Wednesday, July 2

Yesterday afternoon Tommy was transferred from Beebe Hospital to the Bayhealth acute rehab center, which is a second-floor wing of the Milford Memorial Hospital, in the town of Milford. (It's about 15 miles north of Georgetown, De., straight up Rt. 113.) Tommy has a private room with a very pretty view to the west of trees and sky. He is still very tired, although his right arm is beginning to kick in--he now scratches his head or rests his arm on the bed's rail, which is great to see. But none of the other limbs are moving on their own. He ate a pureed "dinner" of something green (peas?), something orange (they said it was salmon but I couldn't tell when I tasted it) and a chicken soup that he rejected by refusing to open his mouth after one spoonful. I tasted it and he was right. Also, chocolate pudding, which he can't get enough of, and iced tea, his favorite beverage. The schedule for today is up and dressed by 7, breakfast and all other meals in the dining room, and then various therapy sessions (physical, occupational and speech therapy) scattered throughout the day until about 4:00. In between therapy sessions, he'll be able to nap. Dinner at 6, and after dinner is when they give baths to the patients. The first three or four days are crucial--the staff members will judge whether they they think he is ready for acute rehab or should, instead, go to a sub-acute center for a while to gather his strength.
Even through his exhaustion, Tommy comes through in wonderful moments. Just before dinner (which they allowed him to have in his bed last night), his son Steve called, and when I put the phone to Tommy's ear, he said, "Hi, Buddy." Steve and I were both tickled by that. His daughter, Karen, talked with him too; with both of his kids, he listens with intensity. Later, before I left for the day, I gave Tommy a pep talk, reminding him that he was the guy who waterskied on one ski from DC down to Colonial Beach--a feat that, as far as anyone knows, nobody has ever duplicated--and that whenever he gets discouraged he should remember that he's that same guy. He said, "On one ski. That's me."