Dad's Update XX - 11/4/10

 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

I spent one month in Colorado, now one month back, and the good news is Bryce is doing really well and things are settling down…..

Back at Colorado College!
After a 4-hour flight to Denver on August 26th, suffering uncomfortably from autonomic dysreflexia, Bryce made it back to Colorado. His Mom helped get his room and school program organized over a few days, then I took her place as backup for the month of September, staying in a faculty apartment one block away. I was up briefly between 1:00am and 4:00am various nights helping Bryce turn in bed to heal a mild skin sore from his travel. I remember those warm, star-lit nights, dashing through the night sprinklers, repeating to myself, “It’s just like having a baby, you’re going to be fine at work tomorrow!”

After a week of acclimation, things settled down, although we did have an adventure the first week. Bryce went to a party, but didn’t show up to his apartment at 10:00pm when scheduled with his aide. Unfortunately, none of us knew where he was and he had lost his phone after telling me he was on his way, prompting a panic – Campus Security, the Colorado Springs police, and Dad walked the streets for two hours searching the off-campus perimeter, fearing he was lying in the gutter! Fortunately, God has another plan for Bryce; some friends brought him home and put him “on” his bed, but without the important things done to prepare him for the night. I went to bed assuming Bryce was instructing his friends, but apparently, he was not as communicative as he should have been. Dangerous complications could have occurred, but didn’t; he woke up the next morning with mild autonomic dysreflexia and a hangover, significantly repentant and humbled by the new “risk mitigation” issues to think about. We all are smarter and wiser from that episode.

Getting Down to Business
Bryce has “locked on” to learning again. He launched right into his first class on Comparative Politics in China, cranked through the readings, dictated papers, and earned an A- grade. Without his former flexibility and body strength, learning is now first priority. He loves his classes and finished a second course on International Political Economy, reading 150+ pages/night, and dictating more papers. Rock on dude! These achievements were particularly gratifying because right in the middle of the first block course, he got a topical skin sore (no idea how), forcing him to bed rest. He missed several classes, but friends took notes using a special high tech recording pen, and he was able to stay tuned in and return to crank out the final paper. In the heat of the crisis, one of his nurse aides suggested using “Bag Balm,” an amazing skin ointment from a Vermont dairy company, whose product is used on dairy cow teats in the winter to keep them from cracking. Amazing stuff; every house should have a can – look for the square green can with the red clover top that looks at least 50 years old on the bottom shelf of your pharmacy. It’s a miracle product and healed his skin sore within two days with almost the same speed as a baby’s skin heals – an oldie, but goodie. We did have a large group of friends praying concurrently, so we believe that helped too.

Bryce’s Colorado College friends have again circled around him in fellowship and the school has welcomed him back warmly. The Disability Specialist, Jan Edwards, Health office, and Security team have done a super job guiding and helping. Bryce has mostly used his manual chair, working up arm and shoulder strength with the help of his new “Emotion” battery-assisted wheels. One day, Bryce lost control on a down-ramp and crashed onto the sidewalk, falling to the side on the ground. Then another day he flew out of his chair on a grass field after hitting a hidden divot. Two weeks ago, some friends pushed him too hard from the sidewalk into the road and his foot peddle bars slammed into the road snapping a side pole off. He is reaching out to his old friends at the SPZ in Switzerland, who made the chair, to get a new part. Thank God for duck tape in the meantime. Every new week seems to be a new learning curve, not just academically. Bryce did take me out through the awesome and expansive South Park, by the Collegiates in Buena Vista, and on to Independence Pass so I could get a “Rocky Mountain high” experience. Thank God he demanded that I take a swim in the lovely lake at Independence Pass; the water was delightful.

Dad’s Planning
While Bryce is doing extremely well physically in Colorado and has blended into a set schedule with morning, noon, and evening nurse support, Meg and I are researching whether to move out to Colorado to be backups for him over the next two years and perhaps longer term. We should make a decision within the next few months, and I will probably be back and forth. A successful September stint working out of the Colorado Springs Merrill Lynch office showed that the flexibility offered by my credit risk management job at BAML has been a special benefit. I was working such long hours on various projects in Colorado, I didn’t see as much of Bryce and others as I would have liked. That’s ok; he was busy at school reconnecting with friends and showing strong independence. Meg joined me for the last week. I had the opportunity to give her a big sky mountain tour, eat some incredible buffalo tamales at Dorothy’s in Hartsel, South Park (a must do for those in Colorado), and visit some friends in Denver.

Christmas in Connecticut
Bryce returns to CT on 12/23/09 for Christmas and stays 2.5 weeks, returning to Colorado on January 9th. He has a rehabilitation review assessment at Craig Hospital in Denver on January 16th for a week, then returns to classes at Colorado College on January 24th. Bryce has decided to continue through summer classes, with a summer vacation break in August to complete his senior year as quickly as possible. After his Craig rehab review, we will begin researching a van to enhance Bryce’s travel flexibility. With God’s help, he will be able to drive himself with special equipment since his left arm has strengthened significantly.

Contact

I have uploaded new summer and Colorado pictures to Bryce’s NTAF webpage and organized the gallery in chronological sequence for easier viewing. Feel free to visit the site for pictures and history at: http://www.ntafund.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/815E84D4-9B4D-12A9-3B8B55A769EC3F1C or google “NTAF” and search for his name.

Of course, Bryce would be happy to hear from you directly. Please feel to contact Bryce by phone 203-232-2705 or email braff68@gmail.com, or contact me at 203-606-6354 johnrafferty@yahoo.com. Sometimes, we can be slow to respond, but we will.

Blessings to you,

John