Stand Up (Guy)

Matt here...

I got to drop in on Christian again yesterday. It’s pretty astounding how much progress he has made since last time I saw him. He could squeeze my hand, fully move his legs when asked to show off, and was even moving his arms and hands. It seemed like a quantum leap to me, and I couldn’t help but say, “holy cow, man! You’ve made some huge jumps.”

                Christian mentioned a few things that brought me back to earth a bit. While it may seem like huge jumps to someone like me who sees him about once a week, he get somewhat frustrated by what he perceives as slow and steady progress. I guess it’s all about perspective and his considerable drive. He did, however, express pleasure in standing all the way upright yesterday, supporting his own weight.

                I’m not sure of the details (if they have to balance him, etc.) but he stood up for about 15 seconds before feeling lightheaded. He was pretty pumped about that. I would be too, considering his condition on the trail hardly more than 2 weeks ago.

                We got a little time to ourselves and I asked him a fairly serious question. I know he’s a strong guy, but I wanted to ask him myself, “how are you… I mean, mentally? Are you holding up?” His response was pretty funny. He essentially said that he was doing great but he had one thing in particular that sometimes got to him – motivating to get up in the morning and begin working out. I couldn’t help but think of how much effort that takes when able bodied, much less wiped out from the day before, waking up from sleeping pill induced slumber, and having to get right back on the table.

                The good side of that problem is that his life has now taken on a much more regular feel. He essentially gets up, eats, prepares to work out, works out, eats, works out some more, eats, prepares to sleep, and goes to bed. It sounds almost like a professional athlete. It was great to see him in such a “regular” state of living, if that makes sense. I think he and Jessie will get most of their old rhythms back, even with Christian being in the hospital.

                He also mentioned that his brother is shooting some video today to give everyone an idea what his PT looks like. It will take a day or so to edit the video, but look for something soon involving Christian’s exercises as people have expressed some interest.

                The best part of his progress for me includes all of the tubes being gone, his breathing being back to normal, and his voice having returned. I know that stuff is old news, but we got back into our familiar patterns of conversation and just plain hanging out. That means a lot to me.  This episode has reminded me that although we biked, skied, and traveled together, the real reason we are such good friends has to do with his intelligence, attitude, and general ability to give good advice. All that seems to be back in full force.