Thankfully, things are moving along….

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For the most part, I am feeling pretty good physically.  I haven’t had any stomach issues or anything else other that a sinus infection which was easily controlled by antibiotics – glad my body is doing normal things.  The supplements I am on seem to be helping big time – see my previous post section about what I am taking… “More than a bowl of pills“…

I am able to work out, do normal activities, and am trying to be a normal kid.  I still have this nagging double vision and Bells Palsy on the right side of my face. But over time I am sure they will correct themselves.

Measuring up…

As far as the double vision, I had a visit with Dr. Boisvert, and will be reassessed in July to see if another surgery may help, but in any case that will have to wait until after football season.

The toughest thing lately, is my Senior Class of 2018 is preparing for graduation and participating in all the fun activities as seniors, and most of my friends are getting ready to start college. JSerra HS is great and they allowed me to participate in a few senior activities so I get a little taste of what my senior year should have been.

My year will come next year, as I am making the most of my “do over” year as well.  I’ve really focused this year on my grades, and have a 3.5 GPA.  What’s really good, is that right after surgery last January, I had some short term memory loss and over stimulation was tough to handle, but now, I can sit down for 2-3 hours or more and do my homework.

Things are starting to line up for me to play football again and I have been working my butt off to make that happen.  Before my journey started, I could just work out with the team in the off-season to get bigger and stronger, and follow the program, and that would get me ready for the season.  That isn’t the case in preparing for next season.

A little perspective…..

So before I go into my work outs and rehab along with what I am doing to get ready for the football season and return to being a normal kid, here is a couple videos to show you where I was a little over a year ago, and where I was just this past January….

 

Busy is an understatement….. got to get the work in….

Now, for me to overcome my balance and coordination issues and some right side issues so I can play, it takes a lot more work.  My weekly routine consists of waking up at 6:30am and heading to the field to do a set workout from Mike Monahan from PT, which takes about an hour and a half.  The workouts are geared to work on my balance and coordination specifically.  I spend a lot of time working with agility ladders, jump roping, sprinting around cones, and stuff, as simple as getting up from the prone position via my right side as fast as I can.

After my morning workout, I go to school – it’s pretty routine, then go to football and participate in everything – meetings, drills, and lifting – but not the team session and one-on-one drills quite yet.  I am working with Coach Harlow daily, and he knows when the time will be best for me to get in the mix.  This is for my own safety and for my teammates too.  If I am in the wrong place because I am a step behind, off balance, or not in the right place, I can hurt someone, or get hurt myself.


PT Never Stops….

I still go to PT 3 days a week and have specific exercises that work on my balance and coordination as well.

Pulling out all the stops with new dimensions….

I’ve added a new dimension to my workouts 2 days a week – Wed. and Saturday – and that is boxing with Gary Ballard.  They have found that boxing and the aspects of the workouts work exceptional for Parkinson patients and are excellent for rebuilding hand/eye coordination, normal coordination and nerve pathways.  The workouts are very intense, but strictly focus on my hand/eye and my balance.  We’ll see how this new workout helps.

To sum it up, on Weds, I workout at 6:30am, got to school, lift with the team at 2pm, go to PT at 3:30pm, and box for an hour and a half at 4:30pm so yes, I am busy, but putting as much work as I can to get ready for the season.

2 Responses to " Thankfully, things are moving along…. "

  1. Claude Zamboni says:

    Wow. I am totally impressed with your progress! You are truly an inspiration to many. Looking forward to seeing the progression and seeing you on the field this fall!

  2. Kathy Ellis says:

    Every time I check your website I am touched. It is so wonderful and miraculous to see how far you have come. Good luck with the coming year and all your planned activities. You are amazing!

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