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.