WHAT YA BRINGING?

Well, needless to say, the week has FLOWN by back down here in South Florida! Monday’s off always seem to do that – and I am so thankful I was able to spend the morning with the family on Monday!

Mom continues to make progress daily and we are so thankful for that! My morning call to her always starts off with a happy “hello!” I then try to ask as many yes/no questions as possible to get her speech flowing…she then ALWAYS surprises me with something. I was able to give Mom a quick call on my way to my hair appointment after work Tuesday since it was going to be a packed evening with little time to video chat. So again I hear a “hello!” on the other end of the line. I say, “Hi Mom! It’s so good to hear your voice.” And she responds with a slight pause and then says, “What Ya Bringing?” My laughter was met with hers and of course I heard Courtney’s on the other end of the line! I am SO thankful that Mom just continues to try, and we are ALL surprised what comes out sometimes! What ya bringing vs. what ya doing…I’ll definitely take what I can get!

Courtney also updated me yesterday with this text:

“Hope you had a good day :) We are just setting up to watch Chris’s game. Mom is doing good…her new thing is when she can’t say something, she babbles nonsense…like she knows what she wants to say by because she can’t…she makes sounds and we all laugh!” I love the updates from Sis and my next phone call to Mom proved this all true! She was babbling away and we were laughing! We are all just SO happy to hear more and more of her voice.

Mom didn’t have therapy today, but had another doctor appointment to get her blood drawn to check her PT-INR. PT stands for pro thrombin, which is how fast your blood clots, and INR (International Normalized Ratio) is the units the blood is measured in. Basically in an effort to not give Mom a shot anymore (which was the mild dose of blood thinner), she now should be able to take a full does of blood thinner orally. While taking the oral medication, Mom’s PT INR needs to stay between 2 and 3 INR. Her measurements have been up and down the last week and after a few adjustments we are hoping to find her in between 2 and 3 with the results we hear tomorrow morning! ENOUGH with poking Mom already!

Another update from Courtney this afternoon! Dad had to bring the car in, so we were fortunate to have Gina offer to take Mom and Courtney to Mom’s doctor appointment. They stopped into Starbuck’s on the way home for another one of Mom’s favorite treats (man do we love to spoil her)! After settling in back home this afternoon, Courtney had Mom working on her typing program on her computer! Mom is doing just GREAT!

I’m sure you all love hearing how well Mom is “bringing” just as much as I do – SO I will continue to try and do my best to keep you up to date!

Love,

Gordy, Lynn, Jessica & Courtney

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?

H.O.M.E.

There is just nothing like it!

Dad was so wonderful to pick me up late Friday night from the airport. As soon as I arrived home and gave Courtney a big hug…I peeked into Mom’s dark room and snuggled right into bed with her. I said, “Momma, guess whose home?!?” And then I heard that giggle I love SO much. Courtney and Dad weren’t too far behind me and turned on the light. Mom looked up at me and smiled, then buried her head back in her pillow, then looked up at me and laughed and buried her head back in her pillow again. We all laughed and chatted for a few minutes and then let her get back to sleep. SO happy to be home for the weekend!

I couldn’t sleep past 6:00am, so I decided to go back upstairs and snuggle with Mom. (For those of you in Florida who aren’t used to basements – they are usually quite chilly – and I wanted to warm up upstairs as long as I was awake!) Mom was already waking up, but she lifted up the covers and invited me in to hang for a few minutes. As she got up, she showed me how she peeks into the guest room every morning (where Courtney has been sleeping – JUST in case) and wakes her up. Dad follows us all and then Mom and I made coffee together. She did a great job for her first time since the stroke, although she rolled her eyes at me when I made her do EVERYTHING! It felt so comfortable to have breakfast with the family Saturday morning J I really noticed an improvement in her initiating conversation a lot more than before and she understood much more of what was being said. We then all headed out for an early morning shopping date with Mom to find her a new Easter outfit. Talk about OT overload trying on a dressing room FULL of options! She did great!

Aunt Joan stopped over for lunch (she drove up all of the way up from Omaha). It was great to see her and she was able to notice a great difference in Mom’s improvement as well. With food still pouring out of the fridge we had a hodge-podge of leftovers for lunch. I think we finally made room for Mary’s lasagna! Aunt Ericka popped over next and brought an extra treadmill from the cabin. This will be great for Mom to work on when the weather isn’t ideal and Dad even said he was going to get on it, too!

As the evening rolled around, it was time to tune into Chris’s game.  Puck-head Lynn had a great time watching the game and his team won! (Dad’s convinced that we have to eat Chipotle every game until they lose because we had it the game they won in double overtime back at the hospital!) We do love Dad, but he does account for the big nose, long toe and weird Besch attributes we’ve so lovingly learned to accept! So yes, we had Chipotle for dinner!

After the game we were happy to have some friends over for wine and coloring Easter eggs :o) Great combo…haha! I have to admit it was the first time I’ve ever boiled eggs (I know!) and it was a success! We all had a great time catching up! 

