Oct 31st

Melinda is doing well. She continues her home health therapies 3 times a week. She is working really hard. She is using her walker all the time. She only uses her wheelchair if she has to walk long distances or has no place to sit. We are practicing doing some walking without the walker. This is exciting. The balance has improved a little. Melinda has fallen a few times but is okay. We have talked about maybe getting her a cane. Melinda likes that idea and wants a pink one. She is doing so well getting herself dressed in the mornings and is even started tying her shoes. We are also noticing Melinda is showing a lot more emotions. I do believe our teenager is back. She does get frustrated with her exercises and doesn't want to do them. We have to have pep talks as to why we have to do exercises. Melinda understands that she won't get better if she doesn't work hard. The eye specialist in Enid gave Melinda good news. She does have some problems with her eyes but the doctor thinks maybe in 6 months they could improve. The doctor said, her retina and optical nerve looks good. I think he called it a muscle on the top of the eye that is damaged. The doctor said, this is common with any head injury. With the extent of her injuries her eyes look really good. He also said, all Melinda's physical problems are due to the brain injury and not her eyes. Melinda is enjoying having her braces off. She has to now keep track of her retainers. So far she is doing pretty good with keeping up with them. We stopped by Select Specialty Hospital to see the all the medical staff. Oh my gosh! They were amazed how much Melinda has improved. They told Melinda how really sick she was. It was a really good visit. We saw Dr. Britt which was the backup doctor for Dr. Huff. He looked at me and then Melinda and then back at me. He says, I know you. I said this is Melinda. Dr. Britt said she looked amazing and he would tell Dr. Huff. Our next trip was to see Dr. Smith, the rehab doctor. He said, she looks well and she needs to continue to walk at least 30 min - 1 hr a day. It was a long day for all of us but a exciting day to see everyone that helped with Melinda's recovery. We are looking into a rehab in Dallas TX that specialize in brain injuries. We took Melinda on Oct. 23rd and they evaluated her. They asked, Melinda why do you want to come? Melinda said, I want to walk. They said that Melinda would be a good candidate for their program. They also have a 98 acre ranch with horses. They have kids that are Melinda's age. Melinda is ready to go but awaiting the approval from the insurance company. Please pray that Melinda will be accepted and keep praying that she will continue to get better. God Bless.

Oct 11th

Melinda continues to improve with each new day. I know god is still healing her and I know every one continues to pray for her complete recovery. I have faith that she will. We are all adjusting well and have gotten into a routine. Melinda is working hard in all her therapy sessions and her therapist says she is improving. Melinda continues to have good spirits with a big smile. She is glad to be home and we are all happy to be back together as a family. On Tuesday Oct 13th Melinda gets her braces taken off in Yukon. The orthodontics said there was no damage to her braces and her teeth moved beautifully. Melinda is very excited to be getting them off and lets us know every day. We will then go into OKC and see Dr. Smith (rehab) for a follow up appt. We will also be stopping by Select Specialty Hospital to say hello. When Melinda left Select Hospital she wasn't talking and was just beginning to smile. They will be amazed by her progress. On Friday, October 16th, Melinda has an appt. with an eye specialist in Enid. She still has double vision and other problems going on with her eyes. The family doctor said, this will help her motor skills a bunch. I am excited. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. I will keep you updated on how her appointments went. God Bless!!

Oct. 11th - update from Melinda

Hello this is Melinda I'm doing much better I'm walking but with a walker. i want to say thank you for all the prayers and sticking by my side through it all. i would really like to thank my mom and all my family, because without them i don't know how i would of made it. Thank you to everyone really, because without you guys i don't know where i would be. I know this has made me stronger and i know god is still healing me. right now I'm trying to learn how to walk again. i have therapies everyday. i can dress myself. i have to have help taking a shower and up and down the stairs. i have problems with everything on my right side but getting better with it. I have a lot of visitors that come, which I'm very thankful for because without them i don't know where i would be. thank you to my church the first christian church for having a benefit for me. thank you for all your prayers. i was really glad to see everyone in church. i was told i received a lot of visitors while i was in the hospital. thank you. i thank every one for all my cards and phone calls while i was in the hospital. i know i have a long ways to go so please keep praying for me. Love to you all. oxxoxxxoxox Melinda

September 25

Melinda had a good week. She received a good report from her therapist. They said she has improved and doing well. The last 2 sessions, Melinda is working harder on her balance with her walker. Praise God we haven't used her wheelchair the last 2 days. Speech is working really hard to get Melinda talking louder. We again have homework this weekend. OT is using a resistance band to strengthen Melinda's arms. She pulled it 3 times and said, I'm done my arms hurt. OT said, no you have 20 more. Melinda went to see her family doctor and we are going to be seeing a specialist about her eyes. She still has double vision and she tested about 20/50. Hopefully with some special glasses this will help her eyes and motor skills improve.

