I hesitated to post a Good Friday update after I had already posted three days in a row, then this morning I realized I'm not forcing anyone to read this, and there are people who would want to celebrate the encouragement I received yesterday on the greatest of Fridays.[...]

Maundy is such a weird word. I didn’t even know what it meant until I just looked it up on Wikipedia. I was intrigued because I was talking to my nurse this morning and today is a holiday in Europe - the therapists only have to work a half day - but I was explaining that we have a fancy name for the day with no celebration in America. We don’t really get a holiday on Good Friday though people often go to church services in the evening - I was involved in the preparation for the Westport Good Friday service for years. And Easter.[...]

My current colon treatment is extra espresso in the afternoon. This is a dream come true for me; I never thought I’d be prescribed more coffee. My doctor in America had to work for years to get me to decrease my caffeine intake (I used to drink twelve cups of coffee a day - easy). It’s just a small increase, but the doctors and nurses here hope that more coffee will flush out my intestines. The other treatment options are significantly less pleasant, so I’m hopeful the espresso does the job.[...]

I have had a smile stuck on my face for the majority of the day for three awesome reasons.

It all started with a handshake - that's how all my PT sessions start. Alex shook my hand and asked me how I was feeling today. She didn't wait long before telling me that she had received notice from my insurance that they have approved my very own custom fit, ridiculously expensive Bluerocker shoe inserts. Next she told me, "I think we'll walk with this today," as she pulled the wheelless walking frame in front of me. I stood up with her bracing the frame and stabilized my weight over my feet now secured in the test model inserts I've been wearing.[...]

My routine is far from ordinary, but I roll with it. To be fair, ordinary things happen to me every day along with the extraordinary. I have human nurses who laugh and act and get lightheaded like normal people. Monday morning the nursing student got lightheaded when he was trying to draw blood from my arm. The poor kid had to have his own blood pressure and blood sugar taken as he laid on the floor next to my open balcony door with his feet propped up on a chair.
"I'm so sorry," he kept apologizing.
I just laughed, "I'm glad to know nurses are people too."
After making sure Benedikt was okay, another nurse pricked my vein, pulled my blood, and barely left a stain in my skin; however, I like looking at the bruise from Benedikt's unfinished attempt and smiling at how somethings aren't perfect, but that's what being human is about.[...]

I had a terrible science fair experiment in grade school, but I'm so grateful for the people who continue their experiments into grad school and use their findings to make the world a better place. I'm currently in round two of three three day tests of paraplegic arm and torso movement for the doctoral studies of a student at the University of Zurich. There's no impact on my recovery, but it can provide the medical community with potentially useful information.[...]

There are a lot of things I've been trying to figure out how to put out in public here. My thoughts are multitudinous stars, and I struggle to form them into constellations - however, I must try (before you commend my poetic skills, please note I shamelessly stole the analogy from John Green; kudos nerdfighters who didn't need to be told). Please bear with me as I try to connect the thoughts.[...]

Yesterday and today were rough days; I felt physically drained, and my body was done way earlier than usual. I had highlights standing up to see the doctor and visiting with Carol this afternoon though the last few days of recovery have been overshadowed by my concern for my roommate Lydia who was found collapsed yesterday morning and was moved to the university hospital.[...]

After my awesome physio session Friday, I asked the PTs what I could do over the weekend with no scheduled therapy to continue to help my legs. They suggested standing for fifteen to twenty minutes twice a day and offered to bring one of the standing machines up to my station. Later that day, I wheeled through my station common space to see the standing machine waiting for me.[...]

Being in rehab has highs and lows - and very lows - but I'm so excited by the very highs I've had this week.

The great progress this week came as a well timed boost for my spirits after the frustration and stress of increased spasms in my leg muscles last Thursday and Friday. They decreased over the weekend but came back to haunt me through my successes this week.[...]