Just a quick update to wish everyone a Happy New Year...I hope the new year brings with it health and happiness and peace in everyone's lives.
Charbel continues to do amazingly well. His voice is coming back stronger every day and his ability to communicate with us is increasing rapidly. Charb speaks in full sentences much of the time, and is able to tell us when he is uncomfortable, itchy, hungry (which he seems to be often). He tells us what he wants to do (such as sit in his chair or go to bed) when asked. Best of all, when we walk in to his room in the morning he always has a smile and a "good morning" and "how are you?" I can't even explain how good it is to hear his voice again!
With his ability to talk, we are able to do more work with Charb in terms of understanding how much he remembers of the past, how much he still knows about the world around him, and how well he can see/recognize people and objects. Charb remembers a lot about the past, but as can be expected, he does show confusion about the time surrounding his accident and his life for the past 15 months (more about this and other memory issues in a later post).
We are certainly looking forward to a new year of recovery for Charbel and for our family, and we wish you all the best. Keep praying for Charbel to have the strength and courage to overcome the many obstacles that he faces.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
He Talks!
I bet you are all anxiously awaiting an update………sorry we’ve been too busy to write!
We had a very exciting Christmas with Charbel…and we witnessed a great development.
Let me start off by saying that Charbel stayed over for three nights in a row. He came home on the 24th and he stayed over that night as planned – and then the next two nights he didn’t want to go back to the hospital! We had a great time watching movies and hanging out together just like the old days.
Charb also had a lot of visitors, both friends and family, most of whom he easily recognized. He was especially happy to see his Aunt Laila who had spent many hours with him when he was back in Halifax at the QEII. On Christmas day we opened presents, and had a family lunch with our aunt and her kids as well as Father Aoukar who performed a special Christmas Mass for Charb and gave him the communion.
Now, on to the great news:
On Christmas Eve when mom was at the hospital preparing Charb to come home, she heard him call her by saying “mom”. When she came home she was excited to tell us the story and we all prayed that Charbel would talk for Christmas. The next day, I was sitting with Charb trying to get him to make noises, and realizing that his was very difficult for him, I asked him to simply mouth the words if he could. I asked him to mouth “mama” and “baba”, which to my surprise he did. The rest of that day he more mouth movements, and some sounds, but nothing that was recognizable speech. Then on Boxing Day we work up and went to see Charb who had been with mom and dad. We learned from them that Charbel had been saying words that morning: he said Habibi – the Arabic word for ‘my darling’. We asked him to say it again, and sure enough, in a low whisper we heard him say ‘habibi’
I’m not exactly sure how it progressed from there because we were too excited, but sure enough, we asked him to say some words and he did! Eventually we started asking him addition questions and he was whispering the answers. Then he counted to 10, and then to 20! Simply amazing. When we asked him “who is awesome” he responded with a big loud “ana” which means “me” in Arabic.
Later mom had the phone to call our grandfather in B.C. and she asked Charb what he would say to him, Charb responded “HI” loud and clear. Best of all, later that day mom asked Charb what he wanted to eat – he responded – “I want pudding!” His first sentence! Mom went screaming with excitement to dad who asked Charb again what he wanted to eat, and he replied – “Anything!”
Today Charbel was using his voice even more than yesterday. Today he recited the entire alphabet, counted by 2’s and 5’s, spelled his name (first and last), and named several objects that I put in his hand. He also told mom he wanted to eat a “sandwich” and when asked what kind, he said “meat” - good old Charb, some things never change!
We are very excited to be able to share this news with you…
Charb’s voice is still weak and shaky but he can use it to communicate with us now, which is absolutely wonderful. I hope that each day he will get louder and louder!
Keep praying, hoping, and sending inspirational messages, these things - along with all of Charbel’s hard work and determination – are the ingredients of miracles.
Lots of love to you all!
Check out some pictures of Charbel over Christmas and video clips of his new-found voice!
http://picasaweb.google.com/rachelra/Christmas2006
We had a very exciting Christmas with Charbel…and we witnessed a great development.
Let me start off by saying that Charbel stayed over for three nights in a row. He came home on the 24th and he stayed over that night as planned – and then the next two nights he didn’t want to go back to the hospital! We had a great time watching movies and hanging out together just like the old days.
Charb also had a lot of visitors, both friends and family, most of whom he easily recognized. He was especially happy to see his Aunt Laila who had spent many hours with him when he was back in Halifax at the QEII. On Christmas day we opened presents, and had a family lunch with our aunt and her kids as well as Father Aoukar who performed a special Christmas Mass for Charb and gave him the communion.
