Day 107

This weekend was a wonderful step forward for us – (we fetched Colin from rehab at 8am on Saturday), and he stayed at home for the first time since the accident, (not in a hospital, or rehab); and it went very well. Jabu, our assistant is a gem of a guy, and I know we would not have been able to do it without him.

We will still have to settle into a routine of things, but both days were really good. Today we spent the day at the mall, and I felt like a rockstar pulling up to the disabled parking, and being right by the door.

Although I am a bit tired from all the physical work of assisting with the wheelchair transfers, and the constant anxiety of wanting everything to be ok, etc etc, I think it was a really good weekend, and I really hope we can do it every weekend from now on.

Colin was *dying* to have something other than chicken or fish, or the chef’s special (although the rehab food is very well prepared, and delicious) and he was also keen to choose items that are not on the approved diabetic list. He had a supreme fillet with butter garlic sauce, and for a moment he was in heaven. He is really quite adept at feeding himself, with a little assistance, but I was proud to say he didn’t give a hoot what others thought and just went ahead and enjoyed his food. He has limited to no control of his left wrist or hand or fingers, or even forearm, but we have special cutlery that straps onto his hand with which he can eat. He still doesn’t have the strength to stab items very strongly with his fork, and we don’t have the knife to try yet, but he just goes ahead and takes care of business. The angle of the fork and spoon are not 100% perfect, and so he struggles with things that drip or leak, but I am going to make or find a bib that is more elegant than the scruffy old towel we are using – possibly a sleek black thing that looks like a shirt, and not an old towel, but I don’t think Colin or I really care too much.

I am finally able to start to relax. We have turned a corner, and the road ahead seems more and more possible. There are still hurdles ahead, and I know the road will not all be smooth, but I know we can do it together.

Today I am grateful for Colin’s determination to do whatever he can, his patience and stick-to-it-iveness (yes Seymour, you and I know this is not a real word), and for his brain. We will be an even more formidable force in 30 seconds now, I just know it. <3