Celebrating Mom

A lovely Mother's Day celebration in the garden. It was a beautiful day to celebrate a beautiful woman - Joan! She received a stunning bouquet of flowers from Jeff and Amanda. She was also treated to a salon day to get her hair done - it was full and pretty!

A baby was born! A friend stopped walked over from the hospital to announce that he and his wife had just had a lovely baby girl.

And the plan to top off Joan's day - Pizza for dinner!

Sunshine in the Garden

The sun shines a lot in San Diego. But, it shines especially warm and bright on the gardens at Sharp Rehab Center. Jeff spends every free moment sitting in that garden surrounded by the beauty of nature and the love and strength of family and friends.

The garden is full of grasses and succulents. Shades of bright purple and pink seem to go on forever in perfectly spaced rows. Lemon grass plants, saw grass plants fill in the spaces and gently wave with the breeze.

The slate water fountain provides that sense of tranquility that patients and visitors need in such hectic times. The hummingbirds flutter into the splashing water to steal drinks and maybe a little bath once and a while. They are a constant reminder of the miracle of nature.

The spinning vibrant orange and red metal garden wind ornament will capture your attention and take you somewhere far away. Joan is often mesmerized by the two spinning wheels.

Jeff's nurses and therapists often have to make their way out to the garden to find him for medicine or therapy sessions. He watches people come and go, shares a smile or even a few words of encouragement.

Jeff's time in that garden with the warm sun, cool breeze and company of loved ones will prove to have a significant impact on his recovery.

Springing Back

It's been a couple of weeks since Jeff went back to rehabilitation and I had the pleasure of visiting him in person this past weekend. What a difference those couple of weeks have made since we last updated you about his limited abilities?!

While he has a lot of work to go to get back to his condition prior to surgery #2, Jeff is working so hard and it shows. His arms and hands are moving again - Amen! He still needs to build strength and improve motor skills, but it's nice to see him moving. He described recent big wins as being able to: 1. brush his own teeth. 2. Feed himself. 3. Use the iPad and his phone to communicate with all of you!

Another recent win was being able to lift himself to a sitting up position from leaning on his elbow - both sides! He isn't slowing down - Jeff repeatedly requests to have PT 7 days a week - no day of rest for Fun Guy.

Unfortunately, Jeff is still experiencing some strange side effects (burning sensation and pain in his hands) from the recent injury/surgery and he has to take additional meds to reduce the pain and irritation. It seems like the doctors have found the right dose and medication for now - they are hopeful that these symptoms will subside as Jeff heals and makes progress.

He is currently in a power chair that he controls with his hand. Just think how many times over the weekend I heard someone say "Slow down!" He handles that thing just like everything else in life - fast and furious. Amanda and I think they need to put a governor on that thing.

Keep an eye on the blog. I have several more updates for this week - including a special holiday celebration.