Homeward Bound

Well, as much as we have all grown to love the tapioca pudding at the BSA cafeteria, we are hoping that this coming Friday our bad habit will become a thing of the past! Unless something major changes in the next four and a half days, we are planning for Mom to come home to Farwell! When I told Mom that it was going to be hard to quit this whole tapioca addiction cold turkey she said that Dad and I could visit the hospital WITHOUT HER! :>) I was in Amarillo this weekend, and I could hardly believe my eyes. Mom has made great progress in the past two weeks....FOR SURE! She is more alert, more steady, and I could understand her much better! (She told me that this is because I am a good lip reader...but I know it is because she is getting better everyday!) We are all convinced that if she makes as much progress in the next month as she has made in the past five weeks, our picture will look much different with lots more sunshine! She continues to tell us, "Just hide and watch....hide and watch...I will be back to 100%!" All I know is if anyone can do it, it will be my mother!

This past Tuesday there was a big team meeting that included Mom, Dad, Clay & Aunt Heidi, as well as all of her therapist and the case manager. This was a brainstorming meeting to begin to make arrangements for what happens next. Although everyone was very complimentary of Mom and her positive attitude and hard work, it became more evident to all of us that the next leg of this journey is going to primarily fall on Mom keeping up this momentum, and Dad finding a way to juggle this new way of life. The next six months are crucial for us to facilitate Mom's ongoing therapy and progress. The part of her brain that has been affected controls visual & auditory functions, voluntary body movements, her face, lips & tongue, as well as sequencing & when her body is supposed to sleep or be awake. This explained a lot! It also helps us realize the importance of maintaining her daily routines as she works to get stronger while her brain continues to reroute the circuit board!

Right now we are hoping that Mom will be able to receive three days of therapy in Farwell, which will include all three types; physical, occupational & speech. This is a huge blessing that we have such a fantastic facility available in our small community. The kids are all planning to be at home at different times throughout the coming weeks to make this adjustment as easy as possible on Mom & Dad both. I will post again as we continue to make a plan. In the mean time please keep the prayers coming/multiplying.....we know they are definitely working! We can't thank you enough! ~Christi