A Christmas surprise...

We have been blessed to have Sherrie home and with the children being around for the holidays she has responded well to their love and noise. Christmas eve was special at our home. We had some good friends come over to sing carols to my sweetheart and the family. I was not there, but those present said that as they sang songs, Sherrie was visibly moved starting to cry and kept saying "beautiful, beautiful". Needless to say, many tears were shed that night and the spirit of the season was felt.

Christmas morning I awoke with great anticipation for a good day with the family. We had Sherrie with  us as we opened presents and then moved to make preparations for our traditional Christmas breakfast. We had just sat down with my sweetheart by my side when she made a noise and I turned to see her body going into a seizure/ It didn't last long, but brought terror to my heart. We called 911 and were then transported to the hospital where over the next couple of hours she would have 2 more episodes. We would then spend the next 3 days in the hospital. Words can't adequately express my feelings at that time. Fortunately, I had one of my sons with me and we gave her a blessing that continues to bless her life today.

After many tests a couple of scans and an added infection in her bladder, we returned home friday evening hoping that things would get better. Seizures are not uncommon with TBI, but since Sherrie had not had any for over 7 months, we thought we were in the clear. We don't know for sure what triggered the episode, but when it does happen it can effect neuro responsiveness.

We have been watching and evaluating to see what impact she has realized. We did see some change, but over each passing day we have been very grateful to see her regain much of the functionality she had prior to Christmas Day. We will remain hopeful this will continue and accelerate.

This is not the Christmas I had planned, not even close. I don't know why it happened and I wish it hadn't, but I know she continues to be watched over by a very loving Heavenly Father. An already interesting journey has gotten even more interesting this week. My sweetheart is doing better today, using her voice more and I still get my "I love you".

Season's Greetings...

It has now been 7 months on this journey and I am very grateful for continued health and strength that blesses my sweethearts life. We have been home 3 weeks now and things have been going fairly well. Being around family and friends has brought new light into her life. I can tell when her children, grandchildren or friends come to visit that she enjoys their being around. It is not uncommon for someone to walk into her room, say hello, and hear her return an audible "hi" and "how are you". Hearing her use her voice more and more is one of the big differences we have seen since returning home. The real reward for me is having her, unprompted, tell me "I love you".

We continue to see new capabilities. It may be a hand being able to fully extend all fingers or being able to reach her arm up to head. many things we take for granted, but for her and for me they are all signs of hope and progress. No doubt, I wish with all my heart that this journey were over. We have a long way to go, but I am so grateful for each day that she remains healthy, strong and showing new signs of continued healing.

Next week we will celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Christmas has always been a very special holiday at the Labrum's. It is full of traditions and time spent with family and friends. For 34 years I have looked forward to enjoying this time with the most important person in my life. She is really the one who makes the "season bright". As my daughter reminds me, "it won't be the same, but mom will be with us and that's most important". She is right! It is a miracle that we have her with us and that gift has been given to us by Him who offered His life for us. I am eternally grateful this and many other blessings sent our way.

We are grateful for continued wishes and prayers on Sherrie's behalf. I know she would want all of you to have a very Merry Christmas and holiday season. From our house to yours we wish you great happiness in the coming year.

OUR FIRST WEEK HOME...

It has been a week since we have been home and for the most part things have gone well. Sherrie is responding better while being at home. She has certainly become much more chatty. We don't always know what she is trying to say, but there are many times that she will surprise us with a very clear comment or request.

She started therapy the  following monday at the RIC facility in Wheeling. I have been concerned that going from 6-7 days of therapy to just 3 would limit her progress. We are looking for therapists to come into our home on her off days. In the meantime, I am her resident therapist so I have her up each day working on every thing from brushing teeth, combing hair to standing and walking. Watching the therapists each day for the last 6 and 1/2 months have given me a little training that I use with my sweetheart to keep her muscles as flexible as possible.

We are doing our best to get settled in. Knowing we have no more surgeries planned and praying we have no illness or issues that would take us to the hospital, we are busy making connections with local doctors for ongoing care. We pray she will flourish at home and that we continue to see the tender mercies of the Lord manifest in her life. My Christmas wish would be to see her beautiful smile and have a long conversation with her...I would settle for a short conversation!

Thank you for your continued interest and prayers for my dear wife. She is blessed to have such a wonderful cheerleading squad!

RIC Discharge...

After spending over four months at RIC it is now time for us to go home. Friday we will be discharged and will return home. We have been blessed to have been able to spend the time here with talented and dedicated doctors, therapists and caregivers. We will miss them, but it's time to go home.

Sherrie's medical issues with her cold and digestive system seem to be doing okay. She is becoming more and more alert and talkative (not all understood) and can communicate pretty very well through yes, no and head nods. I asked her if she was ready to go home and she said yes. While coming home brings it own set of concerns, I feel good that this is what is best for my sweetheart. All along we have relied on our Father In Heaven to direct us and others and I know He will continue watching over her.

Our plan will be to attend outpatient therapy sessions 3 days a week and then have therapists come into our home 2 days/week. It has been an interesting path since her surgery. We had high hopes that after a successful crainioplasty, we would see her take off. Instead, she has had to deal additional challenges that have been heartbreaking for me. Nevertheless, she has remained strong and determined. Even when she is totally worn out, she will want to continue and push through.

The last time we came home, she progressed very well. We have high hopes the same thing will happen this time. Her reaction when we had her home for Thanksgiving tells us this will surely happen.  She enjoys her home and loves being around her children and grand babies. They are a big part of the healing process.

We remain very grateful for Heavens blessings. I continue to be amazed at how things will fall into place that end up being the best for Sherrie's care. I am learning that while I may not understand "why" I do have faith the things that are going on in our life are not coincidental, but carefully directed by a loving God who loves His children.

Giving Thanks...

Over the last week we have been waiting, watching and praying that Sherrie would get better and she would continue her recovery. We were hopeful her cold would go away, but it seemed to get a little worse. While it was hard for me to see her struggle for breath, she handled the each incident relatively well. As of today, we are grateful that it seems the cold is going away and the cough is not as frequent.

With the feeding tube incident, we have been working Sherrie slowly back to a normal feeding schedule. We are grateful she seems to be on a good path. Despite the challenges, my dear wife continues to push through each therapy session and is making good progress.

The highlight of the week came when we had the opportunity to bring Sherrie home for Thanksgiving. All our children and grandchildren are in town and so this was a wonderful blessing. The night before, our daughter in law Jess, our daughter Brittney and our oldest grandaughter Kenzy, went to RIC and cut Sherrie's hair and gave her a manicure and pedicure. When they showed her her new haircut, she gave them a big smile and thumbs up. She loves the pampering!

Thursday morning we worked through a couple of therapy sessions and then brought her home. It was so nice to have her in her own house for a while. It was wonderful spending time talking with her and watching her interact with her children and grandchildren. Every time she would see one of her grand babies, she would motion them to come closer and them reach to give them a hug and kiss. We witnessed some very special moments as the strong bond between generations was a wonderful tender mercy sent from Heaven.

The girls got Sherrie ready for dinner and we all met together as a family to give thanks for many many blessings that have come our way. It was a very emotional time for our family. Sherrie was very alert and would often reach for one of her famous rolls or blueberry salad. At one point she kept tapping me on the leg and pointing to the table. I asked her if she wanted the salad and she said yes. I brought it closer and she took the spoon and took a big scoop and was headed toward her mouth. I told her we needed to get her swallowing better and then she could have all she wanted.

The holidays are full of wonderful traditions and memories at our home. This year will be different not having Sherrie front and center. Nevertheless, we will hold firm to our faith and hopes that she will continue to make progress and this will be the last season we do not see her fully engaged. The path to my sweetheart's recovery has been interesting to say the least. While we wish it were over, we continue to see how the Lord gives us strength and hope to get through another day. Sherrie had a wonderful day with her family on Thanksgiving. She knew it and she told us with her words and actions.

Another trip to NW Mem'l..

We had our meeting with the gastroenterologist tuesday who ordered a scan that showed her feeding tube had moved from her stomach into her small bowel. I received a call that they were going to send her to the ER at NW Mem'l where a surgical team would do a CT scan and determine what needed to be done. They wanted to make sure there was no tear in her bowel which could require surgery. When she went to the hospital, she was very dehydrated and was sleeping quite a bit. My concern for my dear wife was quite high.

