Paul's Update - 04/05/06

Dear Friends:

Today was court day. We arrived at the courthouse at 8am and waited for Tabby's attorney to get there. The docket starts at 9am and Tabby's attorney wanted to get a chance to talk to the commonwealth's attorney who would be prosecuting the case. The girl that hit Paul plead "not guilty". This wasn't a surprised to us. Her attorney indicated that they were going to plead that way but they were really not going to contest the testimony from the witness. The judge found her guilty and fined her. Now the way is paved to proceed with payment from the insurance company and the eventual civil suit that Tabby will file. It is really difficult to determine how this girl feels about what happened. We had NO direct contact with her. The case ran very long and we didn't leave the courthouse until around 1:30pm. We took Tabby home and then Dad dropped me home before leaving for the hospital. The speech therapist came in at 3pm. This is the only therapy Dad was there for. She continues to exercise his mouth and gums. She talked to him about his release and told him what to expect. She also told Paul that he needs to be exercising his arms and legs on his own whenever he can. She tried to put some ice cream in his mouth but he didn't even try to chew or swallow it. He really hasn't tried to swallow anything she has given him for the last several days. Dad said later Paul started trying to move his arm all around ... maybe he remembered what the therapist said and was exercising it. She plans to give us some information to obtain supplies that will help when we get home. The physical therapist told Dad that they walked three sets today and did most of the length of the gym. He held his head up good for her. Dad didn't see the OT today ... tomorrow he will have OT first thing and Speech after. The doctor has arranged for transport in the afternoon on Thursday. Friday a nurse will come to assess the house and our readiness. Then the Certified Nurses Aid will start the same day. We are not sure when the therapies will start but it sounds like everything is trying to be arranged for them to start very soon. We appreciate your continued prayers ... Thursday should be a difficult day. We are certainly anxious about this new step of Paul's recovery. As of yesterday Paul has been in the hospital for five months. Being at home will be different for Paul but we expect it will be good for him!

Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl