Dear Friends of Brad, 

Brad has made significant progress since our last update, largely due to the amazing support and encouragement he has received from all of you.  

We had a busy holiday with family and friends over Christmas, and it was hard for Brad to leave us all and head back to the hard work of rehabilitation. But this work is paying off, and Brad is making steady improvements with the help of the specialists at Connect.

Two highlights:

• We had originally included a customized wheelchair in our list of needs for Brad’s return home. Due to Brad’s hard work and help from his team of therapists, we have been able cancel this order. While he will still need support from his walker when he tires, Brad is able to walk unassisted slowly and do stairs with minimal assistance. Which is amazing!
   
• An important part of Brad regaining his independence will be to ensure that he can do activities of daily living for himself. He’s been working hard on adapting the skills we can all take for granted and he is making great improvements each month. This includes getting back into the kitchen and, with supervision, he's been making breakfast for the other residents.

 

Although Brad has been making significant progress each month, he still has many important areas to work on in order to regain independent function - physically, mentally and socially. 

Mentally, he continues to be challenged by several areas, including "visual sequencing" (processing the steps required to do things in the necessary order) and "spatial neglect" (a lack of attention and awareness to his left side). Both of these brain functions are critical for safely performing almost all of the tasks we do hundreds of times a day. Through his daily cognitive therapy, Brad's brain is working hard to re-wire itself. 

Physically, Brad's lower left side is getting stronger everyday. His unassisted walking is improving and he has recently been outfitted with an AFO (articulated ankle/foot orthosis) brace to help keep his left foot from dropping when he walks. Brad's left arm and hand are still affected by hemiplagia (one-sided paralysis), however with his continued therapy, he is now able to bend and lift his arm, contract his hand and move his baby finger. We are hopeful that with daily exercises, he will regain the full use of all of his left side.

The plan ahead is to continue as long as possible with his therapy at Connect. The research shows that stroke patients have a window of 18 months to two years when their physical and mental abilities have the greatest chance of recovery before most people reach a plateau. Although the progress can continue for years, it happens at a much slower rate. While we need to maximize this period, it’s also very hard on Brad to be away from his family and friends for so long. We are actively seeking alternative local therapy programs that, combined, will give him the help he will need. When he does come home, he will then continue to push his recovery as far as possible during this critical period. We’ll keep you posted as this planning progresses.

We continue to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of support – the Brad Thomas Trust donor list has grown dramatically since November, with much credit going to Brad’s Beta fraternity brothers. This generosity is the sole reason why Brad has had this incredible opportunity to get the care and therapy crucial to his recovery. Thank you all so much.

Many of you have already heard about the golf tournament being organized by Lance Lundy at Big Sky on June 15. We are grateful for the incredible amount of time and effort he is putting into this event. In the next few days, I will be emailing you an updated information sheet from Lance that provides registration details. It will be an amazing day - especially for Brad.

We look forward to the day when Brad and I will be able to see you and thank you in person.

We wish you all good health,

Marthe and Brad

 

If you would like more information or would like to find out how you can help Brad, please visit the Brad Thomas Trust website at www.thebradthomastrust.com.