Wii Man is Walking Tall

There was no school yesterday so Cole took time out to play a little golf, tennis and go fishing. Although Cole is not quite ready for the outside links, tennis courts or his favorite fish'n hole, he was more than his opponents could handle on Wii. Cole's backswing, overhead slam and his expert casting were the envy of everyone in physical therapy. As if that weren't enough, he performed all these fantastic feats while balancing himself on the dome side of a BOSU Ball. In case you don't know what a BOSU Ball is, which I didn't, here's Wikipedia's definition:


A BOSU Balance Trainer, or BOSU ball as it is often called, is a fitness training device, invented in 1999 by David Weck,^{[citation needed]}consisting of an inflated rubber hemisphere attached to a rigid platform. It is also referred to as the "blue half-ball", because it looks like astability ball cut in half. The name is an acronym which stands for "BOth Sides Up" a reference to the two ways a BOSU ball can be positioned.^[1] The device is often used for balance training. When the dome side faces up, the BOSU ball provides an unstable surface while the device remains stable. This combination of stable/unstable allows a wide range of users, from the young,^[2] elderly, or injured to the elite level athlete.^[3] With the dome side up, the device can be used for athletic drills and aerobic activities. As the name suggests, the device can also be flipped over so that the platform faces up. In this position, the device is highly unstable and can be used for a wide array of exercises as well.

BOSU Ball

The balancing act would not be Cole's only achievement. After his exhibition of balance on the unstable BOSU Ball, the therapist decided it was time for Cole to lose the walker. It appears it was the right decision because 3 times over the course of the day, Cole, without any physical support, walked from his room to the HBO Cafe. Rhonda said it was amazing how well he did. He seemed quite comfortable as he moseyed through the maze of hospital corridors and into the eatery. Rhonda said he looked quite relaxed as he leisurely strolled through the food isles, casually looking over the fare all the while talking to Steiler on the iPhone. Rhonda said he was a little cocky.

Today is the day the therapists' plan on taking Cole on a field trip or "community outing" as they call it. They'll walk a half block to the Von's Market where he'll shop for a list of items to make brownies. After purchasing the items, they'll return to the hospital where Cole will bake a batch of the hopefully tasty treats. The goal of the interactive trip is for Cole to do as much as he can on his own and to see how he functions in the real world. That includes walking, communicating and all those things they've been working on in therapy for the last couple of weeks. Cole is looking forward to the challenge. 

Wii Sports

Climbing the Walls

Big Smile

Budget Cuts

Like everyone else, it appears that CHLA is suffering from the failing economy and have had to make certain budget cuts in house keeping and landscaping. In order to make up for the cuts, reliable sources say that CHLA has resorted to putting their unsuspecting patients to work washing windows and doing landscaping, all under the guise of therapy. In the last post I reported that Cole's alleged therapy included  window washing which, he was told, would exercise his arms. Today, again under the pretense of therapy, Cole was assigned to the hospital garden where his supposed therapy included pulling weeds, standing for prolonged periods of time watering plants and performing other gardening chores. When contacted for comment, the hospital spokesman said that with impending budget cuts in valet parking, they expect to implement a valet parking therapy program very soon.

Cole's energy and stamina are improving. Today, using his walker, he walked all the way from his room on the 6th floor of the west wing down to the HBO Cafe which is on the 1st floor of the east wing. After having lunch there, he walked all the way back to his room and immediately went into group physical therapy for about an hour. He was a little tired after all that and took a short nap. After the nap, Cole had another therapy session where among other exercises, he climbed stairs and dribbled a basketball with his feet (advancing the ball forward using both feet while walking forward).

Speech therapy went very well today too. The therapist said is was his best day so far. Rhonda adds that Cole is consistently more engaged in conversations and is constantly improving on communicating his thoughts.

The speech, occupational and physical therapists will all take Cole on a little field trip outside the hospital possibly by the end of the week. When that happens we'll be sure to give a full report. Also, in the near future, Tom and Rhonda expect to be allowed to take Cole home for the day.

Walking the stairs

Walking the stairs

Grant at the race with his Cole's the Man t-shirt

Lunch at the HBO

Dribbling with the feet

More dribbling

Busted

Yesterday was Cole's day off from therapy and school so it was a good time for him to visit with some friends and relatives. Garret, Steiler, Krista, Nana, Elizabeth, Sheree and I were all there. Although Grant couldn't be there because he was watching the WORCS off road motorcycle race in Lake Havasu, he and others were definitely there is spirit as they wore their new "Cole's The Man" t-shirts  to show support for Cole at the race.

Since there were so many visitors and only 2 are allowed in Cole's room at a time, Cole met everyone in the HBO cafe where we all had burgers, fries and milk shakes from FATBURGER in Hollywood. Yum yum!!

