04.28.03 - 05.03.03 Chelsie had a pretty much normal week at school and at home. She went to lots of her brother's baseball games and did lots of homework. It took her only a few days to get back to normal after prom weekend last weekend Her walking seems to be getting better each day. Her getting ready as far as dressing, makeup, and eating are starting to get closer to normal as well.
04.27.03 Chelsie started her day off by going to Sunday school and church. During church, Mr. Luther from Arkansas Children's Hospital came and brought his family to church while he filmed Chelsie at church. It is going to be part of the story they are doing on her recovery. Then they all went to one of Chel's favorite places to eat, Cracker Barrell. Then after some rest, Chelsie, Mom, and Dad walked outside since it was so pretty today at the city park.
04.26.03 Well Chelsie spent alot of time resting today after getting in at 3:00 A.M. this morning from Prom. But she did wake up long enough to go to the Lonoke Community Center for her workout and finished 8 laps around the walking track on her way to her goal of 10 laps before Graduation.
04.25.03 Chelsie started her day off going to breakfast with her senior class. They had the day off because it was Prom day. Then after an afternoon nap, Chelsie was off to see Crystal to get her hair done up for Prom. After lots of pictures and dinner, Luis and Chelsie were off for a night of dancing ,and they did lots of dancing! Then then the crowning of the King and Queen of the Prom were announced. Yes the King and Queen were Chelsie and Luis. After Prom, Chelsie went to the After Prom party given by parents and the Lonoke Century League. Chelsie came in at 3:00 AM. She had a great time. Tonight was exactly 6 months since her accident sine October 25, 2002. Check back for prom pics under the pictures link.
04.24.03 Chelsie had another great day at school today. We think she is really going to miss some of her new teachers once school is out. Mom and Dad had a meeting with folks at UCA today about her getting enrolled for this fall semster. It looks as if she will be going there this fall. We also got the chance to show a video of Chelsie's progress to the OT therapy class at UCA. Several of the students have been following her recovery on the website. Then the class got to ask several questions about her recovery to Mom and Dad. It was a very moving experience; several in the class were crying over the sight of her recovery. Their professor told them they could learn more from that class that day than he could ever teach them. He also made the comment to them that what they had just saw was bigger than life.
04.23.03 Chelsie is a really happy girl since she has been back to school. She even had homework today. She seems to be doing really well back at school and seems to be getting adjusted to her new schedule rather well. Chel can't quit talking about the Prom coming up this Friday night. She is really excited about it. Mom and Dad have an appointment with Admissions Counselors at the University of Central Arkansas tomorrow to check out the possibility of her starting there this coming Fall.
04.22.03 On Chelsie's 2nd day back to school, she started her new class schedule which includes 2 English classes, 2 Math classes, Discover (a career class), a class in the library, and Word Processing II. Some days during the week she has OT and Speech therapy. She seemed to really like her new classes
04.21.03 Chelsie had a really great day for her official first day back. Mom and Dad had a great meeting with the school officials to work out her new class schedule. She used to go at 1:40 to go work at Peppermint but now will go the whole day of school. We hope we are not pushing her too much, but she has a lot of catching up to do. Tonight her and Dad went to work out at the gym, and she really did great.
04.20.03
Amanda,
Hello this is Chelsie I went to church and then I went to my grandparents house and watch my little cousins hunt Easter eggs. Then we went to the park and walk with my parents.
Love,
Chelsie
04.19.03 Chelsie started her Saturaday off with going to the Lonoke Community Center for her daily work out. She had to work on her goal of 10 laps around the walking track before graduation. Today she had to do 7 laps, which she did with ease and even carried 2 lb weights in each hand while doing all 7 laps. Then after working on some other arm and leg machines, she was off to the mall.
04.18.03 HI everyone I am finally home after almost six months. have a great day today. I would like to tell everyone thank you for all the prayers and thoughts.
Love,
Chelsie
04.17.03 Chelsie had a normal day of rehab. Going home tomorrow seems to be in every conversation she has. But who could blame her, she has earned it. Mom and Dad are supposed to be at Timber Ridge to have a meeting with her staff at 11:30. Then they are throwing a party for her before she leaves. She should be home mid afternoon tomorrow
04.16.03 Chelsie had a pretty much normal day of Rehab today. In Speech therapy she viewed a film on brain injury. She is really looking forward to Friday to be able to go home. She seems to have picked up a little bit of a cold today, but that didn't seem slow her down. Mom and Dad have her yearbook from school for this year. When they told her about it, she just screamed and said she can't wait to look at it on Friday.
04.15.03 Chelsie worked hard in PT therapy today. She worked really hard to sharpen her fine motor skills in OT therapy as well. It must be working because she is able to put in and take out her contacts all by her self starting today. This is something that really excites her and makes her happy. :)
04.14.03 Chelsie is starting her last week at rehab today. Friday will be her last day. She had pretty much a normal day of rehab today. They even had her bring the shoes she is going to wear to prom with her yesterday to PT therapy, so she could practice standing and walking with them. This will be good for her since she hasn't walked with heels for almost 6 months now.
04.13.03 Chelsie started her Sunday off as usual by attending Sunday school and then church to enjoy a morning of music from the choir at Lonoke Baptist Church. .Mom had a soloist part ,and everyone at church enjoyed all the singing. Then after lunch, she was off to the Lonoke Community Center for her Sunday workout. Today she finished 6 laps around the walking track. She's on the way to her goal of 10 laps before graduation. Hher walking today included about 1 hour of working out on other workout machines there. Dad had to take her back to Timber Ridge for the last time tonight.