We got her into the ER and they immediately gave her fluids. It wasn't too long before she started to come to life and was much more alert. At one point the nurses were asking the myriad of questions they need to ask and inquired if Sherrie were pregnant. When asked, Sherrie just started laughing surprising all of us. It was good to see her smile.

Scans were run and we were pleased to learn that no surgery would be needed, but her tube was not positioned properly so it would need to be replaced. Not a difficult procedure, but it would not happen that night so she would be spending time at NW as an inpatient. In the meantime, she would be fed nutrients through an IV line and all feeding through her feeding tube would stop. There was a need to let her digestive system calm itself down for a few days before getting back to her normal process.

Wednesday was spent waiting for time with the interventional radiologist. Sherrie didn't have the procedure done until early evening. The procedure went well. They replaced her tube and all went well. We now looked forward to this being the cause of her troubled digestive system. My sweetheart went in on tuesday afternoon and it wasn't until 5p on friday that we returned to RIC. It seems as though the fun never ends for this sweet girl.

Thorough the weekend, she has been on a continuous feed at a very slow rate. We pray this is the answer to her issue and she can get back her energy and feeling better. She continues to have a little cold which causes her to cough from time to time. She is more alert than she was a week ago and for this we are very grateful.

Tonight, our daughter in law Carol, took Sherrie for a walk down Michigan avenue to see the Christmas lights. She was very alert and was waving her hand and blowing kisses to her grandchildren as Carol took a little video. Our prayers continue to be focused on Sherrie getting past her cold and digestive issues. Each day we hope this is the day she has more smooth sailing. We continue to be grateful for answers to prayer. I can't explain why things happen, but I do know that Sherrie is watched over by her Heavenly Father.

Six month update...

It has been a little over a week and we are pleased that all sutures and staples are out. The doctors decided to do it in steps. Sutures were first and staples came out today. Sherrie was very blessed to have a very talented plastic surgeon that did a very nice job. It is now time for family beautician Jess to determine whether we go short or style a new look.

Since the surgery, Sherrie has been busy with therapy sessions. She has done pretty well in all her sessions. It is rather common for her to take a pen in her hand and write a note. She writes very small and it's not as nice as it was, but it is noticeable. The other day she was asked if she wanted to write a note to Ron and she wrote "I Love You". Needless to say, my heart melted. I miss my daily conversations with my sweetheart and pray for her ability to have a conversation with me soon. In the meantime, I will be very grateful for a small note, out stretched arms for a hug and a kiss and a faint but understood "I love you".

Over the last two weeks she developed a cough due to extra drainage getting in her wind pipe and over the past week she has had trouble absorbing her food and water leaving her dehydrated and very tired. She pushes through her PT sessions where we have her up and on her feet walking, but the other sessions have been a struggle for her to stay awake. This has attracted the attention of her doctors so we are now in a process of elimination to see what may be making her bowels so unstable. We have had a series of X-rays, DVT (deep vein thrombosis...looking for blood clots) reviews, blood tests, cultures and all have come back negative. The next step is to have a gastroenterologist look at her to see whats going on inside her bowels. She otherwise is healthy with no fevers. I am so grateful for this.

All of this has been very concerning and so we do what we know we should and rely on prayer and the tender mercies of God. I have to admit it is very challenging seeing her have another hurdle to jump. She has had so many. Just as I begin to get discouraged, I am reminded that we have been here before and in each case, prayers have been offered, blessings have been given and my sweetheart receives strength to overcome. We have no doubt she is watched over by her loving Heavenly Father.

We are now at the six month mark and we have seen so much. We pray the next days, weeks and months see Sherrie making great progress. I don't know the timing, but we will continue in faith and hope that all will be well.





 

November begins...

We finish another week and my sweetheart continues to make progress. Her surgical site is healing well, she is off all antibiotics and we should have staples removed this week. Although she has not told me, I believe she feels better having this surgery and I am sure she looks forward to getting a full head of hair.

This last week she developed some extra secretions. We don't know if they are from sinus or saliva, but  from time to time it will get heavy enough that she will aspirate causing her to cough. It has been frequent enough that it will interrupt her sleep leaving her pretty tired during her therapy sessions. The biggest impact comes during her speech sessions where we are trying to get her swallowing reflexes going. The good news is that she seems to be getting better and is not coughing as much. We pray that this week will allow her to get back on track.

We have relied very much on prayer and fasting during this journey. We believe there is great power that comes to those who pray for others and for those who are the recipient of these prayers. Our faith coupled with theirs in an attitude of fasting (going without food or drink for 24 hours) and prayer can bring forth needed blessings from Heaven. As a family we have been doing this, praying the Lord will be with Sherrie as she overcomes this recent development. This is normally done by adults, but I was touched as I received a text from our daughter who said that Kenzy age 9 and her brother Skyler age 7 decided that they wanted to join the fast for their grandma Sherrie. As you can imagine, this can be very difficult for a young person and there were times that they complained about being hungry. Wisely, their mom and dad told them it would be okay to have something to eat, but both said they would be okay because it was for their grandma. My heart was touched at this sweet gesture of love.

I called and spoke to Skyler this evening and thanked him for this very touching sacrifice. He said, "grandpa, grandma is doing better, right?". This little boys faith was not only touching, but a great reminder to me that faith indeed precedes the miracle. I am sure the sacrifice of two of our grandchildren will be accepted in Heaven and their Grandma will surely be blessed. We know that little children hold a special place with our Heavenly Father and His son.

Despite this recent challenge, Sherrie is otherwise healthy and strong. We pray that this week is one where we see progress in swallowing (she swallows when we she feels fluid collecting at the back of her throat. We need her to be able to rapidly swallow on command as they introduce things like apple nectar, applesauce etc.,)  hear her using her voice more and becoming stronger in her ability to stand and walk.

Thank you for your continued concern for my sweetheart. We continue to make progress in inches and for this we are extremely grateful.

Back to RIC...

After a day in ICU and a day in a step down unit, Sherrie is back at RIC! Words cannot express our deep gratitude for tender mercies sent our way. Compared to the last surgery, this has gone very smooth. As of tomorrow, she will be off the antibiotics and back to a rigorous rehab schedule.

We have been blessed to have a team of wonderful physicians that have shown extra care for my sweetheart. There involvement in her care is not an accident or coincidence. They too are a result of answered prayers and we are grateful for them.

No one can quite explain the science behind it, but the doctors say that patients can do better post crainioplasty. Whether it is extra space for the brain to expand we just don't know, but we are seeing Sherrie a bit more vocal and certainly more alert than she was after her first surgery. We pray that she will pick right up where she left off Tuesday when leaving RIC and continue to show improvement especially in swallowing so that we can move to remove her G-tube.

Our journey continues. We need to get past the next two weeks and see good healing and no infections. We get through this, we can close the chapter on this part of our story. Thank you for all your concern. We know we are not on this path alone. You have been with my dear wife and we feel of your strength and support.

Crainioplasty complete...

Today was yet another witness that our Heavenly Father has been watching over our family and very aware of the needs our sweet mother.  After a lot of waiting, mom went in for surgery at about 2:30 and received her crainioplasty.  The doctors said everything went just as they had hoped and were pleased with the results.  After a few set backs we are so grateful for the blessings of this day and to finally pass this hurdle in our journey.  Mom came out of surgery well and although it was hard to see her in the ICU I couldn't help but smile when I saw that beautiful round head.  She really is such an amazing woman and I am so grateful for her courage. Prior to the surgery, Mom smiled with Dad and me fairly often and did her best to communicate with doctors and nurses.  I am so grateful for the support of our friends and family and all those who are praying for Mom.  We have felt those prayers carry us many times throughout this journey and today was no different. 

We now pray that she will heal well without any hint of infection. We have been very blessed to have a great Neurosurgeon and Plastic surgeon to help mom. They too have been sent from Heaven. We need to get past these next three weeks with no issues and we can then close the books on this chapter of mom's recovery.

Another important day...

Today was an important day for Sherrie. We have been waiting for final approval from Infectious Disease doctors that she is ready to move ahead with her crainioplasty and we received their approval. Sherrie's critical indicators over the past four weeks have all done very well and tests continue to show that there is no infection. Her surgery date is scheduled for the 23rd of October of which we are very grateful.