I would like to say a few words how thankful and appreciative of all the prayers, support, love and concern everyone has shown our family through these last 4 1/2 months. Thank you to the District Attorney's office for your support and donating your time so I could be with Melinda. xxooxxo Thank you William S. Key employees for your support. Ft. Supply School, "You are Awesome" Thank you students and staff for all your acts of kindness. To our church family, First Christian Church, thank you for the dinner and baked goods auction held for Melinda. To everyone that donated to help with our expenses. THANK YOU! We are truly touched and blessed. Thank you for the calls, visits, get well cards, prayers, a kind thought or concern. I thank all the doctors, nurses, therapist and medical staff that helped with Melinda's recovery. And most of all, give thanks to God our lord and savior. Please continue your prayers for Melinda. God Bless you!!

September 22

Melinda is adjusting at home and doing well. She is keeping the same schedule as she did at Jim Thorpe Rehab. She is up at 7:45 am to get dressed and eat breakfast. At 9:00 am she starts with physical therapy. Right now she is working with the walker and trying to regain her balance. At 10:00 speech therapy comes and they work on Melinda's voice. I told Melinda this would be her chance to scream at mom. She liked that idea. The therapist gives Melinda homework through the week. Melinda has to remember 15 things she did in a weekend to work on her memory. Occupational therapy has been working on Melinda's right hand. She tries to pick up toothpicks with tweezers. She is also working on writing with her right hand. In the afternoons Melinda works on the floor doing trunk exercises and leg lifts and uses a putty to work with her right hand. Melinda is doing very well going up and down the stairs at home. She is progressing a little each day. I was really excited today. I asked, Melinda to take one step with each foot. She did and did not lose her balance. She took another 2 steps, one at a time and did not lose her balance. Praise God!! With repetition over and over she will be walking soon. I know in my heart that all the prayers said for Melinda has gotten her this far. We are so thankful and can't thank every one enough for all the support and prayers that has helped us through this difficult time. It is truly a miracle that Melinda is home and doing well. GOD answered our prayers. Please keep Melinda in your prayers as she continues to work hard every day to improve to get better. God Bless!

September 3-12

Melinda is doing well and counting down the days till she can go home. She was very excited to have her peg tube removed since she is eating regular foods and taking her medicines by mouth. I would always tell Melinda, be patient, everything will come off one at a time. I promise! We are going home!! On Friday, September 4th Melinda had her therapy sessions all morning long while Todd & I started packing and loading everything in the car. At 12:30, Melinda's therapist (Theresita, Jenna, Jenny) threw a pizza party to say their goodbyes. It was sad to say goodbye, but very excited to be going home! It has been a long 4 1/2 months. I apologize for not updating Melinda's progress this past week. We are happy to be home and adjusting and getting into a routine. Our home has a lot of stairs, so this has been a challenge. Melinda will continue physical, occupational and speech therapies at home. The therapist will come to our home 3 days a week and when Melinda is stronger she will be able to do outpatient therapy. Melinda is in good spirits, getting stronger every day and is enjoying being with family and friends. Melinda is still working on her balance. She is getting better using her walker. On Friday, September 11th, Melinda had an orthodontics appointment to check her braces. The doctor said her teeth look great and amazingly there wasn't anything damaged on her braces from the accident. Melinda can have her braces removed next month. Melinda said, "When I get my braces off, I want to take senior pictures." We are so thankful for all the support we received. All the prayers and kindness you have shown our family. God answered our prayers!! We brought Melinda home. Please continue to pray for Melinda that she gets stronger and continues to progress in her therapies.

Sept. 1 - 2

Melinda's week is going very well. Tuesday Melinda got her feeding tube taken out. She missed aquatic therapy that day but it is a relief to get that tube out of her stomach. On Wednsday morning PT and Melinda went to the gym and placed a mat on the floor and layed down as if she had fallen with no help to get up. She tried to get up without no help or very little. We are still a long way from her doing this on her own. Her trunk still needs to be strengthened and her whole right side is still week with limited mobility. This exercise completely wore Melinda out. She was very tired after that. It was a very good exercise for her to work on her entire body. In the afternoon she had another swallow test done. She did well on the thin liquids from a spoon. She tried thin liquids from a cup. The first time she did good. The second time she aspirated a small bit. The ST okayed to give liquids by spoon but only the ST can give Melinda thin liquids by cup right now. They are working on getting a drink and tucking her chin to swallow and after swallowing completely then she can raise her head.
Things continue to improve and we are grateful.
The therapists are all starting to make preparations for Melinda to come home. They are giving her pep talks about continuing to work hard at home and giving her things to work at and exercises to do. Melinda's short term memory is getting better every day and she is getting stronger.
We are excited about being able to come home but we have a long way to go. Keep Praying. Our prayers are being answered. Praise God and God Bless.