We had a team meeting at Holland Bloorview on Thursday.  Gathered around a large table were each of Lydia's Bloorview therapists, her teacher, her discharge planner, her social worker, and her case manager from KeyRehab.   (Her psychologist, doctor, and nursing coordinator were absent, but reported ahead of time.)   KidsAbility in Waterloo, was teleconferenced in for the hour long meeting, as Lydia will be discharged to their programs and care, as well as to the care of her Home team therapists.
The meeting began with a review of Lydia's goals, or more accurately, with a review of the goals that we set for Lydia, upon her arrival at Holland Bloorview.  Simply, the goals were for Lydia to walk again, talk again, eat again, be continent and capable of relational attachments.  Wow!  She has achieved some of those goals, and is working towards others.  What accomplishments!  We are grateful for the tremendous progress we have seen in the last month.  (Yes, it was a month ago today, that we celebrated "Happy Birthday dad"!)   
We are thankful Lydia is learning to walk, but we want her to run, leap, play on sports teams, bounce on the trampoline with us, ....  We love that Lydia can talk to us, but we want her voice to return in full strength, with tone, clarity, and emphasis.  We want her to be able to follow conversations, articulate her thoughts and feelings, be able to grasp inuendos and figurative speech....
Our list of new goals, is long.  We say thank you, God, for all that you have restored in Lydia, and we ask for more.  We pray for fullness of healing and recovery. 
At the meeting, we learned that Holland Bloorview is looking at a tentative discharge date of mid November!  That date can be moved forward or backward, depending on how Lydia progresses.  Of course we want her home sooner, but we acknowledge the place that HB has in Lydia's rehabilitation.  Once she comes home, it will be to the continued therapy from her home team, her therapy suppport workers, her home school educators, and personal care attendants.  Lydia may be able to return to Baden Public School to see her classmates, and participate in some special events, but the majority of her school work will be completed at home, in a quieter setting with less stimulation and frequent rests.  Currently, she can handle about 20 minutes of school work at HB. 

Lydia has rested well today, with several naps.  Her appetite continues to be healthy, (she is loving food!) and tonight we enjoyed her sense of humour. When asked what her favourite part of today had been, she responded with: "Eating!"  Last night we were touched to hear from a friend who was caring for Lydia that Lydia had begun reading aloud the LIFE IS poem by Mother Teresa that we have hanging on our wall. She seemed to know that there were elements of the poem that related specifically to her, even though we have not shared with her the significance  of the poem to us since her accident.  When she got to the second last line, and read "Life is precious.  Don't destroy it.", she said, "Don't worry ... I won't.  I'm strong."  Wow!  We have pondered this many times today. 
Isaiah 40: 31 Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.