Abby update - December 1

Today Abby decided to make her big strides (literally) in PT. Now, I've got to confess that Gordon attended most of today's sessions with Abby, as Frank and I slipped away to enjoy Frank's favorite meal-- breakfast--at the Guenther House, home of the original Pioneer Flour mill owners. Frank really enjoyed the pancakes, biscuits, muffins, rolls, bacon, and a little fruit, so then we had to take a walk in the historic King William district to work off a few of those carbs.

Anyway, when we walked back in the door at Warm Springs, whom should we see but Abby, just out cruising the halls using only a regular walker and an occasional helping hand from the therapist. We had to walk fast to catch up with her, as she was moving fast. She really showed great improvement in her walking skills today, both in the use of the regular walker (rather than the higher, platform version she had required) and in flexing her ankles and putting her heels on the floor. So, thanks for all those achilles tendons prayers!

Each other session showed improvement as well. She's using her voice more, although she'd still rather whisper than speak out loud. Sometimes things get confused on the cognitive responses, but there's good indication that she knows what she wants to say, but can't always find the word. (We had to smile when the PT asked her what hurt and she said "tendon"--she obviously had figured out what word went with that body part!). Her arm movements (and basketball shots) are getting better each day as well.

People often ask us how long we expect to be here and the truthful answer is only God knows. As long as Abby is making progress, this intensive treatment allows her the best chance to continue to improve, so, while we're eager to get home, we're also glad to be here, since that means Abby is still getting better. Today our PT indicated that she thinks Abby is at the point where she will make rapid gains in her physical performance, but that families are often frustrated to find that the cognitive improvement moves at a slower pace. So, we don't know where we'll be at Christmas, but we're trusting that, like Thanksgiving, it will bring us blessings wherever we are...

But, it's midnight again, and Abby still has a half-day of therapy in the morning, so I'd better just leave you with a short segment from our "Who Is Abby" series and wish you all a good night...

Love,
Lee Ann (& the rest of the sleeping Linams)

WHO IS ABBY? - Page 5
Abby's a musician. Like her Mom, she's not a prodigy, but with pretty consistent work, she's developed some skills. She's taken Suzuki violin lessons since kindergarten and has progressed to the point where she's playing some rather difficult Vivaldi and Bach concertos. For a busy 7th-grader, sometimes it's a challenge to motivate the hard work required on these pieces, but she's sticking with it. I enjoy hearing her play beautiful worship music for church, but she'd usually rather play a lively fiddle tune. She's also learning to play the piano and has a nice singing voice. A typical pre-teen, her biggest musical ambition right now is to form a Christian rock band with some of her friends.