Who let the dogs out?!

Aidan and Bitsy the dog playing Uno.

A close game between Aidan and Bitsy!

Today Aidan played volleyball with very little assistance and walked some stairs!  Seems like a huge accomplishment, huh?  Well, that 's nothing compared to the competitive card game he had with Bitsy the dog! Bisty is able to play Uno, hard to believe I know.  He can recognize colors and numbers.... :) Well, his owner prompts him by voice command.  It was a good distraction for him. 

Don't forget to RSVP to Aidan's Event, it's rapidly approaching! 

A little R&R - Weekend Pass!

Aidan and big brother Zack getting comfy for bed.

Aidan taking a stroll on a beautiful Autumn day. 

Aidan went home for the first time since September 8th!  He had a weekend pass that allowed him to go home on Saturday and Sunday, but had to return to sleep at the hospital for the night.  He is not allowed, by terms of insurance to stay out overnight.  The insurance company feels that if he is well enough to sleep home then he is well enough to be discharged.  Of course Mom and Dad know that is still a little while away.  So, the whole family took advantage of Aidan being home.  He had lots of visitors, played with his brother and a couple of play dates.  He carved pumpkins, played with his dog Casey (who he missed dearly) and just enjoyed being home.  Imagine being away for 7 weeks?  He started to ask what his room looked like and if he had fish.  He was also worried the dog wouldn't remember him.  The homecoming was just in time. 

He is hard at work again at the hospital, the picture above is from today.  And as of today, he is no longer on any medication!  The last of the meds was to ease the stimulation of his nerves re-attaching. 

Aidan is ready for Halloween, he is keeping his costume a secret.... the big reveal is the weekend.  Stay tuned!

Donate via www.chipin.com

Keep on truckin'

Strengthening himself on his personalized tricycle

Cruising around the halls!  Mom couldn't keep up with him.

Mom having some fun in PT with Aidan.

Aidan improves everyday!  While this sounds positive, and it is, keep in mind sometimes patients recovering from GBS sometime plateau.  This was and frankly still is a fear for Aidan's Mother and Father, but thankfully he is still progressing daily.   He continues to be determined to do things on his own.  In fact, just yesterday he used his walker to get himself to the bathroom and take care of business on his own. 

He is all smiles for the most part however, sometimes he gets frustrated but that quickly disappears.  His schedule continues to be rigorous with back-to-back therapy sessions of all kinds.  We are hoping for a November 11th release date!  Just in time for his big night out at the Elks Club with his friends and family. 

Aidan's 6th Birthday - Learning to walk all over again.

6th birthday

Aidan turned 6 this week!  We had a party for him at the hospital and the whole family and lots of friends were there.  He got lots of gifts!  George's friends from work all chipped in for a Wii system and DSI's for both Aidan and Zack (Zack's birthday is November 10th).  Then everyone else bought games for the DSI systems.

On his birthday he had a special pass and and went on a road trip with Mommy.  They shopped for party favors, snacks and he got his very own CD player.  He was never so excited to go to K-Mart and Stop n' Shop in his life.

Last night he did a field trip with 4 other kids from CSH to the Halloween store in the pouring rain.  Imagine 5 kids in wheelchairs piling into a van.  It took about an hour to load everyone and the store was only 5 miles away.  Mommy followed in her car.  They shopped for about 45 minutes and he picked out a Ninja costume for Halloween.  It didn't take as long to get back.  It was amazing that such a young girl was driving the bus and in charge. 

It's been a busy week for Aidan, here is a list of some of his accomplishments: 

• He used the parallel bars and walked about 30 feet in total
• He has been using a walker and has continued to log some distance on that
• He stepped down to a manual wheelchair vs. the electric one and now wheels himself around
• He's putting on his own sneakers
• Standing in pool
• Tossing rings and then diving for them
• Played T-ball with the walker - swung at the ball with some assistance
• Played soccer - was able to kick the ball.
• Pulled himself from the bed to the wheelchair
• Pulled himself from the floor into a chair
• Started school this week and started writing - he wrote his name and today wrote his spelling words

He continues to be one of the most competitive kids in Recreational Therapy and takes great pride in beating his therapist Katie.  Mom helps Aidan out by moving Katie's cones farther away so Aidan can beat her and continue to feel victorious.

Tuesday the NY Giants came in to visit and Aidan got autographs and pictures.

Benefit for Aidan - November 13th

Mark your calendars!  A benefit is being hosted in honor of Aidan and his family.

Saturday, November 13th

6:00 pm

Lake Mohawk Elks Club

Sparta, NJ

4 bands will be donating their time and talent

Many helping hands will be donating and preparing food

$25 per/person at the door

Cash Bar

100% of the proceeds go to Aidan and his family

Fun, friends, family and food!  What could be better?

Please RSVP to Jenny Milway Wells jennymilway@yahoo.com or via Facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152892201415932
or call Carolyn.

Jenny is Aidan's third cousin on his Mother's side and has generously dedicated time to organize this event while juggling 4 kids.  We thank her for that immensely!

The Elks Club has donated the use of their venue and made a donation as well.  For those of you who may not know more about the Elks read below.