Over the past several weeks my sweetheart has done very well in all her therapy sessions. Today, she walked with assistance about 200 feet. We wore her out, but it was amazing seeing her place one foot in front of another while keeping pretty good balance. As I have said before, her drive and courage continue to amaze me.

Our prayers over this next week and next will be focused on her surgery and that all will go very well. There is always risks that go with surgery. Placing a prosthetic device in her body has a risk of rejection albeit small. I could go crazy thinking about all the possible things that could happen, but I pause and remember how we have been guided and blessed and will maintain faith that the Lord will continue to watch over and direct Sherrie's care.

Next week is another milestone for my sweet wife. We pray this will be an event that will allow her to accelerate her recovery and increase her functionality. We remain grateful for well trained and caring doctors, therapists and caregivers and for you and all your well wishes and prayers.

A Thankful Heart...

The last 10 days have been important ones for Sherrie. With the good news received on the 2nd of October, we are heading to another visit with Infectious Disease doctors on Tuesday. If we have confirmatory results, we will head to a surgery date on the 23rd of this month. Our prayers have been focused on her body being strong and healthy so there would be no effect on vital organs as she continued on the regimen of antibiotics. Our prayers have once again been answered and we are closer to the surgery we thought would be completed almost 4 weeks ago.

It is difficult having Sherrie at RIC Chicago as an inpatient, but we feel very blessed with the therapy she is receiving. She has been more alert and responsive and will most likely stay at RIC until her surgery date. Each day we focus on things like getting dressed, brushing teeth, developing swallowing reflex, communication and walking. All can be very exhausting, but she is making good progress. She will begin as early as 7:30a and can finish her last session at 4p. By the time the day is finished she is a very tired girl. I continue to be amazed at her courage and drive.

I continue to see her ability to communicate increase each day. She is very good at responding to a question or command and this week I have heard her try to engage in conversation. Sometimes I know what she is saying and other times I just have to apologize telling her I don't understand. I know she is trying.

The other day I told her I felt blessed to be married to her for time and eternity. I asked her if she knew how long eternity was and was very pleased to hear her say "forever". I hope she said it as a blessing and not a burden! I had meetings all day Monday and did not make it down to RIC. When I came Tuesday, I said hello. She turned her head and in a pretty discernible way said, "where have you been?".  During a PT session, she was working very hard and wanted to stop. She turned to me and said, "help me please". I just wanted to cry.

We are approaching five months since this journey began. We continue to be grateful for many blessings sent our way. We know who is in charge and remain thankful my sweetheart is known by her Father In Heaven.

Brave Mama

Mom had another great day today filled with a lot of work and continued progress.  She started her morning with a little therapy and then a trip to Northwestern for a doctor visit.  The doctor took out her staples and said that her scar is healing nicely.  The infectious disease doctor said that moms blood draws look good and everything is going well so they would like to aim for surgery again in a couple of weeks!!!  We are so excited to hear the good news and once again recognize the tender mercies we are receiving.

After a visit with the doctors mom returned to the RIC for an intense session of physical therapy.  Today they focused on mom working hard at standing tall and walking.  She has been doing a lot of walking this past week but much of it has been with the support of therapist or harnesses.  Today was mostly mom!  She held tight to the parallel bars on either side of her and walked 6 feet.  She did this many times today and was pretty tired by the end of the session.

All in all the day was a success.  Mom continues to find the strength to work and progress everyday and we are so grateful for her determination and the tender mercies from our Heavenly Father.  Mom summed the day up best when I asked, "Who is brave?" and she responded "I am!" with her right arm flexed so I could see her muscles.  She is our hero!

RIC update...

It has been 10 days since we arrived back at RIC and for the most part, things have been going well. My dear wife continues to receive the regimen of antibiotics as a result of the infected sponge. Every week they draw her blood to ensure all key indicators remain stable. So far, things look good. We had a little issue arise Thursday when they accidentally pulled the PICC line from Sher's arm which meant she would spend the rest of the day at NW Mem'l having a new line inserted. She did fine, but it was something she just didn't need.

Since arriving at RIC Sherrie has been becoming more and more alert every day. She tires easy and while I am no doctor, I think between the surgery, the drugs and a new environment, it is understandable. Her sessions in Physical Therapy have been very good. Everyday since she arrived, they have had her on her feet working on standing, balancing and walking. Through the use of parallel bars, a treadmill where she uses a harness to assist, and very talented therapists, she is taking steps on her own and making progress every day.

When she is not in therapy we spend time reading, talking on the phone to children and grandchildren, playing catch, drawing and lot's of exercises. It is not uncommon for Sherrie to put one of her legs on your lap when she wants a nice foot massage. We have seen several times when she will motion to sit up and will then use her arms to pull herself up. All are good signs she is getting stronger and stronger. For this and so many other things we continue to be very grateful.

This next week we head over to NW Mem'l to meet with the Infectious Disease doctors to get an update on when we might be able to reschedule her crainioplasty. We pray for continued progress and a result that will allow the procedure to occur as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we hope to remain at RIC where she will continue making progress.

I continue to see the hand of our Heavenly Father revealed in the life of my dear wife. I watch her during very difficult sessions and know she has been given an extra measure of strength and drive beyond her own capabilities. I know she is aware of her surroundings and is fighting very hard to regain the ability to be with her family.

Many, many thanks for your concern and prayers.

Northwestern back to RIC...

It has been almost a week since Sherrie went into surgery. She spent three days in ICU and then two days in a step down unit at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Along the way she was hooked up to three IV lines, one of which missed a vein and her arm swelled considerably, and tested and tested and tested.

Bacterial testing on the sponge removed from Sherrie started last thursday and continued for 5 days. She received the attention of Infectious Disease doctors, Neurosurgeons, Interventional Radiologists, Internists and Nurse practitioners all focused on making sure they had whatever might be growing in her brain under control. Our blessings continued as we found, day after day, that all tests were negative for the identification of known bugs. 

Although the tests results are good (no growth), the doctors do not want to take any chances so they will keep Sherrie on a 3 drug antibiotic regimen for up to 6 weeks. This is a very good thing, but is not without risks. She now has a PICC line inserted in her arm (flexible tube inserted in in the upper arm and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart) where the drugs will be administered. She will need to have blood drawn and tested weekly to ensure there is no damage to kidneys and liver and will require the attention of RN's. 

All along we had thought there was a possibility of being readmitted as an inpatient at RIC. While Sherrie was in the step down unit, the RIC doctors evaluated her and had originally decided keep her going to day rehab. Once they found she would need nursing care and regular testing, they decided to admit her today. While I will miss having her at home, I am grateful that she will have the care she needs and will benefit from daily therapy sessions.

The last week has been a mix of emotions and surprises. Memories of days we thought we had passed came flooding back as I saw my sweetheart laying in her hospital bed recovering from surgery. The outcome over the last week is not what we had planned, but we are grateful our plan did not come to pass. We have been blessed with the best outcome given the surprise found during surgery. I know without a doubt that Sherrie is being watched over by a loving Heavenly Father who knows perfectly what she needs. 

We don't know how long we will be downtown, but we pray that she will continue to be healthy, strong and benefit from her therapy sessions. As always, thank you for all your concern and prayers.

Our Surgical surprise...

Today was to be the day that represented another milestone in our journey toward Sherrie becoming more alert and whole. This was to be the day the surgeons would perform a cranioplasty and replace the portion of her skull that was removed with a titanium mesh.

We started our journey early knowing it would take a couple of hours to get down to Chicago and the hospital. I am always concerned about how Sherrie will take the ride knowing she can get nauseous fairly easily. This day she did great. We arrived at the hospital, got checked in and about 11:20p Sherrie went into a surgery that would take about 3 hours to perform. I left her feeling confident about the outcome.

About an two hours into the procedure, I got a page stating the doctor wanted to speak to me. My first reaction was "wow, that's great. It went better than planned and all is well". When I saw the surgeon, the first thing he said was, "let's find a room where we can have some privacy". My heart sank! He then proceeded to tell us that during the procedure they noticed a hard spot by her temple that was not really bone or tissue. After exploring further, they found a surgical sponge that had been left behind since her surgery in the Dominican Republic 4 months ago and it had become infected. The good news was that it was localized and didn't look like it had spread, but it put a stop to her planned procedure which could not continue until they are sure there is no risk of infection.

