JLD breaks free! Life outside "the joint!"

(Kirstin here)
Hi everyone!
Yesterday afternoon Jonathan checked out of the rehab center! WAHOOO!

We're staying with some family friends in Greenville and it was nice to hang out in a real home instead of an insitution. Much as the medical staff was good to us, we're happy to have a little peace and quiet! As I've said, we'll be here for a couple of weeks, before heading back to N. Cal.

But there is no rest. Today was Jonathan's first day of out-patient rehab at Roger C. Peace. That's right, he had to turn around and head right back there. They'll pick up where the in-patient physical therapists left off. Specifically, they'll practise walking with a walker. This is slow going and takes alot of concentration. J can walk about 150 feet, while concentrating on retraining his nerves and leg muscles. Also, he has to practise the standing up and sitting down stage of movement, which is of course an entirely different set of nerves/muscles to train. Sound tedious? Oh, yes.

He also practises standing and holding his balance with a walk or counter-top nearby. He can stand for 5-10 minutes, depending on how worn out he already is. Then the PT's toss him a ball or gently push him from different sides while he keeps balanced. The last couple of days at Roger C. Peace he even went up/down some steps there with handrails. Then of course, they continue with all the other exercises to wake up his quads and hamstrings and hips, etc.

What am *I* doing while JLD is working so hard you ask? Well, today begins the first day of a regular commitment to afternoon naps!! I have some sleep to catch up on. :-)

THANKS to all of you for your ongoing notes, cards, candies, games, fruit, balloons, mini-Beatrices and the like! You are all so thoughtful and your well-wishes help him know he is not going through this alone. I'm sorry if we have not been able to reply very quickly to emails or calls, but please know that they are all getting through. We're slowly getting back to normal and I'm sure that Jonathan will be forwarding off-color emails again soon (but not if I can help it).

More updates to come. There may be a pic or two here someday. That might be a goal for me this week. I think I can handle that.