Matt Update

It's been awhile since I've done an update on Matt.

He's doing pretty good. He "graduated" from his brain therapy a couple of weeks ago. He actually "graduated" a couple of months early, I think. He was really excited about being done with full time therapy. I think the going back and forth between KC and Warsaw was really wearing on them. His little brain isn't completely back to "normal" (or pre-accident state), but I don't think it's ever going to be and I think where he's at now is the "new normal." I asked him last week if he could tell his brain was still a little fuzzy and he said he could. I notice it more when he's tired. He seems to hesitate, as if he's really thinking, before answering a question. That's about the only time I notice him having any problems. Most of the time though, he carries on conversations and makes jokes like normal.

He went to the shoulder Dr. today for a check up. This is an email that he sent out to us:

"went to the shoulder dr today and he said that the extra pain i'm feeling in my shoulder is due to the therapy. i have bursitis in my shoulder. i will restart therapy this coming week at a place in or near research belton hospital but for only 2-3 days a week (mon, wed, fri). i'll do this for a month or so, then do a "functional capacity" test to see if i can perform my job duties or not. dr wasnt too promising that my shoulder will get much better than it is now. i've hit a plateau, and i'll either stay the same as now or slowly improve over a long time. as it looks now, i'll be looking for a new job. i have to start taking an anti-inflamatory and see if that helps. if not they will do a cortisone injection underneath my scapula. my appointment today was at his office on the plaza and we arrived pretty early, so to kill time tammy took me thru the hospital and showed me around where i was. we met one of the nurses that worked on me and my favorite therapist. i must've made some sort of impact because they both remembered me. some of the hallways looked familiar but most didnt bring back memories. something deep in my brain must've remembered because it made me a little nervous to be there. oh well.

so not much new - therapy for another month or so, re-test my strength and range of motion and go from there."

Last week, he started his driving therapy. I've not really talked to him much about it to know exactly what he had to do, but whatever it was, he passed the test and will be cleared to drive again soon. I can't believe it's been seven months since the accident and I can't imagine how it must feel to get behind the wheel of a car again after that long. From what he said though, it made him a little nervous, but otherwise, he did great.

Right now, Tammy, Matt's wife, is looking for a job in Kansas City. Hopefully they will be able to move up there sometime in the next few months. I think throughout this whole experience they have seen the benefits of living close to your family and has made them want to move back. With Matt not being able to go back to Law Enforcement, he's thinking about maybe going back to college (cross our fingers!) and maybe getting into computers. He's always been a computer geek and I think he would be an awesome IT guy.

So that's the latest. Thank you again for always praying for Matt and Tammy. I know it means so much to them and I know that they have truly felt and seen God through all of this. Thank you again.