Jan and I arrived bright and early at Gig Harbor's Hanger Clinic to start the IDEO process. It is the first day of fall and Rosh Hashanah--a time of change. Jan scoots in with hopes of using less of her beloved TravelScoot in the months ahead.
It was impressive to sit in Ryan Blanck's office this morning while he attended to a few early patients. Jan and I were moved by walls displaying Ryan's multiple awards for his remarkable service to the military's wounded warriors as well as success story photos. We were especially inspired to see a video of a 23-year-old-woman whose injury made her hobble, initially, much like Jan. The video fast-forwarded over her year as an IDEO patient, during which she moved from limping, to walking with confidence, and later to performing quickstep calisthenics and road race competitions.
After an initial evaluation, Ryan made a cast of Jan's right leg to create the IDEO pilot, plastic brace. Jan and I returned at 4 PM to test drive this preliminary IDEO.
After only a small amount of tweaking, Jan took her first steps on this test brace. She noticed right away a "bounciness" that seemed to return energy back to a step from her right foot. (See video below.) Immediately, she was able to walk better than she had for years!
After several trips down the runway, Jan successfully shifted weight to her right foot--something she had not done for years.
Though Jan remains a bit tentative, she reports that her "Hope Meter" is on the rise! Her high-tech, carbon fiber IDEO will be made this evening and ready for her to try out tomorrow.
THIS IS SO EXCITING! (yes, all caps on purpose). Couldn't hear what he said about shoes. I'm sure you are eagerly awaiting a longer term trial with the brace to test out the long awaited pain relief. Me too! Thanks so much for blogging your journey.
oh… and SO cool that your brace is made by the inventor. Someday this will be available around the world, made by all sorts of folks, but yours will be 'an original'
We can't believe the difference between Jan's walk in the application video, and her first steps with the beginner IDEO! Amazing improvement! We had no idea you were dealing with all of this, Jan. We enjoyed Jim's playing at a friend's wedding a few weeks back, and he was his usual cheerful self. We are so glad you used "the Google" to seek alternatives. We hope success abounds and that you have a wonderful west coast visit. Sending love and best wishes, D.J. Bost and Larry Duckworth
We can't believe the difference between Jan's walk in the application video, and her first steps with the beginner IDEO! Amazing improvement! We had no idea you were dealing with all of this, Jan. We enjoyed Jim's playing at a friend's wedding a few weeks back, and he was his usual cheerful self. We are so glad you used "the Google" to seek alternatives. We hope success abounds and that you have a wonderful west coast visit. Sending love and best wishes, D.J. Bost and Larry Duckworth
THIS IS SO EXCITING! (yes, all caps on purpose). Couldn't hear what he said about shoes. I'm sure you are eagerly awaiting a longer term trial with the brace to test out the long awaited pain relief. Me too! Thanks so much for blogging your journey.
ReplyDeleteoh… and SO cool that your brace is made by the inventor. Someday this will be available around the world, made by all sorts of folks, but yours will be 'an original'
ReplyDeleteWow, so happy for you. Thanks for keeping me in the loop. :)
ReplyDeleteWe can't believe the difference between Jan's walk in the application video, and her first steps with the beginner IDEO! Amazing improvement! We had no idea you were dealing with all of this, Jan. We enjoyed Jim's playing at a friend's wedding a few weeks back, and he was his usual cheerful self. We are so glad you used "the Google" to seek alternatives. We hope success abounds and that you have a wonderful west coast visit.
ReplyDeleteSending love and best wishes,
D.J. Bost and Larry Duckworth
We can't believe the difference between Jan's walk in the application video, and her first steps with the beginner IDEO! Amazing improvement! We had no idea you were dealing with all of this, Jan. We enjoyed Jim's playing at a friend's wedding a few weeks back, and he was his usual cheerful self. We are so glad you used "the Google" to seek alternatives. We hope success abounds and that you have a wonderful west coast visit.
ReplyDeleteSending love and best wishes,
D.J. Bost and Larry Duckworth
This is more than even I had hoped for!!!!
ReplyDeleteBarbara