04.12.03 Chelsie started her day off by going to her brother's first baseball game of the year. They did lose, but it looks like they will have a good team before the year is out. Then Chelsie and her Mom went to the Miss Lonoke Pageant, and the new Miss Lonoke is Miss Amanda Harris . Congrats to her. Good news--Chelsie has a date for the Senior Prom. Luis, the boy who was with Chelsie in her accident, asked her to the prom tonight.
04.11.03 Chelsie had a huge day today. It started by Amanda picking her up for school, and she loved her day at school. Then after Dad picked her up after school, she was off to the Lonoke Community Center for her daily workout. Then she wanted to go she her kids at Peppermint School. After a couple of hours there, she had to get ready for the Lonoke Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Amanda had to show the attendees of the banquet all about the website on a big screen with an Internet hookup. Two of Chelsie's friends received scholarships given by the Chamber. Congrats to Sara and Amanda for winning those. Pictures of her day will be posted on Pics of the Week link.
04.10.03 Chelsie had a normal day of rehab. Dad picked her up early this afternoon at Timber Ridge to come home for the weekend and to go to school on Friday. Amanda picked her up tonight, and they went to practice their class song for class day. This is something Chelsie is really looking forward to.
04.09.03 Chelsie's day was a slow one today. Her class was supposed to go on a field trip, but with the cold weather it was cancelled because the trip was going to be mostly outdoors. Something we left out from yesterday's update is that Chelsie was elected President of her dorm Americana. She had to hold a meeting to discuss menus and other activities. Very honorable news came from Timber Ridge yesterday also; they really don't want Chelsie to leave Timber Ridge. They called Dad to see if she would be interested in coming back to Timber Ridge after school is out for her to be on the staff there working in the medical records dept. in the afternoons and spending her mornings doing therapy.
04.08.03 Chelsie had a normal day of rehab at Timber Ridge today and was in super good mood all day, but that didn't match the mood she was in last night when she was told next Friday, April 18, will be her last day at Timber Ridge. Chelsie will be coming home. She is very excited and has worked very hard for that day to come. Everyone is so very proud of her.
04.07.03 Chelsie started her week off working as hard as ever today. PT therapy informed us that she walked nonstop for 74 minutes on the treadmill today. YES 74 minutes! She also worked on her swallowing today in speech. She still seems to be getting choked drinking thin liquids. On the phone tonight, she seemed to really be looking forward to getting back to her high school very soon. She is going again this coming Friday all day.
04.06.03 Chelsie started her Sunday off by going to Sunday school and church. Then after a quiet day at home, Dad and Chelsie went to the Lonoke Community Center for her Sunday afternoon workout. Today was her day to complete 5 laps around the walking track. She did it with ease. I guess we set her goal too easy. She wants to be able to complete 10 laps on the Sunday before graduation. They seem each week to be getting easier for her. There are 5 more Sundays until graduation. See a pic of her completing lap 5 on pics of the week. It was hard for Dad to take her back to Timber Ridge tonight after 3 straight nights at home, but next Thursday he will pick her up again for next Friday, and she will go to school all day again.
04.05.03 Chelsie started her day off by going to her MaMaw's and Papaw's for breakfast. She then went across their farm to a pond and watched her brother fish and even reeled in a fish that he hooked. Chelsie watched her Mom ride Penny, and then she decided she wanted pet Penny, her cousin's horse. See pics of the week for the fun she had at their farm. Next Chelsie went to the mall where she shopped until she dropped. After finding a new Easter dress, some jeans, and new shoes, she decided it was time to go home for nap. This was the first time she had asked for a nap in a while. She was even able to take her contacts out for the first time all by herself tonight. This is something she was really proud of. It looks like she will be able to handle them all alone soon, and she wont have to wear her glasses each day.
04.04.03 Chelsie's biggest day since her accident may have happened today. She went back to Lonoke High School all day for the first time since her accident and she loved it. It was the day for the school to hand out caps/glowns and invations for graduation. Dad caught them doing that and snapped a pic. See pics of the week for more pics of her day. She even got her PT therapy in today at the Lonoke Community Center.
04.03.03 Chelsie had a pretty normal day at Timer Ridge today. She most likely couldn't concentrate knowing she was going to her high school for the whole day of classes this Friday and staying at the house for 3 straight nights was all she could think about. She has lots of activities planned for the next 3 days while at home. She even got back to Lonoke in time to watch some of her brothers baseball practice last night.
04.02.03 Wow, what a great day for Chelsie! She was on cloud nine today because the article "Friends Indeed" came out in today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette. She was so excited to read her story. For therapeutic purposes, she was asked to write about this article during speech pathology sessions. She also worked on communicating nonverbally by using different facial expressions. Chelsie went to the greenhouse today to work on her gross and fine motor coordination. She walked several feet there, and used her fine motor skills to plant small cuttings. Her occupational therapist reports improvements with getting the plants into the soil with more control. In addition, she worked on establishing a school schedule with specific requirements for each class. Below is an excerpt of what Chelsie wrote in response to her article. Please keep in mind her writing won't look like much but considering she could barely read and write her name just a few weeks ago.
"My pictures are in the paper. My good friend Amanda Harris made my website. My accident was October 25, on homecoming. I was talking to someone and,hit a curb,and then I hit the ditch. I am at Timber Ridge right now. I am on level 7 of a brain injury scale"
--Courtsey ofJeffery C. Adams,M.S. CCC-SLP
Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist at Timer Ridge
04.01.03 Chelsie had to do self awareness in speech and she also had to look up information on the internet. Then she played kickball for approximately 2 hours. She was the pitcher for both teams, which meant she had to roll and throw the ball. That has been a hard task for her to master. Hopefully today with 2 hours of practice she is getting better at those skills.