We also found, for whatever reason, there was no dura layer between Sherrie's brain and her scalp. This creates a couple of challenges. The first is that the tissue between scalp and the prosthesis becomes very thin and the second is that scar tissue can develop if the dura is not laid down properly after the craniotomy and can stick to brain tissue. When pulling back the scalp it can grab some tissue which can cause bleeding and we want no more bleeding! To fix this issue the surgeons place a bovine based tissue over the brain creating the layer that was once the dura. This is what Sherrie's surgeon did which when the crainoplasty occurs, will make it much easier to perform the procedure safely and effectively.

On the surface, it might seem like today's results were not good. They certainly were not what we had expected. It is important to understand, however,  that prior to Sherrie's surgery we fasted and prayed as a family that Sherrie would be strong, that all would be well and the surgeons would be guided during the procedure. We were blessed to have a result that would avoid a future disaster. As the doctor told me, "had we not found the sponge and the infection spread to the brain, it would have been very bad". All that we had requested from a loving Father In Heaven was extended. How can we not be very grateful!

Sherrie will be in ICU for a few days as they monitor her for swelling and infection. She will then spend a few more days in a step down unit before being discharged. The timing of her crainoplasty is yet to be determined. If she does not have any bacteria from the forgotten sponge then it will be sooner. If the infectious disease doctors at the hospital need to keep her on a antibiotic regimen for a few weeks it will be a little later. Regardless, Sherrie's doctor will try and get this done as soon as possible.

I end the this day very grateful. A potential disaster was averted, my sweetheart is better prepared for her future crainoplasty, we have a neurosurgeon who really cares about my dear wife  and prayers continue to be answered. Sherrie remains healthy and strong. She continues to be more and more active and is doing well in all her therapy sessions. Our prayers continue to be focused on her becoming more alert, verbal and stronger. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Thursday Surgery

Tomorrow is a big day for Sherrie!!

She heads into surgery tomorrow to have a titanium plate fixed to her skull to replace the segment that was taken out during her craniotomies. The segment that is missing is about 3’’x3’’. Two weeks ago she had an intense day of doctors appointments and testing to make sure she was healthy enough for this procedure. We are very grateful that the doctors think she is strong enough to handle the surgery. They tell us it is a routine, low risk procedure, and minimally invasive. To me, it seems strange to hear the words ‘routine’ and ‘minimally invasive’ when you are opening up a person’s head and placing screws into their skull. Welcome to the world of Traumatic Brain Injury! 

Right now, without the plate, she has to wear a helmet for protection anytime she is moved. No one will be happier to get rid of that helmet than Sherrie.  I think we’ll host a helmet melting party when she gets back. Another benefit is obviously aesthetic appeal and a normal appearance. Our Neurosurgeon told us that sometimes a patient will show dramatic improvements in brain activity after the operation. They don’t have conclusive information on why the change, but suspect it has something to do with the fluids in the brain flowing in a more natural pattern.

She will recover at Northwestern for 2-3 days, at which time our Doctor at RIC, Dr. Roth, will evaluate her to see if she is ready to be readmitted to the full time program downtown.  We want her to go back into the program. Ultimately, it seems like having her back at RIC would be the best thing for her. One of the biggest benefits is that she has consistent therapy that only requires a short ride down the hall, or can even be done in her room. Right now she goes to an RIC satellite rehab center 20 min away, three days a week. She has always been prone to motion sickness and still is. The drive can wear her out and cause sickness. At the RIC program she will be consistently monitored and her progress is measured. We know there are great therapists there, with whom we feel we have built relationships. We want Sherrie exposed to their influences as much as possible.  

There are a lot of benefits of having her at home right now: we can see her all day and every day, she is comfortable and in familiar territory, the family has a chance to be very involved in her care and stimulation, we can control and change her surroundings to make sure she is comfortable, and most significantly she is accessible to Ron for longer periods of time. She responds the best to him in therapy and interactions so having them under the same roof is a good thing.

We are not sure what the result will be; either coming home or being readmitted, and we pray that the Lord will direct the doctors and us to know what will give Sherrie the most benefit.  We would love your support and prayers with her progress. Our prayers are to  have the surgery go as routinely and easily as possible, to get her feeding tube out and have her be able to swallow. We also need her to become consistently responsive to therapy. She has made huge progress in this area but we need her to be even better.

So many wonderful friends have asked if they can visit and spend time with Sherrie. First off, we want to thank you for your love and friendship in being willing to help Sherrie and us. While we post on the blog the progress that she is making, it’s important to also emphasize that she is still in a very delicate situation. Exposing her to too many different faces and changing her environment too much still causes distress for her. At the same time, interaction is good for her. We are trying to maneuver the best we can to provide what is best for her. As she gets better and better, we want her to see more and more people! We ask for you to stick with us through the long haul because as she heals, she will want and need more support. We are four months into an unknown amount of time. We couldn’t have come this far without your support and I know we will feel the same way four months from now.

Love,

Carol

Labor Day Log...

It has been a little over a week since my last update. Now that school is back in session and Brittney is back in Utah, I am on my own in keeping our updates up to date. I need to be more diligent in my postings.

Even though I am with my sweetheart everyday, I see progress each day on this amazing journey toward recovery. While she has been very active with her arms and legs, she seems to be much more aware of what is going on around her. She is much more definitive in answering "yes" or "no" and most often is heard saying and audible "uh-huh" or "uh-uh"...a little tougher to determine yes or no, but a positive sign she is trying to use her voice. There is not a day that goes by that when I see her in the morning and tell her "good morning", she doesn't reply with the same. She regularly uses her lips to form words that aren't audible, but very discernible watching the movement of her mouth.

One of the big changes for me is the more and more frequent laughs and smiles. I don't always know why she is laughing, but I an grateful she is. There are times when I will be speaking to her trying to be funny and she will give me a grin and just begin to giggle. I think she is just trying to be kind when my comments just aren't that humorous. Regardless it is a wonderful sign and a great blessing.

The other night I asked her if she wanted to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. She nodded her head "yes" so we began. I counted to three and we both showed rock and she took her fist and gave me a bump as to say, "no winner". I counted again and showed paper and she showed scissors. The most impressive movement came when she moved forward and cut my paper! I asked her if she meant to do that and she gave me a half grin and nodded her head "yes".

We continue to pray fervently that she will swallow voluntarily so we begin introducing solid foods and move toward removing her feeding tube. This would be a great blessing that takes a away the concern of aspirating fluids into her lungs that could lead to pneumonia.

Therapy sessions continue to go well. After getting over a bout of nervousness when we first arrived home, she has seemed to settle in and is regularly standing and even taking some baby steps forward when assisted.

Our journey still has miles to go, but we are grateful we have already covered a good amount of ground. We are in a much better place today than we were even weeks ago. I long to have my sweetheart by my side and cannot wait for that day to come. In the meantime, I will be grateful for the many blessings that come our way that bring us great hope and a firmer knowledge that there is a loving God that is aware of all his children.

Thank you for all your concern and blessings on her behalf. They make a difference!!

The Dog Days of Summer...

It has been two weeks since we have had Sherrie home and it is nice to have her close to all her family. The doctors had told us that many patients improve faster once at home and I think this is the case with my dear wife. It has been a great blessing to see her respond to her grandchildren as they come to see grandma. She will wave them over and then try and give them a kiss. Some how some way, the connection to her family is very sharp. She loves her children and grandchildren so much and, I believe, is a big reason she is fighting so hard.

Her body seems to always be moving giving someone watching the impression that she is uncomfortable. I am sure that is true being on your back for so long, but I also know that more movement in all her extremities is a good sign. For this we continue to be very grateful. The other day I came to see her and she had her legs crossed one over the other. I asked her if she could do the same with the other leg and she immediately uncrossed the left and crossed her right. She will always try and stand when I set her on the side of the bed and is getting better at being able to stand assisted for an extended period of time. We are ways off from having her walk by herself, but her ability to understand and follow requests is another wonderful blessing.

