Update On My Sister

I realized I have not said anything about my sister in a while. I suppose once the danger of losing her was over I relaxed. Just as she does I take each day as a step forward.

My sister had a stroke more than a year ago. It was a serious stroke. She had many difficulties resulting from it. I will now report on her progress.

She had to have surgery to replace the piece of her skull they removed to ease pressure from the swelling of her brain. Needless to say the swelling went down. The surgery was also successful.

She is now home. Her husband is her primary caretaker but they have a nurse who comes several times a week to help out.

There is also intensive physical therapy. My sister is so frustrated because her left arm and leg are still not moving. She is determined to walk again. Knowing my sister I am sure she will.

She is sick of being confined to either a chair or a wheelchair. And she is sick of having to have people wait on her. (I never thought that would happen. My sister is even more self-centered than I am.)

She called me a few minutes ago. Her speech is completely normal but I can hear her tiring as the conversation gets longer. It is so good to be able to call her and have her call me. For a while she was difficult to understand and her thoughts would wander as we talked.

She did say that she wished her hand/eye coordination was better. She used to do a lot of sewing. I wish there was someone who could help her do some sewing one-handed. Maybe she would enjoy that. Any suggestions are welcome.

I suppose it does not sound like she has made a lot of progress but actually she has worked hard and become so much better. She has a strong determination and is so strong willed.

My sister knows she will probably not be able to return to work. She has begun the process of filing for Social Security. She will get about $100 more a month if she takes the disability so that is what she is trying for. A rotten way to spend her 65th year.

I hope to one day be able to tell you that she is moving on her own. Better yet I hope to be able to tell you that she is in Fiji which is her favorite place to be and walking on the beach.