{Karlton Bontrager}

Friday was another eventful day for Karlton. I stopped by the Otago Museum in the morning. When I arrived at ISIS just before noon, both Holly and Pixie (from Queenstown) were visiting. It was a sunny day, so they sat outside (Karlton wearing his lovely striped sunglasses, of course) chatting. During this time, Karlton’s room was being cleaned. All of his belongings were removed, his linens were changed, and the curtains were taken down.

By the time they left, it was lunchtime. Karlton ate his fish and chips, leaving fries all over the floor. It wasn’t such a difficult thing to do; they were piled high all across his plate. When I pointed out his mess to him, he was amused, having been quite oblivious to it until then.

In the afternoon, Karlton’s friends Aidan and Becci stopped by. During this time, Dad and later Jennifer and Alec called, and Karlton had a tough time deciding how to keep everyone entertained.

Once his guests left, Karlton wanted to take his snowboard in to be looked at. Despite his inability to properly walk at this time, he’s determined to be back on the slopes in the US around December or January. We’ll have to see if he still feels so confident closer to that time. Unfortunately for Karlton, he was told that his board was damaged beyond repair. If he were to take it out again, it would likely break in two. Though disappointed by this news, he was eager to look at new boards right away.

Mom and I have both noticed that Karlton sometimes becomes confused but often tries to hide it. After leaving the sports shop, Karlton told me that he was hungry, so I proposed getting some food at a place across the street. Despite his acting confident about the location of the cafe, I was very surprised to see that he became confused, despite its large sign, as he approached it. I hope that this is something that will improve with time and effort.

By the time we returned to ISIS, it was past dinner time. Despite having just eaten, Karlton was still eager to have his dinner (not too much of surprise). I noticed that the curtains in his room had not been replaced (earlier, one of the nurses’ aides had suggested he do a strip tease in the window that night). A nurse informed me that there were no clean curtains and that sheets would have to be put up in their place.

In the meantime, Karlton made plans to attend a party organized by Sam. It was outside on a hill overlooking Dunedin. Karlton got bundled up, and we headed out, picking up Nina and two of her friends on the way. It was a really neat set-up, with a DJ, lights, porta-potties, etc. Karlton had a good time chatting with various people, but he did become tired around 11. It was still early, as far as going out on a Friday night goes, so there weren’t a whole lot of people there when we left. But Karlton was able to hang out with some of his friends nonetheless.

When we returned the hospital, Karlton announced that he was ready to eat again. After having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, he wanted to check his email. I tried to discourage him, telling him that he needed to rest, but he didn’t listen. I wasn’t keen on waiting around for him so headed back to the motel. I hope he was able to sleep in the following morning!

Thanks to all of you who continue to visit and send cards, emails, and positive thoughts. A special thanks to the following: Josie, Robert, Lee, Vailoa, and the Little Sisters of the Poor.