Februrary 16, 2004 - hello. Stephen is doing fine, I'm exhausted. i am trying to get ready for his arrival home this weekend. I had to detach the bunk beds and bring one down to my room for him I have meetings all this week for his release and re-addmitance into school. they are releasing him Friday, he will go to school probably the middle of next week, but only for 2-3 periods. then he has to go to the hospital for outpatient therapy. then the tutor will come at 4:00 pm i will be doing alot of running. I started back to work, weekends only, thats why i'm dead. I've gotten about 9 hours sleep in the last 3 days

he can't write with his right hand, or basically do much with it. His speech is garbled at times (like a drunk) his walking is that of a drunk also he can't jump, run, etc. he tires very easily he will have an aide with him at all times his brain has to work alot harder to do things than ours because it is still healing...It will take a year for it to heal...he did alot of damage

so this is wonderful news. stephen will be coming home hopefully this weekend. thank you for your prayers.

August 4, 2004 - Stephen ben Virginia - just a reminder - stephen, a friend of mine's son - did a header into a tree on a sleigh riding accident - he has been in a special ed summer school program since he graduated 8th grade in June. He will be finished on August 15, which gives him two weeks off before he starts high school. In this summer school, he gets physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. I honestly have not seen much more improvement in awhile. I think he's probably leveling off to where he's going to be. He's walking a little better but when he gets tired she starts to wobble. He still talks like a drunk but he's independent. He has this obsessive/compulsive disorder from the accident which literally drives me nuts.

They had told me that because of the shifting of the brain in the accident, there would be some characteristics that would emerge that weren't there before and that is one of them. They also told me that there would be one characteristic that would be magnified 10 fold but they can never tell what it is going to be. Well, while talking to my mother the other day, we decided that its his academic brain which has magnified. Stephen was always smart, his grades were always upper average before the accident. Now, he received honor roll in the 3rd marking period with A's and B's. He received High Honor Roll the last marking period with straight A's.

At his graduation, he was taking to the field in a golf cart, then allowed to walk in line with his peers. When his name was called for the diploma, the whole class went wild. They cheered, clapped and screamed his name. (although they were not supposed to do so). I was so touched.

So in a really big nutshell (lol) we have the good and the bad going on here, but we still have our little boy. I thank you all for your continued prayers on his behalf.

Love, Ginny

December 2, 2004 - it's almost a year. ginny writes: he is still struggling, we go to the doctor alot, I have to take him to a neurologist who specializes in peripheral nerves in January. He almost choked, so we have to try for therapy again with the "feeding team"....its a never ending battle.