{Karlton Bontrager}

Wednesday, September 4th was Karlton’s 23rd birthday. He was looking forward to going out to lunch in the center of town with his friends, but first, he had to complete his physio work out before being released from the center.

The PTs spread out plastic cones with a ball on top of each one and had them placed about four feet apart. They also placed obstacles between the cones. Karlton had to walk between two cones and at the same time could not step on the obstacles. Once his left foot kicked a cone and the ball fell down. He had to stop, bend and pick it up. It wasn’t quite that easy. While he bent his left knee on the floor, his left knee gave and he ended in a funny posture causing a lot of pain to his left thighs. The PTs helped him to get on the floor and he picked up the ball but he now had to figure out how to get up by himself. It took some doing – the PT telling him what position to get into – but eventually he was able to pull himself up. He then had to step onto a three inch high foam cushion and still maintain his balance as he finished walking between the cones. He walked about 36 feet of this obstacle course.

Afterwards, he had to sit on a Swiss ball and stay balanced. He had a little difficulty maintaining his left knee in position but after a while he sat for a wee bit by himself!

At noon Karlton, Vailoa (one of the nurses), and I got into a car and followed his friends Sam and Nina to “Minami,” a Japanese restaurant on lower Stuart Street, just off the Octagon. There we met six more friends and celebrated Karlton’s birthday. The food was good and reasonably priced and we had a good time. Nina had baked a fantastic apple/nut/chocolate cake and had placed 23 thin sparkler candles on it. Karlton had trouble blowing out three candles that kept lighting up as soon as he would blow them out, but soon he had them out.

Since it was a very warm day (for Dunedin) we decided to go for a drive down to the beach. I was following Aidan, but as soon as I got past the Octagon, there were too many cars between us and I lost him so I turned around and went back to ISIS. Karlton, Vailoa, and Aidan did eventually come back and said they had a great time!

All in all, it was good for Karlton to have been able to leave the hospital grounds and celebrate! In the evening he received many phones calls, opened presents, and was quite content.

Thanks everyone!!

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Karlton’s physio session was quite intersting today. The PTs told him to get into a kneeling position as he sat on a mat about the height of a chair. Ever so slowly and with much complaint about his quads hurting etc. he eventually got both knees in the right angle and the right place. He then had to move forward on his knees for about six feet trying to maintain his balance and not putting all the weight on his right side.

Next, he was asked to get down on all fours – hands and knees. He had a bit of trouble keeping his left elbow straight and had to be reminded constantly but he was able to maintain that position for quite a while, putting his weight equally on both hands. After he was able to maintain his balance, the PTs brought out a raised platform of about five inches. He had to put his weight on his left hand and stay balanced as he raised his right hand to put it on the platform, still in the hands and knees position. The PTs had him lower his right hand to the floor, then up on the platform several times and Karlton was able to do that. After that he had to get himself into a sitting position on the raised mat and then stand up. He even walked all the way back to his room after the session. Karlton is certainly getting stronger everyday.

After lunch Karlton walked with me to the computer room to check his e-mails. I can’t believe how much he is able to walk – he even walked with an aide to the rec room and back much later in the afternoon.

Even though Karlton seems to be functioning well most of the time, there are times when he just can’t remember or recall certain things. And today a funny thing happened. He was talking to his Dad on the phone in the rec room. After a while I went to ask if he was comfortable when he said he didn’t know why he couldn’t hear anything on the phone. Apparently he had put down the phone to do something and was holding it upside down. When I pointed that out to him, he just burst out laughing!!

Life goes on here at ISIS …and every day a little improvement. Karlton has a good attitude about the whole thing and he says he is ready to keep working. He enjoys hearing from his friends and appreciates all the e-mails and good wishes that are sent his way. Thank you all!

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An “anti ISIS dining room” Karlton is slowly emerging out of his cocoon and letting himself be seen there from time to time. And that’s where I found him Sunday morning when I arrived. Soon Robert and Vailoa had him walking down the halls into the recreation room and back to the room – perhaps two-tenths of a mile. Karlton’s walking is improving everyday, and as long as it’s not with Mom alone, he doesn’t mind walking several times during the day.

Karlton has taken up texting on his mobile phone. He seems to enjoy sending and receiving messages. In fact, when he is doing that, he has yet to complain of any pain in his eye. Is it mind over matter … pleasure covering pain … whatever it is, it keeps him from boredom and the occasional complaining.

Late afternoon, a nurse decided to take whoever was interested to the movies. Karlton said he would go depending on what show they were going to go. It was decided the group would go watch “About A Boy” starring Hugh Grant – and at first Karlton said he wasn’t going, but after some persuasion, he changed his mind. I think it was a great learning experience for him because he realized that sitting still in a fairly comfortable chair at the movie theater for two hours was much too long and much too painful for him. We helped him stand up for a while, put sheepskin cushion on the chair for him, and I even massaged him a bit, but it was still not comfortable. Now he knows that it will be a wee bit yet before he can go watch rugby games with his mates and we won’t have to be the ones to try to discourage him from going.

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Karlton was with me last night (Saturday) as I was writing the update for Friday. When I turned around to see what he was up to, he had nodded off to sleep in his wheelchair, so I quit before I had time to send out the special thank yous to: Becci, Gil & Win, Helen, I.J., Morris, Lee, and Ted and Novina. Thank you everyone for your e-mails, cards, words of encouragement, prayers and positive thoughts. Karlton is certainly reaping the results of your love and good energies.

Karlton received a lovely massage late Friday afternoon. Although he said he still had some back pain during the night, the massage did wonders for him. When I arrived at ISIS on Saturday, I was told Karlton slept in until 9:30 a.m.!! The nurse said that since it was Saturday, there was no reason to wake him up and let him sleep in. His body must have been very relaxed and went into a healing mode.

It took Karlton a very long time to come out of the shower Saturday morning. When I asked him if everything was all right, he said that he washed, shampooed, and dried himself all on his own, and that’s why it took so long. He said he can’t dress himself completely on his own yet, but I was happy to hear that he is slowly but surely learning to take care of himself.

Saturday morning was a bit brisk but sunny, so Vailoa, a nurse’s aid, helped Karlton walk from his room, out the front door and down the parking lot to the side door! Then she pushed him in his wheelchair around the ISIS grounds. When we got back to the front door, he said he would walk again, so with help, he walked down the corridor to the dining room where he had his lunch with some of the other patients. Karlton doesn’t like to eat there because he can’t always tolerate the noise level, but yesterday he was able to stay and finish his lunch.

I had Karlton weighed yesterday afternoon. He had gone down to 64 kg when we got back to ISIS about two weeks ago, but yesterday he weighed 67.5 kg. Yeah!! All the food he gobbles down is doing some good finally!

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