Greetings! I hope you all had a blessed holiday season!

Under the circumstances, we had a fabulous Christmas and New Years. Danny has shown significant improvement; in my opinion, due to time, new medication and the fact that he is simply healthy, he is making strides.

Christmas Day was, of course, an emotional one. I had taken Danny's wedding band to have it engraved with our anniversary date and the Bible verse we picked for our wedding.

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. I John 4:18-19

When I placed the ring in Danny's palm, he began to cry. I showed him the inscription and read him the verse and placed the ring back on his finger. With tears streaming down our faces, I told him how much I loved him and that knowing all that I do; I'd marry him all over again.

We celebrated Christmas at his brother's home; the home that Danny spent the majority of his life. It was the first time Danny had been out of the house for anything other than a doctor's appointment. He did well and seemed enjoy the outing.

To my surprise, he had a Christmas gift for me. I had no idea what to expect and was blown away by what was in the box. Inserted in a simple frame was a love note from Danny. Written in red crayon as a child, were simple words with abundant meaning. I sobbed, Danny cried and everyone else boo-hood. All in all, it was an awesome day.

We had some issues last week with Danny's feeding tube. It continued to get clogged, so on Friday morning, it was replaced with a new one that is working much better. Later that same afternoon, we had a check up appointment with Danny's primary care physician, Dr. Dunlevie. Danny has a urinary tract infection, but that is very common with someone in his condition, so he is on antibiotics to treat it. The doctor also took a blood sample to check his liver enzymes and sodium level. We received a call today that Dr. Dunlevie would like to perform an ultrasound of Danny's liver and gall bladder to make sure all is well.

Recently, we have seen Danny go through a significant change in his neurological recovery. The staff at Shepherd Center had cautioned us that one of the first stages of recovery is an angry, agitated and confused state. Well, we've definitely hit it. Danny has begun to speak more in the last few days. He has these moments of what I describe as wild-eyed anger and they are directed at anyone and everyone. He pushes people away with his right arm, tells people "F*#@ you" and has attempted to bite. While these things are very difficult to witness, they are a great sign that Danny is on his way to full recovery!

He isn't angry all the time though. You can almost see the confusion and anger come over his face, but then it fades and he is Danny again. With his voice, he told me my name and when I asked him who I was, he replied "You're my wife." And, in the end, as long as he knows who I am, who his son is and that we love him dearly, that is all that truly matters to me.

Danny's mobility is also improving. We have to restrain his right arm at night because he pulls at things he shouldn't. He has begun to move his left arm and also his legs. Danny is doing really well at controlling his head movements. He now turns his head side to side and also holds it up on his own. Danny also surprised me yesterday when he snapped his fingers on his right hand. The physical therapist is so encouraged that she'd like to schedule him for four days a week. She feels he is on the brink of making some major moves, pun intended.

Keep us in your prayers and thank you for all your support!