Hi everyone. I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying this crazy fall weather! The reason I have the pleasure of sending this e-mail is our little Isaiah Jeffery. Although he is not so little anymore! He celebrated his fourth birthday last weekend and enjoyed MANY blessings in the form of toys and new clothes. A big thanks to you all who sent cards and made Isaiah’s birthday a wonderful one. Because I am asking you to forward this to anyone and everyone who prays, forgive me for going into more detail about Isaiah’s disabilities for those who do not personally know him.
Isaiah was born with a brain injury known as Cerebral Palsy. His CP affects the way he is able to control his muscles. As a result, he cannot sit unassisted, crawl, walk or talk and he is wheelchair bound. His left side is affected much worse then his right (similar to a stroke victim). And his legs are affected more then his arms. He is considered to have a severe form of Cerebral Palsy. Please feel free to google the term if you would like more detailed medical background. The type he has been diagnosed with is called spastic quadriplegia. Spastic refers to tight muscles and quad refers to all four limbs. I would like to stress how smart Isaiah is, and we are so blessed to report that there is no evidence of any learning disabilities. We are so grateful that he is able to easily respond to us with facial expression and answer yes and no questions, as well as point and gesture toward toys he wants. He knows all of his colors, shapes and the alphabet, as well as how to spell his name. Isaiah is learning how to drive a power chair and use a computer for communication (although mommy and daddy still hold out tons of hope that he will talk someday!)
So the reason I am sending out this e-mail is for a very specific type of therapy Isaiah will be starting tomorrow. It is known as Constraint Therapy. Currently, Isaiah has almost normal functional use of his right hand and arm. He can brush his teeth, play with toys and do some self-feeding. However, his left arm (“lefty” as we call it) is never used. His arm stays bent at the elbow and his hand stays in a fist. Lefty is slowly loosing ground and not growing as well as Righty. He will not use his left hand voluntarily because Righty does things so much better. So tomorrow morning I will be taking Isaiah to Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul and he will be receiving Botox injections in his left arm and hand. The Botox blocks the signals from the brain telling his muscles to stay TIGHT and allows Isaiah to gain some control over the usually spastic muscles. This is a temporary drug that lasts about six weeks. After that we will be heading over to Gillette West in Minnetonka so Isaiah can get his RIGHT arm put in a cast from mid bicep to finger tip. The point of constraint therapy is to cast the “good” limb and force them to use the “bad” limb. The combination of Botox and casting Righty, as well as occupational therapy twice a week and vigorous Mommy and Grandma Kelly therapy at home will hopefully jump start Isaiah’s arm and brain. The cast will be on for thirty days.
A lot of people react with “He is going to be so mad!” Yes, he will be mad. Very mad, and very frustrated to have so many abilities taken away when he doesn’t have much to work with as it is. I have been researching this particular therapy for almost two years and the outcome is remarkable. It is commonly used in stroke victims, and they see amazing results in adults. Most recently, a study has been released showing that just two hours of therapy per day with young children suffering from brain injuries make monumental leaps after just 30 days of constraint therapy. This is ground breaking because it was thought that 8 hours a day for six weeks was needed to get the same results.
So, we are asking you to pray for Lefty. Pray that he will be able to pickup Hot Wheels cars and use two hands to drink from a cup. Pray that unused and deeply damaged parts of his brain miraculously heal and wake up! Pray for his spirit, that he would overcome frustration, anger and confusion in the first few days. Pray that he would have the ability to wave hi and give Daddy high fives. Pray hard for our Little I, because he will be working so hard to overcome his physical body that works against him. Pray for his Mommy who will have difficult days. Pray for his Daddy who is always Isaiah’s great encourager. Pray for extra patience in Jeremiah, as he will have to wait for Mommy a little more. Pray for his Occupational Therapist, Marno, who will be working closely with Isaiah over the next month. I have so much joy is my heart knowing that we are blessed to have many people around us who will lift Isaiah up. With God working for Isaiah, what can stand against him?
I will be placing this letter on our blog and attempting to update everyone via the blog and through e-mail every Sunday. Please, add us to your church prayer lists and send this out to your bible study buddies, work friends and family as you feel lead. Blessings on you all, and thank you!
Mmmm...we'll save that one for Daddy!
Isaiah, what are you doing?
Daddy had been working hard with everyone all day loading trucks for the big move. Closing is on Friday and they are getting close to being done-especially after another whole day today spent cleaning, packing and moving. Grandma Betty fed the whole crew dinner at her house. 
We left with full bellys and tired boys.
