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03/14/04 I have confidence "Dan", my Dad, will make a full recovery but it will take some time. Being by his bedside for a month, I pray and wish for this. Each day or every couple of days he improves to the point now he shocks me with his pace of recovery. The past week has there have been great improvements everyday. They really started the day his speech therapist was shocked as well when she walked in and he said Hello Robin. I did not know her first name, she did not know he knew her first name and her tag was turned over so he could not have read it either. Next, his short term improved, he told me what others had talked about with him hours before. Further, now he is remember things from days when he could not tell you what his middle name was. I left today to have brunch, when I returned two hours later he said how was your breakfast with your friends, and what did you have? I see the recovery, but also know he does not know what day it is or the year. I took him for his first ride in a wheel chair to see the outside world. Once out of the room that he had not left for two weeks, he came alive talking about past, present, and future. Topics being family, his recovery, paragliding, his injuries, his feelings and how good Pepsi tasted today! After our hour in the sun, I took him back to his room and he was tired but I took this time to give him some tests that PT use to assess you brain levels. Question after question he passed, at first yes/no questions, then simple word puzzles, until it came to count from one to 20. He counts about to 12 and forgets why he is counting. So I asked him to count faster as he could he made it to 20. Then tried again at normal rate, failed at 14 and again at 12. I have noticed this trend prior, could not name the days of the week and months of the year. Today the days of the week rolled off without a hitch but months still give him trouble. Further, before I bore you, I read him a 6-sentence paragraph and told him he would be asked questions about what I read afterwards. First time I read it, 1 out of 6 right. Second time, 3 out of six right. Last time today, 6 out of six right. I have confidence and hope, but it will be no easy road. Dan may never design fighter jets again but he never did before. His short term, long term, prior accident, and post accident memories are all growing stronger. His slowest growth has been his concept of time, but lock yourself in a closet with no windows for a month and try to keep a concept of time. Last word:
Alan
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