Sunday morning Courtney made us a delicious breakfast and us girls all had our Easter socks on that the Easter Bunny brought us J Aunt Linda and the cousins met us for church and Mom was dancing with the music. Then as we walked out of church, she proceeded to spill her frappachino all over her new yellow top! We all laughed about it and she grabbed my coat to cover the spill as we walked out to the car. We had a few hours before heading over to Gary and Ellen’s (just enough time for a lunch of more yummy leftovers and to wash Mom’s shirt…we can’t take her anywhere….haha)

We had such a blast with the family for Easter. We had the whole crew out on the deck overlooking Lake Minnetonka – beautiful day catching up with family. We met Krista’s new boyfriend – juries still out if he has Gary and Dad’s official approval, but he managed to make it through the first family gathering. Mom continued to surprise us with phrases throughout dinner and we laughed and cried as we shared all of the stories of Mom’s hospital stay, driving to Minnesota from North Carolina and her stay at Sister Kenny. It’s still just so hard to believe that three weeks ago we received that call.

As I reflect back on it all, reality has set in that our family will never be the same post Mom’s stroke. As much as I want my Mom ALL the way back RIGHT NOW, I also realize how much we have to be thankful for. God didn’t take her from us, we pulled together as an entire family (way beyond blood-relation) working together to put Mom’s needs first, and could not ask for her to be in a better place. I like to say she is in her “happy place.” When I want to cry, she is the one making me laugh (how does that work??) And every task put in front of her – she takes on with a positive attitude! She works SO hard and when she makes a mistake…she just laughs. MAN do I love that giggle.

As we had our last family lunch before leaving to take me to the airport she had us all rolling in laughter. She was working on saying my name and continued to make the funniest faces at me as she said, “JES-SI-CA!” over and over again. And for those of you who know my laugh…it all snowballed from there and we were all laughing so hard we were crying!

It wasn’t any easier to leave this time around, but I am planning to be back for my birthday in a few weeks. I am SO grateful for my new position at work and for all that God has provided for me in Florida. I look forward every evening to our video calls and Mom’s funny expressions when I call her in the morning on my way into work. She continues to be an inspiration to me every single day and truly an example of God’s grace. I see it in big ways (how He is using her story to show how amazing He is) and I see it in the small ways (the fight in Mom's eyes when she is frustrated as she connects more with how much she realizes she did know, but has to re-learn).

I could NOT have picked a better Mother if God would have given me the choice! Momma Besch, the one and only!!! J I am so thankful for her and for all of you who continue to fight through her recovery with us.

Lots of love,

Gordy, Lynn, Courtney & Jessica

GOOD FRIDAY: A FRIENDLY HI FROM THE SKY!

I’m officially ELATED to announce that I am currently IN THE AIR on my way back to my favorite place! I asked Mom if she was going to stay up and wait for me and she said, “No!”  So I laughed and told her as soon as I walked in the door I was going to crawl into bed with her and give her a BIG kiss!

I must apologize for our absence in posting this week. Between an intense week of Mom’s outpatient therapy for Dad and Courtney and a new position at work for me…we’ve been slacking on the updates on Mom. Courtney did a fabulous summary of the past week and I wanted to make sure and post it for all of you! I also PROMISE to give you all some exciting updates of the Easter weekend ahead!

The Last Few Days!

By: Courtney Marie BOBBBB (ask Dad to say it :o)

Well it is time to catch you all up on Moms progress this week.  I’m happy to report she has been improving every single day!  This was Mom’s first week of outpatient therapy.  She had OT and speech on Monday, speech on Wednesday, and speech and OT today (Friday).  She is doing her outpatient therapy with Sister Kenny but has moved locations from Abbott to Unity Hospital.  We are happy that we have one OT and one speech therapist, so Mom won't be juggled between multiple therapists like in inpatient therapy.  Her speech therapist is Laura.  In just this week Mom continues to make huge strides with speaking and writing.  She is getting better at writing out her name and our immediate family. She rolls her eyes and smiles when I ask her to write out my last name. JWith Jess and Dad it's the same, so she skips it...but I don't let her get away with it on mine (especially because it's longer)! This week we figured out that she can read an analog clock and write down the time, as well as do simple addition problems.  One of the most exciting improvements with her speech is we can tell she is wanting to tell us specific things, more than just "yes", "no", "ok" or "hi".  She gets our attention by say "hey" and then tries to let us know what she needs or is thinking.  It takes a while to figure it out, but she is starting to be able to express herself! This is such an EXCITING improvement! Also, she seems to do a very good job of following conversation and being able to engage.

Additional to the therapy she receives, her therapists send us away with homework.  We try to work with Mom for at least an hour of speech, a few different activities related to OT (typing, clocks, math, cooking, etc), and do some kind of walking or activity.  Between her therapy appointments, home therapy with us, and doctor appointments she is very busy. We also make sure she is able to sneak in a nap or two, which is really important for her recovery!

It has been really fun to see more friends and family! We love hearing that family/friends that saw Mom initially when we got home who see her now and have pointed out her amazing improvements!  We love people telling us how much she has progressed since they last visited! Seeing the everyday changes makes it harder to see how big the full progress has been.  We continue to pray for full recovery and are ever so thankful for all of the support and love from our wonderful family and friends!

Well back up to thousands of feet in the sky – I JUST CAN’T WAIT TO LAND IN MN!!! I am officially over Peoria, IL…making progress! I am so thankful I am able to spend this weekend at home with Mom and the family!

