Sunday, October 12

Tommy now has a treadmill. It awaits him in the room-formerly-known-as-the-rec-room, which can probably now be called the gym, since it has a growing number of exercise machines: my Nordie elliptical exerciser, the set of pedals that attach to the wheelchair, and now the treadmill. I've been looking for one for several weeks, ever since learning about that Johns Hopkins research study showing that stroke victims who use a treadmill get far healthier than those who don't. I found it last Saturday morning, when Patti and I were hitting a couple of yard sales. Yesterday Irv and I carried it in the house and tried it out, and it's great. It's a Proform, one of the heavier, rehab-grade models. It can be cranked down to a very slow speed, and it has a well-designed safety key that attaches to the walker's belt loop. Once Tommy gets home, he will have three physical-therapy sessions a week for several months. Being able to use the treadmill may not be feasible right away; but maybe, under the supervision of the physical therapist, he can move in that direction. Happy to say, I can cross "get a treadmill" off my to-do list, which is long with a capital L these days.