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Today was a milestone day. Elton extended his leg beyond all of our expectations, exerting strength with the quadriceps of his right leg. On account of the immobility of his knee, he hadn’t used these muscles since 2006. Nancy, his physical therapist, is really doing a phenomenal job. Following is a clip of the moment:

Tonight was another live concert at the Castaldo home. Cole and David, members of the Restoration Project,  brought a drum and guitar and performed an unplugged jam session.  You might think of their style as a theologically erudite version of Jethro Tull,  minus the colorful costumes. If that fails to communicate, simply click below to see for yourself.

This evening we were blessed to receive a visit from Tom and Lois, former missionaries to Zimbabwe. Tom was raised in Harare as a missionary kid before coming to the US for college. There he met Lois (a native of Long Island—the place where pizza and bagels are properly made) before they returned to Zimbabwe for almost three decades of service with their family. He and Lois speak fluent Shona.  In the following video segment you can watch them singing to Elton in his native tongue.

Just in case you don’t understand Shona, they sung the final verse in English.

Words can’t describe how enjoyable it was to spend time with Tom and Lois. They belong to that small category of godly people whose presence inspires one to more ardently love and emulate Jesus. We hope to visit with them again soon in order for Lois to make Elton a Zimbabwean meal.

As for today’s physical therapy, Nancy had Elton kicking a soccer ball. When I came home from work I saw the ball and immediately started an indoor soccer game with my boys. For some reason Angela didn’t take pleasure in it—something about the lamp falling over.

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After a hard session of soccer therapy, Elton enjoyed some Simeon therapy. Among other show-and-tell items, Simeon introduced Elton to LEGOS.

Elton had his stitches removed today. I can’t imagine that any of you want to actually see this, but my wife assures me that there are other (weird) people like her who enjoy medical photos. The physicians assistant below is named David. We shared some laughs at RUSH Hospital when Elton was being prepped for surgery. He thought it was funny when I asked the Florentine anesthesiologist if it’s true that Italian docs use vino (Italian for wine) to anesthetize their patients. 

Elton had five stitches removed. Just sit back and let the pictures minister to your heart.

What can I say, the kid has nice legs! There are no two ways about it. Swelling is down two and a half centimeters and this has been Elton’s best day since surgery in terms of the three E’s: eating, exercise, and energy level. 

The other answer to prayer was the arrival of Elton’s factor (the medication that causes his blood to clot). We used the last of his supply yesterday and were counting on another shipment today. When we pulled into our driveway from the doctor’s visit, two large boxes were waiting for us on the doorstep.

This is our son Simeon inside one of the boxes. He’s the first Castaldo in 1,500 years to have blond hair and blue eyes. I call him my “Arian Guido.”

Today’s post was written by Angela: Today was not a Cinderella story like last night. The bell struck midnight and everything was as it had been before. The CPM machine was still there waiting for its 5 hour a day use and that lady who wakes him up for breakfast at 9:30am and a factor infusion was at his door. Oh why can’t it last forever!

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Elton’s progress is slow but sure. We are trying to wake up his muscles! As the swelling continues to decrease and muscles strengthen, Elton has the privilege of trying new and “fun” things in PT. Today we mapped his walk pattern. This was done by chalking up the bottom of his shoes with different colored chalk and walking on a long piece of white paper. He got to see firsthand the importance of leg extension for walking. The other knew things he got to try was kinesio tape and a new orange elastic theraband. This was added onto all of Elton’s other daily exercises. He is beginning to wonder what else he can do with his day besides therapy.

The fun and “healthy” foods that Elton was introduced to today was Nutella and pomegranate/blueberry juice. He loved it!

Elton here is speaking with his brother Wellington. 

Shamrocks, corned beef, soda bread—it was a true St Patty’s Day (minus the Guinness and any Irish people). Our friend Marilyn, who brought last night’s dinner, saw to it that the meal was Celtic in every way—right down to the green cola. Elton enjoyed every bit of it and in this photo he shows us his favorite part.

After indulging in some Gaelic joy, our Mexican neighbors behind us invited me to play a 2v2 soccer match in their backyard. Feeling stuffed with corned beef and a tinge guilty about it, I agreed. Elton and my family sat in our yard to watch.

Whenever these neighbors play soccer it is all-out. My boys, Luke and Philip, cheered for my team exclaiming “Italia, Italia.” After a half-an-hour I wasn’t sure which was about to come first: passing out from exhaustion or hurling corned beef. Thankfully the game concluded before either occurred. To the consternation of my dear Mexican friends, Italia won both games.

Yesterday’s highlight began at 8:00pm when I took Elton to the performance of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Angela matched up his suit like a mother helping a son prepare for the prom. Elton looked like a GQ cover model, as you can see below. Neither of us were aware of how wonderful the concert would be.  The following photos were taken at the intermission. 

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The music reached through our ears, grabbed our souls, and delivered us to a transcendent place. Joyce Yang, the 23 year old piano virtuoso from Juilliard, didn’t play the Steinway piano, she subdued it. Shoulders swaying, eyes tightly shut, fingers flirting with keys and the next moment pouncing upon them like a hungry lion. I looked at Elton. His facial expression indicated that he too had been transported. 

Elton is really improving! The extension of his leg yesterday surpassed all of our expectations. Such progress is the fruit of his vigilance on the CPM machine and other rehab disciplines.

