It Was Very Good

Day 114 (16 weeks, one day)

From the Torah, Book of Genesis, 1:31

Vayehi Elohim et Kol Asher Asah, V’Hinei Tov M’od. Vayehi Erev Vayehi Voker, Yom HaShishi.
(And G-d saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.)

When you read the translation to the opening lines in Genesis, each day when G-d looked over His completed work, He found it was good. At the end of the sixth day, before stopping to rest for the seventh day–Shabbat– G-d reflected back on the previous days and found them to be very good.

Shabbat has always been a special time for our family. As we shared in an earlier post, since June 29 we have taken time each Friday before Shabbat blessings to reflect back on the previous week. We can honestly say that over the last 16 weeks we have seen progress each week when we look back. While these have been tiny and slow bits of progress, we have seen progress nonetheless. This week was no different, except for the tiny and slow aspect. Let’s review…

Ethan Update:

Due to Ethan’s brain injury, he has experienced increased tightness in his major muscle groups, especially in his arms and legs. This past Tuesday, doctors conducted a trial to confirm the benefits of a Baclofen Pump. This device would be surgically placed and continuously deliver baclofen (muscle relaxer, in layman’s terms) through a catheter to his spinal region in an effort to decrease his muscle tightness, and hopefully allow for better ranging of these muscle groups. The test was successful and during the evaluation, Ethan amazed us all by moving his thumb on command! At first sight, we thought this might be a reflexive movement, and when we asked the doctors they said they could feel activation of his muscles in moving his finger. He repeated the motion several times, then went to sleep. This was exhausting work. Once again, Ethan is showing us how he is doing the heavy lifting on Ethan Time. It is our hope that we can proceed with this pump in the near future and see the benefits it might allow for him.

We have been given an updated discharge date of November 6. All activities at the hospital and home are proceeding forward with this date in mind.

Home Update

We have been touched by so many great people and companies who are working at a tremendous pace to prepare our home for Ethan’s homecoming. You can see the determination and compassion in everyone’s eyes as they contribute their talents to this special project. We are modifying our office into a bedroom, expanding the half-bathroom to a full, wheelchair-accessible bathroom, and creating wheelchair access into our house through the garage. We are forever grateful to this Dream Team!

Fundraising Update
We are thankful to everybody who has generously contributed to Ethan’s fund at HelpHOPELive (http://www.bit.ly/hhl_ethankadish). These donations are making a huge impact and we will continue our focus on raising the necessary funds to provide Ethan with every opportunity to heal and recover.

We have experienced the LOVE in Loveland

through so many ways in the last couple of weeks. Our local community has rallied around our family with several fundraising efforts. From last Sunday’s Home Run Derby, to the Intermediate/Middle School Taste Test fundraiser, to district-wide t-shirt sales, these have all been tremendously helpful to Ethan’s medical fund. Last Thursday, the Loveland Intermediate School Student Council Fall Carnival was attended by an overflowing crowd of students, parents and faculty. As members of Student Council, Elyse and some of her friends ran a booth at the carnival. When I first arrived, Elyse was excited to show me their booth. After looking at their beautiful sign, I noticed each corner had Ethan Kadish written on it. I pulled Elyse into a hug and told her how proud I was that her booth was dedicated to her brother. She looked at me with a huge smile and said, “Mom, the entire carnival is for Ethan!” She had known this and kept it as a huge surprise. Hardly able to contain the tears and emotion I felt in my heart, I pulled her in even closer and took in some full, grateful breaths.

We want to thank all of those who have organized, contributed and attended these incredible events. While the words “thank you” don’t feel sufficient, please know that our hearts are full of gratitude and love.

We don’t imagine that each week will provide as many emotional charges as this past one has, and we are thankful for every bit of progress, tiny or slow, huge or fast.

Feeling the love and strength in progress,
Alexia and Scott
ethan.kadish@gmail.com