Travisms

Here's a peak into Trav's last week

in the nursing home.  Can you believe

this amazing, handsome, crazy,

fun-loving 23 year old had to

spend several months in a nursing home?

God bless his heart...he made it.

With flying colors, I might add;)

He entered this nursing home

bound to a wheel chair. 

When I took this picture of Superman

Tex in his boots, WALKING

with his walker, I can guarantee

that he had NO clue where his

wheel chair was.  All God's

work with this young man's

determination and strength

(Oh yeah, and BIG time stubborn ways!)

His boots were made for walking

and that's just what he is gonna do!!!!!

Janitor Hudson;) at your service!

This began at Texas Neuro

and has lasted through Sr. Care.

Hudson playing with the trash cans

is a SURE fire way to get Travis

to laughing...the kind of laugh

that you can hear his voice.

Almost like chewbacca.....

I love it!!!

Trav's days are LONG and lonely:(

It's so heartbreaking to think how

ACTIVE, on the go, hard working,

and people-loving Travis was before the

accident.....just so much spirit to him

and then for this to happen where he

is bound by four walls most all of the time:(

He watches a lot of movies (which he

was always a movie buff), writes

as much as he can and spends

A LOT of time on Facebook.  Sometimes

this is a good thing, sometimes it is not.

He does have a traumatic brain injury

that left him without a filter and

really without the amount of

emotion he used to have. 

This may go away or it may not.

Only time will tell.

Travis was an AVID reader before

his accident.  In fact, the day before

his accident I called to see if he

was working at lunch because we

wanted to go to Zebs if he had been

there.  Faintly in my mind, I can

still hear the way he answered.

Our sweet Travis:(

I asked him what he was doing

and he said he was reading.

He loved to read so much.

If only I had known what would

happen to him the next day.

I would never have let him go...

A lot of times Travis is inspiring

his "following" on his Facebook OR

on his blog (www.supermansays.blogspot.com).

A post from him can really

give a person perspective on his or her

own life.  Happens to me all the time.

Just a simple, "Don't ever quit.

Just don't" coming from someone

in his situation really makes you

not ever want to quit!!!

Then there are his TRAVISMS...

he sometimes posts the most

clever, funny things you've ever read.

"It's not the size of the dog in the

fight but the size of the fight in the

dog.  This is coming from a

pretty big dog.  Never say NEVER."

That's just one of many, many!!!

I so wish I had been keeping a list

of them...it would be LONG

and funny and interesting!
Some are quotes he finds

and others he makes up. 

A friend of a friend who has been

following Trav's story recently became

very involved in helping him.

She just happens to be a DOCTOR

as well as a speech pathologist.

She's like an angel....

she came up with many ideas on

activities for Travis and just things

to keep him perked up.

One was a poster board

of his Travisms!!!

We thought this was SHIBBY...

his word for cool, not mine;)

The kids were ALL about this activity

and couldn't wait to write DUH

up there...another famous Travis phrase!

There are many, trust me!!!

Music is another thing that Travis

is really into although our taste in music

is quite different!;) ha!

He's also very much into the storm...

they bring him a lot of laughs and smiles.

Travis had a blown pupil in one of his

eyes.  We were told VERY early on

that he would most definitely be blind

in that eye.  His eyes did not respond

to any stimulus for months and months.

(Maybe it's a good thing that

he never knew how often his mama

and even me would lift his eye

lids in hopes of sparking something!)

BUT, come to find out, he has

20/20 vision!  The doctors believe

he suffers from horrible double

vision, but he says he doesn't.

He did recently admit that he

has trouble keeping his place

when reading and not being able to

get it back.  That's why he

has all but given up on reading.

He told us this when we asked

if he had read all the comments he

was getting on a Facebook post.

Bless his heart......

Hudsy Puds, those are some

mighty big boots to fill! ;)

Literally!!! (A size 15 in fact!)

Travis survived his days at Sr. Care

Nursing Home...his sixth facility

to have to be at in two years.

We made some amazing friends there

and he learned to do A LOT

on his own.  He's a fighter;

there's no denying that!!!

Each place has served its purpose

on this "epic" (his word!) journey for Travis.

"Where there is the greatest love,

there are always miracles..."

Willa Cather