Oli has done so well again today. He really blew me away when I went with him on another physio session on the stairs. I was walking behind him and the physio as we went all the way up in one go and all the way down in one go, I was trying very hard not to get in the way and just observe so it wasn’t until the end that I asked him if he realised what he’s just done. Not only had he gone up and down the stairs a lot more easily than he had yesterday, he’d also been chatting the entire time – he hadn’t even noticed! It’s things like this that make me stop and realise just how much his life has changed already. I would never have dared to speak to him while he was slowly going up or down stairs, one step at a time, as I knew he wouldn’t have had the breath to talk back. Today he was chatting away and didn’t seem out of breath at all. Wow.
This has led me on to a strange pattern of thinking today as we are entering the realms of activities that Oli either hasn’t done for a long time or has never done. When we got there this morning Oli was a bit down. He said he didn’t know why but he felt ‘off’ and was a little worried about it, even though all of his levels had been checked and had come back perfectly fine. It was then that I had to remind him of all the activity he did yesterday, activity he hasn’t done for at least months, if not more. His body, apart from recovering from a huge operation, simply isn’t used to this level of activity.
I don’t know but I don’t think Oli has ever had a stitch from running, or had achy legs or sore feet. It has crossed my mind that when Oli experiences these for the first time, particularly the running stitch, he could possible think something major is wrong and start to panic.
We have all spent so much time thinking about the great things Oli can do with his life now, we had overlooked the little, more unpleasant things he will inevitably discover. I’ve also been thinking that Oli hasn’t had a 35/40 hour week, ever. He’s going to find out that it’s tiring and not always that much fun.
This post is not meant to sound negative in any way, it’s just that for the first time tonight I’ve realised how little experience Oli has of the regular world. He’s going to go on and do great things and experience things he never thought he would. Along the way however, he’s going to go through some very hard times. He will come out the other side and the triumphs will be that much sweeter because of it.
We have a long way to go and this year will be very hard but also very rewarding. I think that the relationships he has with close friends and family will need to be very strong to come out the other side but if they survive, they will be that much stronger for having come through it.
That’s all got a bit deeper than I meant it too, oops!
Oli has also been moved to a different room now, he is no longer highly dependant and so is one step closer to home (hopefully!). Oli’s Mum, Dad, Oli and I are all looking forward to a wonderful celebratory lunch tomorrow, I have to admit I am so excited, I might burst! If you have a drink tomorrow, or even a cup of tea, celebrate with us and raise your glass to Oli as it is his first trip out since the transplant. He is one awesome guy.