She uses her voice more and more. Much sounds like jabber talk, but if you listen close and watch her lips, you can tell she is talking just not real clear at this point. She is pretty good at nodding yes and no and will surprise me with an answer from time to time that is very audible. When I think she is in pain, I will ask her to point to where it hurts and she will do so. All of this is a big help in knowing how we can better help her.

As she becomes more alert and stronger, it becomes more difficult to move her from to bed to chair. Her apraxia throws her head back where she then arches her back and then tries to stand. Trying to move a stiff board at a difficult angle is pretty tough. We are working to show her how to sit and stand through very slow and deliberate commands and she is responding well. This too will take time to overcome. As I work with her I feel I am in a wrestling match and she is always the winner.

We continue to feel the hand of the Lord in our lives. Being able to have her communicate with us to a greater degree is a wonderful blessing. Her being able to use her voice more often is outstanding and then seeing her start to laugh and give a big grin tells me she knows more about what is going on than we give her credit . Sherrie remains in good health and we are getting closer to the day that she will have her crainoplasty surgery (sept 13). We continue to pray that she will develop her swallowing reflexes so that we can get her off the G-tube and always seek Heavenly Fathers help in keep her strong and healthy.

It is hard to believe that a summer has past. Zach is back in school. Brittney has returned to Utah and we are beginning to settle into a routine that will help her get better and better. I continue to be very appreciative of all the cards, letters, thoughts and prayers on our behalf. I have stated this before and I will state again, they make a huge difference in my sweet wife's life and in mine. We hope and pray there will be a time when you will hear directly from Sherrie thanking you for all your goodness. 

Home Sweet Home

It has now been four days since our Mom returned home.  We have been excited to have her so close and we often find ourselves gathered around her bed competing for her hugs and kisses. She has dedicated her life to making sure our home is a place filled with love, faith, compassion, and service. As we start this new chapter we are trying to replicate what she has done for all these years. Although I'm sure we will fall short of the lofty bar she has set, we are determined to continue to make our home a place where she can relax, recover, and continue her journey.

We are so happy to have her home, but we are still getting accustomed to the new daily routine and all that it entails. We often find ourselves looking at the clocks making sure she receives the correct drugs, vitamins, and food she needs at the right times. My Dad and Brittney have been stalwarts in leading these efforts. I'm amazed at their tenderness when working with my Mom. Seeing my Father lovingly wipe her mouth or sing her a song has had a profound impact on my siblings and I. We all hope we can emulate the love that Mom and Dad have had over the years in our own marriages.

So far I believe that Mom is enjoying her knew digs. We have converted the basement bedroom into her new sanctuary. The carpet has been removed and replaced with a hard floor, doorways have been expanded, and all bathroom appliances have been changed so that she can access them in a wheelchair. We will continue to try and make her as comfortable as possible so she can feel at home and progress. I'm sure the grandkids will all be busy drawing her pictures so they can put them up on her wall and share their love.

This comes at no surprise to those who know her well, but she loves getting towel baths and having her arms and feet rubbed with lotion. We love to see her close her eyes in relaxation as we do our best to pamper her. She continues to get stronger and move her extremities more and more. This has made the feeding, bathing, and therapy a little interesting. She is constantly moving and very interested in grabbing her feeding tube or anything else we place in front of her. It is exciting to see her progress and we know this comes as a direct consequence of her hard wok and the many prayers by family and friends.

We can't thank you enough for all of your support. Please know that we receive great strength from the kind words and prayers by so many. We have made it from the Dominican Republic, to Miami, to Northwestern Hospital, to the RIC, and now home. The journey is still far from over, but there is no place we would rather nurse her back to health then within the walls of our own home.

With Love,

Tyler and Family

            

Moving Day...

Today begins another chapter in our journey. At about 11a cst, Sherrie was discharged as an inpatient at RIC and is now home. For the last two months she has received an intense regimen of therapy that has helped her become more alert and aware of her surroundings. She still has her days when she is very tired, but for the last couple of weeks, she has done very well in her therapy sessions.

Having my sweetheart home is a wonderful blessing. We have a long way to go and she continues to need 24 hour care, but she is one step closer to being able to assist herself in doing some of the basic tasks in life. Often times the doctors will tell us that patients do even better when they are with family in familiar surroundings. We pray this will be the case.

Sherrie will continue therapy at an RIC outpatient clinic closer to our home. She will receive the same focus and attention 3 days a week for three hours in PT, OT and Speech just as she has as an inpatient at RIC downtown Chicago. Between sessions, she will be getting lots of love and attention from family and some grand-babies that have missed their grandma Sherrie very much.

On September 13, Sherrie will go back to Northwestern and have surgery to replace the craniotomy. This is another major milestone for her. Doctors also say that many patients do better after this surgery and in Sherrie's case, they will evaluate how she is doing post-op and may bring her back to RIC Chicago for follow-up sessions as an inpatient.

Every time we have had to change, move and test, I get a very nervous. Not knowing what is around the corner is challenging and often a bit scary. We have hit many of these moments and in all cases, a loving Heavenly Father is there to provide answers or pathways to make the burden lighter. I continue to pray that Sherrie will re-gain her swallowing reflex and that she will be able to consistently communicate with us. Being able to have her tell us where she needs help would be a great blessing to her and us.

The other day I went with Sherrie to NW for an EEG test to see if she may be having strokes. The doctor had noticed some twitches that caused some concern and they wanted to rule out any possibility that strokes were occurring as we had just taken her off medications to prevent this from happening. Since she had not had any additional stroke since the accident, I was a bit concerned. The doctor called today and the testing center reported the saw no signs!. Another great blessing! Sherrie is in a state where her body is doing a lot of moving which causes a lot of muscle jerking. Muscle jerking we can handle, additional strokes we can really do without.

I thank all of you for your dedication and love for  my sweetheart. You know how I feel about your willingness to offer prayers on her behalf. I stand as a witness that they are being responded to. I see these miracles everyday! They are not coincidental or part of our fate. They are "manna" from heaven that strengthens Sherrie and gives me hope to move forward. After three months, we are HOME!

Update On Our Olympian..

It's been a few days since our last post and a lot has happened. We continue to see progress in many areas where we are very grateful for a merciful and loving Heavenly Father. Over the last week the focus has been on getting Sherrie used to standing on her feet. We started on a tilt table a week ago and today she stood, with help, while holding on to parallel bars. It takes a lot of energy out of her, but when we ask if she wants to do it again, she nods yes. She is a fighter!

A couple of weeks ago she struggled to and keep her balance. Today, she will sit with just a little help and will even reach down to touch her toes. Her curiosity to movements, colors, touch and sound is increasing. We can be in therapy and when she hears another patient talking, she will turn to look as though she just wants to observe for a while. She knows colors, numbers and can read. Today I walked in and she was being watched by a couple of student nurses. I asked Sherrie if she was enjoying all the attention and she nodded yes. One of the nurses said she had been reading their name tags and mouthing their names. I decided to test it myself and asked Sherrie the name of the nurse named Anna. Sure enough, she mouthed her name. I was very impressed.

Our son Todd and his wife Jess came up and visited Sherrie. Todd had just celebrated his 25th birthday a few days earlier. When he saw his mom he asked her if she remembered how old he was. Todd said she immediately held up two fingers on one hand and five on the other. We know her mind is becoming more and more alert.

We also see her funny personality come through. The other day the therapist asked Sherrie if they could do some more arm exercises. Sherrie immediately lifted her arms and swung them side to side and had a pretty good grin on her face. The therapist and Todd just laughed out loud.

My sweetheart is making good progress. She still has a number of challenges ahead, but we are very grateful for miracles that are occurring in her life. We pray that she will develop a spontaneous swallowing reflex so we can get her off the feeding tube. We pray that her ability to communicate will become more sharp so we can understand how we can help her and that she will shortly be able to stand with little help. I would like everything to happen tomorrow, but that is a bit unrealistic. As a family, we will continue to let the Lord lead. He has directed us this far and we know He will continue to be by Sherrie's side.

We continue to head down a path where we will take Sherrie home on the 14th of August. I asked her the other day if she was ready to go home and she nodded yes. That was confirmed yesterday when she  was pedaling on a device that gets her leg muscles moving and I asked her how fast she wanted to get home. All of a sudden she started peddling faster and faster...I think she is ready and I am too! She will continue her therapy 3 days a week at an RIC satellite center closer to home.

