On Friday, Stu Shiffman stood up for the first time since his stroke – for a minute, using a walker, and with one knee immobilized because of the broken kneecap.
Andi Shecter noted on CaringBridge that Stu has been talking a little bit, softly. She adds, “What he says is absolute Stu. Phew!”
Stu Shiffman continues to make progress since his stroke in mid-June and the surgeries that followed.
Earlier this week doctors did an MRI and ran a 24-hour EEG to check for seizures, finding no signs of any.
On June 28, he was given a tracheotomy and the breathing tube removed. (There is still a nose-tube for feeding purposes.) Having been sedated through that, he was not expected to be responsive ‘til sometime today.
Tom Whitmore, who writes Stu’s journal at CaringBridge, anticipates Stu will be able to try talking soon.
There’s also an appeal for funds to help Andi Shecter’s transportation expenses back and forth to the hospital – for details, see the CaringBridge journal entry for June 27 at 6:12 p.m.