Denny, Tom & Reta Libs

Dear Friends of Denny,

The past few days have been busy ones for Dad as he has had a number of special visitors.  Son Kevin came down for the day on Thursday. Kevin saw Dad at Christmas, but was impressed by how much stronger he seemed in just a few weeks.  The next day, Dad's sister, Sally, Pete and their daughter, Katie, visited. They report that he did a terrific job in physical therapy. The therapists have been working on standing muscles and especially his posture. They have him stand up between two horizontal bars in front of a mirror for intervals of a few minutes. He is encouraged to focus on using his muscles to stay straight. This is clearly helping and he is getting stronger each day. Kevin reports that he was able to help get into his wheelchair with just one attendant and was able to use his legs to push himself up when he began to slump in the chair.

He is also more focused cognitively and has been asking for the newspaper each day. He really enjoyed the reports of the Orca sightings off the coast of Humboldt County and the news that the first giant squid has been filmed in its ocean habitat (that footage will be aired on the Discovery Channel. We are working on how to get him a copy as he doesn't have that channel in the hospital).

SBHS class of '57 has also sent its share of visitors! On Wednesday, Mary Jean (nee Campbell) Wagoner and her husband had an enjoyable visit with Dad. Today (Saturday) Tom and Reta Libs spent the afternoon with him (see picture). Dad is beginning to be able to whisper pretty clearly, even with the trach in, so soon he will be able to give us all his words of wisdom.

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to come by and see Dad. He always appreciates your visits, and it is a big help for Mom.