A lot happened today.
I stopped at Courage Center around 3:00PM. I found Matt at the opposite end of a long hall, coming along toward me using a walker. He had Mike, his physical therapist, at his side. Brooke was wheeling his chair behind him in case he needed to sit suddenly. When he saw me, he stood a little straighter and continued on toward me, walking pretty well. He's had trouble with his right foot dragging a little and sometimes getting tangled with his left, but today, he was making steady, deliberate progress, without any of that. It isn't easy, but he's doing it well.
I walked along with them while Matt made a complete circuit of a large ground floor.
Back at the home base, his PT let him rest in his chair a couple minutes, then wheeled him to the foot of a stairway. He asked Matt to get up, gave him a little assistance in doing it, then walked with him (no walker or chair) to the door and they began to climb the stairs. Brooke had taken his chair up the elevator, so it was just Matt, with his PT guarding him and helping a little with the legs, and me following behind with the walker. Matt made it to the top, mostly on his own.
At the top of the stair, Mike asked me to help, and the two of us took Matt's arms on either side and walked to the exercise room, where Matt spent the next 30 minutes doing whatever Mike asked. Some of it is very difficult for Matt to do, but he does it.
Then Matt took another walk with Mike on one side and Brooke on the other.
More pictures:
http://pix01.com/N61%407g5I