Today really has been a GOOD FRIDAY! Even more than being thankful for Mom and being able to go home (which please don’t mistake I am VERY grateful for!), I am so thankful for what we celebrate today. We celebrate a 37 year old man, who came down to this earth and lived the PERFECT life we could not live and died the prefect death – TODAY, Good Friday – for ALL of us to be set free. We no longer need to work our way to heaven, and desire to DO because of what He already has done! And in two days on Easter Sunday – we awake – to find His EMPTY tomb. He has DEFEATED death!!! Thanks be to GOD!

We love you ALL!

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?

DAY 19: A FULL DAY WITH MOMMA!

Mom slept in until 9:00 am!  For those of you who don’t know her sleep schedule, it is VERY unusual for her to sleep past 6 or 6:30 am. We had a pleasant low-key morning, and it was really nice to not to have anything to do right away! 

 After getting ready (which we are happy to report becomes a more and more ‘normal’ routine  for her every day), Mom watched part of a movie. As she was watching it I asked if we could turn off the TV and work on some speech...she said "no".  I asked her again, and she said, " no, after". It took a second to click for me that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to work on speech, she just wanted to finish what she was watching first.  So I asked her once it was over, if we could work on some speech exercises and she agreed :-). 

She stayed true to what she told me.  As soon as the movie was over she came to the kitchen table with me and worked really hard for a half hour.  (JESSICA SIDENOTE: I continue to be AMAZED at how well Courtney and Dad work with Mom. They embrace the tools that the therapists, nurses and doctors have given them and continue to work with Mom any opportunity they get! They all have done an excellent job working together this week! As I check in with them daily, well multiple times per day (I can’t help it :o), I continue to see the LEAPS of progress Mom is making! I can’t WAIT to be home with them in 6 days!)

Back to Courtney:

This morning we had two surprise deliveries, one was beautiful flowers from a couple of my girlfriends in CT and the other was an Easter Lilies from Jess.  Mom's face brightens up as she opens the flowers! It’s so fun to watch.  Since she had been doing so well dialing phone numbers, I wrote out Jess's number and Mom called her to say thank you!

We then had lunch (Mom made her own brisket sandwich!) and relaxed.  Her brother Gary and his wife Ellen stopped over. While they were here the cable guy showed up (our Internet router pooped out this morning so we were able to get that fixed today).  Gary and Ellen took off to run errands and as soon as the cable was fixed, Mom, Dad and I left to run our own errands.  We first went to Cub where Mom led us around the grocery store as she pushed the cart.  We walked through the produce section. I told her I had going to grab bananas and she said “ok”, and when I turned to find her and Dad she was picking out corn in the cob (ALL ON HER OWN), I just loved that!

We also swung into Home Depot before heading home.  Not too long after we returned home Mom's friend Diane stopped over with dinner!  She joined us as we ate her delicious beef stew!  We are so thankful for all the support and love from friends and family!  After dinner Mom found Pirates of the Caribbean on TV to watch and we took some more time to relax.  We have missed our nightly Skype sessions with Jess, last night because of the internet and tonight because she was asleep by the time we were done with dinner.  We are all heading to bed thankful for another great day!

We continue to pray for God to heal Mom’s brain! (We selfishly want her ALL the way back as SOON as possible, but we know it is in his time). We are thankful to see his grace everyday through her and the many people who are supporting her and our family through her recovery.

Love,

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?

DAY 18: HOME SWEET HOME!

Today was a good day, Mom is HOME! We had a busy morning at the hospital.  Mom had to shower and get ready, then we watched two informational videos (one on strokes and one on coumidin- a blood thinner Mom has to be on), and lastly pack up the room and talk with the doctor. The doctor was happy to send Mom home with encouragement to work hard! He also gave us a warning not to "pamper" her (we’ll try our very best!).

Leaving the hospital with Mom SAYING "bye" to her therapists, nurses, doctor and social worker, I felt like I was witnessing a miracle.  I thought back to when we walked up to Mom's room at Sister Kenny (almost exactly 1 week ago). As my sister and I fought back tears, we told Mom that when she was leaving here she would be SAYING "bye" to everyone...so to see that actually happening was amazing.  It was perfect proof of Mom's hard work, determination, and God's healing power and grace!

The afternoon at home started off with Mom catching some zzz's in HER chair.  Dad and I tried to organize ...well enough to clear off their bed at least.  After her nap and lunch, Dad took a nap and Mom started to organize...she sorted through some mail, wiped off the kitchen counters and put things away.  It was comforting to watch her just go to work!  She and I took a little time this afternoon to do a little therapy work.  I wrote out a few phone numbers (mine and Dad's) and she dialed them both with ease.  Then I pulled out her computer. She didn't seem to be interested in typing her name in a word document, but instead opened the Internet and tried to surf around a bit. That turned out to be a little much, and she agreed to take a step back and work on typing her name.  It still wasn't easy, but there was definite improvement from yesterday!

Krista, my cousin joined us this afternoon as we watched Oprah!  Not too far behind her were my Aunt Linda and Cousin Becky!  They stopped over to see Mom and have dinner with us.  They brought Mom over an Easter Lily, Mom's favorite! They also brought food for another meal for us, including Auntie Linda’s homemade potato salad, another one of Mom's favorites!  Together we all enjoyed Aunt Ericka’s famous brisket, which she dropped by this afternoon.  Mom loved eating and hanging out with everyone!  We then had a relaxing evening and Mom headed to bed early.

