Update #50

Ryan had a new tool in PT today. They had him work with this really tall walker with armrests and handlebars. He did pretty well. We went out into the main hallway and Ryan, with the help of two therapists, walked the length of the hall. I was so impressed. He really found a rhythm with his steps and they became more fluid. 

OT went well today. The OT student had another fun activity for Ryan. She had some plastic letters on a table. She had Ryan spell a couple words and say them out loud. I can tell that his hand and arm coordination is getting better. 

Speech therapy worked with Ryan on a memory activity. They showed him a picture and asked him to study it for a minute. Then, they took it away and asked him some questions about the picture. He scored a 7 out of 10 right on the first picture and a 5 out of 7 right on the second picture. (I don't think I would have done as well as him. That seemed like a really hard activity to do.)

She also had him repeat three or four words back to her at a time. So, she would say something like, "Tom went to the store and bought milk, eggs, nuts, and cereal. What did he buy?" And he would have to tell her the four items. He did great. His pronunciation is getting better every day. Most of the time I can tell what he is trying to say the first time he says it. 

Ryan's sense of humor is still as strong as ever. He has to wear a patch over each eye (alternating every hour) to help correct his double vision. When the therapist came in to work with Ryan, it was only the second time she had worked with him. (She's not the speech therapist he usually works with.) She asked if she could call him Ryan, as opposed to Mr. Sykes. He said, "Call me Captain Black Beard." (It's nice to see he has a sense of humor about his patch since everyone else has been making pirate jokes, too.)

Also, we were talking to Ryan about ice cream and what flavor he wanted when he can eat food. He said he wanted Rocky Road. I told him I'd get him a gallon of Rocky Road as soon as he can eat it. He said, "I'm going to need that in writing." 

It is so inspiring to be around him. His positive attitude and determination blows me away. I have a new appreciation for life and all the abilities I took for granted. I hope everyone reading this does too. :)