OK - this covers the last 10 days so hold on!!!

Does anyone know who put the sign on the road where the accident happened to wish me well (I never got to see it because it was up while I was in PCMH/Shepherd but I heard about it)? If so, could you please tell me so I can thank them?

So today (when I started writing this) is Monday May 19^th.  Poor Rowan had a fever all weekend and so he is home with mommy right now. I took him to see Dr. Susan this morning and she made him feel better because he didn’t have to have any shots.  Hopefully it isn’t anything serious but we’ll see how things go in the next few days. He gave Dr. Susan 2 hugs and she gave him two stickers – Batman and Spiderman. I was glad to have been able to take him there and have her see him.

I would like to send a special thanks to Bardia Askari, Steve Berard, and the Murrys for throwing a benefit auction for me at Kate’s Pub in Seattle.  The people at Kate’s were very generous in their donation of the space and Kate and Eric put their tips into the pile as well. This was Steve’s brainchild (as Bardia calls it – that means a lot coming from him because my sense is that he thinks most of humankind is clueless) and the Murrys have always been very generous in spirit and in addition to having contributed tons to the recovery fund, I am extremely grateful to have them in my life. Thanks so very much all of you. I appreciate all of you tremendously.

As few more things I have been thinking about lately…

I was a bit cryptic about the emotional experience at therapy last week but I am going to share this story with you now.  At Christmas, as I mentioned before, we got tons of cards and gifts from so many thoughtful people. One of the cards was from some friends of friends in Seattle. Priscilla told of her experience similar to ours – her husband suffered traumatic brain injury. Aside from that, the point that struck me hardest was her advice that I should mourn my loss.  This has really stuck with me. Only time will heal that wound. It still upsets me when I think about it and I know it will for a long time. I am an active person. I had 2 wonderful pregnancies and enjoyed all associated sensations immensely. Two days before Encsi was born I was mowing the lawn (she liked the pool that mommy built for her and didn’t want to come out and so I was trying to discourage that comfort).  When I see a bike I get grumpy.  I loved to ski (well, try to anyway) either cross-country or downhill. I loved hiking when I lived in Seattle. I want to jump through the waves at the beach with the kids.  Anyway, it is difficult to share these feelings but I hope it will make it easier not only for me, but for those who love me. I hope that when you read this you will think about those that you love and the trials they have been through and understand how it has shaped them. I could be depressed and miserable but not only is there no time because life is speeding on around me, no one I love would want to be with me and that would not be fun at all! I have said this to people and I will probably keep saying it because it makes me realize how futile those emotion are. So if you think that I am strong because of that, I thank you but the thanks really goes to my family. You know my dad, my brother, and Jani aren’t going to allow me to be sad!  Jani calls me “weepy” when I tear up – about anything, even when it is because of something sweet!

Tuesday May 20^th. Staying home again today with Rowan. Poor kid.  For the record, it is not funny when a 4.5 year old nephew tells his nephrologist uncle that his kidneys hurt.  The funny part to me was that if anyone out there knows any 4.5 years old that know where their kidneys are, please let me know!  Anyway, poor uncle Kal has been through enough between his brother-in-law and mother-in-law’s kidneys, his son’s hernia surgeries, and my accident (this is a short list by the way - the real one is much longer) and so I should have know better than to joke with him when he is hard at work!!

Came across this article about clinical trials through Geron using ES cell therapy for SPI being halted. 

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080519/full/news.2008.842.html

For those of you who are missing Jani because he doesn’t have time to get back to you, please know that it isn’t for lack of desire or thought. This firefighter training is intense mentally (they have a few tests/week) and physically (they are working out everyday), and in addition to taking care of the kids, the dog, the house, and me, he gets a few hours of sleep.  Yet, he never complains and not only that, he smiles and makes us all laugh.  If I haven’t said so before, I will say that I adore my husband beyond words. Truly a spectacular man in so many ways and I feel so incredibly lucky to see his wonderful smiling face every day.

Well, Rowan went back to nap again and so I am going to try to get some work done!

Saturday May 24^th. Well, the rest of the week was better. Rowan was well enough to go to daycare on Thursday and Friday and is totally fine today. When I got home on Friday, Drew from DC was waiting in the driveway.  It was nice to visit with him for the evening (he stopped on his way to visit with family in SC) and he spoiled Jani (with Guinness and Heineken) and the kids with toys (a helmet and words for Rowan and a little wagon for Encsi to pull George around in  -so cute!). Anyway, poor Ensci was fine all evening but around 11pm she woke up vomiting and was sick all night. Probably a rotavirus. She is still sleeping this morning. Poor daddy is cleaning the sheets in the rain outside. Well, tomorrow is his birthday, not today! Neither of them got much sleep and so I see big naps on the agenda for the afternoon.

As for me, Friday was nice at therapy. I got a good work out with weights and doing push-ups with Joanne and then Krista tested me out on some Magic Wheels (a Seattle company!).  Just so you get a feel for how economically challenging this is, these wheels alone are $4500. My chair was around $6000. Insurance coverage for a medically necessary item should theoretically not be an issue. These wheels, if they work well, could really help to save me should pain. I can put them into a gear so that when I am rolling up hill, if I let go of my wheels I won’t roll backward. For all those that have seen me going from the van to the Brody building, you know this would be very helpful. So I am trying out a demo pair for this weekend and we’ll see where things go from here.

A random interjection: Everytime I drive over the overpass I see the red circles where the police made markings at the accident scene. Even though the paint is fading, I still feel a twinge every time I drive past.

Today is Tuesday May 27^th. I know it is terrible not to have put this up before but there was a lot going on. Drew came to spend Friday night with us. Encsi had a bad belly all night that night and kept Daddy awake throwing up. Saturday there was a fox in our yard jumping to pick peaches off our tree (you’ll have to ask to get the full story). Sunday was Jani’s 39^th birthday! Rowan bought him beef jerky and 2 super tootsie pops (which he ate/is eating!).  Terese and Dave came over to celebrate with us and brought a really nice cake with fresh strawberries – yummy!!  The Magic Wheels came off on Sunday – too heavy!!! Also, there is too much play when it is in gear. I don’t think they will work for me. Monday we hung out at home and enjoyed Jani’s first long weekend off! Nice that his birthday fell in the middle of it! I got to see Dr. Reeg this morning and he said my spine has healed well. It was great to see him. I kind of feel the same way about him as I did about Dr. Thompson in Seattle who came from dinner with her family late in the evening, was pregnant herself, and stayed into the wee hours to help me deliver my precious son Rowan (1:57am on 9/13, 2003). There are just some people that, even though they are doing their job, they make you feel as though they really care about you as if you were family. Then I had therapy this afternoon with Joanne and Krista. They are going to leave me to me own devices as of next Friday. I can go back if I need help but they think I am ready to do things on my own. I have really come a long way because of the folks at outpatient rehab and I hope to continue to improve.  Tough road………

Anyway, I have pictures that I have tried to upload and will keep doing so but I can’t see them so I don’t think it is working. Will have to bother Vince soon…..

Hope you all enjoyed a beautiful Memorial Day weekend!