Pediatric Fitness Center Restroom

Instructions from Przemek

Learning to come off the wall and grab canes. She isn't touching the wall. the picture just looks like it.


Funny title to a blog but great story about it. As you know from yesterday, Josie is now to walk out of therapy to the car and everywhere in the house with her walker or canes. Today we were leaving and she had to go to the bathroom. (I will apologize now to any of you who think this is too much information) One thing she has never been able to do is go into and use the restroom without a lot of assistance. Yesterday she saw her friend Dustin, who happens to be a very handsome, outgoing 14 year old that is also at therapy, come out of the restroom with his walker. So today she wanted to use the restroom with her walker. She walked in there, held onto the handicap bar, pulled down her own pants (left hand held bar right hand did pants) and got herself onto the toilet. She went, got off the toilet, wiped, pulled up her own pants, turned herself around and got her walker. Walked to the sink, washed her hands and walked out. That it progress!!! She even walked ou to the waiting room and then across the waiting room with her canes. Rimind you that she just finished a grueling 3 hour workout. The more independent life skills she can acquire the more independent she can become. I know it seems silly to most but for this little 8 year old that has never been able to go to the bathroom by herself it is miraculous. She is so proud. I even had to call her therapists at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles because I knew they would totally appreciate this.

OK, enough potty talk... you should have seen her balancing against the wall and coming forward with control to get her canes. It was more control then I have ever seen her have. She never even fell to the sides. There are pictures above to show you. She worked really hard again today. She even asked for her canes twice today. I might post the video of that.

Tonight she had her tutor, Mrs. Bergman who is wonderful with her. She is learning so much. She made a pizza for she and Aunt Harriet. She loved rolling out the dough. There was flour everywhere. That just makes it more exciting. It was so cold and damp outside to take a bike ride so she took an extra long bath instead. She just walked across the kitchen with her canes with the best weight shifting I have seen. What great accomplishments for the day. We jsut need to keep her healthy and strong for the next 5 weeks. Sweet Dreams to all. Jenny and Josie