As always, we are grateful for all your good wishes, cards, emails and especially prayers. I know they are helping Sherrie along her way. Thank you! We pray the Lord's blessings for you and your family.

Our Super Hero!

Yesterday we received the news that moms therapy at the RIC was extended to Aug. 14.  This is such great news and we hope that mom will continue to gain strength and her times of alertness will last longer.  However, the last few days mom has been really sleepy during some of her therapy sessions.  The part that continues to amaze me is even during her sleepy days she finds a new way to let us know that she is very aware!  Although mom is still working on her facial expressions her personality still shines through.  She continues to make us laugh and cry everyday and we are truly proud!  I wanted to share a few of her funny comments so you can also understand how even though her body isn't able to respond as much her mind is very clear...
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Physical Therapist: "Sherrie, I want to lay you down to do some leg stretches but you have to promise you won't fall asleep.  Sherrie, can you promise me you won't fall asleep?"
Mom: VERY clear head nod "No!" and 2 minutes later she was asleep :) ...points for being honest!
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(This conversation took place between Mom, Dad, and a good friend who attended BYU Paul)

Dad: "Sherrie, are you a Utah State Aggie?"
Mom: head nod "Yes"
Dad: "Do we like the BYU Cougars?"
Mom: head nod "No" and then gave dad a fist bump
Dad: "We don't like the Cougars, we stick our tongue out at them, right?"
Mom: turned to Paul and stuck her tongue out at him and then looked at dad and gave another fist bump followed by another look at Paul with her tongue out!
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(Skyler and Kenzy came to see Mom at the RIC last Thursday and this was their most proud moment)

Skyler was holding grandmas hand and sitting next to her on the bed and he got up to walk away for a minute.  Mom looked right at him and pointed and motioned for him to come sit back down.
Skyler: "I think she wants me to sit with her again! I think she needs me!"
After Skyler sat back down she grabbed his hand again.  Later he asked her if she needed a hug and she opened both arms so he could lay on her stomach and then she wrapped him up and rubbed his back.  Kenzy and I went back to the RIC after lunch and mom did the same thing to Kenzy.  She motioned for her to come and give her a hug and then rubbed her back and head.  It was so sweet and so tender!!! In those moments, it doesn't seem to matter age or relationship, somehow she is able to offer an embrace that reassures all will be okay!  I have always marveled at her ability to offer such comfort in just a hug and now in her most challenging moment she is still the same healer that she has always been!
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(This conversation was between Mom, Dad and a nurse that was expecting)

Nurse to Sherrie: "How many grandchildren do you have?"
Mom: mouthed 8
Dad: "We just had our 8th grandchild in May."
Nurse: "Boy or girl?"
Mom: mouthed Boy

She knows and remembers us all even down to the smallest baby!  Mom is very aware of each of her children, grandchildren, and friends.  I never understood how she had the capacity to care for the thousands of friends and family that played a part in her life, it continues to amaze me today!  It is just one of the many super powers from one of the greatest super heroes!  On her behalf, I want to thank each one of you for the letters, phone calls, flowers, food, baby sitting (although it seems to be more like partying!),  kind words, and warm embraces.  We have received them all and we continue to share them with mom, they mean so much to our family and we are humbled!! I am surprised that mom hasn't mouth "Thank You notes" yet, but one day they we be sent and even better...one day mom will hug each of you individually and then you will know our gratitude, then you will feel that perfect embrace that all is well!

Love,
Brittney

On your feet!

Big breakthrough over the last few days...after Mom was given the green light to put pressure on her left leg, her therapists have started getting her up on her feet.  Big.  Huge.  Since she's not quite ready for tap dancing (yet!) they help her up by strapping her to a large back board and then slowly lift one side of the board until she is upright.  Given the amount of time she has been off her feet, they are easing her into and monitoring closely to make sure she doesn't have big drops in blood pressure.  So far she has handled it really well.  The first go around, they didn't expect her to get much beyond a 45 degree angle, but Mom continued to bring her A-game and was able to get all the way vertical without any issue.  We were very impressed and quietly hoping she'd have her own Incredible Hulk moment, where she'd rip through the straps and come charging out under her own power.  She hasn't done it yet, but we haven't given up hope.

All around, Mom continues to make great progress.  She is finding news ways to communicate everyday and seems to understand much more than her body lets her indicate at times.  We are so proud of her and how far she has come since those darkest days in late May.  The reality is, we are likely at mile four of our marathon, so there is still a lot of running left to do...however, in my opinion, we are further along in the race than we thought we would be in the first nine weeks.  And I have hunch she's in this thing for the long haul.  

Thank you for all your prayers and support.  

Love,
The Labrum Crew

Sherrie's Big Day

Over the last few weeks Sherrie's therapy schedule gets busier and busier. The more alert she becomes, the more time she spends with the therapists. She works so hard every day. Today she started with an early morning doctors visit at NW Memorial to see her orthopedist to check on her hip fracture. He was very excited that she had healed so well and gave her the green light for therapists to begin getting her on her feet. Another wonderful blessing!

She came back to RIC and went through a full 4 hour schedule where she was alert almost the entire time. Her stamina is improving, she is using her arms more and even played a bit of catch with a beach ball. Movements for her are difficult, but she gets better with every passing day.

The really big news is that she had her trachea removed today! She had done so well over the past week they decided to remove entirely. Another blessing from heaven that will make it that much easier for her to use her voice.

I could go on and on about the many wonderful things that continue to happen. They are significant and they continue to remind me of how important faith and prayer are in this and every other journey we face in life. When I begin to feel down, I watch my dear wife work so hard to make progress and I then decide I too can press on. We are on this journey together and I am very grateful for her strength.

Sherrie has continued to make solid progress over the last few days.  She is getting stronger, is increasingly alert and is finding new and exciting ways to communicate with us.  She is getting more consistent with her head nods to signal yes and no, can pull off a pretty good wave and is very good at squeezing your hand.  She's been doing a thumbs-up to signal that she's comfortable and even tugs on her blanket when her room feels chilly.  At times she might even hold a phone in her hand for a few moments while a grandchild chatters away on the other end.  Brittney taught her the sign for "I love you" and she has gotten very good at signing that to us when it's time to leave (she's probably a lot less inclined to do it when we're yelling at her to lift her foot or raise her arm or kick the ball).  She still puts on her best performances for Dad and we wouldn't have it any other way.  


The nurses also gave Sherrie a call button with a giant yellow sticker on it that she could press if she needed anything.  Her occupational therapist diligently taught her how to use it and she followed suit right away.  After that, she pressed it non-stop for the rest of the day until the nurses decided she was doing it for entertainment.  I think she's just showing us she still has her sense of humor.    


This week will hopefully bring more good news - she meets with Dr. Batjer, her vascular neurologist, on Tuesday to determine exactly when she will go back to Northwestern to have the plate inserted at the site of her craniotomy.  She will also meet with the orthopedic surgeons to determine progress on her left hip.  If they remove the load-bearing restrictions on her left side, it opens the door for her therapists to do more exercises to help strengthen her legs as a precursor to her eventually standing.  Sherrie's respiratory function is also continuing to improve, so much so that we're on the brink of being able to take out her trache.  This should allow her to be able to expand what she's able to do with her voice - hopefully we'll hear a lot more NO's in the coming weeks.   

There continue to be ups and downs along our journey.  At times it can feel very disheartening when we don't see progress every single day but we have to consistently remind ourselves that we are measuring progress on a week to week, month to month basis.  I think about where we started, just over two months ago, and where she is today and it makes me very excited and hopeful for the journey ahead.  What a different a mere two months can make.  We know that the Lord's divine hand is at work, helping push Sherrie along, and the progress we've seen is nothing short of miraculous.


We are so grateful for your continued support and love.  It truly buoys us up on the hardest days and will certainly be a source of strength for Sherrie as well in the days ahead.


Much love,
Wendy

Another Blessing...

We have been busy planning for Sherrie to come home July 24th. Trying to determine all that will be needed to care for her as been daunting. All you know is that nurses stay pretty busy taking care of your sweetheart's needs and soon you will be responsible for figuring out how to take over. Thinking about all that needs to be done has brought me to my knees many times. Gratefully, we have been blessed to have new insights and peace as we take things one step at a time.

