Update - 1/22/08
Good morning! I hope and pray the new year is off to a good start for you. Here we are nearing the end of January already!!!
We continue to thank the Lord for Matthew's progress. For most brain trauma victims, the majority of their improvement comes in the first 18 months following their accident and then they begin to plateau. Matthew is definitely not following the norm. This Friday will mark the two year anniversary of the accident and Matthew is still making significant progress and continues to improve.
When you look back at previous updates posted, you'll see that there's usually some mention of Matthew standing or walking and the challenges involved with those. Most of us take standing and walking for granted. For Matthew it continues to be a "hurtle" he works to overcome every session in therapy. The brace I mentioned before didn't turn out to be the asset they hoped. So, it's still up to Matthew. His balance has improved. When standing, his assistants can let go of him for a minute or two and he holds himself up. His improved balance is also evident when using the therapy ball. He sits on the ball and has to correct his balance when the ball moves one direction or the other. I've mentioned the therapy ball before, but his balance is much better than in previous months.
When it comes to walking, Matthew is doing an incredible job of moving his right leg. He can now bend his right knee, left his heel a bit, but still needs a little assistance dragging his foot forward. So, little by little his right leg improves. A recent addition to his therapy has been to have electric stimuli on the right leg (like a patch with voltage). It triggers the muscles used to pick up the foot. The good news is when Matthew is sitting or laying in bed he can lift his right leg on his own. So, the muscles in the right leg do have the ability to lift. It's just a matter of retraining his body and mind to work together to do the lifting when walking. In therapy session, Matthew has normally had to have someone push his hip and make him switch his weight to the other side. Now they just have to tell him to do it, and he does it on his own.
There is a new facet to Matthew's therapy. He's taken to the gym to exercise two times a week. After seven sessions, Matthew can now lift 100 lbs. doing leg extensions and curls with both legs at the same time. He is lifting with control. He has made bigger jumps of improvement with his right leg since he's been going to the gym.
I don't want to leave out discussion about another part of his right side - his right hand. Matthew can close his right hand into a fist and then open and extend his fingers to an open hand. He can now move his thumb as well. This is terrific news considering what his right hand was like. The next step is to work on dexterity and the ability to pick things up with his right hand.
Something that I wasn't aware of before is an awareness of self is disrupted for brain trauma victims. Some get that back and some never do. Thankfully, Matthew is getting that back. It is very exciting that he is more self-aware. He used to be like a "puppet" and do whatever any one told him to do (if he had the physical capability to do it). Now that he's more self-aware, he won't do it if he's embarrassed or isn't interested. Matthew is even initiating speech with "I" statements like: "I need to go to sleep" or "I need something to listen to." Pointing to parts of his body also demonstrates this awareness of self, such as pointing to his nose or his ears when instructed to.
Matthew now eats everything the family eats instead of having to make a separate meal for Matthew. Any parent is relieved when their toddler starts eating table food and they can stop buying those jars of baby food. Matthew's mom said it's even more thrilling the second time around when the young man eats the meal with his family.
Attention spans can sometimes be very short for those with head injuries. Matthew's attention span is getting longer. If it's something that he's not interested in, his attention span is still short, 3-8 minutes long. But if it's something he enjoys and it holds his interest, he can stick with it for 20-45 minutes. And if it's singing a song that he knows, Matthew still remembers all the words of the song and will sing it over and over.
Matthew's parents would like to wish you all a blessed New Year and they thank you for your continued prayers for Matthew.
Have a wonderful day!
Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother
We continue to thank the Lord for Matthew's progress. For most brain trauma victims, the majority of their improvement comes in the first 18 months following their accident and then they begin to plateau. Matthew is definitely not following the norm. This Friday will mark the two year anniversary of the accident and Matthew is still making significant progress and continues to improve.
When you look back at previous updates posted, you'll see that there's usually some mention of Matthew standing or walking and the challenges involved with those. Most of us take standing and walking for granted. For Matthew it continues to be a "hurtle" he works to overcome every session in therapy. The brace I mentioned before didn't turn out to be the asset they hoped. So, it's still up to Matthew. His balance has improved. When standing, his assistants can let go of him for a minute or two and he holds himself up. His improved balance is also evident when using the therapy ball. He sits on the ball and has to correct his balance when the ball moves one direction or the other. I've mentioned the therapy ball before, but his balance is much better than in previous months.
When it comes to walking, Matthew is doing an incredible job of moving his right leg. He can now bend his right knee, left his heel a bit, but still needs a little assistance dragging his foot forward. So, little by little his right leg improves. A recent addition to his therapy has been to have electric stimuli on the right leg (like a patch with voltage). It triggers the muscles used to pick up the foot. The good news is when Matthew is sitting or laying in bed he can lift his right leg on his own. So, the muscles in the right leg do have the ability to lift. It's just a matter of retraining his body and mind to work together to do the lifting when walking. In therapy session, Matthew has normally had to have someone push his hip and make him switch his weight to the other side. Now they just have to tell him to do it, and he does it on his own.
There is a new facet to Matthew's therapy. He's taken to the gym to exercise two times a week. After seven sessions, Matthew can now lift 100 lbs. doing leg extensions and curls with both legs at the same time. He is lifting with control. He has made bigger jumps of improvement with his right leg since he's been going to the gym.
I don't want to leave out discussion about another part of his right side - his right hand. Matthew can close his right hand into a fist and then open and extend his fingers to an open hand. He can now move his thumb as well. This is terrific news considering what his right hand was like. The next step is to work on dexterity and the ability to pick things up with his right hand.
Something that I wasn't aware of before is an awareness of self is disrupted for brain trauma victims. Some get that back and some never do. Thankfully, Matthew is getting that back. It is very exciting that he is more self-aware. He used to be like a "puppet" and do whatever any one told him to do (if he had the physical capability to do it). Now that he's more self-aware, he won't do it if he's embarrassed or isn't interested. Matthew is even initiating speech with "I" statements like: "I need to go to sleep" or "I need something to listen to." Pointing to parts of his body also demonstrates this awareness of self, such as pointing to his nose or his ears when instructed to.
Matthew now eats everything the family eats instead of having to make a separate meal for Matthew. Any parent is relieved when their toddler starts eating table food and they can stop buying those jars of baby food. Matthew's mom said it's even more thrilling the second time around when the young man eats the meal with his family.
Attention spans can sometimes be very short for those with head injuries. Matthew's attention span is getting longer. If it's something that he's not interested in, his attention span is still short, 3-8 minutes long. But if it's something he enjoys and it holds his interest, he can stick with it for 20-45 minutes. And if it's singing a song that he knows, Matthew still remembers all the words of the song and will sing it over and over.
Matthew's parents would like to wish you all a blessed New Year and they thank you for your continued prayers for Matthew.
Have a wonderful day!
Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother
posted by Randy Asburry @ 7:15 AM
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