Monday June 1, 2009

Mom has written this date and reminded herself of it many times today. She wrote a list of things to include in her daily prayers and referred to them several times during the day. She wrote in her notebook……This is the 1st day of June, 2009 and I am in the Montrose Hospital after having a stroke. I’m working very hard so that I can go home to be with my family. Mary and my friends want me to be safe…………..She wrote this several times and asked everyone in the rehab unit to write down their names so that she could try to remember them……………She loves people……….She is really working hard and I’m so proud of her.

The past two days were our hardest and toDAY was the most promising, so far. We even wheeled her to the car and drove all over Montrose to help her confirm that YES in FACT she IS in Montose, Colorado! She was so weak……..but, we supported her and she was able to walk from the car to a chair in the resturant where the rest of us ate dinner. She got tired pretty quickly and had to go lie down in the car. But, you could tell that the experience gave her a new commitment and belief that she may get to come home.

She still needs a lot of conversation about what happened and why she can’t go home and LOTS of prayers. But, every day she is learning and growing, though it seems so slow to her. It’s been such an intense time for our family…..I can’t believe that it’s only been TWO WEEKS!

She had lots of visitors, today, Jackie Trueblood with Geniveve Heist…….Betty Hurst……..and……oh, goodness, I can’t remember Mom’s other friend that came……..TOOTS! that’s it! I have to say that PEOPLE………YOU are the most important thing in her life………It amazes me that she remembers EVERY name. She always has……and NOW, even if she sees someone from across the way……..Yesterday, we were sitting outside…….she was still insisting that she wasn’t in Colorado…….and she saw someone walking 50 feet away and said,”I wonder what they are doing here? This is so far from Montrose, Colorado! What a coincidence that we are all HERE!!” Of course, SHE used their name and then when they came closer, introduced me and asked them what they were doing and had a very nice conversation. **chuckle** When all of this is more clear to Mom……..when the healing is more complete……..the swelling from the brain damage from the stroke has dwindled……she’ll think this is very funny. She’s beginning to reason it out and our conversations about it are more clear every time we have them. I know that she may have called a couple of you to visit. But, she often begins to talk on the telephone and because she uses her numb left hand to hold the phone to her NUMB left EAR………she doesn’t always figure out why she’s not hearing the person on the other end as the phone slips from where it needs to be while she’s talking. Her eyes aren’t QUITE focused correctly, all of the time……and sometimes she ends up dialing the wrong person and not realizing it. So, don’t be concerned and HOPEFULLY, she hasn’t dialed you when she was trying to call ME at 2:00 AM!! :o) If she did, accept my apologies!

She loves you and so do I.

Thank you for caring………By the way, if you want to leave a comment and click on the comment button……the box for you to type your comment in is at the bottom of the page after you push that button…….SO, scroll down….type your comment…..and then click on the submit button. Thank you for all of the personal messages that you’ve sent me in my e-mail, as well, and for Mom’s cards. Keep them coming, she can read well and loves each and every one of them………Healthy Hugs………’night………Mary