Leland's journey
a different way of life began...home in Austin for a day or so...then back to Corpus....then home to Austin and scout meetings with Matt ...did you do your homework? and back to CC...in ICU the little miracles...a hand squeezed when you said his name...his head turning towards a voice...Leland was there, in that brain, we just knew...but the nurses would tell us no...it's just a base response, he doesn't hear you but they were wrong.
When Leland was little, we'd sing a lot....you are my sunshine... right up there with yertle the turtle to him..and we kept hearing he was like a baby...so we went there....singing to him, keeping the music on, hearing the voices he loved...and some he didn't even know, like the DJs on CC radio...it's 8am and time for Leland Webb to wake up... bless them, every morning for weeks! so one day, Gary, his step dad was visiting...working so hard to keep the bills paid, he didn't get as much time by leland's bed side as he would have liked...he wanted to see some of the reactions we could pull from Leland...so I started singing you are my sunshine to Leland...standing on his right side...Gary was on his left (the non moving side at that point), and joined in...now Gary can actually sing...and Leland grew up hearing that voice singing bluegrass and country music.... when he heard Gary's voice, in that familar way....his left arm came up off that bed around Gary's neck and pulled him to him, and himself up off the pillow...I heard Elaine say softly, intensely just keep singing....and we did and for about 20 seconds we had our boy back...
and then he slipped back...where ever he goes...not so deeply now, but still a little...and our rehab days began...altho really, rehab starts from the second the medics pull someone out of a wrecked car...tell me your name, where do you go to school, move your leg, talk to me... use that brain, kid.
it was heart wrenching, it was absolute glee sometimes, it was even deliriously silly at others, it was hard, hard work for leland and for his care givers and his family and friends...and it was just the beginning, that first rehab. By this time Elaine and I had blown off the advice from one doctor who told us to not try to "learn too much" about the brain...we'd just be disappointed....and we were reading and talking and finding everything we could...and the kids were still there, still coming in the door...the hospital put a mattress on the floor, with mattresses up the walls on 3 sides....so he could move and roll around... a group of young men came to visit...on that mattress with their friend....holding him in their arms like a baby...touching him, talking to him, saying his name...showing him so much love...Leland was glowing....and those friends of his...jewels.
slowly we learned or thought we did, about what of leland remained in our reach...he could hear....at dusk one evening, I pulled the shades to watch the sun go down thru that 6th floor hospital window....closed the door, turned off the lights, turned up the music...the dance by Garth Brooks...another Leland favorite...and watched his head go up, turn towards the sound....settled down....and we listened... wonder if he ever saw our tears...
and he could read...if written big enough...and not too long...short term memory loss is exactly that...also that double vision probably screwed with the reading some...worked on that for a long time..
leland...did you ever get your dance?
When Leland was little, we'd sing a lot....you are my sunshine... right up there with yertle the turtle to him..and we kept hearing he was like a baby...so we went there....singing to him, keeping the music on, hearing the voices he loved...and some he didn't even know, like the DJs on CC radio...it's 8am and time for Leland Webb to wake up... bless them, every morning for weeks! so one day, Gary, his step dad was visiting...working so hard to keep the bills paid, he didn't get as much time by leland's bed side as he would have liked...he wanted to see some of the reactions we could pull from Leland...so I started singing you are my sunshine to Leland...standing on his right side...Gary was on his left (the non moving side at that point), and joined in...now Gary can actually sing...and Leland grew up hearing that voice singing bluegrass and country music.... when he heard Gary's voice, in that familar way....his left arm came up off that bed around Gary's neck and pulled him to him, and himself up off the pillow...I heard Elaine say softly, intensely just keep singing....and we did and for about 20 seconds we had our boy back...
and then he slipped back...where ever he goes...not so deeply now, but still a little...and our rehab days began...altho really, rehab starts from the second the medics pull someone out of a wrecked car...tell me your name, where do you go to school, move your leg, talk to me... use that brain, kid.
it was heart wrenching, it was absolute glee sometimes, it was even deliriously silly at others, it was hard, hard work for leland and for his care givers and his family and friends...and it was just the beginning, that first rehab. By this time Elaine and I had blown off the advice from one doctor who told us to not try to "learn too much" about the brain...we'd just be disappointed....and we were reading and talking and finding everything we could...and the kids were still there, still coming in the door...the hospital put a mattress on the floor, with mattresses up the walls on 3 sides....so he could move and roll around... a group of young men came to visit...on that mattress with their friend....holding him in their arms like a baby...touching him, talking to him, saying his name...showing him so much love...Leland was glowing....and those friends of his...jewels.
slowly we learned or thought we did, about what of leland remained in our reach...he could hear....at dusk one evening, I pulled the shades to watch the sun go down thru that 6th floor hospital window....closed the door, turned off the lights, turned up the music...the dance by Garth Brooks...another Leland favorite...and watched his head go up, turn towards the sound....settled down....and we listened... wonder if he ever saw our tears...
and he could read...if written big enough...and not too long...short term memory loss is exactly that...also that double vision probably screwed with the reading some...worked on that for a long time..
leland...did you ever get your dance?
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