Update 144 from Linda and Rob,

Sorry we haven't updated sooner but we have good news to report.

First, Steve's 8th Golf Outing was held under overcast but rain free skies and again, was a success. We Thank all of you that supported it and made Steve's day. We are collecting pictures and writing Thank You notes as we post this. It was nice to use only 1/2 the course which allowed Rob and Beth to meet ALL of you this year.

Secondly we discontinued one of the drugs Steve was on at the suggestion of his neurologist. This has allowed Steve to sleep much better overnight. We haven't noticed any drop off in his therapy performance but he does appear to be more tired at the end of the day. This in effect has made him more "normal" as it seems the drug was forcing him to be awake and not letting him sleep soundly.

Thirdly, we have Steve involved in a Vision Study that directly addresses people with Left Neglect issues.
We have 8 more sessions to go and we then will get results which should dictate a plan of attack to correct his vision deficits.

We were in St. Joseph, MI. the  weekend of August 4th to attend a wedding and also stayed in Muskegon so Linda and Steve could make their annual pilgrimage to Lake Michigan. Please see pic.
Steve drove a go-cart by himself again and when compared to the last time he drove, he did much better. He even let Rob pass him this time.  Please see pic and video.

Hoping to do a couple of 5K runs in late September and early October. Anyone that would like to participate is more than welcome. Please contact Steve or Linda and Rob and we can fill you in.
Thank You all again for your support, without it none of this would be possible.
Take Care,
Linda, Rob, Beth and Steve

Update 143 from Rob

Dear Steve's Army,
Steve wanted to pass along a message to all of you.
Please see the attached video and the message below.

Speech is a huge challenge for Steve, for many reasons.  Speaking is mentally and physically exhausting for him, and we are so grateful for the progress he is making…slowly but surely.  This year he wanted to write a note to you, and then demonstrate his ability to read his words.  We used a microphone because his voice is so quiet, but he speaks so much more clearly than he did only a few months ago!  The words are below, and you can listen to his speech on Facebook (Steve Percha’s Annual Golf Outing) or this blog   He kept his message short, but the sentiment is heartfelt.

          “My golf outing allows me to continue therapy and to

            make progress.  I am grateful for your continued

            support and hope to see you on June 20^th .”

Update 142 from Linda and Rob

Hello to Steve's Army.
This is just a note to inform you that Steve's Golf Outing will be held on Saturday June 20th.
Hopefully this advanced note will help all of you great people with your plans.
Thank You for your continued support.
Rob, Linda, Beth and Steve

Update 141 from Linda and Rob

Happy New Year to Steve's Army! We hope all is well with you and hope that you all had a Merry Christmas.

We were happy to have Steve's sister Beth home twice in December, and grateful for the chance to spend time with family and friends.

We have been moving along down the path of Steve's recovery. Steve has been going to therapy six days a week and that will continue. We are still swimming on Sundays and horseback riding after Tuesday therapy. We have also tried a different type of Speech therapy called the LOUD  program. It forces Steve to try to get his speech to a higher level by measuring the decibels of his volume. It's a program that ran with a therapist for six weeks, then requires follow-through at home.

Our plan is to put more effort towards Steve's vision issue this year. As much as we like to do the Golf Cart thing, we are finding it hard to borrow one like we have in the past. Rob has contacted a local indoor go kart facility and has obtained permission to use it, but the time slot they offered could not be utilized while we were doing the LOUD program. Now that the program is finished we hope to be able to try karting.  We are also checking out driving simulation equipment so we can try to "drive" at home.

We encourage you all to text Steve whenever you feel like it. This is his main form of communication and his touch of a normal life. His phone number is 248-770-6092. If you can we would like to have some of you call Steve on his cell to practice his speech. Please contact Lin or Rob to set this up.

Thank you again for your support!  Take good care of yourselves.

Love,
Rob and Linda