Wednesday, September 10

This morning--for the first time, and with Shannon and Pearl at his sides--Tommy walked a few steps without his walker. It happened in the therapy department's outside courtyard.
We were in the courtyard because, a few minutes earlier when Tommy was walking the hallway with his walker, with Shannon at his side and me following with the wheelchair, he pointed through the window to the courtyard. Shannon asked, "Do you want to go out there?" and Tommy nodded yes. This was a very good moment, because Tommy was asking for something he wanted rather than being passive. The therapists have explained to me that part of Tommy's recovery is making his needs and wishes known, and I have been impressed by the way that Tim and Barb, and now Shannon and Red, have all responded to Tommy, on those rare occasions when he asks for something, by immediately doing all they can to give him what he has asked for. The same is true of the nursing staff. But I digress.
Once we got Tommy wheeled out into the courtyard, Shannon brought a small beach ball outside for Tommy to throw to me. The game was that I would stand like a statue and if the ball hit me, I would give Tommy a kiss. Then, with assists from Shannon and Pearl, Tommy stood up and, with them holding him at his sides, he continued the game, tentatively aiming and dropping the ball in my direction. After a few minutes of this, as Tommy got his sea legs, Shannon said he thought Tommy was ready to take a few steps. Indeed, he was; he walked about ten steps to collect his kiss. We were all excited by it. Later, Janis and I joined Tommy for dinner; we brought him crab cakes from Pizza Palace; but alas, Pizza Palace seasons the crab cakes much as they do their excellent pizzas, which is to say the crab cakes were too spicy. Looks like it's time for another carry-out pilgrimage down to my poker group's favorite beach eatery--the Crabcake Factory in north O.C.