A beautiful wedding - July 24, 2009!

Well, he did it! Gord fulfilled his Fatherly obligation and walked his beautiful daughter Stacy down the aisle to give her away to a very lucky young man - Andres!Seven months ago we did not think this would be a possibility. I managed to capture a bit of the walk on video and am putting on this blogspot. Sorry about the weeping noises in the background...I couldn't help it. I am also adding pictures that I took so that you can get a visual of the venue and how gorgeous the weather was. Gord looked so handsome and debonaire in his tuxedo....and when he was being moved from one location to another in his wheelchair he reminded me of watching a Godfather or James Bond movie. At the reception Gord danced with Stacy and there was not a dry eye in the room....the song was "I loved her first". Beautiful. Enjoy the pictures. The young man on Gord's left is son Darren and lady in red is Mauraine - mother of Darren and Stacy. If someone emails me a decent picture of me with Gord I may post it. I always take the pictures but never seem to get in them. Love to all Sheila

Dinner on the deck picture

Dinner on the deck

I just HAD to share this picture with you. This is the first time we have had dinner - bug free - on the deck in probably 15 years. For sure 24 years in that exact position by the fountain. Sharing in this great event were Kris and Tom Rafa - wonderful, supportive friends of ours. Kind of a nice view over the lake as well....it was a nice treat for Gord. To get to the lower deck he has to step gingerly over the tree stump on the 3rd step down by the railing he needs to use these days. There are NO obstacles that can get in Gord's way!!!!

We are progressing with the Walk Aid device that the girls are trying to perfect these days. It is a little frustrating for Gord because they set up the computer to tell his leg when to kick out and sometimes it kicks when he isn't ready.....a formula for falling as far as I can see. There is always a spotter, thank heavens!

We are still travelling each day to the Center and coming home each night. I think the staff are humouring me and waiting for me to give in to the stress of it all but I will show them how stubborn I can be. I am actually enjoying the time with Gord in the car each way - well, the morning ride is the best because he is fresh for the day. We sing and recite the alphabet and I review who he is, who I am, what his address is, and of course his phone number etc. Amazing that we have to do this but it is only with repetition that he will retain it (we hope). On the ride home he is quiet and tired. During the day I try to sneak out and explore around the area or go shopping at the Dollar store in Ponoka (THAT is an experience) or wander around the Liquidation Store.
Sometimes I even sit under a tree in the yard outside his Ferintosh House and read!

I have had Gord sitting at the end of the Ping Pong table a couple of times and he is very accurate hitting the ball with his left hand. Soon I hope to have him standing to play.

Hope everyone is well and happy....

Lots of love
Sheila

New therapy tried on Gord today

Today,Gord was the guinea pig for a new leg device to stimulate muscle movement in the deficient leg. There is a sensor place below the knee as you can see in the photo, and also one on his heel. It is programmed into a computer that takes all his movements and then inputs into the device on his leg. When he walks it helps lift his foot to create a more normal walk. I am attaching a video I took today with the device on his leg but I don't think it was working properly yet. They seemed to have technical problems so it may take a while to perfect. Gord exercised his patience while going through this experiment for about 2 hours.

I am also sending out a picture taken on June 23 when his brothers and sister surprised him with a visit. They are just coming back to the cabin from a walk together. Brothers are Richard and Gary and sister is Diane. Wayne - the other brother could not make it to the gathering and we missed him! He did phone though and that meant a lot to Gord. This is when family really counts!!!! Enjoy the pictures!

Love
Sheila

Life is settling down now....

It is so nice to finally settle into a normal pace in our lives. Today (Monday) we took the day off (again) to go to the Dentist for a check up and cleaning. Everything was healthy which was a really good sign that the time on the feeding tube etc. did not do any harm in Gord's mouth. We did not do any x-rays at this time due to the overload he has had in the past 6 months examining every inch of his innards.

All in all it was a busy but tiring day and by the time we got back to the town of Sylvan to pick up our Handicap sticker at Registeries, it was pouring down buckets of rain. It poured so hard I couldn't see the road and Gord kept looking over at me wondering why I was making such a big deal out of it! Hmpf...time for him to take the wheel! AND they say we are in a drought...not so sure that still is the case.

We are back to Halvar Jonson tomorrow to search out our new room and see what has been cancelled for the day. I already know swimming is out because Trevor just told me on the phone they are doing work on the pool. This is the 4th week without swimming...maybe time to try the lake. Summertime is holiday time for the staff and therapists so we are not getting the therapies we need. I am almost begrudging driving up there every day to find most classes cancelled. Maybe we will just stay home too.

Anyway, we are marching on and making our big plans for the Fall. Like I said before I don't think being at the Lake will work for us in the Winter so we will be searching for warmer climates. Hopefully it will be Maui. That is the goal.

Hope everyone is doing well....

Love
Sheila