Abby update - April 3

As I mentioned yesterday, today is the six-month anniversary of Abby's accident. Like birthdays after you reach 40, when you're recovering from head injury you don't always look forward to these milestones--after all, the statistics tell you that recovery is greatest in the first six months, or at least in the first year, or maybe in the first two years...and, honestly, Abby still has some struggles physically and cognitively that I don't want to embrace in another six months.

And so--I made myself once again look back (by the way, I finally decided I needed to copy the blog to a back-up Word document--It's 152 pages long!!). And once again I gained courage. We have come so far when nothing was guaranteed. And so once again I plead with God for patience and grab hold of hope that Abby can still travel much farther. Here's the road we've traveled so far...may it give you hope too...

October 3 – Day of the accident. Abby was unconscious and intubated at the scene. Doctors in ICU at Children’s Hospital of Austin placed her in a drug-induced coma which was to last for 13 days, and our lives were changed.

Oct. 4-Nov. 3 – Abby awakened and was transferred to Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital in San Antonio where she started intensive daily therapy. Her swallowing reflexes were good and pureed foods were introduced. Though she was awake, we were frightened by her lack of responsiveness. It was not until November 2 that we perceived interaction with us. On that day she laughed!

Nov. 4-Dec. 3 – In this month Abby went from standing with much support to moving around the therapy gym with a walker. She learned to use her hands to grasp and throw things. She learned to speak again (though sometimes the right words were hard to find), to do math, to read, to write!

Dec. 4-Jan. 3 – What a lot can happen in a month! Abby began walking on her own, eating "real" food, and then got to come home from Warm Springs in time for Christmas! At home she was walking up the hills of Hoots Holler, playing her violin, typing on the computer, and training her dog. We celebrated a joyous Christmas!

Jan. 4-Feb. 3 – Abby rode a horse for the first time since the accident. She loves her riding therapy! We also started a therapy program at St. David’s Hospital in Austin. Quickly Abby learned to balance on one leg, to hop, and to swim. We also began school with a homebound teacher. Abby’s grammar skills remained good, while we began working on rebuilding some of her math skills.

Feb. 4-Mar. 3 – During this month Abby learned to skip and run. Her memory greatly improved, and she was better able to be responsible for her own daily routine. She began enjoying reading a book on her own, though certainly not as quickly as in the past.

Mar. 4-Apr. 3 – Abby is back in school and loving being with her friends at Hill Country Christian School. Additional classes in a new setting at Wimberley Junior High are a challenge, but Abby is hanging in there. One proud accomplishment: She ran Arby in a dog agility trial in March, something we had not dared hope for until perhaps this summer!

With hope,

Abby's family