"I have woven a parachute out of everything broken."
William Stafford.
Our sweet cherished Alysha Rose Smith is recovering from a post surgical complication that put her into cardiac arrest and into a coma for 7 days. She emerged from the coma with severe brain damage. This website was created to update friends and family of Alysha's progress along the road to recovery. Please join us as we support Alysha on her journey. (For earlier details, like the history behind this medical nightmare scroll to the bottom of the blog and click "older posts.")
NOTE: You can now expect weekly updates.
Legal Guardianship
Lisa was granted Legal Guardianship for Alysha this week. The actual court process was handled with lawyers and a judge without Lisa or Aysha's physical attendance during the proceedings.
A visit to the Rehab center.
Lisa and Alysha ventured down to the Toronto Rehab center where Alysha was a resident for the past couple of months. The purpose of this trip was to deliver some paperwork to be filled out for disability support. They also went to deliver a baby gift to Alysha's speech therapist who is expecting. Prior to leaving for the city, Alysha required a lot of reassurance that she was not going to be left down at the center for the night. In fact, when she visited she refused to take her jacket off. The last time they went to the city to visit at the center, Alysha refused to leave home until her mom gave her $20.00. When Lisa asked what the money was for, Alysha told her it was to take a bus home in case Lisa was plotting to leave her down there. After each visit, Alysha has been a happy passenger, buckled into the car, travelling north toward home.
Ongoing Physical Improvements.
This week, Lisa has noticed that Alysha's strength and coordination have improved with regards to her supported walking. Alysha is requiring less support now to walk. She is able to walk holding onto Lisa's hands or forearms infront of her. This means that Lisa and Alysha are facing each other with Alysha walking forward while Lisa walks backward.
During the visit to the Rehab center the staff were again surprised with the improvements in Alysha's speaking.
Alysha started feeding herself with a spoon. She holds the spoon like a scoop. She can scoop the food (like pasta) out of her bowl and bring it to her mouth independently. Lisa provides support by helping Alysha to reposition the spoon in her hand when it isn't carrying a food load.
During a visit to Aunty Michelle's this week, Alysha was able to hold and feed a young baby. See photo below. Look how happy Alysha is to be feeding a baby again. Alysha has always been good with babies and children. As the oldest of 12 King cousins, Alysha has had many opportunities to hone her baby and child-care skills. This baby is a family friend and not a cousin in case some of you are wondering which one of the King family has produced another child.
A visit to the Rehab center.
Lisa and Alysha ventured down to the Toronto Rehab center where Alysha was a resident for the past couple of months. The purpose of this trip was to deliver some paperwork to be filled out for disability support. They also went to deliver a baby gift to Alysha's speech therapist who is expecting. Prior to leaving for the city, Alysha required a lot of reassurance that she was not going to be left down at the center for the night. In fact, when she visited she refused to take her jacket off. The last time they went to the city to visit at the center, Alysha refused to leave home until her mom gave her $20.00. When Lisa asked what the money was for, Alysha told her it was to take a bus home in case Lisa was plotting to leave her down there. After each visit, Alysha has been a happy passenger, buckled into the car, travelling north toward home.
Ongoing Physical Improvements.
This week, Lisa has noticed that Alysha's strength and coordination have improved with regards to her supported walking. Alysha is requiring less support now to walk. She is able to walk holding onto Lisa's hands or forearms infront of her. This means that Lisa and Alysha are facing each other with Alysha walking forward while Lisa walks backward.
During the visit to the Rehab center the staff were again surprised with the improvements in Alysha's speaking.
Alysha started feeding herself with a spoon. She holds the spoon like a scoop. She can scoop the food (like pasta) out of her bowl and bring it to her mouth independently. Lisa provides support by helping Alysha to reposition the spoon in her hand when it isn't carrying a food load.
During a visit to Aunty Michelle's this week, Alysha was able to hold and feed a young baby. See photo below. Look how happy Alysha is to be feeding a baby again. Alysha has always been good with babies and children. As the oldest of 12 King cousins, Alysha has had many opportunities to hone her baby and child-care skills. This baby is a family friend and not a cousin in case some of you are wondering which one of the King family has produced another child.
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| Alysha and Grace |
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