Well I went to 2 more doctor appointments. The neurologist said the EEG and MRI didnt show anythng abnormal but I checked my blood pressure at the neurologist, pain management doctor, and drug store and everyone agreed that my blood pressure is very low. The pain management doc didnt have any new news for me. I showed him things like the hess, saeboflex, and walkaid from the Stroke Connections magazine but he said that I wouldnt qualify for any of that stuff unless I had a new stroke. So much for that. I also got my new brace a couple of weeks ago. I think I have been walking better and it was made at an angle that leans my leg forward so it stops my knee from popping back. I have also been driving more. I am still trying to get the hang of using the wheel knob. I usually practice on the rural back roads with less traffic but I have been out on the four lane highway a couple of times. I have to constantly scan to compensate for vision loss but my dad said I am doing exceptionally well for a beginner.

In other news, I went on a four day trip to Virginia for an honors student conference. It was fun but it was a lot of walking and a lot of workshops. I met a lot of important people like one of the U.S ambassadors, a recruiter from the CIA, and the mayor of Virginia among other big corporate people. It was very exciting. We even traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia and visited Virginia Tech. There was a street fair there and I actually seen a young guy wearing a leg brace and using a walker. It was an inspiration to me to see him out there in the mist of all of those people and not letting anything stop him. I met 2 more special people while at the conference. One day while trying to get up the stairs with my heavy notebook, a student offered to help me. We got to talking and I shared my story. Surprisingly, he had a story to tell too. When he was 3, a brick wall fell on him. He didnt have a stroke but he did crack his skull so we both had that in common, that we both had a craniotomy and were miracles! The following day, I met a senior scholar. As we began talking about careers and education, she told me that her mother had an aneurysm and a stroke. She shed many tears of joy as we spoke for the next 15 minutes. She told me how much of an inspiration I was to her everytime she seen me and how I dont even know how I inspire people by just going on and not letting anything stop me. I told her about all of the resources like this site and sites for single handed aides her mother could use, and the wonderful One Handed in a Two Handed World book. I definately feel like it was a reason we met that day. Its times like that Im reminded why God hasent fully recovered me. As long as he uses me to inspire others I wont complain!