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At age 11 and out of the blue, Jimmy lost his balance. His diagnosis is Acute Cerebellar Ataxia. He is currently wheelchair bound and we are working hard to find whatever it is that we need to fix. Here's where I'll try to keep everyone in the loop about what's going on.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Tuesday, May 18

Okay. I'm not afraid to say it out loud.

Jimmy is getting better!

Better and better and better. When we got home tonight, we left the wheelchair in the car. In the interest of full disclosure, he has fallen on his butt since then, maybe more than once, but still...

Our eyes are on the prize. For him, the prize is riding his bike. For me, it's just... back. Back to April 19th. I think it's going to be a head game from this point on. He's got to learn to trust his body again, to trust his sense of how to hold himself and where he is in space. I've got to remember that he's not fragile, he's the same kid who gave himself a black eye jumping on the mini trampoline on his skateboard on the same day that he headbutted the dog. Was that really last month? That's the story I had to tell over and over during his hospital stay whenever anyone asked if there had been any recent head bumps.

We've got work to do, and here is still a part of me that worries about tomorrow's Physical Therapy assessment and that bigger problems will be revealed. They didn't see him at his worst, they're only going to see him now, and while in my eyes, his condition can only be described as better, how will he look in their eyes?

Tomorrow's update promises to be newsworthy! Keep those good thoughts coming, my friends.

p.s. Happy Birthday, Dad!

3 comments:

  1. But that's good. That the PT peeps won't necessarily see him as better but as a kid who needs to more fully de-wobble. I think it's excellent, in fact. They're the ones, afterall, who put the "P" in "PT".

    (I know, I know).

    Anyway young Jacqueline, I could not be happier at this turn of events. There were just so many days of nothing improving -- nothing changing -- this is just awesome stinkin' news. Yay for you.

    Love you.
    Ellie

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  2. Yay! So glad to hear about Jimmy's progress, Jacq. Can't wait for the PT report. Love you, MB

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  3. Very, very encouraging.

    Left the wheelchair in the car? Now that's progress - no matter what the PT peeps my say :-)

    xo,
    Beth

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