Five weeks of new reality training at Brooks inpatient rehab have gone by and, whether we like it or not, Ari’s discharge date has been set to this coming Wednesday, November 27th, just in time for Thanksgiving. The plan is to go home to Gainesville for a couple of days and then back again to Jacksonville where he will begin Brooks’ intensive outpatient Spinal Cord Injury Day Treatment Program.  

Ari has been making tremendous progress at rehab working with some genuine superstar physical and occupational therapists. Over the last two weeks, he has practiced and improved transfer skills of various kinds, including floor-to-mat and floor-to-chair which, knowing Ari, he will need to master because, you know, there are limits on his future wheels that will need some stretching. 

Most exciting of all was Ari’s progress on chair-to-car transfers. Getting outside, even if it’s just to the parking lot, feels great, but getting back in a car, that’s something special. After working diligently with PT using a board and a good deal of assistance, by Saturday night on the 16th Ari was able to score a pass from the doctor and go on his first car ride with family. We got help from one of the physical therapists getting in the car, and once he was in the passenger seat, an incredible feeling washed over us. Ari turned to me and said, “it’s just like it was before.” Normal has never been so thrilling as those first moments in the car. 

Ari wasn’t yet comfortable getting out of the car at the restaurant so we ordered take out Pho and drove back to the hospital. He was able to get out with a minor assist. Getting out is definitely easier than getting in, especially with SUVs or minivans. Over the past week, Ari has been able to take multiple rides with his parents and has gotten comfortable enough to get in and out away from the hospital grounds. This past Wednesday, Ari and Mom got to take in the heat from the pillar of fire on the hibachi table in his first dining-in experience with family since this all began. 

Ari also had a couple of outings with Brooks staff as part of their community reintegration program, including to the YMCA to watch the Brooks basketball team play and a lunch trip to Blaze pizza with other patients. Ari has met some new friends and has gotten more time shooting hoops in the Brooks courtyard. He continues to improve in the functional strength and mobility that benefit his performance of activities of daily living and remains motivated to get it all down. His mindset through all this is remarkable. You do not hear a complaint from him aside from when his Dad tries to take one too many pictures. You would marvel at how long a certain medical device joke can go and still be funny.

It’s amazing to see the difference between October 20th when he arrived here at Brooks and today. And yet, none of us feel truly ready for discharge, including Ari. While it’s clear that he could benefit from more inpatient care time, it’s not up to us. We are little by little figuring out what equipment and modifications we need at our homes, up to and including new homes altogether. Between the folks at Brooks, the friends – new and old – and the organizations that are coming alongside us, we will begin to get a handle on it. 

A silver lining with this discharge date aside from coming home for Thanksgiving is that a timely spot has opened up at the day treatment program, and he will be starting there on December 2nd. That was not assured to us immediately post-discharge, so we are extremely thankful. The outpatient day program will provide Ari with five hours a day and five days a week of intensive PT and OT therapy. This is actually more than most days inpatient, so that’s a plus. There will be one-on-one therapy as well as small group fitness sessions, community outings, counseling services, and, if all goes well, driving evaluation and training. Ari is definitely looking forward to that last part. He will be staying at nearby Helen’s House for the duration of the program, which is estimated to be anywhere from six to ten weeks. 

We will keep you posted as we go out with the inpatient and in with the outpatient. Thank you to each and every one of you. The support from our amazing community continues to astound us and lift us up. It would undoubtedly be a much different – and much lonelier – journey without it. So thank you.