My father's cousin , Frances was moved to a rehab center this past week. After open heart surgery and two other major surgeries in less than a week... she is amazing! So full of life and so upbeat. The rehab is close enough to my house that I can go visit her in less than thirty minutes. My sister went the other day and took this picture. I am so glad that she has come through all that has been thrown her way. Sometimes when people are getting older they seem to give up in the face of adversity. She seems to rise to each challenge and has a positive attitude each step of the way. I certainly hope that I have a lot of her genes in me! I have been too busy with my own things to go and see her, but am going this week to see her and visit "a spell" as she would most probably say.
My young co worker that is in the Sheperd Center is going to be released on the 25th. She then begins a six month out patient therapy five days a week at the Sheperd Center. Her aunt sent out an email that broke my heart and made me say an immediate prayer to God for my three healthy kids. Although my friend is 21...Frances will most probably make a full recovery before my co worker does.
Not to downplay the wonderful progress that she has made...just that people at work don't realize the extent of what a brain injury can do and how it can be a daily struggle just to get through the rigorous physical therapy when your brain is not working to it's full capacity.
Oh, people at work ask how she is and want updates. But what my FRIEND wants is to be visited. Every one has an excuse for not going. If it was any other employee that had been in a car wreck...my friend who is sitting now in a wheelchair would have been the first person to go and visit them..and not just once but most probably every day.
I think that they feel like since she has made it this far she must be "OKAY" and will just wait to give her a hug when she comes back to work. I am no doctor, but I can tell you that if you wait to give her a hug when she walks through our door at work, you will be waiting one to two years.
If you visit her once you may not notice the change so dramatically. If you visit her like I have you notice the inconsistencies and sometimes the more you visit the more your heart breaks. I have three kids that I love more than life and if any one of them were in this situation, I would be a basket case.
I know I am older and that I work with mainly youngsters...but this is a wake up call. My friend is a youngster as well and this could happen to any person at any given time. Just a random freak of events that have altered this girl's life in a huge and catastrophic way.
It's always some excuse or reason.
My own life is in a mess right now, but to go see this girl is not a chore. It is an act that makes me feel blessed, makes me see the total picture of how lucky I have been in life.
My seventeen year old son wants to go with me and Massey tomorrow to see her. That should give her brain a good workout...it does for me. My friend , in some of her wandering talk has mentioned (several times) how she just had to have a Sham Wow. I guess she was watching TV late at night in the hospital and the infomercial has just stuck with her. She has talked about the Sham Wow every time I have been to see her. Massey got her one the last time we went to Walmart and has it all wrapped up in pink and purple tissue paper with a ribbon. We are taking it to her tomorrow along with a hot dog from the Varsity .
I am printing off an email that her aunt sent and posting it on the wall at work. If that doesn't get them up there to see her...they must just be heartless, not young and unaware of the definition of friendship as I have been assuming.
Yes this girl is better.
Yes she is improving.
Yes it will be at least two years before she has made it to the point of recovery...and only then will we know how much of our old friend we will have back.
At least we still have her.
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