Moving Her Left Hand
June 22, 2007//
Ashleigh gave me a great birthday present yesterday. When I got home from a job my wife said Ashleigh had a surprise for me and she was able to purposefully move the pointer finger on her left hand. This is really the first time she has been able to do that since her accident in 1999. This was the hand that she had to have tendon lengthening surgery on just so the hand was not drawn up.
My wife said she had actually done more movement earlier in the day. She was able to move her hand up on her chest and then move it back down to touch my wife’s hand. She was also able to move the fingers on command. She duplicated some of the movements today for her OT. It wasn’t huge movements but it is progress and we will be happy to take it.
I found your website and Ashleigh’s story while doing research for my Masters Thesis project, “Holistic Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors.” Ashleigh’s spirit, will and determination are truly inspiring.
I also wanted to share with you my own personal story in hope of it providing more faith for your family in Ashleigh’s future with a TBI. I am also a TBI survivor, which I received 10 years ago, at the age of 14. I woke up one morning with a headache, which eventually placed me in a coma for 5 days. I woke up with no short term memory and my family was told it was unlikely I’d ever graduate high school, let alone attend college. However, with determination and most importantly an amazing and supportive team of family, friends and professionals, I graduated college in 5 years and am now in grad school, pursuing a masters in Holistic Healthcare. It took a lot of hard work and overcoming many obstacles, but I believe strongly in one’s will to overcome. The brain is quite mysterious and surprising when it comes to it’s capabilities! Many medical professionals informed my parents that the 1st year after the injury is really when we heal and recover the most. However….with every year that passes I am noticing more of my old self returning and I surprise myself over and over again, with each passing year. So never underestimate one’s healing journey!
I wish you all the best and please pass on my best wishes to Ashleigh.
If you’d like to talk further, my email address: [email protected]
Best Regards,
Jen
My fiance and I were in a very serious truck accident July 1st 2007. He hit the left side of his head and has been at the hospital ever since. He has his eyes open now and is moving, involuntary of corse. He grunts when he’s annoyed too much but that’s all we can get out of him. He doesn’t do anything on command except look yuor way when we yell his name. Reading this blog has given his mother and I so much hope that he’ll get better. We just know it’s going to be a long hard road.
Hello!
I just found your blog. My husband sustained a TBI 18 months ago in December of 2006 when he has surgery to remove a benign tumor. He is now in a brain injury specific rehabiliation facility because I can not care for him at home alone – we have two young children – one with serious health issues of her own.
He can walk but still has weakness on his left side and can not use his left hand – can make a fist voluntarily but not open it. I’ve been getting discouraged that that function might be lost for good since it has now been 18 months – I was SO encouraged to hear that Ashleigh is gaining new movements in her hand so long after her accident.
Thanks for the encouragment!!!
Please email me if you want
[email protected]
So glad to come across this blog ,God bless her , my sister was hit by a car in June of this past year we are seven months out ,she had a craniotomy and a shunt placed in and has progressed so much,and she is in a rehab facility she has a gtube and is just now starting to mouth words and can nod for yes and no she had little movement of her right hand but she is a miracle and everyday is progress ,they are trying to discharge her from rehab place to a long term adult facility but she is 32 and needs time not a nursing home so I am praying a bed comes available for she only has medicaid and we need her close to home she responds so well to family and familiar faces I do not recieve the caseworkers term ” she is at her baseline ” because each week I see her do something new #francescasfrong # nevergiveup