Recovery and Progression
Even before he left the intensive care unit of Grantham Hospital, Aaron began therapy. He had lost so much strength from his ordeal, and had to learn to walk with crutches as well. We all remember the first day he stood up on his own. Once he left intensive care, the therapist started to work on his balance, had him catch and throw a big ball, lift weights and walk on the parallel bars.
But the real recovery happened when he moved to the Dutchess of Kent Hospital in Sandy Bay. His male therapist there was tough, and despite Aaron𠏋 best efforts to negotiate his way out of many exercises, Eric pushed him. And once pushed, Aaron responded. Again he lifted weights, learned to climb stairs on crutches (and one leg), did floor mat exercises, such as leg lifts, and push ups. For a while, David joined Aaron on the floor every day to encourage Aaron to keep up the push ups. After a while, he was doing 50 pushups at a time.
Aaron has taken to two sports in particular, skiing and swimming. He has traveled with his family twice to Toronto, where coaches at Track3 ski school, specialize in teaching kids with one leg or other forms of disability. Below are a few photos of Aaron skiing and swimming. Hover over the photos for a description!
– Aaron's Skiing Video - A 9-minute long video of Aaron skiing in January/Febrary 2006. If you cannot view the file, please download RealPlayer here first.
