I can hardly believe Isaiah will be 5 this year! It goes so fast. He has grown a lot in the past few months and is now over 35 pounds and 38 inches tall. The downside to a fast growth spurt is that Isaiah's muscles were not able to keep up with his bone growth. All of his muscles are now shorter then they should be, and Isaiah is very tight and stiff these days. He out grew braces and no longer tolerates them well, and his physical therapist, Julie, is recommending a serious round of botox and close following with an Orthopedic Surgeon. So the following 6 weeks are busier then normal with appointments. The goal is to get Isaiah a better seat for his wheelchair, get new braces and do some botox to loosen him up.
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Isaiah will be starting preschool in September, although I do not have details yet, I do know he will be at the Montrose Elemantry, just a mile away from home. Also starting in the fall will be a series of modifications for our home and van. We will put a ramp on the house, as well as install a stair lift. We also hope to purchase a new van. The state will be giving us a grant to put a ramp on it and install a system that will enable Isaiah to stay in his chair while riding in the van. Isaiah will also be getting his first adapted potty chair and a therapy bench to help with those stiff muscles.
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In August, we will be spending some time at Gillette in St. Paul while Isaiah is fitted for a new seat for his wheelchair. It is three days of appointments while they take a mold of Isaiah's body and sculpt a seat to fit his precise needs. The same seat can then be used for his power wheelchair. Isaiah will be doing a trial at the power mobility clinic at Gillette on August 27th. After that appointment, we will hopefully be ordering Isaiah's first power wheelchair! And by the time we could hopefully receive it, our van and home would be equipped to handle it. It sounds too good to be true...so we will see how it goes!
Last of all, Isaiah will be learning to use several communication devices during his speech therapy at Gillette. Dana (speech therapy) and Marno (occupational therapy) will be working with Isaiah weekly, teaching him how to use computers to communicate with the people around him.
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So, I ask for prayer that all these things would run smoothly together, and that Isaiah would show leaps and bounds of improvement in all of these areas. Please pray, also, that the insurance company would give us favor, and that all the needed approvals and grants would go through in a timely manner.
Love you all!
Thank you,
Tabitha
