Easter

We had an enjoyable Easter. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. We were again able to secure a large room at my church which is also close enough for Jon to wheel himself there. We prefer to have someone walk with him on his journeys and Josh accompanied him. Everyone was able to make it except Bill (Jon's dad.) The food was good, the company great, the day fantastic!

Monday, Jon, Barb and I went to see a van that is for sale locally and again within walking distance. Jon had seen it on Sunday on his way to the church with Josh and the owner decided to send it to her mechanic to get it in shape for a test drive so we weren't able to see it right then. She let Jon get inside on Sunday and he is excited. It has nice big windows so he would be able to see out. Most times the windows are too low and he can not see much past the berm. It has a lift. The original needed replaced and the new one was installed one week before the gentleman died and hasn't been used in the last two years. I've not been happy watching him go up on the lift in the medivans--something about the balance unnerves me--and the chair's owner's manual does not recommend a lift. Of course, they also don't recommend that he be in the chair when it is in the process of being lifted which presents a problem since transferring him to a seat in a van could be quite cumbersome. Jon, however, prefers the idea of a lift. I'm not so sure he's thought through the process of getting hoisted into a van in bad weather and how much longer that takes than just scooting up a ramp, both for the him and the operator of the lift. Aside from having a lift, the gentleman's electric wheelchair was much closer to the ground and therefore he did not use any tie downs. He just sat in his chair and off they went. Jon asked "What about when you went around curves or turned corners?" She said he didn't move. Jon's sways unless he is tied down well. So tie downs would need to be installed.

From there we walked back home and Jon had a chance to sit on our patio and visit a while. I ran after some fixings for a cook-out and Greg fixed hamburgers on the grill. Closest thing he's had to "being home" in a year and a half.

Tuesday, Carol, Barb and I went to see the staff at Parkview Hospital's Intensive Care Unit, where Jon was life flighted, to give them an update on Jon's progress and thank them for all they did to make it possible. Barb has a new camera and wanted to try out the movie selection. So along with taking a card telling about Jon's progress, Barb took a movie of Jon thanking them and showing some of the things he can do. The nursing staff really enjoyed reading the card and seeing Jon in the movie. They said that when Jon has transportation, they would love to see him in person. Rarely do they get to hear about or see prior patients so they love it when they hear/see follow up. Since they are in critical care, not many of the patients remember them which is also hard.

Hope you are enjoing this weather. Everythings greening nicely, both the daffodils and the tulips, and the redbud trees are so confused they are blooming at the same time!