Part of the plan is to be fully trained on all aspects of care including feeding, personal care, med delivery, transport, occupational, physical and speech therapy. To get up to speed, we have a long checklist of activities that need to be signed off as show proficiency. Brittney and I have spent two full days going through a portion of this qualification process while praying that her progress would continue so that her discharge date would be extended.

Tuesday we arrived for our early morning training and were informed that her discharge date was changed to Aug 6th. The doctors and therapists have been impressed with her progress and want to keep her longer. We are so very grateful for Heavenly oversight.

We continue to see greater awareness everyday.  She is moving her mouth more and from time to time will give us an audible "no'. Over the last week she has shown that her preferred method to communicate is nodding her head "yes" or "no". The other day the therapist asked if she wanted to listen to country music. She nodded her head NO!  I was crushed.

We will continue to prepare ourselves for the day she comes home. In the meantime, we will  pray for her continued progress. She is an amazing lady!

Saturday's song

This week has been very good for Sherrie. Virtually every day she made significant progress that pleased and amazed her therapists. The other day she held her head up for 8 minutes, took 5 pegs out of the peg board and even put chap stick on her lips. She is becoming more aware of her surroundings and care givers every day. It is not unusual to have a therapist after their session say goodbye and see my sweetheart lift her hands and wave her fingers. Today I was siting by her side talking about what had been going on in the world when she lifted her head a few inches toward my face, closed her eyes and wanted a kiss. I can't explain the joy and gratitude I felt.

Sherrie and I have sung "You Are My Sunshine" to each other for many years. We have tried to do it in two part harmony, but it doesn't work so well and we end up just laughing at one another. Today, I decided to sing it to her, but before I started, I told her I needed her to help me. As I started to sing, I saw her lips move so I would stop and then ask, "are you singing with me?" she then moved her head ever so slightly up and down for "yes". I started again, and after reminding her to sing with me, she would move her lips again. While there was no real noise, I was honored that she would remember a song that has been important to us for many years. She really is "My sunshine".

Our journey continues and we are still standing. Some days are more difficult than others, but we remain very greatful to see our mother, grandmother, friend and wife making regular progress. She is with us, aware of us and fighting like crazy to make it back. We know the source of these rich blessings and we stand in awe of the Lord's love and mercy. I sincerely thank all who keep my dear wife in thoughts and prayers. You are an important part of our journey. The Labrum and Christensen clan pray for you and your goodness continually.

Ups and Downs...

And yesterday was most definitely an up!! I left for the RIC early yesterday morning so I could catch all of mom's therapy sessions.  I was feeling a little discouraged...moms progress hadn't changed much in the last few days and we were concerned that she wouldn't be able to stay at the RIC.  I was certainly grateful that nothing was slowing her progression but it just didn't feel like we were getting very far.  I was extremely prayerful that I would once again recognize see tender mercies of the Lord and mom would become more alert.

Just as a side note, some of you might be a little confused about our feelings towards moms arrival at home.  We are more than thrilled to have mom home with us, however, the only reason that she would be coming home at this point is because she is not alert enough to stay and continue her rigorous 3-4 hours of daily therapy.  Although doctors and therapists continue to remind us that leaving the RIC would not be a step back and that mom is still in the early stages of her injury...it would be hard to bring her home and just wait! Wait for her to be more alert, wait for her to be more responsive, wait for her to become more consistent.  Nevertheless, the therapists are pushing us to prepare for moms homecoming.  They are training us so we can do the work while we wait.  Right now mom is on a week to week admission, every week they discuss her case thoroughly and determine if she can stay longer.  As of Monday she was scheduled to leave the RIC July 17...which means we have a lot of work to do!

When I arrived at the RIC mom was being wheeled out to physical therapy.  During her 1 hour session the therapist taught me how to move mom from chair to bed on my own and then using a lift.  Poor mom, she was my test dummy...in the chair, on the bed, in the chair, on the bed, in the lift, off the bed, in the chair, and finally back in bed.  I am proud to say that I did a pretty good job and mom was left exhausted but with no more bumps or bruises...more than I can say for my 2 year old!

After physical therapy mom was resting when I had a call from my kids.  Mom perked up at the sound and the kids spent the next 10 minutes talking with mom on the phone.  It was incredible!  Moms eyes were wide open and she was excited to hear them.  Skyler asked grandma to blink fast if she could hear his voice, she did.  He asked her to point to the phone, she did.  He asked her if she wanted him to sing to her and she nodded yes.  After singing his unique version of a church song, "I Love to See the Temple," he asked her to clap for him...?  I had never seen her do anything like this but sure enough both arms started to move towards each other.  She was using every ounce of strength she had to clap for her grandson.  Her arms were shaking so I helped her bring them together and she began to clap!!  After Skyler was done I asked mom if she wanted to talk to Kenzy, she nodded yes.  Kenzy also began asking her to perform; point your finger, blink your eyes if you love me, swallow, make a noise...and she did it all! At the end of the conversation Kenzy asked her to say good bye and mom waved! Watching mom have this moment with her grandchildren was so exciting!! I was truly proud of my mother and her desire to express her love to her grandchildren even when life has given, her greatest challenge!

After the intense conversation I was sure mom would be wiped out! Her next therapy started in 10 minutes and she didn't have much time to rest, nevertheless, we went to speech.  In speech they had a group music session and mom loves music.  In the session the therapist would ask a patient if they wanted to hear a song and to respond with "yes" with a certain movement, moms was a thumbs up.  When they stopped singing mom didn't respond.  They tried again and then asked, "Sherrie, if you want me to keep singing give me a thumbs up," she didn't.  Although I did see her tapping her finger and remembered that in her last music session her signal was to tap her finger...she remembered! After that anytime they asked her to respond (by tapping her finger) she did!  I was so proud of her, you could tell she was exhausted but she followed any and all commands.

After speech therapy she went back to her room and was trying to rest when dad and Sharlene (mom's sister) came into the room.  After saying hello, I told them she was tired and probably needed some sleep.  Dad looked at mom asked her to hold his had (she did) and let her know that she could close her eyes.  She continued to look at him and he said it was okay he would stay and she could rest...after that she closed her eyes! She knows her hubby!

After speech was occupational therapy and moms progress continued.  They used a contraption that held moms arm up at a 90 degree angle, this allowed mom to move her arm without the struggle of lifting all the weight.  Mom then followed commands to reach straight out, across her body, and pull it back in.  Mom also held her head up with minimal help for 2 minutes and then all by herself for 30 seconds.  She also has been moving her upper torso and when asked to shrug her shoulders she did.  Her occupational therapist was so pleased with her progress and totally excited!

As if the day couldn't have gotten any better mom had one more trick up her sleeve.  After talking with her dad winked at her and followed with, "can you wink?" And she did! Mom curled up the right corner of her lip and closed both eyes.  Landon likes to wink the same way and I happened to have a video clip of that.  I showed her the clip and asked her to wink like Landon and she did!

I am so grateful for moms continued fight in this battle.  Her determination and energy is incredible!  She has always been my hero and this journey only strengthens my admiration and faith in her!  I know that the Lord is watching over our family and I continue to be amazed at the power of prayer.  He knows us individually and knows the desires of our hearts.  His tender mercies and illuminations give me courage to move forward.  I continue to be grateful for the prayers of so many of you all over the world that unite with us in our plea.  Thank you for your faith and your strength it fortifies my family!  We love you all very much and hope that you too are finding joy in your journey!

Love,
Brittney

I attached the video of Landon winking just to give you an idea of what we are teaching Mom :)

A Clap and a Pucker

Another solid performance from Mom on Tuesday...

