Day +60... time to chow down!

...or maybe just sip down.

Hi everyone, it's Karlin. I have some exciting news... yesterday Charles was told he is now allowed to EAT FOOD! He's mostly restricted to things like broth and jello right now. Yesterday after we found out, a tray with broth, jello and some tea arrived. It seemed pretty scary at first. Charles wasn't sure what to expect (stomach pain, nausea, cramping...), but he took a few bites of the jello and drank about half a cup of tea without any problems! He also really seems to be gaining back his appetite. Yesterday I made the mistake of talking about nachos in front of him, and just now a pizza commercial made him groan. hopefully in a couple days we can upgrade the broth and jello to soft foods!

Some other great news is that Charles' strength has been improving a LOT every day. Less than a week ago he couldn't roll over in his bed without lots of help, but in the last couple of days he's been able to stand up several times (with help, of course), and yesterday was able to hold the standing position for a few minutes!

It's been hard for Charles to see improvements. They can be so slight, and there are still so many things that aren't better that it's hard for him sometimes to even notice the difference. I think being able to have food has been a good, tangible sign that he really is improving. His parents and I have all been reminding him of how great he's doing and I think yesterday maybe he started to see that himself. Watching him do physical therapy or take on tasks he hasn't been able to complete for several weeks has made us all so incredibly proud of him. I keep reminding him that he could just decide it's not worth the pain and struggle and do nothing, but he isn't! He's pushing through doing things that are very difficult and painful, and because of that, he's getting better. I'm really trying to help him understand that it's his own strength that is getting him through this. He's an inspiration, whether he knows it or not.

Thanks to everyone reading. Just your interest in Charles' progress means so much. I know he misses you all a lot. Thanks for supporting him (and the rest of us on Team Charles). Love you all!

-Karlin