Today is the 56th day since Ben fell off of his longboard, and it is the best day so far. We found out that Ben will be escaping from the hospital on Friday!
It's a little early for him to get released, but the doctors feel that he is making great strides, and since his brother Spencer will be leaving to go on a mission in a week, Ben will be coming home for a few days.
Ben will get the staples removed from his head before he comes home, along with some of the stitches, and tomorrow he will get another barium swallow test, in hopes that he will be allowed to drink normal fluids again. (Due to his brain damage, Ben's cough reflex hasn't been working if fluid gets down his windpipe, and this can lead to pneumonia. So we have to make sure that his brain has healed enough for him to swallow properly.
Once Ben gets home to Saint George, he will begin rehab as an outpatient for several days a week. We'll need to rent a walker for him, and we won't be able to leave him alone for a week or two, so we'll make sure that someone sleeps in his room with him. Of course, he won't be allowed to ride a bike or try long-boarding, go swimming, or do any strenuous exercise..
We're very excited.
Since it is my birthday and my driver's license expired today, I spent a couple of hours doing that, and handling a lot of paperwork--paying bills, going to the bank, and so on. I was supposed to sign books at the Kolob Care and Rehabilitation Center, where they hosted a fundraiser for Ben, but I got the time wrong on my calendar. I arrived just as the party ended. Still they had a nice turnout, it seems, and the raffles and bake sale went well. So I returned home and did more paperwork.
This evening, Spencer and I went out for dinner at Keaders, where I discovered that I have a new favorite soup--the artichoke and mushroom, then caught the latest Star Trek movie, which was quite fun.
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