of metal that may have impacted from the accident to make sure she has no metal imbedded for the MRI. Wednesday is an all day affair at the Hamilton General for a bone density scan, where they will look for calcifications in the joints, bone density and generally check all her bones. The therapists are very impressed that Shawna has progressed this far especially since the accident has only been 4 months ago. We know though where our help lies, and He has made her able to be this far. Although the therapy is very rigourous she smiles more and seems very content to be able to try to work out. She is able to rest even though she is now in a much noisier ward setting. It just took some time to get familiarized with the room.
Home renos have shifted into high gear as we hope to train to have Shawna home on weekends. They have an apartment setup in the Holbrook building where you can simulate being at home but still have the nurse near enough to help if needed. Therfore our home has to be ready soon. With some very dedicated assitance we are progressing quite quickly and hope to have Shawnas room and our adjoining living space completed in two weeks. By then we also should have recieved our wheelchair van to be able to transport her to and from home. We have been so richly blessed by God's grace and favour. Throughout this event He has strengthened us by His Spirit and enabled us to carry on. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil for God is with us! Thankyou for your continual prayers and may God grant you a blessed day of praise and worship. Al and Deb