More visits and excitement!

How exciting to see you guys!
Charb is always happy to see his friends!

Would it be for talking, playing cards or watching movies!
(Arm wrestling and thumb war, too!)

A small step forward!

Yes, 3 months since the last update!

Well, we waited for something new, different, shocking!

For an improvement we all hope to happen, despite the situation or the medical denial!

We wanted to talk not only about the daily routine, but about a big step ahead!

And here we are now thinking it had happened, this shocking event!

Still little shy... a baby step! But it won't stop there! Because Charb is very decided to walk "upstairs to my room!", and we are very stubbornly working to get him there!!

On February the 15th, with little help from Ellen and Dad, Charb stood up! on 2 feet!

and oh God! made 3 steps! What a moment!

Baby steps, they were! but two and a half yrs after his accident!

Helped and supported, yes, he was! he still moved his feet after two and a half yrs!

In no time, the incident reached Vancouver, LA, Texas, France, Lebanon! The phone was ringing uninterrupted for a day!... I wish our lives were nothing but happy moments and good news!

So excited they were, that Norma took pics so dark you can hardly see, and Chantal taped a movie side ways, you would need to flip your screen to watch!

(Photo: Charb is getting ready to stand and try few steps! His seating has improved a lot!)

Happy Holidays to All!

It's hard to believe that a whole month has passed since our last update! Time certainly is quickly passing us by. Charbel's routine has been basically the same as always with little, but important improvements from the month before.

The two main areas of Charbel's progress this month have been in eating and vision. Charbel's control of his mouth and tongue has been steadily improving - so much so that he can now eat solid food! This is a HUGE deal to us and him because he has been on mashed up and liquid foods since he started eating last year. He can now bite and chew! An awesome improvement for Charb who has been able to enjoy real food, finally! A couple weeks ago Charbel, Chantal, Mom and Rachel went out to A&W and Charb ate a hamburger - the whole thing, all by himself and he enjoyed every minute of it! He has since been eating a variety of food, from rice and beans, to eggs, and cake.

Charb's vision has also shown signs of improvement this month. He is able to see smaller letters now, and read short words. The fact that he can read is a very exciting development! His vision is not perfect and he sometimes mixes up his letters because he doesn't always see the full form of the letter clearly, but usually he can read short words, and he can see the letters and spell out longer words. He has a long way to go before he's back to seeing normally, but he has shown tremendous development in this area and we are very hopeful that he will be able to fully re-develop his vision. Reading was never one of Charb's favourite things to do, and he's just happy that he can read movie titles to pick out which DVD to watch!

We had a lot of fun decorating the Christmas tree together and you can check out the pictures in the Photo Album.

Last year at Christmas Charbel began to talk and we were blessed with the miracle of his recovery. Since Charb started talking we have spent so much time laughing and enjoying our time together - we laugh more now than we ever did! We are very blessed to have been given the chance to be a family again after such a devastating accident.

Christmas is a time of miracles and also a time to think of those in need. Our condolences go out to the Smith family for the loss of their son Brandon. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and Jared during this difficult time. May God bless you and help Jared recover from his injuries.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that the New Year brings love and peace in your lives.

Charbel's Birthday Party a Great Success!

Thanks to everyone who came out last Saturday to wish Charb a happy birthday, we had a great time! It was wonderful to see all of you there and catch up on what's new with everyone.

What a difference a year makes, last year at Charbel's party in November he still wasn't talking, this time he was laughing and joking and chatting with all his friends!

We hope to see you all again around Chrismas time, feel free to stop in any time you are in town, Charb loves the company and reminiscing about the good old days.

Check out the photo album for pictures of the party!

Charbel's Birthday Invitation!

" To all my friends
You are invited to my Birthday
Nov10/07
Please show up... with lots of gifts
CR"
Yes, Nov 10th instead of 8th, since it is a long weekend and on Saturday you may have more time! Please do not miss out! Most of you came last year when Charb was starting to " come back"... A year later it will be interesting to see his reaction to your gathering! We appreciate your enthusiasm and commitment! Hope to see you all, between 2pm and 7pm!
Thanks.

Charbel writing his Invitation!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

Two years after the tragic accident, Charb is working hard to regain range of motion, strength and mobility. It is a very long, slow and exhausting process, but no one is giving up!
I posted some photos of Charb workout with Ellen and friends, you can check them out!

Finally, Charb is having a taste of "real" food! With friend Adam, Charb and Norma visited "Amou Farid", Fred's Pizza! First time Charb goes out for lunch... but not the last! Guys watch out! After two years long hunger, well...

In another occasion, Charb had a great time at a small gathering of Lebanese friends in Habbards. We came all to celebrate Abouna's 40th Anniversary into priesthood! Everything was perfect, from the good weather to the Mass outdoors, to the banquet… and Charb was jubilant!
He wanted to stay with his friends and Abouna overnight! “ I refuse to go!’ he kept saying. Unfortunately, we had to bring him back home.
Lets hope that by next year he could be able to go back, walk on the beach, climb the rocks and stay overnight like he did many times years ago!
You can check some photos of that happy day!