Back In School

Pheobe felt that I should make an entry this week since 1) I haven't written for quite a while and 2) I was here this week while she was in Seattle. (We thought a new grandson was on his way last weekend, but he decided to hang out in a more comfortable environment for a few more days. Pheobe spent several days there and got home early this morning.)

But the big news is that Shannon started her Senior year of High School last Wednesday. She is taking a full load of classes--2 AP Math classes (Calculus BC, Statistics), AP Biology, AP Psychology, Drama, English, Debate and Seminary. She and I went and talked to the assistant principal on Monday and got a 504 accommodation plan in place which will help her perform well in her classes as she continues to recover from her TBI. I spent time talking to her teachers and they are all really supportive--in fact one of her teachers suffered a TBI in a car accident a few years ago and has a personal understanding of all this. For the most part, things have gone well this week. We will be interested to see how things go as the workload of classes gets into full swing. She met with the psychologist again on Wednesday. He showed Shannon the scans of her brain as he taught her about brain injuries and the process of recovery. She seemed to enjoy that and has a good rapport with him. We continue to see improvement in mood stabilization and increased stamina. She was more tired after school on Thursday than she had been on Wednesday. I don't know if that was a cumulative affect or if it was because the classes on Thursday were more challenging.

Some time in the past few weeks Shannon decided that she wanted to volunteer at the American Fork Hospital--she really wants to be able to work with children who have suffered brain injuries. She had filled out the applications, submitted them and had an interview last week. Wednesday, they called to offer her a volunteer position. So she will be working at the hospital once a week on Monday afternoons. She seems pretty excited about that.

We are at the stage where there is more time between significant milestones. We are finding again and again that for many things there are no concrete answers--just lots of questions. Some answers come with time, which can be pretty frustrating for Shannon and for us. We appreciate you continued concern for us and for your support and help as we walk down this path together. Thanks so much!!