The weekend was GREAT. Rob had a day pass on Saturday and while it was a bit of a production to get him in and out of the house, he had a great time. Luckily, I have some strong men in my family whom did most of the heavy lifting. My family took care of the yard this weekend so Rob got to watch the trees fall from the comfort of the house. They did one hell of a job in a short period of time I must say! I think the tree excavators in the neighborhood got a little nervous that another crew was infringing upon their territory. Anyways, we finished the evening by celebrating my Nanny’s 80th birthday at a nearby restaurant. Rob was able to lift a glass of water by himself which was pretty cool. He was exhausted by the end of the night but I think overall the visit home has given him a lot of motivation. We probably won’t have another day pass until the ramp is built which hopefully should be in the next few weeks.
p.s.
I was hoping some of you could research the possibility of renting a handicapped accessible van which we could use the first few months he is home. I found it pretty difficult to get him in the car and struggled significantly with disassembling the wheelchair. Renting a van in the beginning might be the ticket if the price is right. We live in Sparta, NJ which is in Sussex County. Please email me at mandyheller@yahoo.com if you find anything. Thanks a bunch!

Hello all - before I forget, Rob’s birthday is Nov 2nd. Please post a message or if you have time send him a card at Kessler Institute, 1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ 07052 Room 119. Every time the mail lady comes around and there is nothing for him it is a pitiful sight. Rob has begun to be able to actively participate in a transfer from bed to chair and the reverse. His doctor says he is doing amazingly well and she does not give out praise very freely. He gets stronger each day and has qualified for a day pass which means he can come home for a few hours this weekend. Actually, Mandy had to qualify as far as car transfer and other care issues before the doctor would sign off on a day pass. She was successful and he will be home this Saturday to supervise the Hollock family yard crew. He has also connected with one of the aides (Juice) who is from Jamaica. While Rob was showering tonight with a little help from Mandy, Juice came in for a concert that Rob had promised. Rob proceeded to entertain the entire floor with his own brand of reggae. Apparently the acoustics in the shower room are very impressive. He also washed his own hair while singing, yet another first. Nothing new from the insurance company but Rob’s case manager at Kessler said she can’t imagine that the insurance company will create any problems this week given Rob’s progress. We will still keep our fingers crossed.