Moving forward

We've been through two full days with Ian at the Children's Institute, and here's what's happened:

• He got a shower - first one in 9 weeks. His hair and his head look noticeably cleaner.
• He's wearing real clothes instead of a hospital gown - first time in 9 weeks.
• He was sitting in a chair for an hour; I'm not sure if that was a special hospital chair or just a regular wheelchair.
• He's been to speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy twice. He's scheduled for every day. He hasn't had that pace up to this point.
• The doctor at Children's talked with the orthopedic surgeon who originally operated on his knee, and they're planning further surgery that hopefully will allow him to bear his weight. Talks begin December 27. Ian's doctor told the surgeon, "he's waking up."

Just to be clear, Ian hasn't emerged from the coma. Medical people use various methods to describe the various stages a patient goes through in a coma, and Ian is at about a stage III on the Ranchos scale. He is still in a coma, but we're encouraged by his progress. Please continue to pray that he wakes up and recovers completely.

Steve