Update 146 From Linda and Rob
Hello again to Steve's Army.
Just wanted to update you all on Steve's progress. Since the seizures in late January , Steve has been on preventative medication. This slows him down somewhat, but he is battling through it. We thank all of his therapists for working a bit harder with him. As usual Steve will get through this and move on.
The Golf Outing will be held at Hartland Glen on June 25th. We are looking forward to seeing all of you again this year. The flyers have all been mailed as of the end of April. If somehow you didn't get one please publish a comment here or let us know at the Steve's Golf Outing page on Facebook.
Hope all is well with you.
Rob and Linda
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Update 145 from Linda and Rob
Our family would like to take this time to wish all of Steve's Army a Safe and Happy New Year!!
We are moving along on the path to recovery and are trying new things constantly. We have decided to put more effort in to Vision thanks to input from our VA friends. Steve is now doing a progressive vision therapy on Mondays, Driving in a simulator on Thursdays and actually driving one of our vans on a closed course on Saturdays. We have seen some interesting things happen when he is behind the wheel, so to speak.
We have contacted U of M Transportation Research Institute and asked if we could use their MCity facility. We are still awaiting final approval.
Steve is still doing therapy 3 hours a day in addition to Vision and Horseback Riding.
We also have a Facebook page dedicated to the Golf Outing.
We wish this update could bring more good news but as luck would have it, we have been dealt another setback.
Last Thursday when Steve was at therapy, he had a seizure. He was transported to St. John Providence Hospital in Southfield because that was the closest. While in the Emergency room he had a second seizure. Both were not real long but enough to make us aware of just how randomly these can occur. We wonder how this could possibly happen. Steve has never had two seizures in one day before. He has gone 6.5 years without a seizure while not taking any preventative medications.
He was discharged Friday evening and is currently resting at home and is back on medication to help prevent any further problems. Unfortunately, the medication makes him weak so he has missed therapy Monday and Tuesday this week. We saw his neurologist today and basically got a clean bill of health and approval to get back to therapy. We plan to go tomorrow and the rest of the week to see how he responds.
More to follow.
We haven't had to ask this in a while, but please keep Him in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping he will get used to the medication and get through this.
Rob and Linda
We are moving along on the path to recovery and are trying new things constantly. We have decided to put more effort in to Vision thanks to input from our VA friends. Steve is now doing a progressive vision therapy on Mondays, Driving in a simulator on Thursdays and actually driving one of our vans on a closed course on Saturdays. We have seen some interesting things happen when he is behind the wheel, so to speak.
We have contacted U of M Transportation Research Institute and asked if we could use their MCity facility. We are still awaiting final approval.
Steve is still doing therapy 3 hours a day in addition to Vision and Horseback Riding.
We also have a Facebook page dedicated to the Golf Outing.
We wish this update could bring more good news but as luck would have it, we have been dealt another setback.
Last Thursday when Steve was at therapy, he had a seizure. He was transported to St. John Providence Hospital in Southfield because that was the closest. While in the Emergency room he had a second seizure. Both were not real long but enough to make us aware of just how randomly these can occur. We wonder how this could possibly happen. Steve has never had two seizures in one day before. He has gone 6.5 years without a seizure while not taking any preventative medications.
He was discharged Friday evening and is currently resting at home and is back on medication to help prevent any further problems. Unfortunately, the medication makes him weak so he has missed therapy Monday and Tuesday this week. We saw his neurologist today and basically got a clean bill of health and approval to get back to therapy. We plan to go tomorrow and the rest of the week to see how he responds.
More to follow.
We haven't had to ask this in a while, but please keep Him in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping he will get used to the medication and get through this.
Rob and Linda
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
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
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
Sunday, March 29, 2015
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.
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 20th .”
Saturday, February 14, 2015
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
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
Saturday, January 17, 2015
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
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
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Update 140 from Lin and Rob
Hello to Steve's Army. Hope all is well with you.
As we continue to write our Thank You notes from the Golf Outing (Thanks for your patience), we would like to make you all aware of the latest happenings on our road to recovery.
The first is a 5K Brooksie Way Race that we all entered along with some great assistance from three of Steve's therapists. It was run at the Oakland University Campus on an absolutely perfect day. Steve is getting much more adept at controlling the Terra Trike. He can drive the trike very well, so well in fact that we no longer just move at a walking pace. When going downhill Steve goes much faster and therefore we need help that can keep up with him. Rob usually catches up on an uphill leg. Many Thanks to Shruti, Nick, and Lori without whom this day would never have happened.
(please see pic/video)
As noted previously we are attempting to put more effort into vision and speech therapy. That said, we have obtained contacts at local indoor soccer and go-karting facilities. Our hopes are that over the winter we can untilize these places to keep Steve's vision therapy consistent by driving go-karts and the trike.
We have also contacted another Speech therapist regarding a "Big and Loud" program that should also help Steve in that regard. We are hopeful that we can fit it in to his schedule.
Thank you for continuing to sending positive thoughts and prayers Steve's way!
Linda and Rob
As we continue to write our Thank You notes from the Golf Outing (Thanks for your patience), we would like to make you all aware of the latest happenings on our road to recovery.
The first is a 5K Brooksie Way Race that we all entered along with some great assistance from three of Steve's therapists. It was run at the Oakland University Campus on an absolutely perfect day. Steve is getting much more adept at controlling the Terra Trike. He can drive the trike very well, so well in fact that we no longer just move at a walking pace. When going downhill Steve goes much faster and therefore we need help that can keep up with him. Rob usually catches up on an uphill leg. Many Thanks to Shruti, Nick, and Lori without whom this day would never have happened.
(please see pic/video)
As noted previously we are attempting to put more effort into vision and speech therapy. That said, we have obtained contacts at local indoor soccer and go-karting facilities. Our hopes are that over the winter we can untilize these places to keep Steve's vision therapy consistent by driving go-karts and the trike.
We have also contacted another Speech therapist regarding a "Big and Loud" program that should also help Steve in that regard. We are hopeful that we can fit it in to his schedule.
Thank you for continuing to sending positive thoughts and prayers Steve's way!
Linda and Rob
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