Hello, I know we have not been updating as often as we should, but Taylor’s recovery is not as dramatic as it was in the beginning, so there is less to report these days. That does not mean that she has stopped recovering, however. She continues to make little gains, which are usually not noticeable to those of us who see her everyday but is noticeable to those who only see her on a monthly basis. For example, we recently had an appointment with her EP cardiologist who saw Taylor about 6 months ago. He commented that her speaking had improved so much and he could see she was getting better. Also, her ICD is functioning well and her heart has not shown any issues, even with the running (walk/run 2X around a track about once per week) that she has started doing.
We also recently had an appointment with a neuro-ophthalmologist. He measured her field analysis, and it had improved 6 points compared to when it was checked last in October (3 months ago). He said that he expects it to continue to improve, especially because she is young. Although her eyesight has improved considerably since she first “woke up,” it is still not considered functional. The physical anatomy of her eyes are completely normal, it is that her brain cannot make sense of what she sees, and the doctor says that this takes time to repair.
Next month, Taylor will start classes through a special brain injury program offered at Santa Monica Community College. These classes will not likely be intellectually challenging for her (one is a counseling class, one is a technology adaptation class), but they will be good practice for going back to school (sitting in class, taking notes, etc.) When these classes begin on Feb. 17, Taylor will only be going to CNS 2 days a week. CNS has been great in helping Taylor get back to independence, but it will be good for Taylor to be back on a college campus in anticipation for returning to MIT.