Now, on to the great news:
On Christmas Eve when mom was at the hospital preparing Charb to come home, she heard him call her by saying “mom”. When she came home she was excited to tell us the story and we all prayed that Charbel would talk for Christmas. The next day, I was sitting with Charb trying to get him to make noises, and realizing that his was very difficult for him, I asked him to simply mouth the words if he could. I asked him to mouth “mama” and “baba”, which to my surprise he did. The rest of that day he more mouth movements, and some sounds, but nothing that was recognizable speech. Then on Boxing Day we work up and went to see Charb who had been with mom and dad. We learned from them that Charbel had been saying words that morning: he said Habibi – the Arabic word for ‘my darling’. We asked him to say it again, and sure enough, in a low whisper we heard him say ‘habibi’
I’m not exactly sure how it progressed from there because we were too excited, but sure enough, we asked him to say some words and he did! Eventually we started asking him addition questions and he was whispering the answers. Then he counted to 10, and then to 20! Simply amazing. When we asked him “who is awesome” he responded with a big loud “ana” which means “me” in Arabic.
Later mom had the phone to call our grandfather in B.C. and she asked Charb what he would say to him, Charb responded “HI” loud and clear. Best of all, later that day mom asked Charb what he wanted to eat – he responded – “I want pudding!” His first sentence! Mom went screaming with excitement to dad who asked Charb again what he wanted to eat, and he replied – “Anything!”
Today Charbel was using his voice even more than yesterday. Today he recited the entire alphabet, counted by 2’s and 5’s, spelled his name (first and last), and named several objects that I put in his hand. He also told mom he wanted to eat a “sandwich” and when asked what kind, he said “meat” - good old Charb, some things never change!
We are very excited to be able to share this news with you…
Charb’s voice is still weak and shaky but he can use it to communicate with us now, which is absolutely wonderful. I hope that each day he will get louder and louder!
Keep praying, hoping, and sending inspirational messages, these things - along with all of Charbel’s hard work and determination – are the ingredients of miracles.
Lots of love to you all!
Check out some pictures of Charbel over Christmas and video clips of his new-found voice!
http://picasaweb.google.com/rachelra/Christmas2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Merry Christmas
Chaker, Norma and Family
Would love to thank the community, our customers and friends, churches, preachers and prayer groups, volunteers and visitors…
We would love to thank the doctors, nurses, staff and physiotherapists at the Hants Community Hospital…
The teachers, students and staff at Kings-Edgehill School,
Mr. Chuck Porter and Mr. Richard Dauphinee…
And many, many people from around and abroad for all the support that we have received since our son’s tragic accident 15 months ago.
Thank you for all the prayers and warm wishes, encouragement and inquiries.
To all we say: The miracle we are happily witnessing – you helped make it happen! Charbel’s awakening is due to your hard work and prayers as much as it is ours!
Thank you!
Our special thanks goes out to:
Robert Hessein and Doug Rafuse for their daily commitment since July/06, to Liz Sweet for her many visits to Charb in the hospital and to AJ Phillips for his curing massages…
And to Sandy Kent, our volunteer webmaster for creating Charbel’s website and helping us share our news with Charb’s family and friends around the world.
Merry Christmas to all and may the New Year be full of health, peace and happiness!
The Rouhana Family
Would love to thank the community, our customers and friends, churches, preachers and prayer groups, volunteers and visitors…
We would love to thank the doctors, nurses, staff and physiotherapists at the Hants Community Hospital…
The teachers, students and staff at Kings-Edgehill School,
Mr. Chuck Porter and Mr. Richard Dauphinee…
And many, many people from around and abroad for all the support that we have received since our son’s tragic accident 15 months ago.
Thank you for all the prayers and warm wishes, encouragement and inquiries.
To all we say: The miracle we are happily witnessing – you helped make it happen! Charbel’s awakening is due to your hard work and prayers as much as it is ours!
Thank you!
Our special thanks goes out to:
Robert Hessein and Doug Rafuse for their daily commitment since July/06, to Liz Sweet for her many visits to Charb in the hospital and to AJ Phillips for his curing massages…
And to Sandy Kent, our volunteer webmaster for creating Charbel’s website and helping us share our news with Charb’s family and friends around the world.
Merry Christmas to all and may the New Year be full of health, peace and happiness!
