Physical Therapy

Hollis had PT again today, and she actually had a pretty good time. The key is to have Mom out of the room: this was an old trick we used to use back when she was seeing her Physical Therapist, Mary, regularly. We had to stop when Medicaid decided that Hollis didn't need private PT anymore since she had it through school. (That's a story for another time...grrrrrrr!)

Mary has been working with Hollis since she was about 2 years old, and she has helped Hollis achieve so much! Back when she was a toddler, we were told by a few different parties that it would be unlikely that Hollis would walk without assistance (assistance = walker, crutches, etc.). So, we just worked with what she was able to do, and tried to increase her strength and her flexibility as much as possible. Well, despite how much she really didn't like to do the hard work of PT, this kid ended up walking on her own at the age of four! (See picture of her first steps below). Her pediatrician has said how much of a miracle it is that she can walk by herself, considering how her stroke damaged so much of the motor strip for her right side. Hollis is such a determined (perhaps stubborn is a better choice) kid, and Mary has been a key player in helping us pull out Hollis's full potential.