Speech Update

Just recently, I started speech therapy for the fall semester at Baylor. As long as I'm making progress, I'm permitted to attend the program, please pray I continue to successfully navigate said peaks and nail biting terraces. Only with God is any of this even conceivable. Baylor is helping me talk once more, while my speech therapists over at Hillcrest are working diligently with the woman who invented DPNS (deep pharyngeal neurological stimulus or something like that) on my swallowing whole foods capability, fairly productively I'd wager. Along with the arduous task my throat needs, they are torturing me with some facial nerve device for my drooling.  Just kidding, although it does have a biting characteristic.  Pretty recently, I had yet ANOTHER swallow test. It seems that therapy has no end, in this my darkest hour. Yet, I continuously press on, as I don't really have an option, to achieve my very distant goal of being fully recovered and living in LA. Tis surely improbable, but definitely not impossible. From the swallow study, the Hillcrest therapists realized I needed to go to an ENT doctor (ear, nose, and throat). I saw Dr. Holland and he will do a procedure to dilate my esophagus and put Botox on a muscle that is not opening like it should on Thursday, October 10th. 
PLEASE pray all goes well.

New therapist at Baylor.  She's great.  

With La Tante at Baylor.



 At Dr. Holland's -

 

Thank you for the prayers.  

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

Things Could Always Be ...

I have ventured on a myriad of treks and journeys through Texas, but in my
"stays" in around about five brain injury clinics I was faced with some brutally
lethargic cases. People that were so victimized by said injuries, pity never
even asked to come out and play. Nay, 'twas forced out of me, like vomit. It was
all of us young, athletic, and charming men. Two of which were undoubtedly
college football players, pretty good from what I hear. It wasn't an injury from
football that did them in, surprisingly. Alcohol was the leading cause in their
injuries as well, funny how that works.

One was boisterously drunk, running around, making a complete fool of himself, I
reckon. He stupidly decided the best course of action, would be to latch on to a
moving vehicle while riding on a skateboard. Must I go into detail about what
happened next? Today, he is nothing more than a five year old. Good decision,
wouldn't you say? I don't think so.

Yet another of my companions, was floating down the Comal River, inevitably drinking.
Something which all of us has done, at one time or another.
But he ran into a couple, where the guy was being excessively
abusive to his girlfriend.  My compadre, a stand up kinda guy, I guess, told the
jerk to give it a rest.  BAD idea. The guy beat the heck out of my friend,
I mean really bad. ALMOST to the brink
of death, but he made it out the other end of the long, dark, and decrepit
tunnel. Mentally intact, but FAR from physically okay. Yes, mentally fine, but
paralyzed from the neck down. Really now?
How evil can you be?  To do that to someone?
Bludgeon them mercilessly, until they are cringing under
your steadily rising furious blows. Probably bleeding LONG before you've
finished. I believe that an act such as this is so heinous, so the death penalty
should, at least be considered. I mean why not? Their subliminal actions weren't
murder, but they might as well have been. My buddy, can NEVER walk again, really NEVER
in fact do anything. Also extremely doubtful he'll ever talk again.  

Things could ALWAYS be worse.
MUCH worse.

Shibby Movie Reviews II

Presumably We're the Millers was sick (means good). Definitely a party boy movie with quite funny
scenes. Makes me chuckle just thinking about it. Obviously a high school movie,
with an edge to it.

The Conjuring was not a real nail biter, but definitely one of the scarier movies I've seen. More high
packed suspense, it left you wondering just what was in that door ajar closet.

Obviously 2 Guns was inexorably a guy movie.  Mom liked it a lot, while I thought it was
okay. Definitely not the best, but then again not the worst.

Elysium is one of my faves out of the movies playing. A lot of edge of the seat action, fairly good
storyline, although I find Matt Damon repulsive. It's not really his acting that
bothers me, it's just his demeanor drives me insane.  But Elysium is one of those exceptional movies.

Shibby
or "cool" to the uneducated. 

Just to Mention ...

All of this engrossing trouble drives me practically up the wall with
insanity.  But I have to mention a very few family members that have quite a large role in keeping my two feet planted firmly and wholly on Earth.

My sweet and dear grandmother
sacrifices a LOT of her spare time for my recovery. Also, my favorite Tante,
Mindy, "tante" means hooker in French.  LOL!  Kidding it means AUNT in French..
Honestly, while Grandmother takes me to Hillcrest therapy three times a week,
La Tante takes me to Baylor most days.
Interlapping days sometimes. 
Once I'm fully recovered I owe them quite a bit.

Lately

My schedule is pretty hectic right now
with ALL the therapy up at Hillcrest.
PT, OT, and very good Speech therapy three times a week.
My Hillcrest speech therapists are working dilegently with me on swallowing. 
I also started again at Baylor for a four week speech therapy stint. 
I go there four times a week for intensive therapy on my speech. 

I don't normally take naps, but with everything vying for my attention
I don't really have much choice in the matter.
It's go, go, go.
That keeps me busy though.

I've been to quite a few brain injury clinics, and
I've been told other patients are really tired.
Thank God, I've never experienced this.
Until now.

Three Year Anniversary

I don't see why today (July 25) can't be considered my second birthday?
I mean God kept me alive as I entered this decrepit and woeful world such as
this through birth. Yet, I believe, and through absolutely no actions of my
own, God obviously had something more important for my life.

At we'll say five in the morning three yrs ago, my brain was rattled and jell-ofied in a wreck,
after a rip and roaring night of stripping at a bachelorette party.  Lol.
My roommate and I were well intoxicated. Then, very unfortunately, we decided to drive home.
BIG mistake.
We hit a tree on the way home.
The result in an instant:
A catastrophic brain injury.
Utterly consuming.
Now my days are consumed with inexorable never ending therapy time and working unreasonably hard to man handle my life back into whence it came.
Overall, it has been a little more than slightly difficult.
Unprecedentedly difficult is a vastly more understandable term.

Three years ago 'til today. 
ONLY through God's grace, I have lived and succeeded. 

Faces of Drunk Driving Interview

I am really proud the TxDOT program in Texas chose me to represent them.
All I can say is:
Please don't drink and drive.
It's not worth it.
Honestly.

If you wanna spend the next five years in recovery,
go ahead and take the risk of drinking and driving.
No girlfriend/boyfriend.
No friends.
Everything is just such a gigantic mess.

The other day Matt Howerton, a news reporter with KWTX News 10, noticed me on the Faces of Drunk Driving
website (www.facesofdrunkdriving.com) and he wanted to interview me again. 
So, I did.
I hope I get my message out.  

Since I can't talk yet,

I'm using my iPad to tell people

how it's not worth it to drink and drive. 

Walking.  I was told I'd never walk again. 

Matt and James from KWTX are awesome.

I appreciate these guys for helping to get my story out.