During therapy Wren held bacon in front of Garren's nose. He could obviously smell it. He started salivating, and his lips moved just a little. She wanted to see him swallow. He is getting very close. We've actually seen him swallow a couple of times, but when he can do it consistently that will be a big step.
We continued working with the eyes. Yes is up and no is down. Nancy made a couple of cards with NFL team logos on them. One has the Steelers, the other has the Panthers. During therapy Tara had me hold one up and one down. I asked Garren which team was better. He looked down at the Steelers logo. I asked him which was the worst, and he looked at the Panthers.
Then I took the Yes and No cards and held Yes up high, and No down low. We asked him a series of questions.
"Is You name Garren?" He looked up.
"Is Kara your sister?" He looked up.
"Is Kelsey your sister?" He looked up.
"Is Katherine your sister?" He looked down.
Awesome. Garren understands and is able to answer simple yes/no questions. This tires him out quickly so we had to give him a rest. After a short break we asked some more questions.
"Do you like bacon?" He looked up.
"Do you like bacon cheesburgers?" He looked up.
I turned to ask Nancy what food he doesn't like. She said green beans. I didn't even have to ask, as soon as Nancy said "green beans"
Garren looked down without even hesitating.
That was pretty awesome!
26 comments:
This is so exciting...I can read the joy in your messages....do be encouraged....I think I would have a bag case of excited giggles at this point...we will continue and continue and continue to pray for Garren and all of you...God is so in control...and for that, we are very thankful...love, Sandy & Russ
God is awesome and faithful. Love you guys. Steve
Awesome ~ So very awesome! Hearing this good news has made my day... We continue to pray for more progress and more good news.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful :) I love to read of Garren's progress and also hear stories of God's sense of humor. Green beans will forever make me laugh now !!
Pam Hamrick
a look can be better than a thousand words and Garren spoke volumes. He sees, he hears and he understands and responds.
love you guys
Carol Taylor xx
WOW!!! This is extremely exciting!!! We are so happy your prayers are being answered in this way! We will keep praying. You guys are such an inspiration to others around the world! God is certainly using your family in a mighty way. Love you all, the Austins
You cracked us up with his response to which is the worst football team, we can imagine you two disagreeing with each other for hours on this subject. Awesome news. Go Garren!!
Brian, Lisa & Gage
Best news! Thank you for brightening our day!
AWW This is so awesome! I am so happy for all of you! Just another great step to full recovery. God is so good!
Sandy
So excited to hear about Garren's progress! We continue to pray for Garren and the whole family.
Leslie, John, Jessica and Brandon Payne
Woo-hoo!! Way to go Garren and God!! (and all the Janes'!) Woo-hoo! Bravo! Yippee! We're excited with you!
Oh wow!! I'm thrilled!! More, Lord!!
so very cool!!!! we love these stories and hearing how Garren is doing!
You all have been such a blessing to so many ~ in so many ways! I know for the Wingate's...we have a renewed appreciation for each day!! For so many things that we take for granted! And your faith encourages us with each new blog!
Way to go Garren!!!
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How exciting that must have been! I'll bet that you have made many of us "rethink" the concept of communication with our teenagers. Thank you for sharing your journey. Continued prayers.........
The McMahans
Wow! How exciting to see the encouraging signs day to day! Took Tia to audition at CATA Saturday...long morning, but I was wearing my Garren's Gang bracelet, and got to share how we heard about CATA, then got to share about your family's powerful testimony at this time. We are praying often each day, and look forward to all news.
Dawn Randolph
I love hearing this news! He does understand and can communicate! Wonderful news Lord. Thank You!
Donna Lochridge
Hope comes in strange ways...bacon, Steelers vs. Panthers and green beans! God takes the foolish things of this world....You are all being lifted up in constant prayer!"For the eyes of the Lord look throughout the whole earth to strengthen the hearts of those who are truly His."
That is so amazing!! We all giggled at
his green beans' answer. This post made our day!
Prayers going up continuously in our home for Garren!!
"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength." Psalm 65:5-6
We feel so blessed to be on this journey with Garren and your entire family...every day, it's so evident that God's hands are on Garren and giving him strength...and giving each of you strength. Thanks for continuing to share, and as you do, we'll continue to pray. Go Garren!!! In for the long haul, The Sisk Family
So glad to hear of the continuing progress! I had a dream about Garren the other day. We've been with Southbrook for a long time and I know your fammily well, but am not sure if Garren would know who I am? Well, in my dream, we went to visit him in the hospital. Garren could walk and move around, but couldn't talk. The cool thing about it was that when he saw me he got a big smile on his face and came over and gave me a big hug. He was thrilled to see me. Again, interesting because I've never had much personal interaction with him. But it was a neat and interesting dream. Will continue praying for full recovery. -Dory Allen
Praise the Lord. We continue to pray daily for Garren's progress and strength, endurance, patience and encouragement for you. Being able to communicate with Garren is HUGE...Thanks so much for your continuous updates which targets our specific prayers and praises. Have a great day of therapy.
Love, Lance and Jennifer Lassiter
That is just so cool. I really enjoy reading about Garren's progresses. The kids really enjoyed this post. They laughed about the green beans, especially Brayden. Because he actually loves green beans. I think so much about Garren. Lately I have been thinking a lot about what this must be like for him. I know this is difficult for you and Nancy and I pray for your both daily. But, I can't help my feelings for Garren. I often wonder what this is like for him, how frustrated and helpless he must feel. I pray frequently for him. Thinking of him has really made me appreciate the simple things in life. Tabor read a book to me last night, "God Gave Us Christmas." It is a sweet book about a polar bear cub. Her mother takes her on a little journey across Alaska showing her God in everything around her. I was thinking of Garren during this story. Do you remember the wonder in your child's eyes when they notice their fingers, feet or the grass for the first time? Maybe this is what Garren is experiencing now. Amazement in taking small steps and being able to do something new each day, no matter how small. That is where I see God. How amazing He is in all His creations. It is seeing God's glory in the little things each day.
WOW!!! That is so awesome. That totally made my morning today. I know you amd Nancy both had to have HUGE smiles on your faces as this was taking place. God is Good!
Go Garren!!!
Love,
The Tripps
Hey guys,
Thank you so much for your updates. We look your Blog first thing in the morning through out the day and right before we go to bed. It is AWESOME to see Garren's process! Please let him know that we are all so proud of him! We continue to lift you all up daily in our prayers.
Blessings, Tammy and Scott Chastain
I never thought that bacon could be used as a form of therapy. :) That is really awesome that he is responding to your questions through the cards! Still praying that he will continue to heal and that you guys will stay strong!
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