3/19 - Sam's Journey - Day 98

I have been very much out of the Sam loop this week, but the updates I'm getting from Jim are good. He continues to make progress in mobility and speech, and apparently, he's a beast at playing Uno. If you choose to play him, you have been warned. 

I will have more specific Sam progress later in the weekend, if getting my grades done allows it. I'm writing now because I wanted to talk about what will be going on this weekend for him. If you've seen Jim's Facebook page and his announcement about the Texas Voices concert this weekend. He had a very vague post about a very special guest coming. If you haven't guessed by now, that guest is none other than Sam himself. We've done some practices getting him in and out of the car, and his stamina is good. However, this is going to be very strenuous for him. There will be much more stimulation than he's used to, and even if everything goes perfectly, it's going to be exhausting for him--and all of us. 

We are excited for all of you to see him, but we want to make sure that Sam has the best experience possible, and that you do, too. If you are planning on being at the concert, here are some things we'd like for you to know and consider:

• We will probably be seated near the back in case we need to make a quick exit for any reason. We will also probably get to our seats right before the concert starts so there's not too much excitement for him.
• We know you have missed seeing him. We are asking that you keep your interaction with him to a quick "hello", "good to see you", "we've missed you", etc. We're trying to avoid a receiving line that would rival one on Black Friday.
• Sam is NOT a big hugger. Never was. No hugs, PLEASE. However, he is good on high fives, hand shakes or fist bumps. 
• Not everyone will see this prior to the concert, so if you could spread the word, we'd appreciate it!

We're really looking forward to tomorrow, and we appreciate your help in making it a great day for Sam!