Sunny in Traverse City

The sun has come out in Northern Michigan, and the light is brighter in Mom's eyes.  

We remain happy with and grateful for the close attention and gentle care she is receiving at The Pavilions, where she was nicknamed "Miss Smiley" her first week.  It is especially sweet that the other residents of the rehab center watch out for one another, and Mom was immediately welcomed to the "Cool Table" in the dining room.  

Most encouraging right now is her speech:  She is answering questions more readily and consistently, and sometimes offering a few additional words.  The most interesting thing is that she has been speaking Spanish!  We don't think she's used it since her nursing days at Serra Memorial, but she is more apt to say "si" than "yes" and to call Rich "mi esposo."  (Jeff also spoke Spanish after coming out of his coma 30+ years ago.) Mom's crowning verbal achievement was coming up with "winklehockey," a term her grandmother used for three-sided fabric tears.

Lots of work yet to be done physically, as she still has no movement on the right side -- although she can feel them.  This deficit is due to the tumor having been primarily located on the left side of her brain.  Physical and occupational therapy 6 days a week will surely start to make an improvement, and Dr. Elisevich is optimistic that she can recover.

Brian returned to California this week but is keeping in close touch daily. Dad is doing well, despite a cute red nose, and his daughters often prescribe guilt-free naps. Jeff and Sandy will visit soon. Special thanks to Aunt Elsie who supplies us with homemade soup, hearty dinners, and other delicacies, and often visits Mom.

Thanks as always for checking back in with us.  We're going to plan to post weekly from here on out.