EvanDay 7: New Wheelchair
Evan was so excited to get his first wheelchair! After almost a week of lying in bed, he was more than ready regain mobility. The nurses had to use this crazy contraption to get Evan into the chair. Evan, always turning everything in a game, almost broke the thing because he started using it as a swing.
Once he was safely secured into the chair, he was off to the races!
Day 6: Back in the gym already
Less than 72 hours ago, the doctors predicted that Evan wouldn't walk for another 3-6 months. In just a few hours after being checked into Kessler Rehab, Evan stood up for the first time since the accident! Just as many of Evan's friends and family predicted, he is improving faster than anyone thought was possible.
The blonde woman on the left is Evan's main physical therapist, Jill. Jill is awesome--she pushes Evan to his limit every session. And as you can tell, Evan is loving every minute of it
Day 5: Reflecting on the ICU Days
April 26, 2012
Evan was transferred out of Columbia Presbyterian's ICU on Thursday, April 26th to start his rehab program at the Kessler Istitute of Rehabilition.
Despite the amazing staff (we were treated like gold by all of the doctors and nurses--they all deserve a huge shout out for keeping Evan's family informed of every little change in his progress, responding to his needs within minutes, and always entering his room with smiles), we were all thrilled to leave the ICU and finally get some sleep.
However, there were some definite highlights from the hospital days since we had many of Evan's "firsts" in his recovery process: the first time he moved his toes, the first time he lifted both knees, the first time he was able change the TV channel using a remote, etc. One of the most exiting was the first time he was able to sit up by himself.
Evan's awesome physical therapist, Lisa Tiger, explained that it was a fantastic sign that he could do this just a few days after the accident becuase it meant that he still had a considerable amount of core strength. Having a strong core is critical to all basic motion, including walking and (eventually) running!
Despite these early milestones in his recovery, we were more than ready to leave the hospital by Thursday. Evan felt like a new person when his hospital gown was finally replaced with his typical excerise clothing. As you can see, he was ready to start working out before he even got to rehab.
