Ross's mom, Betsy, writes:
2015 is starting well for Ross.  We were so pleased when Ross started walking with parallel bars. We have now added walking with a walker. The walker enables him to walk farther with more stability, and to practice shifting his weight from his right leg to his left, and back as he walks from his room to his recliner in the family room, and later back to his room. He usually makes this trek three times a day. Sometimes, he wants to walk from his room to the exercise room, then outside, across the driveway, up the ramp, and into the house. We always have a strong caregiver who keeps Ross from losing his balance. Ross is very proud of himself, and appears to love the challenge.

I absolutely love this picture of Ross and his niece Marley. I also got an update from Betsy, Ross's mom, but really needed to post the photo first!

Betsy wrote:
Our house has been much busier in the last few months. Establishing our new Team Ross is going along, but is taking more time than I anticipated. I have been trying to list all of the things we do that were developed over eleven years. That list is very long, and making it a routine is a big job.

Ross has weathered the changes, and he likes the new caregiver. Without  the delayed rain, the air born irritants in the air have given us all respiratory irritation. We rushed Ross to the doctor a few weeks ago because of a cough that didn’t clear. The doctor said his lungs were clear, and suggested that we use homemade saline solution for spraying his nose instead of the more complex commercial product we have been using. Immediately, Ross started to feel better and became less congested as well. Sometimes simpler is better.

Since Jeremiah had done such a good job as Ross’s therapy coach, we wanted to make sure that Ross would continue to progress. We had a Physical Therapist from the local hospital district come for a few sessions. She was very pleased with Ross’s progress, and reviewed the principles that we should be covering: weight bearing, standing, walking, laying prone, rolling, and pedaling. She gave us more tips on walking with Ross using a gait belt, and with Ross using the parallel bars. The parallel bars are becoming an important part of our work with him.

Ross now has more energy, is more cheerful, and more verbal. I think it is because he is feeling better physically, and also because he is more alert. For example, he periodically asks us individually,, “Are you a cat?”  My response is a meow, and he says, “Meow!”

Sometimes, when I give him something to drink, he will ask me, “What is this?” Or, his question might be “Will it hurt me?” Today, Jacob asked him if he wanted lunch; Ross said no, and then a little later he said, “Yes.”  Today, when I checked his SAT rate (Oxygen Saturation Rate), he wanted to look at the gauge, which shows oxygen saturation and pulse, and studiously watched it for about twenty minutes. Obviously, he is more aware, and is starting to take a small part in the decisions of his everyday life.

Thank you for your love and prayers. This is a difficult journey, and we are grateful for your support. Onward and upward!

A note from Ross's mom, Betsy:

Again, it has been too long since I have written. We are all well, but the 
last few months have been too busy for me to manage. Ross is still making
progress in both physical and interactive cognitive skills. He stands on his
own for transfers from bed to chair, chair to recliner, and then back to
bed. This is good for him and for us. He is speaking in phrases, instead of
single words. In August, he told Jeremiah how he should brush Ross's teeth.
With accompanying gestures, Ross said, "In, out, in, out." Several times,
when Ross was taking the masking tape off the wooden puzzle box, he put a
piece of tape in his mouth. When he realized he couldn't take it out
himself, he asked Jeremiah to remove it for him, mainly with gestures.

Ross is sleeping better, and he continues to have fewer and milder
seizures.He has been wonderfully cooperative in the last few weeks. He had
his annual sedation dentistry appointment a week ago. Not only did he do
well with the travel back and forth, he was calm through the whole process.
In addition, the dentist was very pleased that Ross's teeth were in very
good shape.

Our beloved Jeremiah, who had been with us for eleven years, since we
brought Ross home, moved to the east coast during the late summer. It was
very hard to say good bye to him, and definitely not easy to find a
replacement. It took us many weeks to find someone who was a good match 
Ross and suitable for the job. We interviewed four fine men whom we
trained/evaluated. This meant training them and being with them the whole
time - a very intense few weeks.

Taking care of Ross is very complicated because not only are we taking care
of his basic needs, we give many supplements through the day, do active
therapy every day, and he is  constantly changing, always making progress.
One of the biggest obstacles was finding someone who could do transfers 
Ross while allowing Ross to do the work  of standing and pivoting in the way
Jeremiah had taught him. This method keeps Ross standing, using his own 
strength, and protects the caregiver from using his back to lift Ross.

Finally after working with four applicants, we found another exceptional
caregiver and friend for Ross. When we were still evaluating the man, I
asked Ross what he thought of Jacob. When I said, "Ross, do you like 
Ross put his right hand on his heart, and said, "Heart." We are very pleased
and think he will help Ross.

Ross has always had a great sense of humor. His playfulness is reflected in
the picture of the two of us. I was sitting and talking to him, when he
quickly reached down, grabbed my leg with his right arm, and pulled my leg
up. The other picture shows how much more he is able to move his lower
torso, and actually bend his left leg. He still continues to purposely put
his right hand on the left hand, another significant awareness of his body.

Onward and Upward!