She's a Fighter!

Post from Matt
Friday night - July 8, 2011

I arrived around 8:30 pm to take the night shift and found Mom somewhat alert and more responsive that she has been to date. She was responsive enough that the hospital staff ordered a 1 on 1 for the night -- meaning an extra nurse (Tanya) to keep her from ripping out tubes and trying to escape. :) Tanya has been a trooper all night. For about an hour Mom frequently tried to get up out of bed. It was hard to keep pushing her back down, but Linda, the all star red-headed nurse, said it was a good thing that she was moving so much. Pretty soon she will be walking around and even walking out the door!

Tonight has had its share of special moments. Mom has had feeding and breathing tubes in her mouth since her downfall, but now they are out. Her feeding tube is much smaller and goes through her nose. With her mouth free now, she has been able to say a few things. I never thought that hearing the words, "I love you," coming from the mouth of my mom would be as touching as it was tonight. If I had any tears left I would've shed a few at that moment. Hearing those words made all the tubes, machines, and heartache disappear. It was a feeling I won't forget.

We were able to sneak Taeya in Mom's room to say hello -- thanks Linda! Taeya was a little hesitant when she first entered which is totally understandable. She came to the side of the bed and held Mom's hand. Tony told Mom that Taeya was holding her hand and instantly her head turned towards her, her eyes opened, and she squeezed Taeya's hand. This is something that she hasn't done yet. Taeya talked to her mom afterwards and said that she felt really special knowing that admist all of the trauma her grandma is going through she recognized her and knows that her grandma loves her.

Another moment of joy was to see my mom talk to Aunt Linda over the phone. She answered all of her questions and said, "I love you," several times. She also spoke to Aunt Karen and Grandma Hale over the phone as well. Just another special gift from heaven. The best was when Jeff called me and I said, "Hang on Jeff, someone wants to talk to you." I put him on speaker and put the phone up to Mom's mouth. She whispered, "hi." There was a silent pause on the phone because Jeff was confused. "Who is that," he said. I told him it was Mom and he was shocked. He couldn't believe it. He was so excited for her progress and kept saying how proud he was of her. In all of the conversations Mom had a limited vocabulary, but the most important words were said -- I love you.

I think the crowning moment of the night was when Tony and cousin Amy arrived -- not their arrival, but what happened next. We were around the bed asking Mom who we were. She named me right away -- of course seeing that I AM the favorite -- then she named Amy. Tony, seated on the other side of the bed, said, "Who am I Mom?" She turned her head and said, "Matt." Not once did she make this mistake, but several times. I'm glad she still knows who her favorite son is. Ha!!!