She continues to be more reactive to questions and commands (as a friend reminded me, Moms in general don't have a great track record of "responding to commands" so we have tried to quickly move on to questions - it just doesn't feel right telling her what to do!).  What started out a few weeks ago as a light hand squeeze or a slightly raised finger to respond has progressed to more deliberate movements that let us know she is in there and working hard to get her body to listen. Yesterday she clapped, tried to wink, brought her finger all the way up to a phone we were holding near her, and even tried to pucker up to kiss Dad (he loved that).  I'm not sure exactly what I envisioned for Mom's progress early on in our journey, but I generally assumed it would be about Mom's brain trying to catch up with her physical capacities - perhaps this is because the we know the crux of her injury is in the Thalmus.  Over the last couple of weeks, it has begun to feel like the opposite relationship between body and brain.  She seems to be able to comprehend and process more than her body is letting her at this stage.  Her muscles have been significantly weakened over the last two months so it is difficult to consistently complete all of the requests of her therapists even if her initial reaction or muscle movement is the right one (for example, she can't always pull her head all the way back up straight, but the initial muscle movement in the back of her neck indicates that she is making the appropriate response).  At the end of the day, this is encouraging from my point of view.  She will get stronger over time and more capable of responding, but the I find great comfort knowing that she IS in there.  Given the nature of her injury this is truly a miracle.  It has to be terribly frustrating for her - more than we can ever understand - to fight for every movement, to try and fail with things that have always been second nature.  She is working so hard.  We are all so proud of her and cherish every movement, every twitch, every purposeful gaze.  We long desperately for continued progress and remain confident that it will continue to come - likely in a similar fashion to what we've seen over the last two months:  slowly, but (most importantly) surely.

On my way into work this morning, I was listening to ESPN radio and they played Jim Valvano's speech from the first ESPY awards in 1993.  I hadn't heard it for a long time and had forgotten how amazing it was.  For those that don't know, Jim Valvano was a long time college basketball coach at schools like NC State and Iona.  At the time he gave this speech he was just two months shy of losing a battle with cancer and had originally requested that someone accept the award on his behalf given how sick he was.  His foundation, the Jimmy V Foundation, has raised millions of dollars for cancer research over the last 19 years.  You don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate his message - it is not your dime-a-dozen ra-ra sports speech, but rather speaks to life, laughter, hope, and family from a guy that knew he didn't have much time left.  There are great lessons in there about enjoying every moment, reprioritizing to focus on what really matters, and to NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!!  I have pasted the link below in case you want to check it out.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E

Thanks you for all you do.  We love you all more than you know.  Have a great day!!

BL

Pressing Forward...

The last few days have been filled with small but important changes in my dear wife's life. She is more alert than she has been previously. When her eyes are wide open she does well in responding to commands and is fairly active with her hands and legs. She still tires easily so when it's time to rest, she will be out. This is no surprise given the difficulty of the challenges she is facing.

She is beginning to show signs that she can communicate. This week they will work on making it more consistent so we can be sure we know what she would like us to know. They gave her a new trachea which allows the oxygen to go up through her mouth and nose. This moves air over her vocal chords where she can now hear her voice.  It's wonderful to be able hear her make sounds that will allow her to communicate and eventually talk. We pray that day comes sooner than later.

Our goal is to have her become more and more alert so she can maximixe the effects of the therapy she is receiving. While we have a discharge date, we pray that this will be moved due to her progress.

I can't end this update without thanking all who keep Sherrie in your thoughts and prayers. We have been so blessed to have so many who have inquired, called, emailed and written from places around the world. Sherrie and I will be ever grateful for your love and concern. While the days seem long, I remain very hopeful that all will be well in time.

Thorough Thursday

Today was a great day with Sherrie. I got to RIC just before her first of five therapy sessions of the day.   I wish I could accurately describe the kind of energy you can see pouring out of Sherrie during these sessions. It's an incredible process to observe and even more surreal in which to be a part.

When Sherrie was at Northwestern, our goal was to get her well enough to be transferred to RIC. I think that in the back of our minds we knew this wouldn't be the cure all, but we sure hoped that it would. Last week we were told that she had a discharge date set. This came as shocking news in the sense that we all thought when she left RIC she would be recovered. Last week we prayed and fasted and hoped that she would become more alert and preform consistently during therapy sessions so that she could stay at RIC and receive more treatment from wonderfully trained and well equipped doctors, therapists and nurses. We saw another miracle in that she has become more alert, which has allowed her stay to be extended a little longer. We continue to hope and pray that she makes enough significant progress that she qualifies for care at RIC.

That being said, Since the last time I was with Sherrie I have seen a dramatic increase in her ability. During her PT, the therapist had her sitting up (with the therapist behind her supporting her upper body and helping her balance) with her legs off the table. They asked her to kick a beach ball. It took about a minute after asking, but sure enough Sherrie lifted her left foot and kicked that beach ball- three times. She held herself in a sitting position for 15 seconds at a time- a feat that can seem insurmountable.

She is beginning to communicate with us. While in that PT session I asked Sherrie if she knew who I was. While looking at me, she very distinctly nodded her head yes. Later while stretching, I asked her if she wanted me to do one of the arm stretches again. She very distinctly shook her head no. The relief that comes from knowing you can help give her a preference-no matter how small- is amazing. The Speech Therapy session was another step in the right direction for communication. Amy brought in cards with the likes of: yes, no, cold, hot, more, stop, and some with pictures of John Mayer, Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, Adele (some of her favorite music). Sherrie was able to look at the picture of the music she wanted played (Colbie Caillat). When asked if she wanted 'more' or to 'stop' she looked at the 'more' card no matter in which position it was held.

They 'capped her trache' today. It sounds like a line from a  rap song but it was a significant step in having her become more self sufficient medically. Basically they have been having her breathe through her tracheotomy with an air humidifier to keep her airways moist. With the cap on the trache she is breathing through nature's humidifiers; her nose and mouth. This also allows her to use her vocal cords. Almost immediately after the procedure you could hear her voice. It was unlike I've heard it before, but it had the same tone as always- sweet and melodic to my ears! They will begin working with her to use those vocal cords as another tool in communication.

When Ron came today he held Sherrie's hand and spoke to her sweetly. She is more alert and responsive with him than with anyone else by one hundred fold. When he arrived, she was exhausted from her multiple therapy sessions and the new trache and was not interested in responding to me or anyone else. But as soon as she heard his voice, she was alert, even if groggy. He asked her to lift a finger if she wanted a kiss. Her finger shot straight into the air. It was a touching moment for me to witness.

This experience has fostered a lot of reflection from all of us. We've thought long and hard about what we believe, what is important in life, how circumstances can change suddenly and what we want to look back on our life and say. I know that in seeing Ron and Sherrie interact in this particular situation, Tyler and I have a renewed and stronger desire to love and cherish each other and to build a relationship that can carry us through the most difficult times.

There are so few people who can love in the way that Sherrie does, openly, genuinely and freely. She has showed that love to us in the past through her actions and she is showing us now through her struggle to come back to us. Thank you all for your continued support, thoughts and prayers. It is our sincere optimistic hope that she makes enough progress to stay at RIC and that when the time is right we can be prepared for the next step.

-Carol

Today Joe and I were able to spend time with mom at the RIC.  It was so wonderful for me to share this visit with my estranged spouse.  We re-introduced ourselves to each other and felt some familiarity (Just to clarify Joe and I are happily married...I was only joking. Joe has been traveling back and forth from Utah while I am here with mom and I have only seen him a total of 7 days in the last 7 weeks).  He is a wonderful support to me and my family.  Different than many who experience difficult trials Joe truly looks at this as an opportunity to serve those that we love rather than a sacrifice.  His focus and positive perspective reminds me of a quote I once heard. 


“Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth” (Borghild Dahl, I Wanted to See 1944, 1) This was taken from Borghild Dahl, a woman who suffered severe vision impairment from a young age, but through determination managed to graduate from college and become the principle of 8 schools.  


I have thought a lot about this quote and her difficult journey.  How difficult it must have been for her to continue to study and stay focused on her goals.  Though the path was difficult, she endured.  Often times I feel discouraged from the changes in our families journey.  When those moments come it is difficult to see the abundance in our life and I find myself focused on what is missing.  Although I miss my mother more than words can express and though the ache remains I choose to find joy in the journey. 


I know that each of us face challenges and our own mountains to climb or burdens to bear, but no matter your situation we can find peace and heaven on earth.  The path may not be the one of choosing but it is the one we are on and one that is teaching us some of life's most important lessons. As Thomas S. Monson (President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) said in his last conference talk, "I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

A few of todays joys...Mom continues to respond to commands, she is becoming more alert and has been doing well in her therapy sessions.  When given "yes" and "no" cards to look at and then asked, "is your name Sherrie?" she looked at "yes".  This is wonderful news and we continue to hope that progress in this area will allow her to communicate some.  They have also extended moms discharge date one more week...HOORAY!


Love, 
Brittney