SchnookoLoly

So, with the latest update (below), I thought it would be nice to start a new thread with a more positive title. I will continue to post updates from Facebook or that I receive from Doug.

So that it's in the top post, here are some relevant links to follow Rosie's recovery and to donate to The Rosie Sparkles Fund:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRosieSparklesFund/?fref=ts (no account required to view)
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/the-rosie-sparkles-fund

For those just seeing this for the first time, here is the link to the previous thread: http://britishexpats.com/forum/maple...illian-888547/

And now for the latest update:

Goodbye Hamilton, hello Toronto!

The day finally arrived on Monday 13 February for Rosie to move to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. An early start at McMaster saw her room all packed up and Rosie in a patient-transfer ambulance just after 8 o’clock, for the long trip through rush-hour traffic to midtown Toronto. She spent most of the ambulance journey fast asleep!

Bloorview is a wonderful place, if a bit overwhelming for Rosie to begin with. After finding her new digs, most of the rest of Monday was taken up with introductions to all sorts of new people: her primary nursing people, physio and occupational therapists, the specialist OT team who deal with seating, play therapist, Child Life specialist, social worker, psychologist, and from the medical team the doctor, nurse practitioner and pharmacist. She’s now registered with the Bloorview School Authority and will be starting school as soon as everything’s settled down (although she was happy to learn that Friday is a PA day at Bloorview and Monday is a public holiday, so she starts her school schedule with a four-day weekend!)

During her first week, apart from school and therapy sessions, Rosie will learn the lie of the land and will hopefully find some kindred spirits either through school or in some of the after-school activities. She is understandably a bit fed up with “grown-ups pretending to be my friend” – to the extent that goodbyes at McMaster were accompanied by some fairly heartfelt “I wish I’d never had to meet you” comments! Although, of course, in time she will come to appreciate (as the grown-ups do already) just how fabulous the staff at McMaster all are, and how ultimately lucky we were that Rosie was able to go there for the immediate medical treatment needs that they have dealt with so well. #therosiesparklesfund

Some pictures were included with the Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/TheRosieSpa...97704930408130

mikelincs

Pleased to hear she is now out of the hospital and into rehab, she'll soon adapt, and a four day weekend will help

Jerseygirl

I was wondering if everything had gone to plan this week...looks like it has.

What an enormous step for Rosie's rehabilitation.

DaveLovesDee

Excellent news.

Shirtback

Indeed it is.

Piff Poff

So glad she's well enough to start the next phase.

Rosylady

Great news..

moneypenny20

Getting the notification that there's an update to her FB page always makes me smile. Happy to see the new thread here as well. Rosie's a champ. I'm sure she's being a horrible child at times but the improvements and the smiling photos are great to see and read about.

Geordie George

Great news. ☺

Zoe Bell

I'm sure her parents are a little bit relieved if she is being a "horrible child" at times . Normal behaviour is a really positive sign

This thread and updates make me happy

moneypenny20

That's what I thought.

SchnookoLoly

It's been awhile, but the family has just made another update on Rosie!

Rosie at Bloorview

Nearly three weeks into the Bloorview experience, there is a lot to report. Having arrived on Monday 13 February, Rosie’s first week was mostly spent in assessments and getting-to-know-you sessions, which was exhausting but worthwhile. She met medical and therapeutic staff from many different disciplines, many starting with “P” - from physicians and pharmacists to physiotherapists and psychologists! Rosie was a bit worried to begin with that with all the tests and assessments there wasn’t any time for actual rehabilitation, but once she’d worked out that this was all to make sure that the rehab therapy she received was designed to exactly suit her needs, she was much happier.

The programme at Bloorview strongly encourages visits home at weekends, so with the first weekend of Rosie’s stay being the Family Day weekend, we were all keen to work out when and how she could come home. Rosie’s not quite ready to come home for an overnight visit yet, but the big breakthrough for day-trips home came with Rosie being passed fit to travel in our own car, rather than needing a wheelchair taxi. So it was with great glee that she came home for a few hours on each of the three days of the long weekend, and coped admirably both with the car journey and with being carried up the front steps into the house. It was lovely, too, to have a few of Rosie’s friends round to hang out for a while, and have a go at some of the amazing crafts and games Rosie has been given over the last few months.

Tuesday 21 saw the start of full-time school. The school day at Bloorview is similar to any other school, with the exception that they expect pupils to be hauled out of classes fairly regularly for therapy sessions, so the teachers work really hard to ensure that everyone covers all the necessary curriculum. And now that “proper” therapy sessions also got under way, the week of testing and assessment all suddenly became more worthwhile: the seating & mobility specialists have configured a wheelchair that Rosie is very confident in manouevring, to the point that Ka-Kei, her physiotherapist, is already teaching Rosie how to pull a wheelie!

Since Rosie will be at Bloorview for a few months, it’s really reassuring that the routine has got off to such a good start. A full timetable during the week, with lots of sports and extracurriculars (basketball and baking have been two favourites so far) has kept Rosie busy, and she has certainly slept well. Never a morning person at the best of times, Rosie’s nurses have discovered that they need to work quite hard to wake her up and get her going in the mornings!

The busy weeks have meant Rosie has been ready to come home and relax for a few hours at the weekend. But we’re beginning to get a bit more adventurous with the relaxing bits as well: last weekend we ventured to the cinema to see the Lego Batman movie (it was lovely, actually, to be able to go to the film.ca theatre where Rosie’s fundraiser was held just after Christmas). And this weekend Rosie was invited to a launch party/video shoot for a new single by Abby & Sarah, twelve-year-old twins who wrote “Sister I’m Running,” which has been adopted by the Canadian Women’s Foundation as a strong and powerful song celebrating their #girlpowered campaign. Getting up into the freight elevator from the loading dock in Graffiti Alley behind Queen St West in Toronto (where Rick Mercer films the “rant” section for the Mercer Report) was exciting, to say the least, and is an indication of how different people have different ideas about what “accessible” means!

We really weren’t quite sure what to expect from Bloorview (apart, of course, from a tedious daily commute from Oakville). Once again, we have been really impressed with the friendliness and dedication of the staff, and by the way everyone has welcomed Rosie and made all of us feel this is absolutely the best possible place for her to be. The facilities are amazing, the programming is more than enough to keep everyone busy, and we are sure that by the time Rosie is ready to return home she will have got the best possible preparation for being once more an independent and strong-willed girl!

Facebook link which includes a number of pictures (no account required to view): https://www.facebook.com/TheRosieSpa...06430706202219

mikelincs

Greayt update, so good to see just how well she is doing..

Jerseygirl

Thanks for the update Schnooks.

What an amazing young lady Rosie is. She always has a lovely smile on her beautiful face.

Way to go Rosie!!!

BEVS

Thanks for posting the update to BE.

What an amazing family they all are and Rosie certainly has a huge bagful of sparkles inside of herself.

Onwards ho. Hopefully rehab will go smoothly and progress well and soon the family will all be home together.