So about that weak right leg...

Graham Update Day 33 (7/11/14)

By now I really should have learned to not put any limits on what I think Graham can do.  No sooner do I recognize something as a hurdle that Graham will "need to clear in the coming weeks" than he is already three steps past it.  We've got some more details on our trip from Children's Medical Center to Baylor Children's House.  And then some general observations about Graham.

Almost from day one, it has been apparent that the trauma to Graham's brain had some effect on the right side of his body.  During his very first exam the morning after the accident just over a month ago, his right side was less responsive to stimuli than his left.  They let us know at the time that paralysis on one side of his body was a possibility, but Graham quickly put those thoughts to rest.  Still, his right side was quite stationary compared to his left, even before his brain surgery two weeks ago.  Since then, Graham has of course started walking, but as he did, that weakness became even more apparent:  Graham has been very solid, fluid, and well-balance when stepping on to his left foot, but weak and wobbly when stepping onto his right.  He has been walking with a bit of a limp - he would push his right foot forward methodically, balancing easily on his left foot, and then as he shifted his weight to his right foot, his right leg would get a little shaky he would quickly pull his left foot up next to his right, not spending a moment longer than necessary on that weak right leg.

But fast forward to this afternoon.  Graham got out of his bed and began walking by holding the hands of his physical therapist.  We've seen him do it many times before, only this time his gate was completely different.  There was no shaky right leg.  Just Graham, casually picking them up and putting them down, one foot in front of the other, the right leg just as stable and strong as the left.  Later on in physical therapy he climbed stairs, and again - he alternated feet perfectly, showing no weakness whatsoever in either leg.  He then repeated the feat, unassisted, between the parallel bars, only this time walking much more briskly.  More amazing progress from our amazing little fighter.

 

At this time last week, we expected that by today Graham would be one or two days removed from his G-Tube surgery, receiving a steady diet of PediaSure directly into his stomach via a small, surgically attached button on his tummy.  Instead, as you may know, Graham yanked the more temporary feeding tube out of his mouth and decided he was going to skip all that nonsense and just start eating himself.  And the boy is doing GREAT!  He's been having more than 150% of the calories the doctors have ordered for him.  And today he feasted on all his favorites - Mac 'n Cheese, cheese pizza, grilled cheese sandwich (notice a trend?), Lucky Charms, PediaSure, Milkshakes, and of course - "Graham" crackers.  He has put on more than 2 pounds since the beginning of the week, and he is absolutely thriving.  He even capped off his lunch by enjoying grape popsicles together with his best buddy and brother - Brode.  And of course, who can resist turning your popsicle into a light saber when someone tries to take a picture of you.

I also mentioned yesterday that Graham was having trouble with two-part commands - he would always do the second, and not the first.  That remained the case this morning with speech therapy, but later on in the evening we tried him again.  At first we would ask him to do something like "touch your cheek.  Then touch your nose."  At first he would do them both at the same time.  This is in of itself was a big improvement over yesterday and even this morning.  But after a few practice rounds, Graham was doing sequential commands with no problem.

Graham does still struggle to express himself when not prompted by the subject matter directly.  For example - if you show him a picture of Darth Vador - he can tell you who it is (this was not the case this morning, it's another development since dinner).  But if you just ask him what his favorite animal is, he will have a really hard time telling you.  It's like the thought just gets stuck in the back of the brain. We all know the feeling - our friend says "Who is that dude that starred in that movie?"  And we KNOW IT!  Only we can't think of the "dude's" name.  That seems to be what is happening with Graham.  You can tell by the look on his face that he knows the answer to the question, he just cannot seem to recall it.  So there are still a few cobwebs to clean out, but at the rate he's going I wouldn't be surprised if he is over that little hurdle by morning.

Graham's speech is also getting better.  He naturally wants to whisper, and we are thoroughly researching how to create this effect in our other children on Sundays during church without inflicting severe brain trauma on them. =)  Graham is spontaneously using his vocal chords more and more though, and when prompted he will speak in his "normal voice" almost whenever we ask him to. 

Speaking of asking Graham to do things, he has developed a very funny little quirk.  He is SO LITERAL!  Whenever we ask him if he CAN do something, his answer is "sure" or "yes."  And that's it.  He doesn't actually do what we ask until we TELL him to do it.

"Graham - can you tell me how old you are?"
"Sure." *silence*

"Graham - can you talk in a loud voice?"
"Yes." *silence*

"Graham - can you tell us the name of the guy in this picture?"
"Sure." *silence*

You get the idea.  Such a funny little guy.  That, combined with his near-constant smile and his jovial nature, make him a joy to be around.  I honestly have never been around a happier person than Graham is right now.  One of my biggest fears a few weeks ago was that as Graham woke up, he would be in pain, be afraid, and be confused.  Some of those are still a possibility going forward, but right now he's just our happy little Graham Hopper.

Yesterday we learned the day of our departure from Children's Medical Center (Monday).  Today we learned the hour:  10:00 am.  They will load him up in the ambulance, Lindsey or I will ride with him, and our next stop will be the Baylor Children's House in downtown Dallas.  It's almost surreal that we are leaving, and that Graham is progressing so fast.  It's what it would be like if you started college as a freshman and had grand plans to become the CEO of a major company some day.  Then, as you finish your final exams at the end of your first semester, Coke calls and offers to make you their CEO.  You are elated!  You are excited!  You're probably a little nervous!  But most of all you can't believe it happened so impossibly fast.  That's  how we feel.  There was a time when we had this week pegged for getting his brain surgery done.  I was prepared mentally to spend the holidays in the  hospital.  And now here we are leaving, set to be home in a matter of weeks.  It's a miracle.  It's the result of some heroic people here at the hospital, a loving Heavenly Father, prayers and support from wonderful people everywhere, and a little fighter with a huge smile on his face who just won't quit.

#Prayers4Graham