On Tuesday January 6th Karlton renewed his therapy at the Sargent Rehabilitation Center in Warwick, Rhode Island. He reports that he is relieved finally to be participating in therapy as an out-patient. We are all thankful for the degree to which he has improved, especially in as little time as it has taken.
At Sargent, Karlton began with a lengthy and comprehensive ten-day evaluation. He completed that on Wednesday last week, and we met with several of his therapists on Friday, January 24th to discuss the results and formulate a plan. The occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech/language pathologist, and vocational counselor all praised Karltons progress to date. They noted decreased processing speed and that he struggles with self-monitoring, often asking if he has all the pieces he needs.They also suggested goals that he should work toward with their assistance. These included safety concerns related to body awareness on the left side, protecting his joints by making his walking and static postures more natural, and learning to be more tolerant of the speech diversity of others (hearing non-standard English usage, as many of you know, compels him to correct it). Several therapists stated intentions to include photography and possibly even the potters wheel in their activities. The end result of the meeting was that Karlton was approved to attend Sargent in forty day increments, three days per week starting Tuesday, January 28th.
An accomplishment that weve noted at home but that was not mentioned at the meeting is his improved ability to climb stairs. Recently he began alternating feet as he climbs, using only one foot per stair step. In addition, he is gaining greater use of his left hand. In the kitchen one evening, he held four tomatoes in his right hand and used his left to turn the knob and open the door to go into another room. He can also move his index and middle fingers independently, though its a real effort for him to flip someone off using his left.
This weekend Karlton got together with some of his Boston friends, many of whom he hadnt seen in a long time, and others not since he graduated from college. The Super Bowl was their reason to get together (Karlton was disapointed the Patriots had failed to even make the playoffs). This marked the second time he has taken the train by himself from Providence to Boston. He is pleased to be back among friends, especially his closest friend Ethan, to whom Karlton attributes much of his interest in Rugby.
This site was originally created to chronicle my status beginning at the time of my snowboarding accident in New Zealand on July 5, 2002. Now, this is where I occasionally post things that are of interest to me. 
{Karlton Bontrager} 