We are so thankful to have Mom home! Thank you so very much for your continued thoughts and prayers as she continues her long recovery road here at home!

Love,

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?

DAY 17: Determination Rd & Independence Way

Today and yesterday have both been great days!  It’s my (Courtney) turn to fill you in with an updated report from Minnesota. We just wrapped up her last inpatient therapies!

The highlight from yesterday was Mom's field trip to the Mill City Museum! She and Dad went along with a few other patients to the museum.  It was the perfect destination for Mom because she loves history and she used to work in a mill.  The therapists were keeping an eye on her to see how she did with the right side neglect out in the community.  They reported that she did great!

Prior to the outing, yesterday morning was filled with an hour and a half of speech and an hour of OT. Needless to say once she got back to her room from the field trip she took a good nap before dinner. Unfortunately, she didn't eat her dinner, but she did have a banana.  Her Aunt Mary and Cousin Anne stopped by to see her and we had a nice chat that ended with Skype call from Jess!  The rest of the night was spent watching American Idol.

Today, our day started extra early.  Mom had OT at 730am, and Dad and I swung into Caribou on our way down and picked up a cooler for Mom.  We got there just in time to meet the OT in the hallway walking to her room.  Mom said "ohhh!" as I showed her the treat!  After a few sips, Mom did great with her shower.  She just needed minimal cueing throughout the process.  We then had a nice break which gave us time to do her hair and for her to eat breakfast.  We had a good laugh after I did her hair because it turned out a little ‘poofier’ than she typically likes it :-). One of these days I'll get it. 

At 10am she had an hour long speech session.  It has been absolutely amazing to watch her progress.  In doing a reading exercise (there was 1 picture and 3 words, one of which described the picture, and she has to pick the right word) she scored 80%, 90%, and 90% on her three different tests.  She also did great saying more words! After speech she had OT, with Michelle, where she wrapped a present (including cutting the paper down to the right size and topping it with a bow) and worked on number recognition.  Her ability to recognize numbers was outstanding; Michelle went and grabbed a phone once she realized how well she was doing.  She next had Mom look at a phone number and practice dialing the numbers, she did perfect!  Her afternoon continued to be busy.  I guess that is no surprise being that it is her last day at brain bootcamp.  

  

Since Mom did so well with numbers in her morning OT session, Michelle had her work on her letter recognition on her computer!  She got to use HER computer, and she worked on typing "Lynn Besch" 5 times and although it was difficult and a little frustrating she did it!  We then had the great surprise visit by my Aunt Ericka, she showed up with diet tonic and lime (her fav) for my mom as a celebration of her last night at inpatient rehab!  She had perfect timing because we were just heading to Mom's PT session.  Mom looked at her and said "come”, so Ericka came along to PT and speech!  Mom was worked hard in PT! She walked for a total of 15 min while singing and also playing catch with me!  She finished up her inpatient therapy with 30min of speech.  Ericka and I exchanged smiles as Mom did an awesome job reading and saying more words!

Well that wraps up our day today.  We are sitting watching Oprah, our favorite afternoon activity, and I love sitting here hearing Mom's laugh... Other than sitting on a hospital bed, it feels pretty normal! We are all looking forward to having her at home!

Love,

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today

DAY 16: BLESSINGS

I received a very thoughtful email from a dear friend and it just really hit the right note for today. I wanted to share the message and the song with you all who have been going through Mom's trial with us.

Hey Jess,

So, I'm not sure if you have heard this song yet or know the artist, but I wanted to share this song/video with you.  Laura Story wrote Indescribable and Mighty To Save and is a very good friend of one of my best friends, Jodi who lives in SC.  Anyway, Laura married her husband 7 years ago and after a year and a half of marriage, her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  He had multiple surgeries and almost died several times but God did a miracle in his life and healed him.  But, there are still some health issues that they struggle with and from that trial, Laura wrote this song called BLESSINGS.  I couldn't help but think of your Mom and your family.  I know God has been so present in your Mom's situation and His hand has been active and faithful.  I'm in awe of what He's already done in your Mom's healing process.  Anyway, I thought you would like to hear it.  It's my favorite song right now.  I just ordered the CD.  Anyway, here is the link to the song and then another link to the story behind the song.

Love,

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?

DAY 15: ZONKED IN HER CHAIR!

Well, as much as it aches me not to be by Mom’s side everyday of her recovery, I am happy to report I am LOVING my new position back down in Florida. It was so comforting to see all of the familiar faces back at the regional office welcoming me back :o) I am elated to report that our regional PR department is on the cutting edge of web, social media, news and beyond. I will actually be back at the hospital I was just working at tomorrow morning for a shoot on blood conservation/bloodless heart surgery! I am SO thankful for this opportunity and have SO MUCH to get up to speed on! I can’t wait to be a part of it all!

