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