{Karlton Bontrager}

Thursday was homecoming day. Yes, Karlton did get to go back to ISIS, the rehabilitation center. Ever so many people came round to welcome him back. More encouraging for his parents were their comments about his appearance. He lost a lot of ground in his 10 days back at the hospital, but the ISIS staff’s comments confirm our impression that he is now stronger than ever.

Karlton continues to have a voracious appetite. Given the past snafus with the kitchen, I was afraid that a noontime arrival at ISIS would mean having to scrounge for something to eat. Moreover, two patients would be traveling in the ambulance, making it unlikely that I would be able to hitch a ride. So about 11:00a I headed downtown to get something for him to eat. This time his request was from a Japanese restaurant, not McDonald’s. I missed one bus, and by the time I got to ISIS at 1:15, he had stuffed himself on other things. He ate some nigiri, the lunch I had bought for Choy-Lang, but only a wee bit of the teriyaki salmon he’d requested.

Karlton is off all IV fluids now except for his dosage of antibiotics. Getting enough fluids into him has become a problem. He continues to shun water, formerly his favorite drink. He is so afraid of increasing head pain from having to cough that he allows himself only small sips at a time, mostly of fruit juice or soy milk. He does not take nearly enough small sips to keep his body hydrated.

Many of you have reflected in your e-mails and cards about what a fighter Karlton is. To date, we’ve seen that more in his body’s response to the accident and recent infection than in his mental response to the challenges before him. In fact, he rather enjoys being pampered. When his meal tray arrives, he sits patiently, content to have us feed him. During his first stay in ISIS, he once made an inappropriate comment to a young, female nurse. She countered with, “Karlton, how would you act if I were your mother?” Immediately he grimaced with pain and called out, “Oh, my head hurts. My head hurts.”

Another time Choy-Lang and I were talking with someone in the hallway while he chatted with friends. One of his visitors approached me and relayed Karlton’s request, “His name is Terry. If you tell him that his son needs him, he’ll be here in a heartbeat.”

Thus, Karlton’s rehabilitation begins all over again. A PT told us last night that they would start working with him today, Friday. We think he’s ready. Yesterday he sat up in a chair both before and after the ambulance ride and during lunch. He was also in a sitting up position during the entire ambulance trip to ISIS. And his PTA score for the day was 12 out of 12. Yes, he is ready.