Day +127: Dot Matrix

This week saw us going to the SCCA for the first time in 3 weeks. We met with Dr. Carpenter who wanted to check-in with Zoe's prognosis before he recommended tweaking her steroid and anti-GVHD medicine dosing.

He and the transplant team were very pleased with Zoe's progress, and are still not able to say whether Zoe is technically dealing with mild "chronic" GVHD or simply taking her time in managing her mild "acute" GVHD. Regardless of semantics, he declared that he wanted her to hold steady at current medication levels for another month and then see her again. If all continues to go well during that time he will then consider tapering her meds.

Meanwhile, we are to keep a look out for new signs of GVHD. Apparently making it to Day +100 clear of the stuff doesn't mean that she's off the hook.

Well, whatever.

I'm so beyond sweating all that. She's doing well, and I'm choosing to believe that she will keep heading towards health.
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I've been learning Braille and am actually enjoying it!

I've discovered another wonder of Zoe's name just in the learning of this new modality. It takes a bit of explaining to have you fully enjoy the discovery, but here it goes:

Braille creates numbers and letters by using a 6 dot formation such as that found on a basic six dot domino. The dots in a cell are numbered:

1 4
2 5
3 6

The letters of the Braille alphabet are grouped in three rows:

a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s t
u v x y z

w

"W" sits by itself as there is no such letter in the French alphabet (the mother tongue of Louis Braille).

In the first row each Braille letter has a specific formation that only utilizes one of dots 1,2,4 & 5 --the top four dots.

Every letter in the second row is essentially the same as the letter directly above it in the first row, except that a dot in position 3 has been added.

Every letter in the third row is essentially the same as the letter directly above it in the second row, except that a dot in position 6 has been added.

So, for example the letter "a" is represented by a dot in position 1. "k", the letter that is situated below it in the second row is made by dot 1, plus dot 3. "u" is made up of dots 1 and 3 plus 6.

Going on, the letter "b" is made up of dots 1 and 2. "l" below it is made up of dots 1 and 2 plus 3; "v" below that is made up of dots 1,2,3 plus 6.

And going further again: "c" = 1,4 ; "m" = 1,4,3; "x"= 1,4,3,6

Everyone following me?

(Usually the numbered dots describing each formation are written in numerical order, but I wrote them in the fashion I did so that you can see the progression of how each letter builds on the one above it.)

So, if you look at the formation of letters of the alphabet the way I wrote them above, and mentally draw columns that group the letters vertically, you will see which letters are derivatives of the ones above it. Get to the letter "z" and you will see that it is derived from the letter "o" above it which was, in turn, derived from the letter "e" above that!

Pretty crazy, huh?

(For those who want to know how to write "zoe" in Braille: "z"=1,3,5,6; "o"=1,3,5; "e"=1,5)

Here's a quick reference sheet that I received as part of my learning materials from the Hadley School for the Blind. It doesn't show up quite as well in the blog version of the scan, but it gives you a little more of an idea of how it all works: