Update 9/2/11

Its been another great day at Shepherd! Warren went back on the Loco-mat, only to be taken out of the robot and moved to the next level (harnessed over a treadmill with techs assisting and moving his legs). Funny thing -- just yesterday, I was watching someone on that apparatus thinking, won't it be great when Warren gets to go on that. You can see from the picture, this exercise requires much more work on Warren's part. Let me back track... yesterday when he finished the Loco-mat he became very pale and nauseated, unfortunately he paid the price of hard work for the next two and a half hours (nausea to the extreme). He had the same reaction during his workout today, and knew when his body wanted him to stop. Ashley, who is visiting for the weekend - yay! - likened it to someone who is running a marathon and is just spent and can give no more. Therefore, their body's reaction to the workout is to rebel. Next week he will try smaller increments with rest periods in between. Funny thing - they keep telling us this is a marathon and not a sprint :)

More good news... Warren was surprised by a visit from his good friend Drew Fiorenza today. He has flown in for the weekend from San Diego where he continues his training as a Navy Seal. Warren and Drew went back in time when they competed on Wii (which you may remember is part of Warren's therapy), they had way too much fun and had the gym filled with laughter. BTW - Warren beat Drew at one of the games and proclaimed, "He man - you just got beat by a cripple!" :) :) :)

Now for the best news -- Warren's discharge date has been moved to September 9th! OMG Jerry and I have the same pit in our stomachs that we had when we brought our first child home from the hospital and no longer had assistance. (We haven't killed one yet, so I am sure we will do fine this time too :) We are actually ecstatic with the progress he has made in such a short period of time. It is obvious to us that along with his hard work, all your thoughts and prayers are making all the difference. For this we will be eternally grateful.

Now this probably brings about many questions. He was fitted for "his" wheelchair today. It will not be ready by the time he leaves Shepherd. Warren will have a "loner" in the meantime. He has also been fitted for leg braces, but his therapist and I agreed we will postpone delivery until he begins outpatient therapy for fear that he will try to use them before he is ready!! ; ) He will be given a regimen by his physical therapist to increase strength over the next few weeks, and at that point he will begin outpatient therapy at Shepherd. There are more hurdles to come and we will keep you posted. For the time being, it has been a great day!

Love,
Henley


Hi all!

I am so glad to be back in Atlanta and see Warren's progress first hand. It has been three weeks since I saw Warren last and a LOT has changed! The day I left to go back to Boston three weeks ago was the first day Warren learned how to transfer in and out of his chair - while he was quick to learn, and mastered the skill on the first try, he remained very cautious and did the transfer by the book. Today when I arrived he was hopping and popping around from the bed to the chair like a pro. Getting in and out of his chair has become second nature to him and he is exceptionally fast at doing so! He also showed me some of the wheelie techniques he has learned, and I was told he knows how to go down flights of stairs when necessary (not a surprise)!

It was great to see how independent he is during his PT sessions and how far he has come in his strength and mobility in such a short period of time. However, with all of this being said - I told my mom, that for those of you out there who are not able to see Warren in person, it is sometimes hard to grasp the severity of his situation when all of our blogs are always so upbeat and inspirational (we are all just too optimistic :) We are his biggest fans and are so proud of every milestone, but the road ahead remains long. I was able to take video footage of him walking on the treadmill today, which I think gives a realistic depiction of how labor intensive walking can be, and with a lot of support and a smile on his face Warren is making strides.

(Ignore the chitter chatter, just Henley & Drew catching up)

More to come as the weekend progresses... everyone have a wonderful Labor Day!

Love,

Ashley