OVERVIEW OF THE BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS
***ELKS CARE - ELKS SHARE***

The BPOE is one of the oldest and largest fraternal organizations in the country. Since its inception in 1868, the Order of Elks has grown to include more than 1 million men and woman in more than 2,100 communities.
The BPOE is committed to the ideals of charity and patriotism. To that end, Elks have now given away, over the course of the Order's history, more than $3.6 billion in cash, goods, and services to our nation's youth, it's veterans, the disadvantaged and handicapped, and to individuals and groups in support of patriotic and civic programs. Annually the Elks give more than $200 million to these causes. The Elks rank as one of the largest private providers of college scholarships in the nation.
The Elks have created a quiet network of good deeds that has profoundly changed millions of lives for the better, yet there is little public awareness of our vital work. Why is this so? Quite simply, the Elks rarely seek recognition, nor have they gone to the general public with fund-raising efforts, nor have they received monies from any level of government. Actually, the flow of money and goods moves in opposite direction, the Elks donated to the government the first veterans hospital, the contribute regularly to schools and police and fire departments, and they assist the young and needy throughout the nation.
How could this powerful force have come into being? And where does all this charitable giving come from? From the generous hearts of our members whose eagerness to share, whose prudent long term planning, and whose willingness to serve for free and with enthusiasm infuses the Order with an exuberant and enduring expression of the true volunteer spirit.
Of note is the fact that the elected leadership of the Elks, from the Exalted Ruler of the local lodges to the national president, known as the Grand Exalted Ruler, as well as other decision makers at various levels- serve without salaries.
The Elks organization is governed through democratic representation, with overall statutes set by voting at national conventions. The Elks national headquarters is in Chicago. the Chicago campus is also the site of the Elks National Veterans Memorial building, and is the home of the Elks National Foundation, the Order's charitable trust, the Elks National Veterans Service Commission, and The Elks Magazine, the official monthly publication that is sent to every member of the Order.

Aidan, Zack and Mommy enjoying Friday night pizza

A BREATHE OF FRESH AIR

Weekends here are long at CHS. Fewer apts on Sat and none on Sundays. But we got the green light to go outside and we did so Friday night for ICECREAM. We walked about 5 blocks through traffic and the hussle and bussle of Rutgers football game. Today we walked to the park and I slide with Aidan down the slide and pushed him in a smaller childrens swing that allowed him to sit back and enjoy the ride. Tomorrow we will walk downtown for a family dinner.

Today he asked "Mommy, what happened to me that made me be in the hospital?" It was the first time he actually asked.  I explained he caught a virus from some germs like a cold. He quicky responded I always wash my hands. I explained anyone could have caught the virus but everyday he is getting stronger and soon he'll be better. He is asking more questions and showing his sadness as to why he's in the wheelchair. Today he said , "How come I am the only one in the wheelchair in the family?" It breaks my heart but he's a strong and determined boy.

We had our Patient Family meeting where we review his progress and goals. They feel is doing fantastic but they reminded me that he may hit a plateau or become fatigued quickly. We have been using a regular potty and he was proud to be able to tend to his own hygiene. We still need to use the chair for showers.

Wednesday Oct 13th is his birthday which may prove to be a good distraction with a party and presents. Tonight we unpacked a gift from Aunt Jenny which was an electric plane that hovers through the hallways. It was a great treat for all the kids on the floor since they all heard the hum and emerged from their rooms to see what was happening.

Monday we will likely transition to a non powered wheel chair! Stay posted!!

Still going strong - Aidan can crawl now.

Aidan is a little fighter!  He is improving so quickly and determined to recover.  Not sure if he would say it that way or understands completely what has happened to him, but nevertheless he continues to improve.

His outlook and demeanor when you see him are heartwarming.  Just yesterday he announced, with pride I might add "I can crawl now!"  He was very proud to share that, even showing off for visitors yesterday crawling for 30 seconds around the family lounge.  He keeps his therapists on their feet with his quick witted charm and coy smile. 

Yesterday he was able to hold himself up on the rings in PT for 70 seconds!  A new record!

The schedule is the same as reported earlier this week, Aidan's focus changes hourly and he is not given much time to lay in bed.  Sometimes he gets tired and it hurts him to do physical or occupational therapy, but with a little convincing (and bribing) we're able to help him accomplish the task at hand. 

Save the Date - November 13th

Fundraiser for Aidan and the family
Elks Club
Lake Mohawk
Sparta, NJ
6:00 - 11:00 pm
November 13th
4 bands have donated their time
food will be provided
cash bar
more details to follow

Making Progress - High scorer in home runs!

The perfect representation of Aidan's attitude!

Aidan has been progressing tremendously!  The big news today is that Aidan got his feeding tube out and has resumed a normal diet.  He doesn't have any IV's or tubes of any kind, trust me, he's very happy about that. He is eating chicken nuggets, french fries and pudding.  He is relearning how to swallow so the introduction of normal foods (not soft foods) has been gradual.  He alternates eating with drinking so he can soften the food as it's swallowed. 

He is starting to regain feeling in many of the nerves that were affected by the GBS.  The sensation that he feels when this occurs, is the same that you and I feel when a foot falls asleep.  So, it feels weak with a tingling sensation.  Everything is very itchy for him, especially his head.  This is a good sign that his nerves are healing. 

There is not a minute to rest here with all of the therapies:  occupational, physical, speech, recreational, etc...  They also just added the pool 3 times a week.  Today he had boxing and baseball therapy this is done through a virtual game (akin to a Wii) and we're happy to report he is the high scorer, scoring the most home runs in baseball!  His dexterity is returning slowly, we find he's most motivated by holding his own Hershey bar. 

He's working Mommy for a present every day, trust me, he's keeping count.  He announced that it's been 3 days in a row that he got presents.  They have a recreational room here that has a computer, he conned Mommy into ordering a Sponge Bob watch for his birthday.  We are also going to have his 6th birthday party here at CSH in the family room on October 13th. 

People continue to leave generous gifts at our doorstep and they are transported to him at the hospital.  His hospital bed is decorated with Sponge Bob sheets and pillows compliments of his Aunt and Uncle. 

For those of you who have offered to make food we very much appreciate that.  Just text/call Kim when you are able to make something.