Taylor Update: What’s Next
Taylor had an amazing day… it started with a great night sleep!
As we continue down this road of recovery, we are starting to do some family training – Planning and preparing for when we go home! Yes, there WILL be a day when we will take Taylor back home for good! As excited as we are, we are patient… we know that there is no time like the present for his recovery, and we want the absolute best for him… so for now, we work toward that common goal…balancing work, real life responsibilities, and some glimpses of normalcy – it’s easy to feel impatient… but we quickly replace that with appreciation.
Appreciation for all our family, friends, supporters and our employers…
❤️
His vision continues to be at the top of our request for love, thoughts and prayers… it’s also at the top of our list for our therapy efforts, for sure! But we also know that everything else, literally… still needs a ton of focus and hard work. He has his entire life ahead of him and we want him to be the best he can be!
With family training came a trial run in the apartment, rather than in the hospital room. What does that mean? First night out of a hospital room… PENNY! First time in a real bed… PENNY! This step is so awesome to see and be a part of! It gives us all so much hope and excitement for the future! PENNY!!!!
T didn’t waste any time and quickly found himself getting comfortable in ways that he has not done in a long time… like getting comfy on the couch. The little things that we all sort of assume are normal, they are brand new to him and he LOVES IT!
If all goes well, and I feel certain that it will, at the end of this week, we will switch from inpatient care to outpatient care! What that basically means for us… T will still get rigorous therapy for 4+ hours a day, but.. BUT he will live with Jennifer and I in the apartment! WHAT A GREAT FEELING!!! We will still be here for several more weeks, it’s hard to say… our travels are far from over, there is still a lot of road to cover… but our tanks are full!
T is so blessed to receive so many cards, notes and gifts of encouragement! He recently received a care package from Cheerwine… and an impressive autographed football from some Atlanta Falcons alum. He’s received T-shirts from friends too! He loves them all!! Late yesterday he opened a package that contained a South Carolina Gamecocks football signed by Coach Muschamp! The timing of that is so awesome for T as he is just so amped about the kickoff this weekend! Thank you, on behalf of T, for ALL the kind words of encouragement, cards, notes and gifts… they mean so much to him and he will treasure them all, always!
T spent his day being challenged more and more by the therapy team. I think they enjoy challenging him as much as he enjoys being challenged!
Not only are we excited about him living with us in the apartment here, but he was finding pennies all over the place today! It seems like every time something is checked off the list, he’s just asking ‘What’s Next?’ – he never seems to care how much he has accomplished… just going through each thing, one at a time, ready for the next challenge.
Washed his feet on his own… PENNY! Put on his socks… PENNY! Put on his SHOES! PENNY!!
Walking on his own from his room to therapy gym… NO walker, just assistance for balance!! PENNY!
Taylor had a 1.5 hour session with the neuro psych team to measure his cognitive ability – he thought it was very boring LOL – but.. BUT… today we learned the results of the testing: His recovery started nearly 8 weeks ago when he was discovered under water, not breathing, no heartbeat… no breaths for about 15 minutes… sustained significant brain damage… today, when comparing his neuro tests to others his age and gender… with NO brain injury, T scored above average! The tears are rolling down my cheeks as I type this… Jennifer and I are so fortunate, so blessed… and so honored, for his recovery… and for the outstanding people who took action and saved his life… Thank you!
Above average… after all that has happened to him… how does ‘Thank you’ even come close to show how we feel for T’s friends, the EMT team and the Trauma team … it doesn’t, it just doesn’t.❤️
We will have a little longer of a break this weekend because Monday is a holiday… we are VERY excited to celebrate T’s 19th Birthday and the Gamecocks Football Teams first win of the year!! 
😊
OH, I almost forgot… It was haircut day 😊
I hope you had a great day and took time to appreciate all the little things we have in our life that we tend to overlook… they make us ‘whole’… and each single penny matters!
Until tomorrow… WE LOVE YA’LL!!! 
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One of my goals through sharing the updates is to share T’s determination, spirit, and story, with as many people as possible! Not only to help him, but to help others too! Please join me in this effort! Share on Facebook and on Twitter
Pennies for Taylor 