{Karlton Bontrager}

When I arrived at ISIS, the PTs were getting ready to take Karlton to the gym. He walked all the way there by himself, that is, not holding onto anyone’s hand. A PT walked close to him in case he lost his balance but Karlton did all the walking by himself! Yeah!

Karlton sat on a raised mat and stay balanced while a PT raised his legs and pushed him. He said this was to build his abdominal muscles but Karlton later told me that the PTs don’t know how strong his abs are. Then he sat on a Swiss ball, maintaining balance with his left leg while he had to put his right foot up and down on a platform. It was a little difficult to keep his left knee still but with perseverence and a lot of patience, he was able to do the required amount.

Next, the PT showed how she wanted him to climb some steps. First, he placed his right foot on a step and then brought his left foot on the same step, and so on. Coming down, he had to put his left foot down first, make sure the knee was straight so he could put his weight on it before he could place his right foot down. He was able to do this easily so the PT told him to place one foot only on each step. With a little more effort, he was able to climb up and down the steps. Another accomplishment!!

Late in the afternoon, a very good friend from Queenstown showed up! Karlton did not expect her until Saturday so he was quite surprised and pleased. They had quite a chat and we decided to take him out the following day.