written by Patty Torr
Good afternoon!??Well, the last time you heard from me and the Ruckelshaus family, we told you Jay was coming home for an uncertain amount of time, making a ?pit stop? en route to his next round of therapy, wherever that might be.?WELLLLL?.there is some very good news to report!
Below is a note from John Ruckelshaus that I?d like to share.
?Around Thanksgiving, Jay began to mention that his body was telling him something.? From the outset of Jay?s injury, his condition has been termed ?ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association) A, Complete?.? That condition means that he has no sensation or movement below the level of his injury.? On December 22, the day we had set to return to Indianapolis for Christmas, Jay delivered us the best Christmas gift anyone could ever want: his condition was elevated to ASIA B, Sensory Incomplete, as he is now experiencing sensation in his feet and mid section.? This is a huge event, as now he is experiencing recovery below the level of injury.? This is a very, very long road with no guarantees, but we now have new hope.
This past Saturday, I drove Mary and Jay back to Atlanta and the Shepherd Center to begin another new round of more intense therapy.? We will go month by month pending his progress to his treatments.? After we conclude our therapy in Atlanta, we will go to another facility.? To further underscore the progress he is making, Jay is proctoring via Skype, a 400 level conversational French course at Indiana University.? Indeed, Jay will still enroll at Duke this fall,?but his mother and I, both IU graduates, relish in reminding Jay that IU is currently ranked higher in the polls in basketball than Duke.
?Our family sincerely wishes to thank everyone who has kept our family in their prayers and thoughts.? To be sure, this has not been easy, but we know this is going to have an incredible resolution.?
I would tell you the Ruckelshaus family received 3 gifts this Christmas:??Jay?s upgraded condition, Maggie?s graduation from Butler (and gainful employment as an intern with the IN House of Representatives!), and Drew?s visit home from the University of Idaho where he is attending grad school.
As always, please continue to pray for a miracle.