More good news!

Got a good text from Adam last night letting us know that he will be home the night before his scheduled day to be released! He had asked me about whether he should ask, I told him the worst she could say is no, and he asked and she said "yes, that's a good idea." So his day for coming home is coming up!!! WOOHOO! Today he said that he had some stuff to look up on the computer and had to do it within a certain amount of time. He passed! He said that his therapists have been working on multitasking and he is doing wonderful with that as well. He played Catch Phrase today and he said that he was really speaking up and answering things. He notices that other have deficits that he wouldn't have noticed weeks ago. The therapist said his memory is doing great! He said that at the beginning of his session today that she gave him three things to remember. And then they worked on other things and at the end, they asked him to tell them the three things he was supposed to remember....HE DID! I remember way back when at Parkview when he first started therapy and he couldn't remember much at all with his short term memory! He has to remember them over the weekend too and report back to her on Monday with those phrases that he's supposed to remember. God is good! He knew there was a little girl down here who needed her Daddy! He also went up on the amount of weight that he's using for his therapy with his shoulder. It still bothers him, but not as much as before! Like I said before, God is good! It'll be 8 weeks on Saturday since this all began! I still remember vividly when Dad woke me up to tell me Adam had been in an accident. I don't know if that memory will ever get less vivid, but for one thing I am glad...that God brought him out of this on a positive note. I know it's not all completely over yet, but I feel like progress has been made! This situation has made me re-evaluate the things that are important to me. And besides God, my family is number one. Always has been, but forever will be! If I can get the paparrazi to get me some pictures this weekend, we'll be all set! Derek and Jaime Ness will be there tomorrow to see Adam and then Joey and Gail Herron will be down there late tomorrow night for the weekend! New faces for Adam and I'm so excited for them to see him and see how well he's doing!

Rehab day like 400!!! Not really!

Talked with Adam tonight and will share a bit from him about his therapy today. He said that he had to do a bunch of balance exercises this afternoon on the balance ball. He also had some kind of exercise where the walls and floors moved, so he had to concentrate on balancing during the movement. He said that he tried to concentrate on other things to get through this exercise, but his therapists said that he is doing VERY well! He had speech therapy with another rehab participant today and he said that that guy is way worse off than what Adam was. But he could pick up on what the guy was having problems with. That's great that he's picking up on this stuff! He said his shoulder works with much less pain than before, even though he still has some and his range of motion is way better than before. After talking with his therapists, he realizes how lucky he is to only have a few little issues to work on after having a brain injury like him. He really is a lucky ducky and the MAN upstairs was really watching over him! He's getting closer each and everyday to being home. I absolutely CANNOT wait! I know that it has to be much harder for him to "wait" but I can't either! Thank you all again, for all your support! You are all wonderful!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just got done talking with Adam and Dad. Dad said that he's seen major improvement in Adam just in the last week. He said that his short term memory is getting much, much better. They went to an aquarium today and dad said that he just tried to stand back and let Adam have his space and he does really well. Adam said that on Friday night, after he moved in with dad at the hotel, he had the best nights sleep since coming out of his coma. Then last night when we talked to Dad, Adam was in the hot tub at the hotel. Hopefully that might help his shoulder loosen up a bit and also help relax him before going to bed! He's still ready to come home, and I can't blame him. I'm so eager to see him as well and see for myself how well he's doing! We're just so very blessed with how well Adam is doing. I can't wait for him to be back with his Miss Sadie! He's already arranging his first evening home with her! Again, thank you so very much for all your support. I was mowing today and just kept thinking how awesome it was to see all the support for him last night. We live in a community that cares and it unbelievable how everyone comes together to care for their own. THANK YOU again, and again, and again!

Tonight I share with you what Adam has to say. He shared this letter as part of the Spaghetti Dinner tonight. Thank you so much for those of you that came out and supported him. Once again, I'm overwhelmed at the amount of love and support Adam has and how much our community really cares! It's a blessing to be a member of the Whitley County Community. THANK YOU!

Hello everyone... I first want to thank everyone for their support...any support and their prayers!! Though I'm down here, all your support helps, and believe it or not, much of it makes its way to me...sooner or later.

I especially want to thank everyone who was at the accident scene, to those who put '"Service above Self." Your character and unselfishness says a lot about you...thank you to all that helped. And thank you to those that made the scene to provide moral support.

I would like to share with everyone my current condition... Physically I am feeling really well. My once broken left shoulder is healing. I still experience shoulder pain when I attempt to take my arm to extreme angles or push/pull heavy objects. The swelling and bruising disappeared on my arm a few weeks ago...all looks normal. Due to a few different factors I have not slept well since I woke from my coma. Some days are worse than others. I know that lack of sleep can affect a person mentally and physically. It has affected me a bit. I've recently started a light work-out during therapy. I have been running on the treadmill and have done modified push-ups for the first time. April 9th stands out to me as the first day I comprehended info, recalled being awake, and being alert. I could walk with assistance, had shoulder pain most of the time and was fidgety. Currently I can run up and down the stairs, perform walking lunges, sprinting, perform jumping jacks and walk backwards while tossing a ball back-and-forth between someone. I can do all these activities on my own, and with much greater aggressiveness!! My physical "instinctual" reactions have also returned.

