Today marks 3.5 weeks at Gaylord Rehab, and 4 weeks since her surgery. She has come a long way and made great progress, in a short while.
This week Maria had several visitors, Tracey and Bonnie stopped by as did John Kearny. Betty and Hardy, our neighbors, visited too. Joe Scutnik stopped by this week and brought Maria a nice gift filled with her favorite beverage. Thanks Joe. We'll need to wait a bit before Maria can enjoy the vino.
Maria's Bulletin Board Filled with Your Cards
Maria at Gaylord - 3 weeks after arrival - 4 wks after surgery
Before I talk about her fantastic progress this week I wanted to show you all the bulletin board in her room. We ran out of board space and have had to pin your cards 3 and 4 deep under each push pin. They really brighten up Maria's day!
Its been a little while since you've seen Maria, She brought with her some really bright colors that she loves to wear during the day. We took this picture of her wearing her favorite color, PINK ! I don't think the folks at Gaylord have seen bright colors like this in a really long time. Doesn't she look really great!
On Monday we heard from the hospital regarding Maria's eligibility for the Rindopepimut vaccine trial. Unfortunately the protein required for the vaccine to work was not present in the tumor. Therefore Maria cannot participate in the vaccine trial. Maria's radiation and chemo treatments will begin next week on April 1. She will follow the recommended course of treatment for this type of tumor.
Maria's Progress
Maria has made significant progress in speech therapy. On Wednesday Paul and I noticed a huge improvement in her speech (not just from the beginning but from the prior day before). Her speech and ability to express herself continues to improve daily. While Maria still has Aphasia, she has made huge improvements in speech.
While you have seen Maria in a wheelchair most of the time, during the day she spends most of the time out of the chair practicing walking, turning, exercising and practicing chair transfers. This week she graduated from using a hemi-walker to a 4-point cane. Her physical therapists are extremely pleased with her progress. She has also made great strides with occupational therapy, showering by herself (but with supervision), and dressing herself with minimal assistance.
This is the Ekso suit
One of the newest techniques in physical therapy are advanced assistive devices. Gaylord Healthcare is one of only 19 locations in the U.S. to have the Ekso bionic exoskeleton. Ekso is a portable adjustable bionic exoskeleton designed to help patients with lower-extremity paralysis or weakness to stand up or walk. The main goal of Ekso therapy is to improve your overall physical and emotional health. This week Maria was introduced to Ekso on Monday and had a repeat session on Friday. Paul and I visited on Friday to watch Maria in action in the Ekso. It was so cool to see Maria walking normally.
Maria rockin' the Ekso bionic suit...
Maria's Ekso therapists. One of Maria's lead therapists, Erika, is picture here, wearing the purple top.
