A miracle? I would say so...

I have reported a little on the ups and the downs during the past 5 weeks since my mom suffered a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage as well as a small stroke and other complications. Since i arrived in Calgary the day of her 8.5 hour surgery on the 23rd of June, i have been by her side at the hospital , along with my sister, both day and night. Never once missing a day, or dreading going to the hospital to deal with the reality of it all. Throughout the entire process I have grown closer than ever to my mom, to my sister, and to myself. This whole thing has been a bit of a blessing in disguise for many reasons, and i cannot thank Michael or my entire work organization enough for their support and understanding throughout all of this.
Things looked quite bleak at moments in the beginning and nobody was saying for sure what they thought the long term prognosis was going to be.
When my mom was not sedated or on a breathing tube i could see glimpses of the woman i knew as my mom but also witnessed the effects of a traumatic brain injury that led me to believe she may never be the same. I was prepared for the worst and knew in my heart that no matter what the outcome , as long as she was with us and happy then all would be good. Since leaving the ICU after 19 days we experienced both highs and lows, never once giving up hope that a full recovery was possible.
Now last friday was the day i have been preying for since all of this happened. It truly was a day of miracles and answered prayers. Friday, July 23rd, exactly one month since the surgery, will forever be the day that i feel the majority of the clouds in my moms brain lifted and her true self and spirit began to shine through. Friday was the day when my mom truly began to show her cognitive cohesiveness. The day she really started to get control, cooperate, realize their is hope, and start working towards goals. I could not possibly put it accurately into words, but it is a day i will never ever forget. I only wish i had of won some money at poker that night!
During the proceeding days since friday i have had amazing conversations with my mom. Discussions about the future, about why this happened, about the past, about the day she got "the headache", and about our love as a family. She has continued to blow the staff away with her improvements, her kindness , and her awareness. This is a woman who up until friday was not understanding very well what was going on...was combative and not afraid to use vulgarity. Now my mom was always a little feisty if she wanted to be , but not quite like she had been behaving in the hospital. During visits and tests from hospital staff she has them believing she is a completely different person these days..i just sit there with a smile on my face and say thats my mom, and she is back!
Today for the first time since all of this we went on a huge walk with the physio department who were astounded at her. All of the staff on her floor had smiles from ear to ear as we walked by. The speech therapy lady came by to assess the need for upcoming speech therapy and cognitive understanding/problem solving , and was pretty much left speechless! A priceless moment to say the least.

To my friends out there who have loved ones with illness or dark prognosis, please never ever lose faith or give up hope. Miracles do happen and things occur that we can never fully explain. The human spirit, will to survive, and the strength within is something we should all feel so lucky to have.

Thank you to anyone and everyone who has sent positive thoughts, said prayers, or asked my sister and i how we are doing. Without you and your friendship we would not be here. Now don't get me wrong, there is a long road ahead, but we are walking it one step at a time. My biggest dream right now is for my mom to come to our show here on August 18th so my road family can see what their support, understanding and positive vibes have brought to my family....a new lease on life.

stay tuned......oh and hey everybody...look at how good i look in the photos below...hahahahhahahahah

I like this hat

Love?

The tragedy that occurred at yesterdays "Love Parade" In Berlin is almost unimaginable...yet it is a reality.
The annual event first took place in 1989 in west Berlin mere months before the fall of the wall. The "love Parade" brand has since expanded to over 10 countries and countless electronic releases.
Organizers have already said there will be no more "love parades" in Germany...and hopefully out of respect to the dead and injured , other countries will retire the electronic festival.
please read

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Love+Parade+more+after+crushed+death/3321410/story.html

At This Moment

Currently watching Saturday Night Live with John Hamm hosting from Mad Men. This of course is the episode that filmed back in January with my boss as the musical guest....
SNL you treated me to some serious fond memories and I thank you for making a reappearance tonight....

late night lists

Dear Mr or Mrs sleep fairy...

Since you continually seem to elude me and allow me to struggle to achieve quality restful sleep, i am now forced to post a couple top ten lists for my readers. If they do not like them, or perhaps they are not funny...you are unfortunately to blame as i should be sound asleep at this moment...

Top Ten Reasons you Know you are in Calgary.

1. For ten days in July you are 100% cowboy/cowgirl
2. To get anywhere in this city be prepared for a minimum one hour drive
3. Feel free to substitute "Howdy" in place of "Hello"
4. When searching for culture be prepared to find none
5. Oil and Gas - Oil and Gas...what could be wrong with Oil and Gas!
6. Hail stones the size of golf balls are no big deal
7. Giant "fuck off" trucks consume the roadways...the bigger the better
8. You realize that racism, bigotry, and stereotyping is alive and well in Cowtown
9. With only 3 months of decent weather you notice 1000 construction projects on the go wreaking havoc!
10. Every big box retailer you could ever dream of flock here to thrive in modern suburbia!

Top Ten Reasons I Miss Vancouver

1. My bed and my new place
2 The ocean air and the view of the Mountains
3. My many wonderful friends of whom i do not see enough of
4. The mom and pop shops have still managed to survive keeping the big box in the burbs
5. The eclectic neighborhoods full of culture and diversity
6. the Food Food Food....Yum Yum YUm
7. The MOrrissey...oh! how i miss you
8. Coffee that is not from Starbucks or another chain
9. The feeling of a city connected....
10. thriving arts, culture, community, music, etc...

Has it been a month?

Well almost...three days away from one month since my mom had a subarachnoid hemorrhage on the right side of her brain landing her in the hospital where we are to this day. This past month has been filled with some serious emotional ups and downs, peaks and valleys, frustration and both progress and regress. Throughout everyday since the 22nd my mom has never given up her will to live or her fight inside to recover. A true inspiration to me and a testament to the human spirit. After 19 days spent in the intensive care unit we finally moved to a transition ward where we are at as I write this. Although the heart issues she encountered during this battle will still need to be addressed when she is stronger, the recovery process is well underway. Today we even went for a fairly decent walk around her unit!
Now with such a traumatic event to the brain my mom is suffering from dementia and delusion of various degrees. There are moments when she is clear as a bell , and moments when she is quite confused. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though and am confident the clouds will all lift in her mind and we will have her around for many years to come. I am not however living in a fantasy land and am prepared for things to be different from now on.
I just wanted to quickly update those of you that actually read what i write and are wondering whats going on. I am planning on rejoining my road family and my career that i so love and miss August 5 in Montreal.
I promise to write a little more in the future, just have struggled somedays with being drained from my days at the hospital.

Thank you to all of you for your thoughts , prayers, and offers to help in any way you can. I know in my heart we would not be where we are today without all of you.

Craigers

http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Dementia.html

http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Delusional-disorder.html

Labor day will never be the same!

http://www.liveatsquamish.com/

Gulf Oil Spill

Well...it only took a little over 3 months to stop the flow of Oil in the Gulf.
I have a feeling it will only take about 3000 years to fully realize the damage that has been done.

I am so glad we rely so heavily on dirty energy

Some links to Research

If you are at all interested in knowing more about what my mom is currently going through please click the following links to learn more.
I realize they are Wikipedia links, but they are informative nonetheless....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subarachnoid_hemorrhage

http://www.brain-aneurysm.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasospasm

The last link is a collection of stories from survivors posted in an online forum....lots of hope through these stories

http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic84753.html

Alligator for Kids...

I feel like Ted is doing his best to not crack up while performing....