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 :)
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 :)
How wonderful! Go Sherrie! I was watching a medical show last night and Dr. Oz explained the importance of heart patients having a support system of loving people. He said, "the heart has to have a reason to beat and love is that reason. Without love the heart stops." It seems love is having the same effect on the brain! Keep on going, each of you!
ReplyDeleteI love the little winking clip. And very fun that Sherrie is winking that way too. So wonderful she is communicating so well with the grand kids. They are and will continue to be a great motivating force for her. Thanks for the great explanation in the last 2 posts about her specific injury and how her brain is responding to it.Yes her determination and energy are incredible. Winks for all of you Labrums!!
ReplyDeletewhat a great post!!!!!! I check the blog everyday..thank you for updating it..i love how upbeat and humorous you guys are and I and am amazed at Sherrie's progress!! I can't believe how far she has come!! We continue to prayer for her to progress and for you guys to be strengthened. Hang in there Labrum's and Go Sherrie!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had internet access for two weeks, so this is the first chance I've had to check up on your mother, and I am SO EXCITED for her progress!! This is wonderful. I am also so impressed with your entire family's patience and faith. It is easy to see improvement in 2-week intervals, but so much harder when you are involved in the day-to-day challenges. I continue to be amazed by the strength I have seen in each of you. You are all still in our prayers and we are so grateful for the updates!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE reading about the details of her progress. I bet watching her respond to the grandkids' requests was so exciting. We continue to pray for all of you & Caleb (3) continues to whisper at the beginning of every family prayer, "don't forget about Sherrie labrum!":)
ReplyDeleteLove,
Jenny
Thank you so much Britt for the details of the day! I found myself smiling and laughing as I read about the moments she shared with Kenz and Sky. And that love between your parents is one admired and hoped for by so many of us. The Lord is beside each of you, of that I am certain. Our Father continues to hear the petitions of hundreds in the Labrum Fight! As I am dinning with the parents in the midst of their weeks at the MTC I am reminded that we received a death sentence ten years ago for Papa, no hope ... and here he is, that name badge on running around the MTC like a giddy kid. With that same hope and faith I look forward to sitting at the kitchen table with your mom again and hear her laugh or watch her role her eyes at my antics. All my love.
ReplyDeleteI am elated to read this post. Sherrie is amazing. I am so inspired by her and her cheering section. Looking forward to continued progress! Margot Kaplan
ReplyDeleteBrit,
ReplyDeleteI just want you to know that I love you! You are amazing! That was an incredible post...I found myself getting the chills, tears started dripping...all for great reasons! I'm assuming your kids are with you in Chicago at this point? Just when the world at large didn't think the Labrum's could be a more perfect people, you all continue to surprise us with added goodness and strength and love and generosity... The grandkids are all beautiful! Give my Sherrie a kiss for me! I love you all!
Laurel
Wow, that is so awesome - I love hearing the progress. Keep it up!! Thanks for the update and a good cry and testimony builder! You are all amazing.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a great day! So happy to read!
ReplyDelete