The Rouhana Family
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Progress continues :-)
Charb has continued to progress in the past few days, although he has been more tired than usual. He hasn't had much time to rest as his days are filled with exercise, visiting friends, and family.
Charb's head control is improving on a daily basis, as his is arm movement. For example, he can now reach up to his head with his right arm, and he can put his right hand behind his head. His left hand is still very slow to move and is not as strong, but we are working on improving the left side of his body. Charb also has gained more control in his right leg, and is now able to lift his right leg at the knee, up and down. Again, the left leg is weaker and slower.
In addition to physical exercise, we are also working with Charb on making vocalizations and opening and closing his mouth, which are pre-cursors to talking. Charb used to have a lot of difficulty with opening his mouth on command, but he is getting better at this, and now hold his mouth open for more than a minute. He can also open and close his mouth several times in a row. We've been trying to get Charb to stick out his tongue but so far, we can see him open his mouth and move it around inside. All of this mouth/jaw exercise will help him to make sounds and eventually talk. At the moment, Charb cannot make sounds when he is asked to do so, but we are working hard with him to get to this point - we are all eagerly awaiting for it to happen.
Here's a story to showcase Charbel's determination and abilities:
Yesterday, I came into the room right after Charb had finished a massage and I began talking to him about exercise. Somehow the topic of abs came up, so I asked him if he wanted to do crunches. He nodded 'yes' so I told him to put his hands behind his head to support his neck, his right hand reached back right away, the left one slowly behind. Then, as I started counting, to my surprise, Charb started doing crunches! Mom lifted up his shirt and we could see his abdominal muscles contracting and releasing as he pulled himself up and down! We were so happy and surprised, and Charb was SO pleased with himself. When Mr. Walsh came to visit him, Charb showed off by doing 10 crunches in row! Today he did some more for Adam when he came to visit. Charb always seems happy when he is exerting himself physically, and to our surprise he still remembers all of the terminology such as crunches, bench press, curls, etc.
Another good development is that Charbel is taking deep breaths, especailly when exercising. Mom keeps after him to take deep breaths and to exhale out of his mouth. He's starting to do this, which is great for his overall circulation and oxygen levels.
We're looking forward to Christmas eve with Charb tomorrow - and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Charb's head control is improving on a daily basis, as his is arm movement. For example, he can now reach up to his head with his right arm, and he can put his right hand behind his head. His left hand is still very slow to move and is not as strong, but we are working on improving the left side of his body. Charb also has gained more control in his right leg, and is now able to lift his right leg at the knee, up and down. Again, the left leg is weaker and slower.
In addition to physical exercise, we are also working with Charb on making vocalizations and opening and closing his mouth, which are pre-cursors to talking. Charb used to have a lot of difficulty with opening his mouth on command, but he is getting better at this, and now hold his mouth open for more than a minute. He can also open and close his mouth several times in a row. We've been trying to get Charb to stick out his tongue but so far, we can see him open his mouth and move it around inside. All of this mouth/jaw exercise will help him to make sounds and eventually talk. At the moment, Charb cannot make sounds when he is asked to do so, but we are working hard with him to get to this point - we are all eagerly awaiting for it to happen.
Here's a story to showcase Charbel's determination and abilities:
Yesterday, I came into the room right after Charb had finished a massage and I began talking to him about exercise. Somehow the topic of abs came up, so I asked him if he wanted to do crunches. He nodded 'yes' so I told him to put his hands behind his head to support his neck, his right hand reached back right away, the left one slowly behind. Then, as I started counting, to my surprise, Charb started doing crunches! Mom lifted up his shirt and we could see his abdominal muscles contracting and releasing as he pulled himself up and down! We were so happy and surprised, and Charb was SO pleased with himself. When Mr. Walsh came to visit him, Charb showed off by doing 10 crunches in row! Today he did some more for Adam when he came to visit. Charb always seems happy when he is exerting himself physically, and to our surprise he still remembers all of the terminology such as crunches, bench press, curls, etc.
Another good development is that Charbel is taking deep breaths, especailly when exercising. Mom keeps after him to take deep breaths and to exhale out of his mouth. He's starting to do this, which is great for his overall circulation and oxygen levels.
We're looking forward to Christmas eve with Charb tomorrow - and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Charb's Party!
Charbel’s party was a great success! Many of his friends came from all over the province to hang out with him for the afternoon. It was a great day for Charb and he definitely enjoyed seeing his friends who he hadn’t seen in a long time. Charb had lots of smiles and love for everyone! There were about 25 people there, which at times, was a little overwhelming for Charbel but we know he was enjoying their company because after everyone left, Charb began to cry! Luckily Kaitlyn was still there to give him a hug and help him calm down.
