day 4 - workin' hard

Today was a great day for Shawn, but boy, did he work hard!

He is so determined to come home. If there is anything he thinks he can do that will help him get better faster, he is going to do it! (And don't try to tell him he can't!)

This morning when the doctor came to do rounds, the conversation went something like this:

"I hear you're spreading rumors around here."

He responded, "Oh really? What's that?"

"They say you're telling everyone you're going home today."

"I am!"

"Not on my watch you're not."

The Dr. is thinking more along the lines of Monday, if Shawn is a good boy. But Shawn, on the other hand is thinking there are too many days between now and Monday! Every time someone walks in the door he asks "what do I need to do?" . . ."tell me what I can do to get this moving along". . .

One of the things they told him he needed to do was to have a few accomplishments in the little boys room (if you know what we mean). He immediately pointed to his catheter and said something to the effect of, "How am I supposed to do that with this? Get this out so we can get 'er done." So, out it went! (Much to his dismay, the gettin' 'er done part isn't always so easy!)

With the help of his buddy Cam and the physical therapist, he walked a ways down the hall with his "old man walker". But when he found out he would need to master the crutches and stairs before going home, he soon had the therapist back giving him lessons on the crutches. And when she suggested he work on those for a while before tackling a couple of stairs? No way! He did those too. The first time, she told him he was doing great, but was a little shaky. So he did them again, turned to her, and said, "I wasn't shaky that time, was I?"

Same thing when it came to getting out of bed by himself. As soon as he found out he would need to do it by himself, there was no helping him! With this boy, it is definitely mind over matter! He matter of factly explained that he believes you can push yourself a lot more than you think, and then the next time, it will be easier to go even further.

The nurses and therapists were loving him. They said it's fun to have a patient who is so motivated. (FYI, they say the young male patients are usually the biggest wimps!) They told us it is fun for them to have the tables turned. Instead of begging, pleading, and dragging Shawn, he's the one pushing, prodding, and insisting they let him do it!

If all of his hard work doesn't pay off, he told one of the nurses that he has a plan B. He and a few friends figured out that if necessary, they can repel him down from his window and make a quick escape if need be. . .

We're thinking he's had enough excitement this week. Let's pray he sticks with plan A.