Leland's journey
Thursday, May 03, 2007
sam and zach and leland
and yeah, there's more...it is an ongoing thing...especially for Elaine, Gary, Cody and Leland...and I'm still writing about just that first year....to CC back to Austin....stop at the rest stop on the way home.....right before Skidmore...just a jut in the road....and cry. Just cry. until it stopped. Then to Skidmore Dairy Queen....wash my face, pick up a soda....and watch those women watching me, I can just hear that conversation after I left....that woman needs to leave that sob... they were so kind to me. I was there a couple of times a week for at least a year swollen eyes and all...and really, the shower is the best place for those kind of tears....then nobody knows.
Back to Austin, and being Matt's mom...sometimes my little Samantha would come along...she was only about 3.. before the accident, she called Leland "boy"....BOY! she'd say....fix it! or BOY! turn on the light..and he'd hop to it, easy to adore samantha....she wasn't sure she approved of this new Leland, wasn't sure what happened to her BOY...but he still adored her. Driving in the car on the way back to CC one trip...music low, I thought she was asleep...and then her voice... if he just didn't run that stop sign... just a little girl, trying to figure it out.
Zachary was smaller, and watching him accept Leland as he was, as he is...was a lesson to learn....he just loved his older cousin. At the second rehab, Columbia in CC...there was a walking track, and Leland in his wheel chair, and me pushing...sam on his left side, zach always took the right...the right arm is ataxic, it moves on its own, no coordination...and zach would reach up and grab two of Leland's fingers, the arm would calm...and out the door and around that track we would go...
One day, sam and zach ran ahead out the door...there was a parking lot there....and they raced forward....leland became so agiated....not much speech yet at that point...but I could hear NO...NO...and attempting to point...KIDS..KIDS...KIDS! he said...and I looked, there was a bus...it was pulling in, and they were running that direction, but staying on the sidewalk...they were in no danger....but he was so anxious and upset...until they came back to take their places. It seems a simple story, unless you know anything about brain injury...the brain injured seldom recognize the consequences of any actions....most would not recognize the danger that Leland perceived that day. The rehab staff members were astonished.....it was a good day.
Hope.
sam and zach and leland
and yeah, there's more...it is an ongoing thing...especially for Elaine, Gary, Cody and Leland...and I'm still writing about just that first year....to CC back to Austin....stop at the rest stop on the way home.....right before Skidmore...just a jut in the road....and cry. Just cry. until it stopped. Then to Skidmore Dairy Queen....wash my face, pick up a soda....and watch those women watching me, I can just hear that conversation after I left....that woman needs to leave that sob... they were so kind to me. I was there a couple of times a week for at least a year swollen eyes and all...and really, the shower is the best place for those kind of tears....then nobody knows.
Back to Austin, and being Matt's mom...sometimes my little Samantha would come along...she was only about 3.. before the accident, she called Leland "boy"....BOY! she'd say....fix it! or BOY! turn on the light..and he'd hop to it, easy to adore samantha....she wasn't sure she approved of this new Leland, wasn't sure what happened to her BOY...but he still adored her. Driving in the car on the way back to CC one trip...music low, I thought she was asleep...and then her voice... if he just didn't run that stop sign... just a little girl, trying to figure it out.
Zachary was smaller, and watching him accept Leland as he was, as he is...was a lesson to learn....he just loved his older cousin. At the second rehab, Columbia in CC...there was a walking track, and Leland in his wheel chair, and me pushing...sam on his left side, zach always took the right...the right arm is ataxic, it moves on its own, no coordination...and zach would reach up and grab two of Leland's fingers, the arm would calm...and out the door and around that track we would go...
One day, sam and zach ran ahead out the door...there was a parking lot there....and they raced forward....leland became so agiated....not much speech yet at that point...but I could hear NO...NO...and attempting to point...KIDS..KIDS...KIDS! he said...and I looked, there was a bus...it was pulling in, and they were running that direction, but staying on the sidewalk...they were in no danger....but he was so anxious and upset...until they came back to take their places. It seems a simple story, unless you know anything about brain injury...the brain injured seldom recognize the consequences of any actions....most would not recognize the danger that Leland perceived that day. The rehab staff members were astonished.....it was a good day.
Hope.
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