Cheers Wayne! (and back at me too)

Today is officially the end of the clinical trial for Wayne (with the exception of the 2-month post-treatment testing in late-July).
It felt sad, as I knew it would, but it also feels like we've accomplished a big goal. Woo-hoo!
We were at the UW Aphasia Lab (http://depts.washington.edu/sphsc/labsites/kendall/about.htm) everyday for 8 weeks. I ended-up feeling like part of the staff at the UW Speech & Hearing Clinic--a permanent fixture in the waiting room. (Although, this ended-up being very conducive for my efforts to getting the logistics squared-away for a Caregiver Support Group specific to Strokes and Head-Injuries to be formed, so no time wasted.)
Wayne and I got home and had one beer each on our front step and just beamed with gratitude for the busting through of the "roadblock" of his speech--apraxia, the elation regarding the words that he has regained, the comfort in the hope we gained and the assurance of knowing that with enough time and effort he could speak again to some extent, and the exhaustion of having to be somewhere everyday (very taxing for Wayne at this point).

Cheers Wayne, (and since he can't type, I'll say it for him...) Cheers Julie! That was tough, amazing, and so incredibly worth it! Well done!

Bittersweet: Wayne's Clinical Trial is coming to an end

Although I would gladly fight for the clinical trial Wayne is involved in to be extended since he's making such amazing progress, the fact that this week is our last week of daily treatment (2 hours/day) is exciting to me.
[Note: I actually already have fought for it to be extended twice--it was originally only supposed to be 4 weeks of daily therapy and we got it extended twice to be 6 weeks in duration!]

Wayne is so exhausted everyday after the two hours of intensive therapy that he doesn't really do anything else during the week. He comes home from therapy and naps anywhere from 2 to 5 hours; the therapy is very taxing on him, and like a newborn, he must sleep to "fix" the new information into his brain.

He usually is very helpful around the house: he sweeps and vacuums when the floor is "too far gone"; he completely maintains the kithcen (by emptying and loading the dishwasher as needed, washes dishes, wipes down the counters, etc.); he helps put away the groceries; he does his own laundry, folds it, and puts it away.
However, since he's been in therapy, he has been too tired to do anything around the house; I have been totally okay with picking-up-the-slack since he is thoroughly enjoying therapy, gaining confidence in himself again, and progressing verbally due to it... but let's be honest... it'll be nice to have some help around the house again.

We are so grateful that he's progressed as much physically and cognitively since the stroke as he has--the fact that he can do all these duties around the house is incredible!! But, there's a lot more to life than the dishwasher, clean counters, and his individual laundry... so for him to have "mental space" again next week to do these tasks again for our family will be very beneficial to my well-being and the relationships within our household.

Speech!

Wayne has been involved in a Clinical Trial for speech at the UW for 5 weeks and it SEEMS TO BE WORKING! He said Morgan's name for the first time last Thursday! He said his full name, "Wayne Bacon" on Friday.

So thankful for the therapists and this clinical trial!!

Hello! Welcome! A new place for our blog

I am going to attempt to continue our blog on this website regarding our journey, Wayne's recovery, and life after a stroke in a young family.

Look forward to continued visitors and support by you all.

Sincerely,
Julie