After being shot in the head while on duty, Anthony suffered severe injuries and was in critical care for days following the incident with a high mortality rate. He underwent brain surgery and they got as much of the bullet out as they could but the main bullet was too deep in his brain so they could not remove it. It will most likely remain there for the rest of his life. Following the shooting, Anthony was partially paralyzed and could not move the entire left side of his body including being able to easily look to the left. During his stay in the ICU and PCU, he gained some minor movements back like wiggling his toe and moving his fingers. Anthony was then transported to an out of state facility to receive specialized treatment. This is where his intense therapy started to try to get movement and feeling back to the left side of his body. His days were filled with occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. His recovery from being shot in the head began to accelerate and was so remarkable, it had many doctors speechless.
Progress
Since leaving the hospital, Anthony has seen progress each day. Not too long ago, he wiggled his toes, gave a thumbs up, and took his first step. Now he has more movement and the doctors all seem to be impressed with his capabilities. Anthony can now raise his left arm. He can use his left hand to hold things including our one year old. He also has more movement in his left leg. He can bend his knee and more easily take a step with his left foot. PT looks very different today than it did even 2 weeks ago. Anthony has walked with a walker and even better has walked on his own while being supported by someone. All of this is great but he still doesn't have certain movements with left leg or arm which are essential for basic things like walking, writing, throwing, pulling, etc. On top of physical therapy progress he also has been working on more fine motor skills which is even more difficult. He tried writing his name for the first time and that is still in progress. He is also working on cognitive abilities. He is pretty solid in general but the experts do notice some small inconsistencies that he will need to continue to work on.
All of this is motivating and makes us all smile and truly feel like it is just going to be a matter of time before he is running around again. However, it would be a huge disservice to Anthony if I didn't paint the true picture of what all of this actually means.
Challenges of the recovery after being shot in the head
During therapy sessions, yes he is making progress but those are only moments during those sessions. He has major challenges and limitations that are impacting his daily life. He is not able to walk outside of a therapy sessions and is not allowed to move himself, for instance, going from the bed to the wheelchair all have to be supervised. This also includes things like showering and going to the bathroom. He essentially has no independence and in general very limited movement on a daily basis. Simple tasks like putting his shoes on, getting dressed, eating (he's left handed), and more get the best of him. He makes the best with playing with the kids in the wheel chair, and still finds a way to wrestle with them, but for instance the other night when our son was sick and starting throwing up he could not help in any way. I don't want to speak for him but I see how hard all of this is and feeling helpless is not something that he does well with especially when it comes to being a dad.
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