Warning: There are no pictures in this post. Those who are looking for their picture fix for the day should seek it elsewhere. :) LOL Ut oh, I just posted a picture to the post.
Today is day 47 since Brandon had his stroke. He continues to go to Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy three days a week for two hours per day. Improvements in the range of his arm movement and grip strength is still being seen almost on a daily basis. Hopefully, the improvements will continue until 100% recovery is reached. But if it plateaus at a lesser percentage, then we will still be thankful for what will have been given back to him. He is capable of walking, albeit with a limp. He is able to drive himself and take care of all of his personal hygiene. While determined to improve physically, he is also just as determined to adapt to the situation. He is able to figure out solutions, using his current physical limitations (which improves daily), to accomplish any and all everyday tasks presented to him. I'm sure there are some people who have experienced similar situations that have given up and quit trying. I am super proud to say that Brandon isn't one of those people and I believe he is capable of helping others gain the type of determination and inner strength that he shows. I'm just not sure how to put them in touch with each other. All things happen for a reason, that may be one of the reasons. :)
One of the other reasons may have been to have me back in Louisiana when Freedom started having problems. My plans were to head to the Porcupine Mountains and Apostle Islands along Lake Superior until I received the call about Brandon. Those would have been some isolated places to have truck troubles. Instead, Freedom had troubles within 25 miles of the dealership where I bought her. They have been working on her for the last 8 days but I should pick her up this afternoon. They haven't conclusively found the problem but that is not unusual for electrical/electronic problems since they only happen now and then. But by searching the internet and using some of the Ford Forums, I think I found the solution for them and notified them of it yesterday. All Ford truck owners should pay attention to this part. There is a wiring harness connection for the main electrical/electronic parts of the truck and it is located very, very near the emergency/parking brake.
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| That grey/black connection is the culprit. The cable in the foreground is the parking brake cable. |
This is why my back up camera quit working for a day then corrected itself, why when I released the parking brake Freedom started after not starting prior to that, and why there were messages like "engine overtemp" when the engine was cold and "service advancetrac". All of these conditions were created by a loose or disconnected wire in that wiring harness. My confidence level is high that this is the problem but I will drive it around for several days before hitching Liberty up and hitting the road around the first of September. I've been in dry-dock so long that I may have forgotten how to hitch up. I hope I didn't throw away all of my check-lists :). I also need to decide where to go after hitching up. I want to be back down here the week before Thanksgiving which gives me about 10 weeks of traveling before coming back for a good family dinner. After that, longer travel plans will need to considered. I wasn't able to think seriously about travel plans until I knew Brandon was OK and Freedom was repaired. North, east, south or west,,,,,hmmm,,,,decisions, decisions.
Ya'll take care of each other. Cya down the road.
Congratulations to Brandon on his progress and especially his attitude. Have fun with the travels. My rolling date is October 6, heading west..
ReplyDeleteHello Barney. Be careful when you roll out after sitting still for so long. I've gotten hitch itch big time while sitting still. Cya down the road
DeleteWonderful news about your son! Sorry to hear your plans for the Porcupine Mountains had to be delayed, but you're right that if you had to have truck issues, it is best you had them where you were instead of there. As beautiful as it is (one of my very favorite spots ever), it's pretty remote with limited resources.
ReplyDeleteThanks Malia. Try not to breathe too deeply up there near the wildfires until you get away from them. It is beautiful country up there. Plenty of "wow" sites.
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