Over the weekend, following one last go at the Neuro Recovery Center rehab gym and one last dip in the therapy pool, Ari and family moved out of Helen’s House at Brooks after four momentous months (five months and ten days if you count the family’s stays there during inpatient). It feels like the end of an era. We saw several waves of patient and family fellow travelers come and go during our stay, so we can say with some confidence that we’ve earned our rehab wings. From the first day to the last, there have been mentors, counselors, and companions, and just the right amount of too-many-cooks in the shared Helen’s House kitchen willing and happy to feed our boy (thanks for the last chicken pot pie meal, Michelle from Gainesville). 

Since the beginning of this ordeal, no goal has loomed larger in Ari’s mind than returning to school this year. We’ve been back and forth between the options of staying at Brooks and finishing the school year with the hospital homebound program in Duval County on the one hand, and transferring back to Ari’s high school in Gainesville for the last quarter – with more uncertain therapy options – on the other. We decided to go for it. This morning, just before the third period bell, Ari will be heading to Buchholz High to pick up where he left off. It’s hard to write this without welling up with tears. Instead of picking exercises for the day, we’re picking outfits. Suffice to say we are all a bit nervous but Ari is raring and ready to go. More later.

With love,

Ari’s family