Independence

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On July 4, our family celebrated Independence Day and escaped the heat with an afternoon inside the movie theater. Josh and I saw “Spiderman: Far From Home,” while Theresa, Kayla, and Elijah saw “Aladdin.” On the way home, Josh and I discussed what we liked and disliked about the Spiderman movie.

This week was about getting settled back into home while carrying Josh’s new routine over from Mary Free Bed. I know that Josh enjoys being back home, though. I began working my normal hours for EduGuide on Monday, and on Tuesday Josh had his first scheduled Therapy appointment in Mount Pleasant. On Wednesday, I took Josh to his afternoon of therapy and sat in on his language session while he was being assessed. I saw some signs of improvement with his speech, but still areas where he struggles.

As we’ve gotten use to moving Josh around the house, we are working with him more and more on getting around more on his feet instead of relying on his wheelchair. His therapist at Mary Free Bed had suggested having him walk around the house with assistance for a week, then allow him to walk around only with a cane if there are no falls. After that, walk with him in the community for a week, and then let him walk on his own if there aren’t any issues. The wheelchair would be reserved for places which require a lot of walking, such as hospitals or malls.

I think that in a few more days we could try letting him walk on his own with a cane in the house. That is just about how long he needs to get a little more strength, as well as help us prepare to give him the extra distance while he walks.

Two new additions to our house that will make things a thousand times easier will be the railing that was installed into our back porch, and our cemented driveway. We appreciate all of the help that was donated towards these projects. Once a date was set for Josh’s homecoming, there were a lot of questions about how he would get in and out of the house safely.

Josh will have a doctor appointment and more therapy this week, and then an MRI later this month. The results of this test will determine what day chemotherapy will begin for him. I wish that the rest of the summer could only be about continuing his recovery after his surgery in March, but he still needs to beat the cancer.