Sunday, March 18, 2012

Hi everyone! This is Rose, now taking over the blog. My dad has been making
such progress, and I thought we should share.

My dad has been working out at Snap Fitness 2-4 times a week. He works on his
right arm and especially on his leg. He goes on the elliptical, pulls weights with both
arms and now he is able to go on the bike machine without the use of his brace, which is GREAT! Recently he proved to my mom that his ankle was getting stronger by taking of
his brace and turning in circles. Today he even started to tap his foot! He also has been working on mirror therapy with his hand, specifically trying to move a single finger at a time. This week, for the first time, he managed to twitch one finger a tiny bit! He also works his arm by punching a punching bag that now stands in the middle of our living room. The movement in his shoulder keeps getting stronger (as
does his punches!).

My dad continues working on reading out loud; now he is reading Cowboy Sam and the Rodeo. Speaking full sentences is still very tough, but more often now he is able to speak short sentences. At speech therapy he is beginning to work on question words like who, what, where, etc. It’s hard for him to keep them straight, but he is slowly getting better at it.