We want to thank everyone who came to see Charb yesterday thanks for leaving him messages…they will surely keep him entertained until you can come again! If you are around for the holidays stop by between 12pm – 5pm and Charb would love to see you. We hope to see you all again soon! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families.
Check out some pics of the party by following this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rachelra/CharbzParty
We want to thank everyone who came to see Charb yesterday thanks for leaving him messages…they will surely keep him entertained until you can come again! If you are around for the holidays stop by between 12pm – 5pm and Charb would love to see you. We hope to see you all again soon! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families.
Check out some pics of the party by following this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rachelra/CharbzParty
Monday, December 18, 2006
More exciting improvements!
On Saturday, Charb stayed overnight for the second time! We had a busy day and he was exahusted by the evening. The next morning, Rachel and Chantal decorated the Christmas tree as Charb looked on. He seems to be looking forward to Christmas and opening his presents because he is enthusiastic whenever asked about the subject.
Charb has continued to show progress in the past couple of days. For example, we can now effectivly communicate with him by getting him to answer questions by nodding for yes and shaking his head for no. Charbel can answer a range of questions in this manner, even questions about wrestling, bodybuilding, pictures, and past events! This is very exciting!
Charb has also shown that he knows how to count and to do math! When asked to show numbers on his fingers he can do so, and he can also do addition when asked by holding up the correct number of fingers on his hands!
In another development, Charb has shown that he still remembers Arabic. Today we asked him to point to various parts of his body in Arabic and he pointed to every single one without hesitation!
A few small examples of how far Charbel has come over the past weeks. We are learning of new abilities everyday and keep praying that he will make a full recovery. It's amazing to know that he has retain so much knowledge and recolection of the past. We are so proud of him and all of his efforts, and we hope to see more and more improvement each day. We'll keep you posted!
Charb has continued to show progress in the past couple of days. For example, we can now effectivly communicate with him by getting him to answer questions by nodding for yes and shaking his head for no. Charbel can answer a range of questions in this manner, even questions about wrestling, bodybuilding, pictures, and past events! This is very exciting!
Charb has also shown that he knows how to count and to do math! When asked to show numbers on his fingers he can do so, and he can also do addition when asked by holding up the correct number of fingers on his hands!
In another development, Charb has shown that he still remembers Arabic. Today we asked him to point to various parts of his body in Arabic and he pointed to every single one without hesitation!
A few small examples of how far Charbel has come over the past weeks. We are learning of new abilities everyday and keep praying that he will make a full recovery. It's amazing to know that he has retain so much knowledge and recolection of the past. We are so proud of him and all of his efforts, and we hope to see more and more improvement each day. We'll keep you posted!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
New Developments
Every day we are discovering Charbel's new abilities. Each and every day we are happily surprised at all the progress he is making and the challenges that he is embracing.
1) Charbel is at the point where he doesn't like to be in his chair anymore. He is constantly moving his head off the headrest and trying to hold it up on his own. When asked if he wants to get out of the chair, he nods, and attempts to lift himself out! He grabs dad's arms and pulls himself up! It's only a matter of time before he can get up and out of the chair!
2) Hand and finger coordination - Charbel is now pointing to various objects and people with his index finger. He is also able to pick up small objects, such as balls and bracelets and he can (slowly) place them in his opposite hand. The right hand is a lot quicker and more controlled than the left hand, but he does have movement in the left, although it takes much more effort to accomplish tasks.
3) Greetings! Charb can now wave hello and goodbye with his right hand, and he loves to shake hands and give 'high five's'! He also gives thumbs up and thumbs down signs for 'yes' and 'no' and answers a range of questions in this manner.
4) Love of exercise - we have noticed that Charbel has remained passionate about exercise, even now. He enjoys his daily workouts greatly, and puts a lot of effort into lifting, pulling and gaining strength in his arms. He especially loves to arm wrestle! He waits for dad to count, 'one, two three, GO' and then off he goes with a lot of power. The other night, he couldn't sleep and so he was arm wrestling with the nurses!
5) Nodding his head - a couple of days ago, mom taught Charb to nod his head for yes, and shake his head for no. He has caught on to this, and has started to use this method to communicate with us when we ask him questions.
6) He understands Arabic! The other day his grandfather was talking to him in Arabic on the phone and was asking him to lift up his arm, and Charbel was doing exactly what he said.
