Today we met with the Speech Therapist at UW. Deanna evaluated Tom's needs and showed us 3 different models of "speaking" machines (don't know what they're really called but I bet I'll find out!) Tom was drawn to the smaller hand held model. He will use a stylus to type in words or touch pre-programmed phrases and the machine will speak what he writes. It was pretty funny when it was programmed with a woman's voice. You can also program your own phrases. I'm a little nervous about what the kids and grandkids will come up with for their dad/Far! It will take a while to get the model Tom wants so Deanna suggested we might be able to borrow something from the MDA organization. We checked and they do have something we can borrow and I will pick it up tomorrow morning.
The hardest part of the day was hearing Tom question (as we left the appointment), "so my voice is dead meat?" He had different expectations of the meeting thinking he was going to be given ways to use his own voice. But he bounced back quickly and is resolved to make the most of this new technology.
Just read the following devotion that has challenged me:
May 13
BIBLE MEDITATION:"Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people."1 Chronicles 16:8
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:If you are a child of God, you ought to be able to thank God every moment of every day no matter what happens to you. Have you ever stopped to thank God for the water that you drink? Did you know that in some third world countries the majority of the population doesn't have reasonably pure drinking water? Millions of people die annually just from water-related diseases. If you wear a hearing aide, do you ever thank God for that? Some people wish they had a hearing aide. If you are a student in the midst of final exams, do you thank God that you have an exam to take? There are many who wish they could afford college. Do you thank God for your next breath?
ACTION POINT:Take whatever it is that looks like a trial in your life today and thank God for it! Thank Him every time the thought enters your mind to grumble or complain.
It's hard to thank God for ALS but I do thank God for the incredible closeness Tom and I are experiencing in the midst of it and for the support and love of family and friends.
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So Tom...when is this new voice of yours ready for the public (or at least me!)? I'm thinking there are times when another voice could be a good thing. Like if you are trying to tease someone and can't get the words out as the laughter takes over. Or when you want to bend the truth a bit but those that know you can tell just by the tone of your voice that something is not right!? Or, just when you want or need to say something and you can't say what you want without your pain and sadness coming through. Well, my voice is cracking right now and I could use your machine to tell you how much we all have to be thankful for AND more importantly the people we have in our lives to be thankful for. THANK YOU, Tom for being you. You have always been a blessing.
ReplyDeleteWith love,
Dee