Heal Nick

As Nicholas turns 36 on Tuesday, May 1st., we had his birthday party a few days early. It was a good move resulting in many family and friends helping him to celebrate. Take a look at a few pictures in the Photo Gallery

Hi! Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written.
I’m so glad to here Nick has been responsive and he has been interacting.
I’ve been so busy with work! And I have been preparing a letter that will be sent out to the sports teams of Boston about the Brain Injury Walk on Oct. 13.
Nick, Peter, Lucy, and everyone else! I hope you will be able to come down and enjoy the afternoon. It will be so much fun! Just come for the fun, you don’t even have to do the walk! It is at Jamaica Pond, in Jamaica Plain, Boston. 10 am to 2 pm.
Well tell Nick I said Hi!
:-) Tracey Mitchell

As I’m on the west coast, visiting friends, there will be no significant posting today. Reports from home indicate Nicholas is having a good week.

Happy Patriots Day & good luck to Pamela, who just started her 7th BAA Marathon. Apologies to all for missing the posting last night. My flight got in very late.

As I was away, I don’t really have much to report, except Nicholas is battling an internal infection and, unfortunately, is on an anti-biotic for the next several days. He’s recovering well.

Take a look at the Photo Gallery for pictures taken at the MGHIHP PT Clinic. The therapists and Nicholas are working very hard at learning to walk without the aid of a walker.

This has been another solid and productive week with little to report other than the elimination of another medication. Having started with a regime of roughly 14 prescriptions, Nicholas is now down to 2, plus vitamin supplements. Less is definitely better.

Happy Easter. For those who wish to broaden their knowledge of this celebration, I found the following:

Easter is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But the celebrations of Easter have many customs and legends that are pagan in origin and have nothing to do with Christianity.

Scholars, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe the name Easter is thought to come from the Scandinavian “Ostra” and the Teutonic “Ostern” or “Eastre,” both Goddesses of mythology signifying spring and fertility whose festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.

Nicholas’ week started very well with progress in physical therapy learning to walk between parallel bars using one hand. He practiced multi-tasking while exercising, counting, answering questions, listening to stories, all while not losing concentration on the task at hand. He also managed 25 minutes on the treadmill. Nicholas seemed unusually alert all week which we attributed to the new anti-seizure medication. However, given his past history it could also have meant a seizure was imminent. Unfortunately, this occurred on Saturday evening but he appears to have recovered fairly quickly. He’s physically tired (postictal) but alert.