Walking back from lunch with the girls today I received a text photo from Courtney of Mom ZONKED OUT in her chair! :o) We haven’t mentioned the chair yet. For those of you who know Mom, you know she has ‘her chair’ in our living room at the house. She LOVES her chair! While at Forsyth Medical Center in NC, the room had a large reclining chair and it was just great to get Mom sitting up to eat and relax instead of in the bed all day. On our first day at Sister Kenny, we asked Mom’s nurse, Monica, if they had a chair similar to what we had in NC. She instantly fell in love with Mom and said she would see what she could come up with. Come to find out the beauty of a recliner she found us was two hallways over and she huffed and puffed it all the way over JUST for Mom. Everyone from Sister Kenny who comes into her room asks where the heck the chair came from. We are so thankful for Monica finding Mom ‘her chair’ for her stay at the hospital.

 ***Here's the beauty herself!!

Mom just makes me laugh and I love her SO MUCH! Tonight when I walked in the door I was SO EXCITED to jump on skype and see the family and hear all about their day!

Here’s the report from Minnesota:

Mom started out with OT again to shower and get ready and I’m happy to say that it went EVEN better then yesterday! Courtney is also proud to let us all know that curling Mom’s hair went much better today as well (she’s trying her best for Mom and I just LOVE THAT!)

Speech Therapy was next and Debbie had her working on a lot of consonant-vowel words: bee, bay, bye, bow, and boo. This is a technique they use to get her to work on saying her vowels. Debbie also has Mom really concentrate on watching and copying the shape of her mouth because the apraxia makes it very difficult for Mom’s mouth to form the right shapes to get the sound out. GREAT WORK MOMMA!

Next was the Brain Recovery Session where Mom, Dad and Courtney along with three other patients and their families met together. They explained the different parts of the brain and with a lack of oxygen, what can be damaged. Again, they reiterated that Mom’s temporal and lower frontal lobe (where speech/understanding are) were most damaged. Dad and Court mentioned how much it helped them to realize how far Mom has already come. She has regained emotions and personality along with improvements in movement and balance AND she is starting to speak again – so PRACTICE, PRACTICE PRACTICE is in order!

INSERT: text picture Courtney sent me. Mom took a really hard one hour NAP. The entire care team continues to remind us how important it is for her to work hard, but also REALLY REST in-between as this mental work is truly EXHAUSTING!

The next meeting of the day was with the Care Navigator and the Social Worker. They reported that the comprehensive team met (doctors, nurses, therapists and care team) and decided Mom will be released on Friday. YAY MOM! I was excited for her on our skype call and reminded her how good it will feel to sleep in her own bed Friday night! Starting next week the care team wants an intense outpatient program including four hours of speech and two hours occupational therapy each week. We look forward as the hard work yields more and more pieces of Mom. We want her ALL THE WAY BACK!

Mom then had a little fun this afternoon with OT and PT. She baked chocolate chip and walnut cookies of which I really wanted to reach through the computer screen and eat one…with no such luck :o( Mom took a long walk outside today with some rest in-between in the beautiful and sunny 60 degree Minneapolis weather. PT also worked on her vowel words while she walked (nothing like a little combo therapy to get the most out of the hour). We are so blessed with all of the care Mom has been provided at Sister Kenny.

*** As you can tell, the cookies were a HIT!!

Mom and Courtney tuned into Oprah after a full day of hard work only to be greeted by Dr. Clown, Humorologist who had a few card tricks up his sleeve to make Mom laugh! LOVE IT!

I made some of my barbecue chicken pizza while talking to the fam on skype (wishing I could share with them, too!) As we were hanging up, Mom and Dad’s golf buddy’s Mike and Janice were on their way down with coffee and dinner :o) Not only are we blessed with a fabulous care team, but we continue to be SO THANKFUL for all of the support from FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Continue to pray for Mom's FULL RECOVERY!

Love,

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica

Where have you seen God's grace in your life today?

DAY 14: BRAIN BOOTCAMP BEGINS!

First off, we must apologize for no update yesterday.  My sister had it all typed up and ready to go, but when she got home to Florida and turned on her computer this morning to post, her computer had crashed... Being that today was her first day back in Florida and her first day at her new position, that post is just going to be skipped as we move onto today.  A few highlights from yesterday were, we got a pass to take Mom to church (and of course stop for a Caribou Cooler on the way home)!  We also had a bunch of friends and family stop by to see Mom! She lit up and said "Hi" as people showed up.  As I mentioned earlier Jess had to head to the airport about 3, so Mom, Dad and I had a relaxing evening and a surprise visit from a high school friend, which really was special for my Mom!

Well, what a busy day we are having today!  Dad and I got down here right around 8 this morning.  We found Mom sitting up in her chair, already eating breakfast.  She greeted us with a big smile and hugs!  The nurse had her start eating early because she was suppose to have speech therapy starting at 9, at about 8:30 we found out that the first 30 minutes of speech was cancelled because the therapist was sick. Since we had a little more time to ourselves this morning my dad and I wanted to try and download Skype.  And with my sister back in Florida we all thought this would be a GREAT way to keep in touch.  My dad and I had spent the better part of last night working on getting my Skype working on Mom's computer, but something is wrong with the camera on her apple so we were unsuccessful. 

My dad spent a little more time last night trying to figure it out on his computer and got it working, so naturally we wanted to try it out with her.  Jess had a busy first day at work, but we were able to test it out with my husband, Chris :-). My mom walked over and smiled and said "Hi", she waved and laughed as we chatted.  It was so wonderful for all of us to see his face! We were then off to speech therapy.

