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
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