Friday, August 8, 2008

Jenn and I visited Matt today, and we were pleasantly surprised to find him awake and talking. The last few times Jenn has visited Matt he has been sleeping, so it was awesome for her to finally see him awake. He gave her a very long, affectionate hug and recognized her immediatley saying, "Hi Jenn."

Soon after we arrived he started listening to his IPod. He sang along to Kenney Chesney's 'Don't Blink' and 'Baby You Save Me' perfectly; he could still recall all the words to the songs. He sung out loud to us for a good fifteen minutes.

Matt and I discussed playing hockey together in the future, which we had previously planned before the accident. Hopefully, when Matt fully recovers we can make this happen.

At one point during our visit he asked mom if he was "doing alright." He seems to be aware that he is not functioning properly mentally, however, mom reasured him with a smile, "no sweety you're doing fine, you're doing just great!"

Regarding Matt's recovery, he is still in between stages 4 and 5, even though yesterday was a definite improvement. It seems as if he is fully aware of his surroundings, yet it is apparent that at times he is not. Sometimes, he would laugh just because we laughed or agree with what we asked or said, though he really was not certain of the answer. And joking around with him is not a good idea, because he is takes every word literally.

Matt kept looking at me and telling me that I was making him laugh. It made Mom, Grandma, Naomi, Jenn, and I laugh with him. Matt actually laughed and smiled during our entire visit, which is the best we have seen him yet.

Matt, I am so proud of you Dude!

Thursday August 7, 2008

There has not been a great deal of change with Matt over the past few days, so I do not have much to inform you of. He is still in between levels 4 and 5 on the Rancho Los Amigos scale (for Traumatic Brain Injury), which is due to the confused state he is still exhibiting. He seems to be confused about the present. During mom's visits she will sometimes take a break to get some water, however, when she returns, Matt seems as though he is seeing her for the first time that day.

Mom asked Matt today what he remembers of the accident. He said he is trying really hard to remember, but he can't. He said he doesn't even remember the bike trail he was on at Thomas's house. On a good note, Matt is aloud to listen to music now. It has to be mellow music, so mom put together some country songs on his IPod. Matt may not be able to remember the accident but he knows all the Kenney Chesney songs. He serenaded Mom, Dad, and Aunt Brenda over the phone. My mom said he knew all the words! By the way, Matt is an awesome singer, when all this is done, everyone should bug him to record a cd!

Monday, August 4, 2008

This afternoon, Matt started walking on his own! However, he still needs assistance: a belt around his waist and someone observing close by, in case he falls. Another bump on the head would not be good. Matt's balance is a little better as well; it seems his therepy is starting to pay off, although he does have a long road ahead of him. Matt was also able to take a shower, with supervision. He seemed to have liked being able to shower. He is progressing with his speech therapy: he has been given worksheets to help him with word association, and he is doing a great job. He is also tested on his memory on a daily basis. Matt does not remember anything about his accident, but he does know that a dirt bike was the cause of his injuries. The nurses also have him write down a log of all visitors and events of the day, so that he can review them the next day. This is to test his short term memory.

Matt told mom today, "There is something different within me that I need to work out", which is a pretty profound statement. In addition, he has made several references about his lack of mental capabilities by saying such things as, "I know I'm not retarded" and "I know something is wrong, because things just aren't clicking, you know?"

Matt's friend's (Guy) grandma (Alice) is hosting a yard sale this weekend, in which she will donate all of the proceeds she makes to Matt's trust fund. Thank you Alice, for taking the time and effort to help Matthew. That is so wonderful of you.

August 4, 2008

We don't have any additional information to post at this time. Matt has seemed to plateau, and is still at stage 4/5.