Mom had a great session with the speech therapist.  She counted and sang songs! It is so great to hear her voice! Right now the therapists say singing and automatic words (like counting or days of the week) will trigger her voice best.  She also worked on reading and listening.  After speech the OT, Michelle, met us at our room and she went through my Mom's shower routine with her.  Michelle is great, not only does she work with Mom on her daily routines and skills but she also really encourages her to use her voice. After Mom was ready, the OT did some activity with her: shooting a basket ball and hitting a ball back and forth with rackets.  Dad and I took note of a few things we need to find around the house to continue to work with her when we are home (balls, badminton, etc.).

Right after OT we met our PT, Rachel, and Mom kept right on working!  She had Mom walking and dribbling, then playing catch while walking backwards or shuffling side ways and at the same time singing!  Rachel also had Mom on a treadmill working on different styles of walking (marching, heel kicks, long steps, baby steps, etc).  Mom did a total of a half mile on the treadmill today! I was serious about the BUSY day!

We got back of the room for lunch, and she ate half of her tuna sandwich again ( it really is a BIG sandwich, so eating half is doing great). After she was done I bet you can guess what came next, yep...a N.A.P! She slept for the next 2 hours!  She was supposed to have a therapeutic recreation session at 1:00 pm but it was cancelled because the therapist wasn't feeling well, which worked out well because she got a good nap in.  To complete the afternoon she had one more OT session with Michelle.  We spent that half hour playing wii bowling, I got to play against Mom.  It was fun, and must report that Mom beat me...  After that my Dad had to run a few errands so Mom and I relaxed on the deck, I read to her a little, then we came o to watch a little TV.

The nurse dropped off Mom's dinner, and Mom did not look interested... So we will have to see how that goes, but we do have a great night ahead.  My friend Tera (who works at Abbott, the hospital where Sister Kenny is located) offered to bring my dad and I dinner and eat with us before she starts her night shift at 7pm.  Also, my Aunt Ericka and Uncle Tim are going to stop by.  My mom has really enjoyed having visitors!

And that wraps up a successful start to a week of brain bootcamp! We continued to be floored by Mom’s positive attitude and work-ethic! She is doing phenomenal and we continue to be so thankful for all of the prayers and support.

Onto day #15…

Gordy, Jessica and Courtney

DAY 12: HARD WORK!

We were up bright and early this fine Saturday morning to get to the hospital prior to Mom’s first therapy session. We packed up healthy lunches with all of Ericka’s yummy food and made sure to include Gina’s delicious bars for dessert! We also packed for Mom just in case she needed some additional options to spur her appetite after no dinner last night.

We mixed up her oatmeal when we arrived this morning after unloading arms full of flowers, cards, goodies and everything else to make it feel more like home. She ate a few bites, but we still were not impressed with a long day of therapy ahead. Debbie, the weekend OT was in right at 8:30 am to start Mom’s first hour of therapy. She let Mom do her shower all on her own today and we really were able to see where some of her confusion lies. Although we do have a long road of therapy, we are encouraged as the staff on the floor is continually stunned at how Mom just strolls through the hallway like she owns the place. All dressed with shoes tied (to Mom’s displeasure…you should see the eye roll when they make her tie them) we made our way back to the room for her OT evaluation. MANY questions surrounding what is most important to focus on Mom regaining for safety and quality of life back at home. GREAT WORK MOM!

We had an hour between therapy, just enough time for me to curl Mom’s hair (I know she can’t WAIT to be able to do it just the way she likes it) but she is much more happy to have it curled then the bed head she was sporting last week ;o) and take a quick snooze and it was time for Speech Therapy. The transporter was again stunned that Mom didn’t need a wheelchair and knew exactly how to get to the therapy gym.  We were able to stay and listen/watch her ST and really were able to begin to define the gray area of her understanding and speaking abilities. Speech will be Mom’s most difficult battle, but we are cheering her on as she will need to re-learn how to spell, write, read and speak. (Not from scratch, but a LONG road).

The Physiatrist then dropped in to meet Mom and assess her as well. He was able to explain to us in greater detail the work Mom’s going to need to do. He also encouraged Mom to sing Happy Birthday with him and we had a few words and lots of mouthing! GREAT JOB MOM! He also cleared her for a day pass tomorrow and we are REALLY looking forward to taking Mom to church. I am looking forward to that, but just dreading having to say goodbye to Mom as I get on that plane tomorrow to head back to Florida.

Last therapy session of the day was PT. Kevin will be Mom’s PT for her stay here at Sister Kenny. He worked great with Mom and was very impressed by her ability to move and balance. Mom still has some ‘high-level’ balancing issues she needs to work on on her right side along with some neglect to the right side. Kevin had mom catching balls on a piece of foam, walking forwards and backwards heel-to-toe, and some pilates moves on the floor (we called it her super man moves!)

After ALL OF THAT HARD WORK…Mom was zonked. She slept most of the afternoon and Dad and I were able to get home to do some laundry, pack, finish paying some bills (really proud of Dad after having Mom take care of this for the last 26 years -another series of mysteries unsolved) and buy Chris’s hockey game to watch back at the hospital with Mom.

