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Coughing is a reflex when choking, but it is also something that one can do on purpose. Nathaniel doesn't have a strong cough reflex, so we have a machine that can help him. However, now he is also coughing on command when he wants to clear his throat or if he feels the need. Nathaniel has started to type his answers in full sentences. The progression of asking him how he is doing has been like this: "Great", "Great!" (with punctuation), "I am feeling great!" Even more impres

In speech therapy, they were working on colors. The therapist asked Nathaniel to type the color of a lemon (yellow). That means, he had to understand the word "lemon", remember the color (which was not stated), and then know how to type it. He was successful. She then continued peppers and cucumbers. She then asked him to type the colors of the Israeli flag (blue and white). He did the exercise perfectly. He is also getting much faster and accurate at typing. I asked a rando

Nathaniel is starting to be able to move his right hip. Legs are heavy, and yet he still has the strength to move it a bit. This movement in his leg will ultimately help with balance, standing, and walking! The therapist asked Nathaniel many math questions. He asked Nathaniel to show him with his hand what the answer was. Nathaniel can only show 5 at a time, so he pulses his hand if the answer is a high number. The therapist started with simple arithmetic and continued to 1

Nathaniel went out for pizza with his caregivers after a therapy session. It was late, the caregivers said it was time to go home. Nathaniel shook head NO. They said again that it was time to go and started to move him. All of a sudden, Nathaniel grabbed the pizza box, quickly opened it, took a piece of pizza, and took a big bite. Well, they had to stay until he finished eating. When he had finished, he was ready to go home and left without complaining. The speech therapist

In physiotherapy, Nathaniel is learning a new way to transfer from the wheelchair to the therapy bed and back by himself. He is using a sliding board. This will help him be more independent because he won't need anyone to help him with transfers. He seems very excited to use it. Until now, we have initiated all communications with Nathaniel. We had to prompt him with questions and suggestions of what to choose or what to type. Now we are working on working with him on how t

Nathaniel is able to move his right hip and knee by himself enough to "walk". The first time he "walked" in his apartment with the help of a caregiver holding him for balance and support, he was so proud of himself. His smile was the biggest I have ever seen. It was time for grace after meals, but Nathaniel was falling asleep. We suggested that he go to bed. Instead, he held onto the tablecloth and wouldn't let go. He seemed to sleep through the blessings, but he smiled aft

Until now, when washing hands before saying the blessing over bread, we would put a bowl into Nathaniel's lap and he would pour the water over his hands. However, now he refuses to sit. He insists on standing to wash by the sink like everyone else. Nathaniel is becoming much more communicative. We now have a gesture for him to request his iPad so that he can tell us what he wants or needs, or he can just decide what song or shiur to listen to. He loves math. Using his fin

Nathaniel's verbal vocabulary is expanding. He is even bilingual. He can say "hello" and "hi" in English. In Hebrew he can say "amen". He can also say כן (pronounced 'ken'), which means "yes" and לא (pronounced 'lo'), which means "no". It's not so clear yet, but he is getting better. While traveling on the highway, Nathaniel snapped his fingers every time we passed a car or a car passed us. He also snapped when we were traveling on a 2-lane road through town. It seemed like

Nathaniel is learning how to cough on command. Next he will learn how to clear his throat (ahem). This shows that he has gained the ability to control his throat which he wasn’t able to do since the attack. Continuing with his mouth area, Nathaniel is working on saying, "la, la, la". The sound takes a lot of coordination between moving his tongue to the roof of his mouth behind his teeth and down again, as well as exhaling air past his vocal chords just right. Nathaniel h

13 December 2018 is the seventh anniversary of the terror attack. Wow! So many miracles and wonderous actions in those years! It was time for a meal so Nathaniel wheeled to the table. His "table chair", which he is transferred to so he can eat, was in the way of his wheelchair. Nathaniel reached over to the table chair and moved it out of the way on his own so he could be at the table before being transferred from his wheelchair. We put Nathaniel's 2-year-old nephew on hi

Nathaniel has an app on his iPad with the morning prayers written down while a recording reads the words. Nathaniel follows along with his finger. Sometimes he loses concentration and looks away from the screen. Still, when he looks back at the screen, he easily finds his place and continues to follow along. Traditionally, we cover our eyes with our right hand when reciting the Shema prayer. Since Netanel is not able to move his right arm yet, he would cover his eyes with h

Nathaniel is modulating his voice to laugh in a more common way. He laughs, but it sounds a bit odd. He is making more jokes and teasing more. He has a perfect poker face so we are often caught off guard. His swallowing is getting a lot more efficient. He still needs thickener for drinking water, but can't get enough fluids this way, so he still has the PEG for water. Nathaniel is becoming more impatient. When he wants something, he bangs on his chair two times to get o

A few weeks ago, Nathaniel got a new electric wheelchair, which has a joystick. I was a bit skeptical that he would know how to use it,...

Nathaniel was at his physical therapy gym and even with weights strapped to his ankle, he was able to lift his right leg a bit. The coach...

The war was not easy for anyone, and the same is for Nathaniel. He moved to the safe room in his apartment, which meant that he had to...

Nathaniel had his first Aliya since the terror attack. He was called to an Aliya to the Torah for the anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah. The...

Nathaniel wanted to congratulate someone by saying, "Mazel Tov". He opened his mouth, closed his mouth, and then moved his tongue up to...

Nathaniel was able to participate in the Passover Seder this year. He has a communication iPad. He had a program for the Seder. He was...

Lately we've noticed that sometimes when Nathaniel looks to the right, his pupil seems to stick there for a few seconds. I told everyone...

Happy Tu B'Shvat. Birthday of the trees. One day when Nathaniel was resting in bed, I went to see him. The lights were off, and I was...