Thomas returned home shortly before Christmas after completing ten weeks of therapy, including sixty-five hyperbaric oxygen dives. He is happy to be home with his family and enjoyed attending the holiday gatherings (he now asks to go to “parties” all the time!). He has begun to attend his local therapies and will continue until March, at which time he will return to Ability Camp for more sessions. Thomas received high marks upon leaving Ability Camp – his progress was summed up as “exceeding expectation”, which is always encouraging to hear. No surprise that staff were most pleased that he overcame his resistance to the program (after several weeks), and ultimately showed high participation and relying on much less guidance. I witnessed this our final week during an observation day, and was surprised at how much he seemed to enjoy himself, answering questions, blurting out “fun” after a song and even completing some of the lyrics. He was definitely one of the more social in the class and seemed to respond well to the routines, maneuvering around on his own during the different exercises.
Throughout Thomas’ therapy, we were most impressed with his added communication skills and interaction with other children and adults. He was and continues to be much more focused on whatever task he is occupied with and is initiating his own activities and goals. He is becoming more of himself, determined to say and do what he wants, despite being limited in his abilities. When he sits on his own, he is frequently reaching for things (within and out of reach) and explores whatever he can – he is not deemed to be still. He is finally able to sit on his own in the bath and when it’s time to leave, he maneuvers to the plug to pull it out. He is slowly coming around with his toilet training and beginning to initiate trips to the potty. He is clearly making his way upwards, and it’s so much more apparent to us when he returns home from Ability Camp. We believe the treatment to be very worthwhile and are committed to continue in 2008.
Completing ten weeks of intensive therapy is never easy to accomplish. It takes months of planning and many sacrifices, not to mention the ultimate physical and mental effort from Thomas. While the rewards continue to motivate us, we recognize that none of this would be possible without the generous financial support of family, friends and community who have allowed Thomas the privilege to participate in this opportunity.
Thank you to all the caring and generous donors who supported Thomas during his trip to Ability Camp!
