here. You come to work and learn how to get out of a wheel chair. The music is blaring away, the atmosphere is electric, whilst physios and patients are working together, the positive energy in that room is amazing, it makes you feel like lazy just watching and you just want to participate with everyone. Stephen's OT and physio are superb. His physio, plays no rules Australian ladies football and the words 'can't do' ,are not in her vocabulary, She's a tough cookie and just what Stephen needs. They have the greatest respect for each other.
He is under the wing of Dr John McDonald who we have spoken of previously. This man is a great scientist and has huge plans for Stephen. Stephen's confidence in him is immeasurable and both of them are determined that he WILL get out of the wheelchair. It will take some time but everyone is so so positive that I truly believe he will. One day I watched his physio get him onto a gym mat which is about 2 feet of the floor. She positioned him in a sitting position with his feet on the floor. Then she placed his arms behind him on the mat so that he was leaning back supporting him all of the time . ...whilst she was doing this Stephen was watching himself in front of a mirror. Then she left go and Stephen had to support himself independently. The concentration on his face was just like when he was on top of the start hill waiting for his final run. It was amazing to see. He DID support himself for more than 30 seconds! He did this several times. These are small steps to people like you and I but GIANT to a person who was initially told that he would never get out of a wheel chair.
Stephen's positively remains unchanged. He had Mason & Seth out for a 4 day visit to see him and Melissa. He had Mason sit on his knee in his wheelchair, charged across the lounge, slammed on the brakes and sent Mason flying onto the couch. They had such fun and the boys loved it. It's amazing how you can find alternative ways to entertain your children!. He has had wheelchair races down the hospital corridors with other patients trying to beat them, he still has his competitive streak in him.
Stephen and Melissa are going to return to Baltimore in 3 months time for another 6 weeks, after Stephen has worked on the exercises given to him by his physio, they will then progress onwards and upwards. Of course there are many hiccups along the way and the road is still a long one with many mountains to climb. He still has tremendous neck pain and nerve spasms. He is prone to pneumonia and UTIs but his body is now learning to cope better in these situations however, throughout all of this we would like you all to know that we are more positive and stronger than ever and would once more like to thank you all for your support, without which we may have been telling a different story.
Kimarie
Hi, here is a quick update of my trip to see Stephen at the Kennedy Krieger Rehab Hospital in Baltimore. To be honest, Baltimore was a place which I said I would never visit again, the last time I was there we were all filled with despair after Stephen's tragic accident and the life changing effect it had on the lives of our family, but then we should all learn never to say never! Stephen has been at The Kennedy Kreiger rehab hospital for 7 weeks and has just returned back home to California this weekend. I flew out to see him 2 weeks ago to see how he was progressing in rehab. I went to see him working out, and I mean working out, in the gym where physio and occupational therapy take place. There is no room for 'slackers' 
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.