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