The Next Step...

If paperwork gets finished, I will be taking Allen to Retama's In-patient rehab tomorrow (one side of the facility is for rehab). He said he'd rather come home, but is willing to take a couple of weeks more for getting stronger.Also, he will be able to come home for a few hours here and there during his stay at Retama. It will be wonderful to have him in Harlingen. We toured the facility today. Also, STxRehab's PT Admin toured our house today and made recommendations for changes. Sweet man, Kemp D., is putting in a ramp and bathroom safety bars on soon. We are so blessed by our friends and church family.

Now, the reason I'm changing rehab facilities isn't a desire to change, though I want him home. He could spend a week more there at STxRehab and be ready to come home. But that 100 days a plan year thing means our insurance would rather pay for two weeks at Retama instead of one week at STx. We've exceed their allowable payable days by about three weeks already, so we have to go. I realize they are paying about 75% of their allowable costs, but it doesn't even make financial sense.

God knew what Allen needed and the timing for it all. Starting Monday, Allen began to amp up progress, standing taller, walking longer, following directions wonderfully. He is wanting to be independent and do things for himself. We did a practice transfer to the car. He got in himself, with a little time for adjusting and we took a little spin around the block. He is amazing everyone around. God is so good! I told him it's kind of like he's starting to wake up and asked if it felt like that for him and he said it sort of did.He climbed stairs and a ramp today in therapy. One of the therapists who has been kind and friendly, but has mostly observed not treated Allen, saw him do the stairs and ran over to be an extra support as he turned around at the top to walk down (with just a few bobbles) Afterward, he told me he was really moved by Allen's progress. God is changing the people around Allen as He completes this miracle in my man.

This changing people around him fascinates me. Allen is without a doubt a miracle. According to the medical community, most don't survive or if they do, don't recover much. But early in this process I couldn't understand why, if God was going to use his miracle as a testimony, why didn't he do a complete raised up miracle with Allen not needing all this rehab and having a long cognitive recovery time. Then God put so many people in the medical community around us that in my heart I felt like needed to see his recovery, be part of his recovery, be part of this miracle. It surely hasn't minimized the fact to them that it's a miracle. Many have said that they have been so blessed to have had a part in helping him get stronger, but it's God that is healing him. Also, some have told me it's being part of this that makes them more passionate to continue doing what they do every day. Thank you, Lord, for your encouragement and help not only to me and mine, but to those you have around us.