angels4meg

 JUNE 22, 2009

In a major milestone, the first thing to report is that Meg has moved rooms yet again, but this time is different. 

This time, she has moved from the West side of Craig Hospital to the East side (in the aerial photo, that's left to right, across the Skybridge), from the acute care side to the side where she will practice independence and master her surroundings.  From the side where it's more hospital like, to the side where it's more like a suite...Kind of.

There is also room for a Family member to spend the night.  This will be Meg's room for the remainder of her time here. 


Meg continues to get stronger and to progress through her therapy with a smiling determination.  Recently, she has strengthened her arms enough that she can now go from sitting upright on a mat, with her arms supporting from behind her, to sitting, while leaning forward, with her arms supporting from in front of her.  In Meg's situation, this is huge, as she is not getting the strength and support of her back and abdominal muscles when she sits, as we all do.  Instead, she must rely entirely on her shoulders and arms and brute strength to hold her upper body upright when she is sitting on a mat. This mat therapy is very exhausting for Meg, but she is beginning to see some dividends.

Meg also spends a lot of time pushing herself in her manual wheelchair, which is a hand-pushed chair with power-assist wheels.  Essentially, the wheels sense when she pushes on them with her hands, and a small electric motor helps spin the wheels to maintain momentum.  This allows Meg to conserve her strength, but most importantly, to conserve her shoulders.  Due to paralysis below her chest, Meg is now using her shoulders at a significantly increased rate, and they are being used for functions that the shoulders are not well suited for, such as providing all forward motion, and helping to keep her upright and balanced in her chair.