We picked up one of Mom’s favorites – Chipotle, just in case she wasn’t interested in dinner and headed back to the hospital. We came back to Court and Mom and a full tray of food. She had a few bites of chicken, but that’s it. We think we’ve got her figured out; lunch is her meal (and she did well with her chicken quesadilla this afternoon.) PUCKHEAD LYNN was more concerned about watching her son-in-law then dinner…and we can’t blame her. Chris is playing GREAT! It was wonderful to spend my last evening in Minnesota as a family just hanging and giggling with Momma.

MAN – I’m going to MISS THAT LADY! But, I did book my ticket back for Easter and look forward to seeing the progress the next few weeks bring! God is still in control and I am so thankful that he continues to heal my Mom and heal our family!

Praying for Mom to sign a few hymns with us tomorrow :o)

Gordy, Jessica and Courtney

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?

Day 11: CHECKING BACK IN

First off, we can't tell you how nice it was to sleep at HOME last night.  We all got a good night sleep, which is good because today is a big day.  When Mom woke up and came out to the living room, where my sister and I were waiting for her.   I (Courtney) slept on the living room couch, just so she had company as soon as she woke up, but that turned out to be unnecessary because Jess couldn't sleep past 4:30 am ... so she was up there, too.  Mom walked out to the living room and we greeted her with big morning hugs! We loved to she her doing her normal routine of opening the blinds/curtains in the living and dining room to let the sunshine in!  After a relaxing morning, we all got ready and packed Mom up to head down to the Sister Kenny Institute for her 11 am appointment.

I must tell you this morning was exceptionally hard as we tried to explain to Mom that we had to go back to the hospital.  After her shower, she started to unpack a bit, and we all had a good cry as Dad explained that we were going to need to pack for a few more days away from home. With a big sigh and teary eyes she took it all in. She wasn't happy about leaving home (we don't blame her, she has been gone for about 6 or 7 weeks!). It was a somber car ride. At our appointment the doctor confirmed he would like Mom to have 7-10 days of inpatient therapy.  Even though we want her home, we know it is best for her because this is the only way she can get 3 intense hours of therapy a DAY! This is exactly what she needs to regain as much physical, cognitive and speech ability as possible. We are still on our knees praying for miracles. We want our Mom back!  The next step will be outpatient therapy, which will only be 3 times per week for 2-hour sessions.

We spent the day getting acquainted with a new hospital environment. It was great to see a friendly face as Vicky (my wonderful mother-in-law) stopped over to see us (she conveniently works next door at the spine clinic).  Vicky was also the one who gave us the contact information for Sister Kenny when we started looking for a rehab facility. We are thankful for her insight as this rehab and hospital world is so foreign to us.  Vicky met up with us while we were on the tour of Mom's floor.  On the tour we were reassured that Mom was in the right place.  They have a patio for their patients to get fresh air as well as a home set up area for occupational therapy, just so many resources.

We are unfortunately not happy to report that Mom didn't eat her dinner tonight.  We aren't quite sure what's going on.  We offered her all sorts of food and the only thing see accepted was M&M's.  At least it was something... 


Our evening was relaxing watching Mom's favorite genealogy show.  I also was receiving text updates from Rick (my father-in-law) about Chris's hockey game.  He told me Chris had scored and as I shared that with my family Mom's eyes got big and she smiled! :-) Just as Rick likes to say, we have turned her into a puck-head!

It is so hard on us to leave Mom at the hospital as we head home from a long day, but we know we ALL need good rest as we have a full week ahead of us.  We are SO thankful for so many things at this point: Mom's progress, getting intensive inpatient rehab at Sister Kenny, amazing nurses and therapists to help us take care of Mom, amazing family and friends who have flooded us with support, Mom's wonderful giggle which makes us all smiles, even an awesome dinner of veggie burgers (for Jess and I) from the hospital cafeteria and last but definitely not least Gods amazing strength and love which is healing Mom and helping us grow as a family!

Love,

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica

Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?

DAY 10: ARE YOU READY?

As we make our final leg into Minnesota today, we reflect back on just how close we were to loosing her…

I sat down with Mom in the back seat of the van and opened up Crazy Love (the book Courtney mentioned yesterday) and they had left off right in the middle of this amazing story. The story is in the middle of chapter 2 (Titled: You Might Not Finish This Chapter) and it challenges us all to think about if we really are ready…SO, Are you ready???

Chan tells the story:

Brooke Bronkowski was a beautiful fourteen-year-old girl who was in love with Jesus. When she was in junior high, she stared a Bible study on her campus.  She spent her babysitting money on Bibles so she could give them out to her unsaved friends.  Youth pastors heard about this and bought her a box of Bibles to give away.

Brooke wrote the following essay when she was twelve, it will give you an idea of the kind of girl she was.

"Since I Have My Life Before Me" by Brooke Bronkowski

 I'll live my life to the fullest.  I'll be happy. I'll brighten up. I will be more joyful than I have ever been.  I will be kind to others. I will loosen up.  I will tell others about Christ.  I will go on adventures and change the world.  I will be bold and not change who I really am.  I will have no troubles, instead I will help others with their troubles. You see, I'll be one of those people who live to be history makers at a young age.  Oh, I'll have moments, good and bad, but I will wipe away the bad and only remember the good.  In fact that's all I remember, just good moments, nothing in-between, just living my life to the fullest.  I'll be one of those people who go somewhere with a mission, an awesome plan, and nothing will hold me back. I'll set an example for others, I will pray for direction. I have my life before me. I will give others the joy I have and God will give me more joy.  I will do everything God tells me to do.  I will follow the footsteps of God.  I will do my best!!!