Cole showed off by walking unassisted about 30 feet to hug Garret, Steiler and Krista when they arrived. Everyone was amazed at how well he did. Later, after wolfing down the grub and conspiring to get all of us past security and up to Cole's room, we all met at he rally point (the quad area outside Cole's room) to continue the visit. It was there that Cole showed of his basketball skills while shooting some hoops with Garret and Steiler. Visiting in the quad area was short lived though. We got busted by nurse for having too many visitors and were remanded back to the lobby for the remainder of the visit.

Tom and Rhonda said Cole did really well this week in therapy and school and is still steadily improving. Therapy and school included walking on the treadmill, riding the tricycle, playing different card games, reading, writing, math and even washing windows. The window washing allows Cole to exercise his hands and arms and also helps the hospital get some spring cleaning done. It's like the "wax on, wax off" theory from the movie Karate Kid.

Probably the biggest improvement this past week is that Cole uses his right hand a lot more and walks a lot better and with more confidence. Rhonda noticed that his right hand is returning as his dominate hand. Although closely supervised, when Cole walked the 30 or so feet in the cafe, he did it totally on his own and with no support which is a huge improvement. Cole's speech is also improving. Although speech is often the last thing to return in brain injuries, Cole steadily improves as he seems to be a little more engaged in conversations and can respond with more than just a yes or no answer.

The thing that's both funny and interesting is that since Cole has some memory loss, he sometimes doesn't remember which foods he likes or dislikes. In those cases, he asks his parents if he likes or dislikes a certain food. Cole is a big time sushi lover so Tom tries to take advantage of the situation by trying to convince Cole that he doesn't like the expensive Japanese dish. Apparently Cole's memory isn't as bad as Tom thought because so far he hasn't convinced Cole that he doesn't like sushi.

Tom and Rhonda and the rest of their family wish to thank everyone for their continued support, thoughts and prayers. They have been a constant source of inspiration, comfort and motivation which has helped them tremendously.

Treadmill

Eating using right hand

HBO Cafe

HBO Cafe

Walking HBO Cafe

HBO Cafe

HBO Cafe

Conspiring to get past security

Remanded to main lobby

Main Lobby

HBO Cafe

Shooting hoops

More hoops

Quad prior to getting busted

Quad

Quad

Hoops

Keep on Pushing

Cole is back to a normal sleep pattern now. He wakes up in the morning, stays awake all day while engaged in therapy sessions and school and then goes to bed at night around 9 or 10. The movement in his right hand and arm is improving. His hand writing is more legible, he's able to throw a ball and has a greater range of motion in his arm. His balance and stability are improving as well. He hardly needs to be supported while walking, standing or when seated on a balancing ball during physical therapy. His short term memory is also improving. Rhonda says Cole sometimes reminds her to return phone calls to people she has talked to. He asks appropriate questions and is able to voice his wants and desires. Everyone is very encouraged by his rapid improvements.

Despite these improvements, Cole does get a little emotional sometimes when he thinks about what his life was like before the crash and can't believe this is all happening to him. Rhonda says the realization of his situation is beginning to set in.  Cole is encouraged to keep on pushing to improve everyday, and improve he does. Cole remains 100% committed and motivated.

Moving Right Along

Just got off the phone with Rhonda. Cole, who is now referred to as "Super Star" by his therapists because he's doing so well, is moving right along as he steadily improves in all aspects of his rehabilitation. He's gaining strength on the right side of his body, staying awake longer, swallowing better (can now drink thin liquids like water), giving 100% in his therapy sessions and is doing awesome in school (he's actually a student in the LA Unified School District while at Children's Hospital). Cole's regular therapists treated him today for the first time since last week (they were on their days off) and thought his progress since then was "remarkable".

In addition to having the stitches in his head removed today, Cole got to pet a dog that was brought into the hospital by some volunteers. He also displayed improved energy and stamina as he rode his tricycle around the hospital. Jan and Cheryl visited Cole today and were amazed at his progress. While in the cafeteria, Rhonda and Cole ran into one Cole's ICU nurses from Loma Linda Hospital. She was also amazed at how well Cole is doing. 

Although Rhonda has a room at the Ronald McDonald facility where she takes long showers and freshens up, she continues to sleep in Cole's room every night. Cole's lets her know when she's gone too long though. Sometimes when she steps out to a local restaurant for a bite to eat, Cole calls her cell phone from his room and lets her know it's time to come back. 

Tom is in Apple Valley this week manning the home front and taking care of matters at the business. He will return to the hospital as soon as he can.

HBO Cafe

This morning Aunt Sheree, cousin Taylor and I visited Cole in LA. It was Cole's day off and the only thing on the agenda was rest.

When we arrived we met Tom, Rhonda and Cole in the HBO cafe (fancy hospital cafeteria). We were pleasantly surprised to see Rhonda who had just returned from her 2 night rest in Apple Valley. Cole was sitting in his wheelchair nestled between Tom and Rhonda at a table that looked out onto the street through some huge windows. Cole was between bites of his chicken sandwich and McDonald's Shamrock Shake.

