Another major benefit of the improved left arm strength is I got a two arm standing hug from him for the first time in over two months. Jake is one of those kids who comes up and just gives you a hug for no reason, and I didn't realize how much I had missed it until I got one today. He's been giving lots of one-arm hugs ever since he was taken off the sedation drugs, but I have to say, I really like the full hugs better.
Jake has been sleeping a good solid 10-11 hours a night for the past week and is now finally off one of his "heavy hitter" sleep meds, so he's down to melatonin and one other very small dose of a mild sedative. We are hoping to get rid of that one in a few days. It's amazing how much more alert and talkative he's become after dropping the one medication, and his voice is stronger and the inflection is improving. We are so thankful he is getting much closer to normal sleep cycles on his own.
One of the therapists told us that it's not uncommon for a child to progress consistently but somewhat slowly in the early stages of rehab, and then all of a sudden they reach a point where the improvement skyrockets. We're hoping that this is the case with Jake and that during the next few weeks the improvements will be phenomenal. But, as always, we're trying not to look too far ahead and just take it one day at a time.
Specific Prayer Requests for Jake
- Continued recovery of his left bicep to help ease arm movements.
- Todd and I are going to tell Jake on Saturday that he is not going to be able to make the Rush concert on Aug 2nd. It was going to be his first concert and something he and Todd have been looking forward to for months. We haven't wanted to take away a major motivator and something he's been so excited about, but unfortunately it's now time. Please pray for us to find the right words to help lessen the disappointment, and for Jake to understand why this has to happen and not lose his motivation to keep working hard.
Go, Drumming Jake! YAY!!!
ReplyDeletemaybe you could look ahead at Rush's schedule and find a location that he could see a later concert. they tour as much as Dave Matthews Band so you'll probably be seeing them in Denver again next year. I know they are in Kansas City and St Louis every year. Scott and his friend go every chance they get.
ReplyDeleteHey Jean - we checked it out and unfortunately, their last tour for the year is Aug 4th. We are really hoping they tour again next year but don't want to promise anything since we don't know for sure. If you hear anything about their next tour, please let me know!
DeleteThis is Stacey Peoples -principal at Black Forest Hills. Jake is an inspiration to all of us and the BFHE family is praying for all of you. A couple weeks ago my brother's band "Take To The Oars" was supposed to play at Children's at one of those Sunday concerts but do to weather issues they couldn’t play. My little brother, Chris Weaver, is their drummer. You can hear their music on iTunes etc. I am not sure if this is helpful or appropriate, but in light of the Rush news if Jake would like a visit from Chris I can arrange that. Don't feel obligated to reply, but if you think this will help just send me an email. and I will make the arrangements. Sending you lots of positive thoughts and good energy. Speoples@cherrycreekschools.org
ReplyDeleteJake! You do not know me but My sister Stacy Peoples told me about you and so I have read quite a bit about your story in this blog. It has been a long and rough road i can see. I can't tell you how inspiring it is to read about YOUR strength and persistence to keep getting better. You went from not being able to move your left arm to now being able to work on your drumming chops!! Way to go!! As my sister (above Comment) mentioned, I am a drummer and I can totally understand the need and want to get back to drumming. I play in a band called "Take To The Oars" The Name came from a Latin Proverb "If the wind will not serve, Take to the Oars". This saying rang very true to us. Sometimes there just is no wind out to push our sails, but that's when it is up to us to move foreword on our own. Keep rowing and keep going. When you get better we'd love to have you out to a show sometime. You are doing a super job and you will be back soon enough. If you ever need someone to come "jam" with, I'd be honored to join ya! -Jake, You keep up the hard work and know that we are cheering for you. Keep On Drumming!
ReplyDeleteChris