Well our sleepy girl caught a break today. No therapy till 10 am. As a result she slept in till almost 9. as one of the staff put it, we spoiled her. Her right arm cast was cut off today to be made into what they call a "bivalve". not what you think. It essentially is a splint that goes on her arm every night (looks like the cast, but only at night). Hers will also be fitted with a custom piece of foam which will keep the arm separated away from her body. She may hate it but it works so well. It's still under construction and she'll get it officially tomorrow.
James, her friendly occupational therapist, is the constructor and today he stretched Donna's arm well farther than it has gone yet. Needless to say her reaction resembled what a condemned person on a "Rack" must have experienced. Big yells and cries. At one point she told James she wanted to hit him and those of you that know her well can imagine what force that serious threat carried. She meant it. During these sessions my role is to hold her now ferocious left arm, essentially saving James from major harm. The coolest thing is to see her say as she leaves the room that she feels better and that James is nice. Talk about a change of heart.
As I have mentioned him several times let me tell you a bit more about James. He is about 28-30 years old, medium build and lean. He is totally dedicated to perfection with a good bit of mechanical insight. you should see him rip apart a chair or build something. He and I have talked about his childhood which was filled with erector sets and lincoln logs. A man after my heart. Most of all he is incredibly knowledgable about what he is doing and is driven to perfection. Add to that perfection a clear soft spot in his heart for Donna and you get a great partnership. He self proclaims to be bad at math and not to be able to dance a step, so Donna has graciously agreed to tutor him when she is well. James is a man of faith exemplified by the silicon bracelets he wears. My favorite is "God is big enough". I've decided to take this one on myself. What a great mix of skills, compassion and values James is. He is one of our great blessings. Donna sees him every day Monday - Friday.
Donna got a new room mate this evening. We'll see in the morning if she has chosen to drive her away. The last one survived only 1 night.
Goodbye for now....
Bob
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