Sister Update

My sister had a stoke during the summer. It was originally thought to be mild but soon the doctors said that it was serious. Her left side is paralyzed. The whole side of her head was so swollen and she could not use her eye on that side. She tried to communicate but it was hard because her brain was slightly scrambled and her mouth would not cooperate at all.

To remove pressure from her swollen brain they did surgery and removed a piece of her skull which they stored in her leg hoping to be able to put it back into place someday.

She was progressing slowly but she was progressing. I was thrilled the day I was able to talk to her on the phone. Her speech was still slurred but I could understand her.

Once on the phone she told me that she was going in for surgery to replace her brain. Her thought processes were still not quite right but I knew what she meant. They were going to replace the piece of skull. The swelling was gone.

The surgery was performed earlier this month. I talked to her a few days ago and she sounds so good. Her speech is not perfect but she sounds like my sister again.

She asked me to send her some candy bars that are only made here. I promised to send her a box of them next week along with some puzzle books. She says she is bored.

My nephew, her son, said that is now seeing a little with her left eye. She told me that she is getting some feeling back in her left hand and she hopes to be able to use it soon.

She scared me half to death because suddenly she stopped talking. I kept calling her name but there was no response. We were not disconnected because there was no dial tone.

I sat and worried.

After a little while she called back. She had dropped the phone under her shoulder in the bed and could not reach it. She had to wait until her husband came in to rescue the phone. Thank goodness.

So she is wanting desperately to go home. If her insurance will cover it her husband can get a hospital bed for her. They have contacted a private nurse to care for her at home. She will still have to report back for her therapy but I know she will be so much happier at home.

This time of year is a time of remembrance for the family. My parents wedding anniversary was October 22. It is also the anniversary of the day my niece died at the age of 8. My brother's birthday was the 26th. He was killed in Viet Nam when he was only 20 years old... a baby. Another brothers birthday is coming up on the 3rd of November. Sadly he has also died.

These are the only members of my immediate family who have died. That the dates that remind me of them come so close together is one of those coincidences of life.