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