7) His appetite is back! Charb is very interested in eating. Right now he is just allowed to sample very small bites of pudding and soft foods...we have to take him to Halifax for a swallow test in January so that we can determine how well he is swallowing and we can go from there.
1) Charbel is at the point where he doesn't like to be in his chair anymore. He is constantly moving his head off the headrest and trying to hold it up on his own. When asked if he wants to get out of the chair, he nods, and attempts to lift himself out! He grabs dad's arms and pulls himself up! It's only a matter of time before he can get up and out of the chair!
2) Hand and finger coordination - Charbel is now pointing to various objects and people with his index finger. He is also able to pick up small objects, such as balls and bracelets and he can (slowly) place them in his opposite hand. The right hand is a lot quicker and more controlled than the left hand, but he does have movement in the left, although it takes much more effort to accomplish tasks.
3) Greetings! Charb can now wave hello and goodbye with his right hand, and he loves to shake hands and give 'high five's'! He also gives thumbs up and thumbs down signs for 'yes' and 'no' and answers a range of questions in this manner.
4) Love of exercise - we have noticed that Charbel has remained passionate about exercise, even now. He enjoys his daily workouts greatly, and puts a lot of effort into lifting, pulling and gaining strength in his arms. He especially loves to arm wrestle! He waits for dad to count, 'one, two three, GO' and then off he goes with a lot of power. The other night, he couldn't sleep and so he was arm wrestling with the nurses!
5) Nodding his head - a couple of days ago, mom taught Charb to nod his head for yes, and shake his head for no. He has caught on to this, and has started to use this method to communicate with us when we ask him questions.
6) He understands Arabic! The other day his grandfather was talking to him in Arabic on the phone and was asking him to lift up his arm, and Charbel was doing exactly what he said.
7) His appetite is back! Charb is very interested in eating. Right now he is just allowed to sample very small bites of pudding and soft foods...we have to take him to Halifax for a swallow test in January so that we can determine how well he is swallowing and we can go from there.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Staying overnight for the first time!
On Friday night (Dec 8), it was cold and snowy around the time Charbel was supposed to go back to the hospital. So mom asked Charb if he wanted to stay home...he gave her a big smile and two thumbs up! So, according to his wishes, we decided to keep Charbel home for the night. We were all excited (and a little anxious) because this was the first time since accident that he would be home for the night. Charb was also very excited, he was smiling the whole evening, and looked happy and relaxed. Dad had earlier bought him a movie projector with a huge screen, and we all stayed up watching one of his favourite movies, Gladiator. Charbel had a decent night, but he didn't sleep very well...and neither did we!
In other news, we have installed a ceiling lift in Charb's room so that we can easily move him from his chair to his bed or massage table (and vise versa). Charb continues to show small but important improvements on a daily basis. Dad and Robert are working hard with him on his exercises to improve his strength and his range of motion. He is showing a lot of interest in exercising, especially when he is given a light bar to lift and do curls. His effort and focus are becoming so evident, and he is really accomplishing a great deal of the tasks that we ask of him, and is gaining more and more control over his arms and his head.
Another important part of Charbel's health regime are his massages. Charbel finds the massages very relaxing and enjoys AJ's company because while he is giving the massages, he talks to Charb about sports and weightlifting. Charb usually has a big smile for AJ whenever he comes.
We are very excited and pray that Charbel will continue to make amazing progress, and are thankful for the fact that he can finally interact with us in a meaningful way.
In other news, we have installed a ceiling lift in Charb's room so that we can easily move him from his chair to his bed or massage table (and vise versa). Charb continues to show small but important improvements on a daily basis. Dad and Robert are working hard with him on his exercises to improve his strength and his range of motion. He is showing a lot of interest in exercising, especially when he is given a light bar to lift and do curls. His effort and focus are becoming so evident, and he is really accomplishing a great deal of the tasks that we ask of him, and is gaining more and more control over his arms and his head.
Another important part of Charbel's health regime are his massages. Charbel finds the massages very relaxing and enjoys AJ's company because while he is giving the massages, he talks to Charb about sports and weightlifting. Charb usually has a big smile for AJ whenever he comes.
We are very excited and pray that Charbel will continue to make amazing progress, and are thankful for the fact that he can finally interact with us in a meaningful way.
Charb eating pudding!
Charb still needs to do a swallow test to ensure that he is swallowing properly. But for now he is eating very small amounts of pudding and drinking water.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