Cole sat up straight in his wheelchair wearing a black, blue and gray FLY RACING hoody with his interlaced fingers resting in front of him on the table. As the sun shinned through the windows illuminating his naturally tan face and blonde hair, which was combed left to right over the stitches on the right side of his head where the bolt had previously been, I looked at him and was amazed at how much better he looked than when I had seen him just a couple of days ago.

We sat down at the table across from Tom, Rhonda and Cole and Sheree could hardly contain herself. Day's earlier she promised Cole she would bring him some frozen vanilla yogurt with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup candies in it from Hogy Yogi and today she was going to deliver. She proudly put the grossly over filled container of frozen concoction on the table and with the accuracy of a bartender from the old west slid the yogurt across the table to Cole's waiting hands. A big grin appeared on his face as he anticipated taking that first bit.

In addition to the yogurt, Cole also received 2 Josh Grant T-Shirts and a pair of Dragon goggles, all of which were autographed by Josh Grant with a special inscription to Cole. Cole will add these items to the autographed Ryan Abbatoye jersey, Will Hahn autographed Oakley goggles and Nico Izzi autographed Rock Star MSR gloves that he received earlier.

Tom reports that Cole did really well with his PT yesterday. The therapist and Cole bounced a large ball back and forth to each other during the 30 minute workout. During the exercise, Cole was required to catch the ball with both hands and then bounce the ball back using both hands and arms as he incrementally lifted them higher and higher until they were over his head. Cole did really well at the exercise.

Rhonda said that she asked Cole what was the first thing he wanted to do after leaving the hospital? Cole replied "Ride my motorcycle." I'm sure that's not the answer Rhonda wanted to hear.

After lunch, Cole and family returned to his room where he promptly climbed into bed for a few hours of rest. Later Cole had mac and cheese with green beans and diced fruit for dinner in the open indoor quad area outside his room.

Cole will be getting a lot of rest tonight in preparation for tomorrow's grueling day of therapy sessions. Something he says he is not looking forward to.

At the HBO Cafe.

Waiting for that yogurt.

Yogurt. Yum yum

Eating dinner in the quad

Dinner in the Qaud.

Some Pictures

Friday, March 16, 2012
9:45PM DST

Nothing really new to report. Cole went through his daily therapies today. Rhonda says he's doing really well and really pushed himself. As part of his physical therapy, he got to ride a tricycle up and down the hallways. Judging from the short video Rhonda sent and the smile on his face, he had a lot of fun. Cole also used a walker today and walked up and down some stairs (not with the walker). Cole also used his right hand a little bit to feed himself. That's a major improvement. Rhonda will be going home tonight to get some much deserved rest. Tom will be gladly be staying with Cole tonight.  Attached are some photos of Cole since he's been in the hospital.

Tom trying to get Cole to use his right hand

A meaningful hug

Physical therapy with Tom leading the way

At CHLA

Falling asleep during speech therapy session

Physical therapy 

Learning to use a walker

Another Day

Wow!!! What a change in Cole. If you see Cole everyday you'll see all the small subtle changes and signs of improvement. But you don't realize the sum of all those improvements until you see him after not seeing him for a few days. That's what happened today when I saw him for the first time since he moved to CHLA. I saw the sum of all those improvements that have occurred over the past few days and wow. It really gives you hope and makes you believe that everything is going to be OK.

Probably the one thing that stands out the most about Cole today is that overall he just looks a lot better. Even though he still sleeps a lot allowing his brain to heal, and still gets tired pretty quickly, he's more alert and responsive when he's awake. He talks more, asks questions, smiles, makes jokes, eats a lot more and is walking a little better. He all but busted out laughing once today when he saw his mom dancing in the room to the tunes of Adele.

Cole underwent a marathon of therapy sessions this morning and then had lunch. He tries very hard during the sessions but usually about half way through gets tired and can't continue. This was demonstrated during the afternoon speech therapy session when Cole abruptly put his chin on the table and closed his eyes as the therapist sat across the table from him. And then later, during the same session, leaned back and put his head on the back of his chair and closed his eyes. Cole had had enough. These 2 episodes sparked laughter from everyone in the room. It was really funny.

Cole is doing better and better everyday but no one is under the illusion that the road to recovery will be anything less than a long one requiring a lot of hard work. Even though the MRI's show that Cole's injuries are severe, the doctor doesn't give them much value and believes that based on his current progress, he'll be walking and running around in the next 6 months. He even ventured a guess that by the end of 2 years, Cole could recover to the point that, even though he might have some issues, it would be difficult for even doctors to know that he had an injury at all. The doctor added that Cole will be at CHLA for the next 4-6 weeks.

Cole finished out the night with dinner, a shower and watching cartoons in bed. Sounds like a normal teenager already.