Tuesday, April 22, 2008

John returned to work today, April 22. Boy, what a difference three months make! Today was a huge accomplishment. Continuing steady progress. John was seen last Thursday, @ Kernan Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Hospital. He will be followed there as well as at University of Maryland Neuro/Spinal Unit. These are the requirements of participating in the Christopher and Dana Reeve research program. John is having pain in his neck, specifically in the back of his neck. The physician @ Kernan believes the area is exactly where the hardware is located. He has prescribed some changes in John's physical therapy routine. He can now lift his left arm upward, but has no muscular strength in his left arm and when he goes to put it down, it just drops. John also can only turn his neck to the left, about 20%. He is able to turn his neck to the right about 60%. I believe the reality of this injury is finally beginning to set in. Even though it has only been three months since the accident, it will take a long, long, time for healing and recovery. I believe it is finally sinking in that John's injuries have been life altering. We both realize this is early in his recovery and hold onto hope for more improvements, but also realize that we need to have realistic expectations about his recovery.
Guess what???? We are going to be grandparents. Chris and Amy are expecting their first child, due the end of September. Amy found out she was pregnant on the day John was having surgery, January 18. How incredibly stressful, for her. She and Chris kept the secret until they brought us a picture of the sonogram in March. We had a gag order imposed until the first trimester was over. Unfortunately, she has been quite nauseous, but thank goodness, she is finally starting to feel better. She looks adorable, and quite good. This is certainly a blessing for our family, after such an incredible traumatic experience just 3 months ago. We are all so grateful to be able to share this blessed experience with all of you. We will have a new "Baby Anders!" And, life goes on.....................

Love, Sheri