As Courtney mentioned, it is a MUST for me to share with you a little bit about Mom’s angel, Laura! She is the one who found Mom sitting cross–legged on the laundry room floor in the hotel and SAVED HER LIFE. We had been trying to meet up with Laura all week, but in the crazy day in and out schedule of the hospital, it had not happened. I thought to call her room at the hotel last night around 8:00pm and she was there…so Court and I took a trip over while Joan stayed to hang with Mom.
We arrived outside Room #225 and knocked. As the door opened, we were SO EXCITED to finally meet face to face with the woman who saved my Mothers life! Her name is Laura Wingo and she is in town because her Mother just passed away. Unreal that as she is saying goodbye to her Mom, she saved our Mom! As we walked through the scenario of the night of Mom’s stroke I nearly fainted (ask Court!) – It made it all SO REAL!
We spoke for a while in her room and then walked down to the laundry room where it all happened. She explained that she had done numerous loads of laundry and her Mothers home and on one of the last loads began to smell a burning smell and thought to finish up in the hotel laundry room. As she walked into the laundry room to dry her clothes she noticed Mom cross-legged against the wall on the floor. She said, “I figured she had just had a fight or something with her husband.” But as Mom crawled across the floor to use a table to assist her to stand, Laura’s level of concern elevated. She said Mom propped herself up on the table and as she turned her face towards Laura, she saw my Mothers right side of the face drooping severally. She said, “I knew in that moment this woman had just had a stroke.” She said my Mom looked at her and said “204” and began to wobble back to the room. She stood nose into the corner of the entrance to her room but was very confused and was not reaching for her key, just standing. Laura began knocking on doors and a Marine came out of room #206 with the rolling desk chair and they sat Mom down. The front desk attendant, Ajed, noticed the commotion on the cameras and came up to the second floor and called EMS. They arrived in minutes and Mom's sweatshirt was cut off and they began to take vital signs. Another element of the story we learned for the first time is that Mom was ceasing as they tried to take her blood pressure. VERY SCARY! We are so thankful she survived!!!
My heart just sinks to hear of this moment of turmoil in my Mom’s life. Why wasn’t I there? I can’t hold onto that, but what I can focus on is that Laura WAS! SO many variables that took place: her Mom passing bringing her to Winston-Salem, NC, her choosing to do her laundry that evening and the machine burning out, deciding to finish up at the hotel at the same time that Mom had her stroke! WE THANK GOD FOR LAURA. She headed back to California today and we are so grateful we were able to hug her and thank her!
I am happy to report that Courtney made it safely up to Baltimore and she is working with Dad to pack up and get back down here early tomorrow afternoon. We miss them like CRAZY already! Auntie Joan and I had a great morning with Mom! She did an excellent job showering, dressing and getting ready for the day almost TOTALLY independent! After her shower Joan and I sat down with her and the dry-erase board and went through the entire alphabet. I wrote out each letter and she followed me. When we got to ‘L’, we decided to write out her name: L-Y-N-N…and SHE DID, TOO!
CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank the Lord for ANOTHER VICTORY!
We’ve spent the day playing rummy (Mom won, AGAIN!), looking in the mirror, and working on numerous activities. We CAN NOT thank Auntie Joan enough for all of her therapy expertise. She is the reason my Mom is healing at such a rapid rate. Well, her and the big guy upstairs!
I then took off to run some errands for the trip back home to MN. As I walked in the room and presented Mom with a frapachino and Ghirardelli chocolate, she was ALL SMILES! She wouldn’t even share the chocolate with us ;o) LOVE THAT LYNN! Joan was happy to report that Mom was MAKING NOISES! Huge, HUGE SUCCESS. We are just on the verge of hearing that voice and praying she will say something SOON!
We then turned on the computer and tuned into Eagle Brook Church’s sermon for the day. They had not yet posted the sermon from today, but we were happy to dig back into the most recent series Mom and I have actually been talking a lot about. She had been meaning to watch Part 2 of When Life’s Not Working. So we decided to watch! It hit all three of us EXACTLY where we are at! In this message, Pastor Bob Merrit discusses what it means to TRY!
His sermon piggybacks off of part one where he discusses life not working due to a pattern of relational failure, a lack of purpose, and/or a desire to escape your reality. Bob reminds us that NOBODY is beyond hope. He says, “You can get on a better path and it begins by trying things you can’t do. (THIS HAS A WHOLE NEW MEANING NOW WITH MOM’S SITUATION!)
Bob outlines: There are three payoffs when you try things you can’t do:
1. You’ll experience _____________________.
2. You’ll be able to face _______________________________.
3. It’ll ______________________________to try things they can’t do.
Not only can Joan, Mom and I specifically apply this to our lives right now, but we realized what an AMAZING inspiration Mom is – SHE IS TYRING AND FIGHTING every single day! Bob Merrit talks about these trials in life being our ‘River Moments’ in his talk. God is using Mom's river moment to reach out to us and show us what being ALIVE really means! Thanks Momma!
Here is the link to the message from Bob. Click on ‘Show Details’ and then Watch Now!
Praise God for Mom’s victories! We again thank you endlessly for your love and prayers!
Gordy, Courtney and Jessica
Where have you seen God in your life today?