Chile - Day 6

What a great day!!!

Today we decided to skip the mid-day pool session as Abby seemed so worn out yesterday and swimming can take a lot out of her. It worked and she had lots of energy for both sessions today.

She completed a number of new excercises that involved a lot of free standing then steps and independent walking. She was able to successfully step down and UP a ramp all by herself. As you can imagine, the way up was very difficult to find the right mix of strength and balance. Ramon told us that in the exercises where he uses light touch to support her, he is doing 30% of the work and she is doing 70% and she is initiating all steps and movement. This is a big change from last year!!

We can be confident that the therapy is working and Abby will continue to progress to the point of independent walking one day:) !!!

Thank-you again to everyone who came together and supported us on this journey. The emotional and financial support is unbelieveable and this would not be possible without it:) We are heading home tomorrow after a double am session and are looking forward to coming back next December and March.

Again, gracias:)

3rd Annual Walking Tall for Abigale Fundraiser is Sat, June 9th! Casino Night!!

"Every journey starts with a single step"

March - Day 4 & 5

Working away twice a day. It should be our theme song:)

We follow the same consistent routine each day.
7:30 Wake-up
8:45 Therapy #1
10:00 Breakfast in the room (yummy!)
11:30 Swimming
1:30 Lunch in the the room
3:45 Therapy #2
5:00 Walk to the mall for dinner

The kids have come to expect it each day:)

Today was a working day. Super hot - 37 degrees - and it felt like Abby was feeling the heat! She was more tired than usual today and it showed. We tried a lot of new exercises. Some worked very well and others she wasn't ready for yet. It is great to see how Ramon continues to push her to the next level and not just settle for what she is good at. Many steps over obstacles and attempts at free standing on discs. She also got to stay an extra half an hour after this morning session for the students to try some exercises with her. We did learn a new exercise to try standing from just knees and no hands on the floor. Many new exercises - some even created just today!!!

Looking forward to another great day tomorrow. May avoid the afternoon pool session to help keep her energy up. She is still very positive and is working her little piedros off:)

Chile - March 2012 - Day 3

We are back!!! The whole gang arrived in Santiago on Saturday after a great flight that flew by .... pun intended..ha ha.

We settled into the Boulevard Suites which is the hotel where Abby and I stayed in December. It is attached to the Marriot where Ramon works and is therefore very convenient for therapy. We also have access to the pool which is very convenient for our sanity!! We spent the weekend doing some grocery shopping and relaxing by the pool. The weather is still very hot for what should be the start of their fall. The students have just gone back to school after their 'summer vacation'.

Today was our first day of therapy and again we had 2 sessions at 8:45 and 3:45. What an amazing start to the week!! She started off with the last exercise we ended with on December 23rd. She was awesome!! 7 independent steps walking off a ramp and then sliding up a ramp on pipes.

This afternoon was even better as Abby stood independently in boxes 15 and then, on her own, stepped out and walk a few controlled steps to Mike. What a sight!!! Then Abby was able to stand independently on a narrow balance bar for a count of 148. Last year she could only make it to 3!!! Then she easily stepped down, on her own, and walked about 7-8 controlled steps to Mike.

The progress is unbelieveable!!! Maturity and a lot of CME seems to be the recipe for success!!

Back to therapy tomorrow. Looking forward to a great week!!!

Off to Chile!!

Looking forward to another amazing trip to Santiago!! We will keep you posted with our journey!!
Again and always, thank-you for making everything possible!
Mike, Shannon, Abby & Jack McCauley