Just to add to Craig's update below, we are looking forward to good summer. Craig has set a number of goals to work on, mostly related to physical fitness.
A number of people have asked whether or not he will be participating with the football team this year. After much deliberation, Craig decided it was time to move on from football.
Some of the lingering effects from his accident, mostly issues with balance and quickness, made it unlikely that he would be able to compete for a position and contribute
to the team in a significant way. It was a tough decision, but I think it was the right one. It is time to move on. Anyway, that will give us a lot more spare time this summer for
fishing and other good stuff. Craig is going to participate in the youth pioneer trek again (remember we did that 4-years ago) and we are in training for a mountain bike activity
with the scout troop in July.
The whole concept of having another year of High School when many of his friends are graduating has been an interesting exercise. Craig sees both pros and cons here,
and we are hoping that he will stay motivated thru next year.

It was one year ago tonight that Craig started talking again. That event remains one of my most significant memories of the hospital experience. It was at that moment he really 'came back' to us and when we really knew that recovery was possible. From that point on things really progressed rapidly and he was home in less than a month. Looking back, it was really the most signifcant point of his recovery process.

I posted 2 new pictures above, one of Craig running a new ball onto the field during a recent game, and the second of the team lifting him up after the Layton victory over Northridge. You should be able to enlarge these if you click on them. The hyperbaric treatments continue to go well, although the daily routine is somewhat tiresome. Craig has observed that his balance and overall strength on his right side have improved a lot lately. He can now stand on his right foot and hold his balance for an extended period, something he could not do since coming home from the hospital. Standing on his left foot has never been a problem. He is also now able to jump rope with pretty good precision in his movements. We went back to the eye doctor again last week. Craig is now wearing 1 contact lens and claims to have better vision and perception than with 2. I think the doctor is as confused as we are. He still has perfect vision without contacts when they dialate his eyes, which means that the problem is not his eyes, but in the optical muscles and optic nerve. Apparently the dialation drops temporarily paralyze these muscles and the eyes go to manual control mode. There is still the possibility that this could correct with time. Craig re-took the math and English tests which he took last February, which are required for High School graduation. It will be interesting to see how the scores compare. He actually almost passed both of these tests last time around, so we are hopeful he can get past these.

Craig had his first hyperbaric treatment this afternoon. 1 down, 59 to go. He thought that it was pretty dull, but not too much of a problem either. The only tricky part is adjusting his ears as the pressure increases. I posted a couple of pictures above, of him in the tube, watching a movie.

Craig and Lori went to Las Vegas today for the MRI. It was a long day, but all went well. He had to lie still for about an hour and 20 minutes, and they gave him a valium before the thing started to help him relax and lay still. This was fine until afterward, when Lori had to drag him back to the airport to go home. He is feeling back to normal tonight, and said that this was the 'shortest longest' trip he has ever taken. It was also the first airplane flight since the accident. The hyperbaric treatments are scheduled to start on Monday.

The weather has turned quite cool, so Craig decided it was time to say goodbye to the ducks. Bongo was kind of tough, but Binga was very tasty. Just kidding. We took them to the park and let them go with the duck population there. The Layton High football team is doing very well this year and looks to make a run in the state playoffs. The coaches made Craig a team captain for last weeks rivalry game against Northridge (his former High School), and after the victory the team lifted him up on their shoulders at mid-field. It was really emotional for Lori and I, and we are trying to find a picture that we can post here for everyone to see. Craig is scheduled to do the pre-hyperbaric physical and cognitive testing this week, go to Las Vegas for the MRI next week (thurs), and then begin the actual treatments the week after that. Should be an interesting few months, I hope he does not get too tired of the routine too soon... Some people have asked about Craig's migraines, which he had a real problem with before the accident. So far, they have not been an issue since. He does get headaches now and then, but nothing like before. I guess if you are looking for a real physical benefit of the accident, this would be it. For anyone who does get migraines, however, I would not recommend the process.

We met with the hyperbaric medicine group at LDS Hospital today. Craig has been accepted into the study and will begin treatments in a couple of weeks! Today we did a medical history, and had Craig try out the chamber. He actually got inside and they pressurized it up for a few minutes. He can't take anything inside (phones, iPod, etc), and has to wear hospital scrubs. This is becuase the high oxygen environment is extremely flammable. He can watch TV or a movie on a screen outside the device, which is made of plexi-glass. He can also take a nap, which is the most likely scenario. While in the chamber he can communicate by a speaker system. He will be doing 60, 1-hour treatments over the next 3-months. The next step is a physical and cognitive exam, which takes two, 1/2 day sesions to complete. This will be repeated 6-months after the treatments to assess changes. They also would like to send him (and me or Lori) to Las Vegas for an advanced MRI, before and after the treatments. This is called a 'functional MRI' and actually measures blood flow to different parts of the brain. Looks to be really state-of-the-art and a good opportunity to get some advanced imaging of his brain. The study pays for the travel, although no casino coupons or show tickets are included. Thanks to all those who sent birthday wishes to Craig earlier this week. He keeps complaining that we owe him another party since he missed his birthday last year. For those who remember, we had a heck of a party at the hospital, I think over 200 people were there. It's not our fault that he slept through it!