David’s SCI Treatment Blog

Hello to everyone from sunny Florida!

June 7th, 2007

6/6/07

Hello to everyone. I apologize for the long lapse of time in between our updates. As we all know, life happens, and some how the time just seems to slip by much faster than we realize. I have promised an update for months and have been quite remiss about doing so!

Let me tell you though, David is doing so very well! On My last visit to him in Florida, I was able to go in the pool and stand right near him while I watched him walk in the water. It was so wonderful to see, and was a gaint step toward his goal of walking again. His sister Karen had done the same thing months earlier, and what a thrill that was for the both of us. Before the trip to China, David wasn’t even able to go in the pool. David took up to 8 steps unassisted!!! It was truly amazing. He has worked so hard in therapy since his return. He has purchased a standing board for home, and he also goes to the gym with Norma, and Donna, and lifts weights! His vision is so great that he is able to go on the computer now, and with Dragon Naturally Speaking program he is able to create his own emails! The first day we received our first email from David was the greatest day, I remember my smile and my heart pouding with excitement reading what he wrote! At Christmas, with the assistance with editing from his live in care giver Donna, he was able to write that wonderful letter that is at the beginning of this blog. David and Donna also produced a “heart stopping video” for everyone at Christmas. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room watching that as a family together!

I have to say, besides the physical gains, David has gotten so much more of his life back. He really had lost alot of his hope before our trip to China, but I must say, that hope was restored and then some! He is “marching forward” (and I mean that literally-saw it with my own eyes) at a strong and steady pace in this journey of recovery. Both, Menatlly and physically. Before stem cells, David could not see well enough to do much of anything. Now that he has regained his eyesight, and that has improved over the last 10 months, he is able to enjoy so much more of his life. He is able to watch his TV, and just loves his Tivo, which he records all his favorite programs, because he is out and about and busy all the time.

David’s physical gains have become more refined and fine tuned since his return from China. He is able to drive his own wheel chair with much more control, and navigates that thing through the malls, and does one of the things he likes best……and that is to go to the Tech. stores and “look” and learn about all the new technology that is out there today, ( TV’s, camers, computers, phones etc). David has always been a technology buff and can walk you through anything from hooking up your stereo, to using Tivo ( his favorite), and fixing problems with your computer! Oh, and I forgot…he loves to talk on the phone with family and friends. His voice used to be so weak before China, that you could barely understand him sometimes, and you would need to talk to him with no back ground noise at all. Now his voice is so much stronger, and clearer! Normal well heard conversations are now a part of every day life. Even though we are not in Florida, he keeps us updated on his steady progress.

David and Norma have been diligently preparing for a return trip to China, for more stem cells treatment. He has been at the mall practicing navigating his wheel chair and it is amazing! He wasn’t able to do that before the last trip to China! He is organizing the trip himself this time! I am so proud of him for that. David has truly gotten so much more of his life back. He has worked hard in therapy, and gives everything 150% He has gained so much and He has helped those stem cells be all that they can be and more!!! He is so anxious to go back again and is looking forward to more treatments with bigger hopes and bigger dreams than before. You can believe that David will work hard again, and give this trip his all. He now knows the power of the will, the stem cells, and the combination therapies that has brought him to the point he is today. It has been hard work, but worth every bit of the effort. David is looking forward not backward, with hope, strength, faith and love in what the future now holds for him! David also wants to thank everyone for all their support too! Keep the faith, and never, ever give up hope!

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