242 How is Luke doing?

For several months I've been reading the amazing blog about a little guy named Luke who drowned and was revived after 30 minutes 6 months ago. His parents created a blog to keep their friends and family up on his condition and therapy. He just celebrated his second birthday. Here's just one of the routines his mother, Sue, reports:

"After our PT appt. we went to our Pulmonologist appt. I knew when we went in that Luke had a cough that he needed to get out, this happens rarely, of course it had to happen while we were there. At first when the Dr. listened to his lungs while covering his trach he seemed congested and labored breathing, the second the Dr. took his finger off the trach he let out a big cough. I suctioned him and the Dr. listened once again and said that he sounded much better and was more comfortable having his trach covered. We left there with great hope that we will be getting his trach out next month if all goes well with the capping process, he said we could start covering his trach, as soon as we get the cap. If the bronchial scope looks good and he does okay when they take out his trach then he will leave the Hospital the next day without his trach. Please be praying that he will be able to wear his cap all the time and that the bronchial scope will be in God's perfect timing."

Last week Sue reported on a visit with a neurological developmentalist: "She said that given what Luke has been through he is doing great. She told us that his brain is working better than we think. She saw him respond to a request almost immediately after asking him to look me in the eyes she said that it was very fast, that quite often in brain injuries there is a delay in following directions and that she didn't see this in him. She set us up with an intense program to help Luke with quite a few area's in his development."

As I read about their commitment to this child who may always be challenged in his physical and mental development but is making progress every day, I can't help but think of the helplessness Terri Schiavo's parents must feel as they watch their own baby wasting away without therapy, at risk from a husband and court intent on killing her.