Posted by Pauletta

Things have been busy around Beverly's house! Her grandson Chris arrived on Friday, August 14 and will be staying until August 26. She is enjoying his visit so much, and he graciously goes along wherever she goes. And when grandma and aunts and uncles just get too boring, he has his cousins Sarah, Levi and Luke to hang out with. He is a big help with her physical therapy and says she should wear her wrist weights "all the time" ! We are so happy that he could be in town for our Mother's big birthday party this past Sunday. The theme we chose for her was " 90 Years in the Making - And Still One of a Kind". Mother enjoyed the nice turnout by lots of friends and family, including all five of her children. We were thrilled that the minister, Rev. Buddy Hunt, recognized her at the morning church service, and the entire congregation sang "Happy Birthday" ! Here is a photo of some of the family members at her party:

Leonard has worked hard on the downstairs apartment, and it is almost complete and ready for occupancy! We now have this an an option for a full-time caregiver for Beverly. We continue to interview for this position, so please don't forget that we are searching for the right person.

This week we received some unwanted, but not unexpected, news from her physical therapist that Tuesday was her last session with him. It seems that her Rehab doctor in Muskogee (who gives "orders") has decided that it is time for Beverly to "get on with her life, and life IS therapy". She was working with Lecil Harper, professional therapist at Tahlequah City Hospital, twice a week, and we were working her out on her mat most other days. Therapy may once again be approved at some point in the future in the case of special circumstances, and we hopeful that her future caregivers can be trained by him. We took lots of videos during her last week of therapy, and the comparison to the earliest videos is amazing. She has gained so much strength and movement in her upper body, We are all committed to her continued improvement, even if it has to be done with home equipment. The doctor has ordered a second (manual) wheelchair (this is in addition to her power chair, of course) which he expects will be another exercise in arm strength for her.

We are so happy that Beverly has added yet another activity to her "getting on with her life" routines. She has agreed to help out once again with the children at church on Wednesday nights. Many of you know that she served as a leader for "Team Kids" for years until her accident. She sort of assumed that she would not be able to continue in this role, but when Etter came by one evening to talk to her about helping with "Kids Worship", Beverly said she would think about it. In a couple of days, her decision was made and that decision was "yes" ! The confidence they have shown in her is genuine, and her willingness to serve is amazing. The children will be as much a blessing to her, as she will be to them. We are so proud of you, Deedy!

Thanks for your continued concern, prayers and love. We are still considering options for this update, and don't forget, you can always email her directly at:  beverlykohl@sbcglobal.net