LAST DAY AT SHRINERS!

Today, Sept. 12, 2008, we left Shriners for home. It was a very fun day before we left and we had a special treat. Dr. D'Astous and Dr. Santora told us they both played instruments and had even gone to Colorado to attend a music camp the first week after the halo had been put on. We still had not heard that little concert so we told the doctors making the rounds (neither of these doctors were in the rounds today due to some meetings with doctors from out of state) that we were very disappointed in these guys because we didn't get to hear them play. We were kidding, of course, but about two hours later, they both came up and asked for Ammon. They decided to play their little concert near the nurses station because there was more room. It was absolutely wonderful! They were both very good and Ammon had a smile as big as any smile any of us had ever seen. They had once jokingly suggested that Ammon play his Kazoo with them and so I went back to the room, got the Kazoo, and Ammon played along with them. It was the absolute highlight of the past 2 1/2 months! This is Dr. Santora - he assisted Dr. D'Astous on the first surgery and is one of the sweetest men on the face of the earth. He loves Ammon and has always been so gentle and sweet with him. He plays the mandolin.

This is Dr. Jacques D'Astous playing his violin. He, too, adores Ammon and he is Ammon's chief doctor. I just found out that he specializes in a particular issue with scoliosis and is one of the only ones in the world that does this. He had patients there from Austrailia and Canada this past week. He is just as sweet and kind as Dr. Santora. We couldn't have found an better doctors anywhere. He calls Ammon his "little man."

Here is Ammon playing his Kazoo with the doctors.

The concert is in full swing here. It was so much fun!

The nurse by Ammon was crying as she watched Ammon's face and saw what fun he was having.

Ammon spent part of his afternoon playing Sorry and other games with another little friend, Cheynne from Sheridan, WY. She has two more weeks to go. She is one of the most outgoing little girls I've ever met. She has to be there alone because her parents only come on the weekends. I'm quite sure she cried after we left. She is a wonderful young girl who is Ammon's age.

We can't believe how good we were in counting the paper chains. If we had come home tomorrow, we would have hit it perfectly!

Ammon and Cheyenne were watching Jungle Book together until it was time for us to leave.

Ammon is waving goodbye to Shriners.

Here is the sign the girls made waiting for Ammon! He kept saying, "Wow!"

This proves that we are home.