Life at the foot of Hatcher Pass 2010!

Hello all! What a friend you are if you are reading this -- too long since our last update. We hope this one will be short and sweet, but the author isn't known for her lack of verbosity.

2009 and 2010 -- Aren continues to make progress towards increased cognition. Although it is very, very small steps for him, what more can we say? Hey, we as his parents are his biggest fans! Now 26 years old, we try to keep his life peppered with activity and meaning as he works, works, works to get his physical movements of his mouth to coordinate with his voice to produce speech. He also "plays around" with more movements all the time. However, as of yet, there are no consistent, measurable gains on either front.

But that doesn't stop us from getting excited every time he calls out "Mom" or "Dad" or answers a question with "yeah" instead of his usual "uh-huh." A week ago he gave me a bear hug where he stretched out his arms, put them around me, squeezed, then released them at the end of the hug. Wow, you know I was crying.

Perhaps this does get a bit difficult for me and Gary, along with Aren's long time caregiver and friend, Chris, because we recognize that when we describe Aren's activities or movements that are exciting to us, the words we use and the reality that your old friend Aren really is severely disabled hits home and may sadden you.

Once again, let us emphasize that this is the path that Aren is now on, and we are all on this path right beside him all the way! Please know that there is enjoyment in his life, he has developed ways of "communicating" with all around him, and he continues to make movements that give us true hope that there will be upcoming opportunities to more aggressively improve his communication by working with technological support systems. Our daughter Rebecca and her husband Bill have two of the cutest granddaughters/nieces ever down in Ketchikan. They've gotten to know their Uncle Aren and provide him entertainment and enjoyment when around.

We were so very saddened to lose our dear Malemute IO almost two years ago. In the mean time, we take Aren out in a sled regularly on our property and in Hatcher Pass. The "all terrain wheelchair" is almost worn out from hikes up in Hatcher Pass, multiple camping trips around Alaska and the Yukon, even multiple dips into the sea! (Gotta watch it! It and Aren actually float if the water gets too deep because of those huge tires.)

If you think of it, please send us a quick note and keep us posted on your life. We always talk with Aren about things he's done, places he's gone, friends of his...we are so very sorry to have lost touch with many of you.

We'll try to be better about posting pictures, so please check back once in awhile. Until then, Peace. And love from Aren and Gary and Nancy