Mentally...According to medical records, I arrived at therapy as a 7 on a scale 1 to 10, 10 being recovered/normal condition. I am currently between a 9 and 10. My only remaining issues, according to rehab, are my short-term memory, which is very common among brain injuries and my 'word-finding', which means finding particular words, completing statements and talking fluently.
Currently my short-term memory is very close and getting better each day. As humans we all forget information, so it's not uncommon for one to forget info they were given. So I am no different, however, I would forget simple info. I have disciplined myself to spend a few minutes daily thinking of past events, people, therapy, etc. Just to work on the memory. My memory is very close!! Word finding is also close...very close. I am talking fluently, using the correct words for a particular subject and completing statements. I am again taking initiative in speaking up on given issues for myself.

Not including the shoulder pains, I am feeling like myself. My personality traits are the same and returned weeks ago. For those that know me, you'll identify those traits. :):)I never forgot daily tasks such as showering, dressing or eating, etc. Nor did I forget info that I took in years ago. I still remember driving directions, names and phone numbers... phone numbers I learned years ago, but haven't used in that long as well.

I was given my tentative exit date during this week. Tentative meaning, it can be scheduled sooner if improvements meet particular requirements. Some of you may know my exit has been re-scheduled for a sooner date. I will be home soon!!!

Each day here I have improved, and each day is one day closer to home, to my family, my Ms. Sadie and my wonderful friends. Each day is also a little harder being away from everything....away from life. I miss it all. Again, I want to thank everyone for their support!!

Take Care, Adam

Just another day closer!

This is another day closer to Adam coming home! Talked with Adam today and he said that his therapies are going good! He worked with speech therapy, had an exercise group, a music therapy group, and a few other things today. He said that he had to plan a meal and will have to go out Monday and buy everything he needs and then later next week cook it. He chose hot dogs and "Roni and Cheese" as Sadie says! And as simple and yucky as some of you may think it sounds, NOTHING sounds better than a hot dog on the grill!!! Yummm!!!! He was at Target with Dad and Jake tonight when I called. I think they also went to Bdubs for dinner! Tonight will be his last night at the "compound!" He will be staying with Dad for the remainder of his time in Atlanta. Dad and Jake climbed Stone Mountain today and YES it was stone! Can't wait to get some pictures from them to show everyone! And also some pictures from Dad of Adam and Jake together! Jake heads home tomorrow, so please pray for his safe return. Also, Saturday is the Spaghetti Dinner that Cheryl and many other people have helped to organize for Adam. We're hoping to see everyone there! We'd love to be able to say a huge thank you for the support that you've been for both Adam and our family! Thanks all!

Great News for the day!

Woohoo! Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow! Great news came today from Adam. They are allowing him to be released a few days early! He was happy about this. Also on the weekends he will be able to start staying with dad and he found out today that starting next week, he'll be able to stay with dad full time. If he wants to stay at the center that is fine, but is allowed to stay with dad now. Starting tomorrow, he'll have to start asking for his medications. They no longer will be "offering" them. He will actually have to get up and ask the nurse for them in the mornings. I don't think he'll have any problem with this, he was asking for them back at Parkview! Jake arrived down there last night and when I tried getting a hold of them tonight, they were all out to dinner with the group. Adam said last night that they were going to some kind of Ryan's Buffet. He said it wasn't the Ryan's Steakhouse that they have up here. Other than that, I don't know much else! I do know that this is just another step forward in this long recovery! I will have more from them tomorrow when I actually get to talk with one of them! Today was just texts and hear-say! It's absolutely amazing how your prayers have helped Adam! This is just another example of God working in this situation! Keep praying!

6 weeks, 4 days and still counting

Hey all! Sorry about the LOOOONG delay on getting this messaged up. I was out of town for a few days at a work conference. But Adam seemed to have had a great weekend. On Saturday an old high school friend of his, Holly, who lives in Tennessee made the trip down to Atlanta to see Adam. They got to hang out for most of the afternoon/early evening then she headed back! If I can remember correctly, I think they went and had some more Bdubs! Ha! After Mom and DeWayne left on Sunday morning, Dad asked him what he would like to do, and he said, "want to see a Braves game?" He had been checking out the schedule! They went to the game and the Braves won! They then stopped for a bite to eat and he spent some time talking with Sadie. After that, it was back to the "compound" as he calls it.
From Dad: I saw improvement after the first week here and have seen a marked improvement the second week. This weekend we walked in the park area, uneven terrain, up and down stairs, went up and down escalators, crossed streets, stepped off curbs, went up and down ramps. He had no difficulty doing any of these. He has done well in the short amount of time he has been here. There are new people coming just about every day to the center. And of course, he has made friends with several!

Tonight I was able to have Sadie for a few hours so we connected to Adam via Skype. She enjoys seeing Adam via the web! I'm so glad she's able to still see his face. He looks really good. His scars on his head are really healing well. He said that his therapies are going well. He had to balance a checkbook, write like 15 checks and manage his bills by putting the on a calendar. He said he got a 100% on all this! WooHoo! As Dad said above, his walking and balance seems to be wonderful! He said he also did some push-ups on an angle today and they felt good, but after a while, his shoulder was hurting him a bit!

In a matter of 6 weeks and 4 days, he's made leaps and bounds in his recovery! It's absolutely amazing to see his progress and how God has really been at the center of it. He's a miracle, without a doubt in my mind and I'm so very thankful that God saved him for us and gave us and him more time on this planet! He can't wait to get home and just sleep a few days he said today. But I know first and foremost, he can't wait to see his baby girl! Thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers for Adam and our family! We've made it through this far from all of your support! So THANK YOU!

Jake made the trip down today and he will be back on Friday. Watch out Atlanta the Schrader boys (all three) are on the loose! Keep Jake in your prayers as he travels!

At the Braves game...

Miss Sadie playing outside today...

And our sidewalk art for Daddy!