T minus 3 days...

I'm told that Friday September 30th will be my discharge date from Mary Free Bed. While I should have nothing but pure excitement running through my head, I also have apprehension and fear. Apprehension and fear about going home? I know your saying... That's crazy right? The fact is I've had trouble sleeping every night since learning of my discharge date as my mind runs through the transition. At the heart of this is the fact that I've been away from home for nearly 5 months. It's almost like the mental transition that a kidnapped person goes through as they are freed from their confines. Everything that they have become accustomed to is changing. (Maybe not the best analogy, but you know what I mean)

I am more than capable of being 100% independent here at the rehab hospital, but what about in a "non controlled" environment like home. Will I be able to get out of a normal bed, one that's not designed for ease of movement? Can I function in my home as I have done here in the rehab hospital? Will I remember to get up at my scheduled hours and perform the critical tasks? Have I learned enough in 5 weeks to make me independent?

My family has proven through the last 5 months that they are more than capable of daily life without me. My wife and mother-in-law have truly risen to the occasion. (I don't think everybody knows this, but my mother-in-law, Darlene moved into our house and voluntarily took on the role of mother and father to the kids while Angie and I dealt with the accident. For 5 months she put her life on hold for us. Pretty amazing huh? Thanks Mom.) I know that things will not magically return to the way they were before the accident... Am I and are we as a family prepared for those changes? What changes will there be?

My goal is to return home as independent as possible and return to my duties as a father and a husband. I also hope to relieve my wife and mother-in-law of the responsibility that they have assumed through the last 5 months.

Even with all of these unknowns, I know that everything will work out because my wife, my family and my friends are 100% behind me. Thank you everyone for your support.