Since yesterday was sixty degrees in Chicago, I rode my bicycle to work. I was also motivated by concern for the couple of pounds I’ve acquired as of late. As I’ve said, we’ve been spoiled by culinary delights which ladies of College Church have brought us. It is of course my moral obligation to eat everything they bring, even the desserts, in order to honestly tell them how much I enjoyed it (yeah, cheesy excuse, I know).

Why am I telling you all this? Well, it’s a lame explanation for why there are no photos of Elton today.  Instead of schlepping my computer home on the bicycle, I left it at the office and thus undermined my photo posting routine.

In the absence of new photos, let me share with you an old one. It was taken more than a year ago when Laurie Kelley first met Elton in Zimbabwe and recognized his need for help. At this point Elton’s lower leg was growing numb and some were beginning to wonder if an amputation would eventually be necessary.

Let me encourage you to visit the L.A. Kelley Communications’ photo Gallery L.A. Kelley Communications Gallery. These photos will not only illuminate your understanding of what hemophilia looks like around the globe, many of them will take your breath away.

While you’re at it, you can learn more about the work of L.A. Kelley Communications by visiting their website at http://www.kelleycom.com

God has worked in profound ways during this past week. Since today is the Lord’s Day, I’d like to share one such example of how we have observed this divine grace in action.

On Friday evening we were visited by a neighbor and fellow church member. Since last year when he underwent an urgent neck surgery this friend has been unable to work. As a small business owner these months of unemployment have been catastrophic for him and his family. Between financial pressure, intense neck pain, and little improvement of his physical condition, the last year has been difficult beyond imagination. However, dark and depressing as all of this has been, it became the very thing that God used to bless Elton. In other words, out of this friend’s personal pain, he was able to express heartfelt encouragement and hope in ways that very few people could. And it came on the very day when Elton needed it most, during his sharpest post-surgery pain.

For me, as a pastor and friend, I can’t begin to express how significant it was to watch this happen. On point after point my friend empathized with Elton like an anointed prophet sent directly from the throne room of God. It was an hour full of joke-telling and mirth  punctuated by moments of explicit compassion.  When it was finished, I realized that I had just observed the truth about which Paul the Apostle writes in 2 Corinthians 1:4

[The Lord] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

The following photos are of Elton from this afternoon. When the temperature rose to a balmy 55 degrees we went outside to eat ice-pops. Yes, we are ready from spring!

Chocolate pancakes. That’s what we ate for breakfast this morning. It’s part of Angela’s crafty culinary cabal to get Elton to eat. You can imagine how this works. Like most Italian mothers, Angela feels called by God to feed guests as much food as they can possibly eat (in truth she’s concerned that he has enough calories to recuperate). Elton, on the other hand, is not accustomed to eating quite so often, especially when he’s in pain. Herein lies the problem. But this morning Angela found the solution: chocolate! You see, Elton loves chocolate. So now she just works a little chocolate into her recipe and everyone is happy.

Elton woke up this morning at 4:00am, drank down some raw eggs, said goodbye to his turtles, Cuff and Link, and went for a jog. Okay, not really; but he is “getting strong now” in good Rocky Balboa fashion. Thanks to Elton’s physical therapist, Nancy, he is making marked improvement with each day. 

The time had come. Actually, I’m a little embarrassed that two weeks have passed without me having taken Elton to Starbucks Coffee. You might say that this is my hobby. Some guys do woodworking or play racquetball, I like to drink espresso with a friend or with my nose in a book. On this occasion Elton and I visited the local Barnes and Noble Bookstore where they have a cafe. He educated me on some cultural and religious conventions of Zimbabwe. It was a blast.

Today’s phrase that pays has been, “the pain is worth the gain.”  This is a foreign concept to someone who has had minimal treatment for hemophilia and therefore interprets all pain as bad.  Pain to Elton signifies an internal bleed, which inevitably leads to rest and inactivity.  He is learning however that exercise involves a “good” form of pain that is necessary for his muscles and joints.

This afternoon was Elton’s hardest rehab session thus far. Furthermore, Elton discovered that his pain killers were the cause of some fierce migraine headaches. He has since downgraded to Tylenol, which is working much better. Please pray that Elton doesn’t lose heart as he encounters some of these challenges.

“Meiwachin.” This is what Elton now calls Angela. It means “white mother.” Like a true mother, Angela ensures that Elton drinks enough fluid before infusions and consumes enough vegetables to promote recuperation. I have the easy part. I simply offer encouragement, make lattes, provide R&B music, drive to the doctor’s office, and push the wheelchair. In exchange for this Elton laughs at my silly jokes. It’s a great relationship.

The above photo is a snapshot of a typical comprehensive clinic with Dr. Valentino and his team. Not only does the good doctor provide first-rate medical care, as an Italian, he also provides fantastic food. What you see above is just breakfast. For lunch (because these visits take several hours) they put out a spread to rival Mama Leone. Below is a photo of me and the other pizano in the Valentino team, John our nurse (on the left). John breaks the traditional nurse mold. There’s no Florence Nightingale pinafore apron, cap, a rectal  thermometer on this macho man. He’s the best!

Laura the physical therapist measured Elton’s range of motion. The experience was less painful compared to his last PT exam.

In the middle Elton’s five hours on the CPM machine (remember, “continuous pain in motion”) Simeon, my two year old, took a seat in the room and began offering encouragement.

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When I arrived home our friend Nancy was finishing up Elton’s daily physical therapy session. He was on his feet walking down the hall with some assistance from his crutches. Nancy’s style is perfect. Her gracious affirmation helps Elton to forget about his pain, at least for a moment. It’s probably just a matter of time before Elton uses the name “Meiwachin” for Nancy as well.