During freshman year in high school, Brooke was in a car accident while driving to the movies. Her life on earth ended when she was just 14, but her impact didn't.  Nearly fifteen hundred people attended Brooke's memorial service. People from her public high school read poems she had written about her love for God.  Everyone spoke of her example and joy.

I shared the gospel and invited those who wanted to know Jesus to come up and give their lives to Him.  Three must have been at least two hundred students on their knees at the front of the church praying for salvation.  Ushers gave a Bible to each of them.  They were the Bibles that Brooke had kept in her garage, hoping to give out to her unsaved friends.  In one day Brooke led more people to be saved than most ever will.

In her brief fourteen years on earth, Brooke was faithful to Christ. Her short life was not wasted.  The words from her essay seem prophetic: "You see, I'll be one of those people who live to be history makers at a young age."

We've all been shocked to hear about or watch someone we know pass from this life.  Even as you read this, faces and names are probably coming to mind.  It's good to think about those people in your life, and also to think about your death.  As the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart" (7:2).  Stories of people who died after living godly lives are stories with happy endings.

Sadly many people live selfishly.  Their funerals are filled by individuals who stretch the truth in order to create semblance of a meaningful life.  Nobody would dare say an unkind word at a funeral; there is an unspoken obligation to come up with something nice to say about the person who died.  But sometimes we secretly think the same thing: He really wasn't that great of a person.

The truth is, some people waste their lives.  This isn't meant to bash those who are gone, but rather to warn those who are alive.

I can pretty much guarantee you that your funeral will be nice.  They all are. The fact is, at that point you won't care...  A. W. Tozer once said, "A man by his sin may waste himself, which is to waste that which on earth is most like God.  This is man's greatest tragedy and God's heaviest grief."

When we face the holy God, "nice" isn't what we I'll be concerned with, and it definitely isn't what He will be thinking about.  Any compliments you received on the earth will be gone; all that will be left for you is truth.  The church in Sardis had a great reputation but it didn't matter.  Jesus said to them, "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1).  All that matters is the reality of who we are before God.

His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  For if what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. - 1 Corinthians 3:13-15

Perhaps that sounds harsh, but harsh words and loving truth often go hand in hand.

I think it's easy to hear a story like Brooke's and just move on, without acknowledging that it could just as easily be you or me or my wife or your brother whose life ends suddenly.  You could be the next person in your family to die.  I could be the next person at my church to die.

We have to realize it.  We have to believe it enough that it changes how we live.  A friend of mine has a particularly wise perspective on this subject.  He was asked if he weren't spending too much of his time serving and giving too much away. His gentle but honest response was "I wonder if you'll say that after were dead?"

Friends, we need to stop living selfish lives, forgetful of our God. Our lives here are short, often unexpectedly so, and we can all stand to be reminded of it from time to time.  That's why I wrote this chapter, to help us remember that in the movie of life, nothing matters expect our King and God.

Don't let yourself forget.  Soak it in and keep remembering that it is true. HE is everything.

WOW! Heavy topic, a lot to think about, but VERY important! We were reading to Mom, but the words were radically affecting our lives! I’ve read the book before, but I think since this entire situation has transpired, the “ARE YOU READY?” question has a WHOLE NEW MEANING!!! I thank God every day for saving Mom! AND, I thank God for RADICALLY re-arranging our families priorities with this time we have left of this earth!

Mom continued to make great strides today! She worked again on all of her activities in her activity bag (thanks again to Auntie Joan!). Court even had her draw a face with hair, eyes, nose, mouth, neck and ears :o) She also worked on her naming these – we still have some work to go here – but Mom is giving it her best shot!

AND then of course there are just those moments you LOVE! Mom hasn’t really had much of an appetite for chocolate (which just isn’t Mom) and she actually asked for the hersey kisses today! She opened the bag all on her own, and pulled one out and popped it into her mouth with a grin...BUT FORGOT to take the foil off! :o) I caught it quickly and we spit it out and unwrapped it, but just a small reminder of how careful we need to be with her! She makes mistakes with such grace; I'm really learning from her right now!

We arrived H.O.M.E tonight and nothing feels quite like it! We CAN NOT thank Uncle Gary enough for making the LONG drive with us. Aunt Ellen was here to greet us and Mom was very happy to see her! Aunt Ericka pulled in the driveway shortly behind us with an ENTIRE CARLOAD OF FOOD! What a blessing for our very empty house! We had a great meal and can hardly close the fridge! Uncle Tim made sure to include a package of peanut M&M’s just for Mom – and SHE LOVED THEM!

Mom checked out the whole house and surprised us by setting the clocks to the correct time, taking the timers off of the lights and even putting the drain pipes back on around the outside of the house! She just did all of this as we followed her in amazement. Way to go Mom!!! You can just tell it feels SO GOOD for her to be home – and we feel it, too!

THANK YOU to all of you for your thoughts and prayers for safe travel! We felt them as Mom did a fabulous job making the long trek home. Mom couldn’t wait to get into her own bed and we are shortly behind her. We have her appointment tomorrow morning to get her set up for inpatient rehab!

See you in the morning :o)

Gordy, Courtney and Jessica