Hi to all! I hope everyone is doing well. Everything is still going good at the Berryman household. Mary is still doing pretty well. She continues to do very good at her job, and enjoying it. Volleyball season is nearly over, and Mary played virtually the entire season! I am being very honest when I say that I did not believe that would have been possible. She showed me! She also showed a lot of others that giving up is not an option. She has been through so much, so much that most all of you will never know. She has persevered through this whole thing, and I am so very proud of her. She is getting stronger, and is doing a lot more walking now. This morning we went for a walk, and she made it all the way, which was 1.75 miles! That is quite an accomplishment. When I think back to the time in rehab when I was so excited that she made it 10ft, it is amazing! She still wants everything to come back to normal. How far she actually will get, only God knows. She is trying, and working at it still. We still have a ways to go. But the finish line on our road is so much closer than it was just a few short months ago.
This is going to be my last blog. Things are going good, and hopefully they will continue to go in the right direction. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing all this time to keep you all informed of Mary's progress. To those of you who have kept up with this blog, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has in a sense, been my own therapy to "get it out". It has helped me cope with this whole thing also. I just feel my entries are getting pretty monotonous, and that is a good thing because they are all positive! None the less, this will be my final entry. If you want to keep up with Mary's progress, she is just a phone call away!
Once again, for the final time, Thanks. God bless you all!

Hi everyone. I keep trying to think of new things to write every once in a while to keep those of you who still read this, updated on Mary and her progress. I feel like I am getting very repetitious on what I am saying. And even this time, still, Mary is doing well! Work is going good, still playing volleyball, and so on. She is doing well! Then, I thought of writing a different kind of letter. One that is probably well overdue. This is a letter of thanks. I want to take the time today to thank all of our wonderful friends who have been there for us during this whole life changing event. It started the night we were in the emergency room. Our friends were there. If not in person, (some were), it was on the phone. They were always there. I seriously don't know what I would have done the whole time without the support of our great friends. You really find out who your true friends are during those times. They shine. To our friends that helped us out, (you know who you are), I will never be able to thank you enough. To Mary's work friends, you will never know how much you all meant to her during her recovery. Those visits while she was in the hospital meant so much to me, and I know they mean a lot to Mary now. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who sent gifts and the massive pile of cards (we still have!).
And, what would we have done without our family? They were there from the beginning, and to this day they still are helping us out in any way possible. We love them very much. Without them, it would have been very hard to cope with the whole reality of what happened to Mary. Thanks to everyone in both of our families for everything that they have done.
To close, once again, Mary continues to improve a little all the time. We are about 8 months in to her recovery time. It doesn't seem that long ago! But each day that goes by, I realize that I still have my Mary here, and she is one step closer to reaching that finish line on the road we started back in November. One foot in front of the other! Thanks.

Hi everyone, sorry for the long absence in writing. Mary celebrated her 46th Birthday yesterday! It, as always, wasn't a big deal to her. Believe me when I say it was a very big deal for the rest of the family. When I first got up in the morning, I was thinking how June 8th could have been a completely different day for me. Turns out is was great. Mary is still going strong, and continues to make baby step improvements. She has been working pretty much full days at work (from the house), and is doing well at it. She continues to play volleyball 2 times a week, and seems to get a little more active each week. She's making some really good shots! Her attitude has gotten better over the last few weeks, and that makes me happier than anything. It is so hard to see her when she is down. Anyway, all in all, she is still going down the road in the right direction. That all we can ask of her. Sorry this is short, but I gotta get back to work! Thanks

Hello again. Just a quick update on my Mary. Today marks her first 2 weeks of going back to work, and she is doing pretty good. Actually, she called me this morning and they are going to let her start working from home again. This is what she had planned to do all along, before this whole ordeal started. She had only worked 1 day at home before this life changing event happened to her. When she told me that this morning I had goosebumps while she was talking to me on the phone. Her supervisor told her that her quality (errors, etc...) has been very good so far. They understand that she is going to be a little slower with her production levels, but they know that will improve. She has already made a big improvement in the last week alone. Anyway, another step down the road. We play volleyball tonight at 6:00 and I hope that leads in to a good weekend. Please keep Mary in your prayers, as she is really battling to keep her spirits up lately. She has every right to be down, her life has been turned upside down the last 6 months. She just so desperately wants to be normal again. She wants her old life back. We all want that, but she can't change what happened to her. She has to embrace and accept it, and get as far back as she can. She's trying. We are there for her and always will be. Got to go, as always... thanks.

May 11, 2009, 7:35am

Good Morning, I hope everyone had a good weekend. We had a pretty nice weekend here. Weather was beautiful, and we were able to go to both of our families houses to celebrate Mother's Day. It was nice. Mary is at work as I am writing this today! She has been cleared to work 4 hours a day, for the first 2 weeks, and then we will see how it goes. She is so ready to get back to her normal life, or as close as she can get. She actually had her first day on Friday, but she could never get signed on to her system. She was able to see that she has over 1600 emails waiting for her to go through when she does get signed in! Ugh!! Today should be a better day for her though. I am sure they will work out all the bugs and get her going. Please keep Mary in your prayers this week, as I know she is going to need some extra strength to get through this week. Her energy level is still not where I would like to see it. I know that will come in time. She is still playing volleyball on Mondays and Fridays. She doesn't think she is doing very well, but I think she is doing great. She is not the old running and diving Mary yet, but she is getting stronger each time she plays. She just needs to keep pushing herself to get better and stronger. She is such and inspiration to a lot of people. The words of "never give up" sure come in to play when speaking of Mary. You just never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball. She is definitely still swinging. Well, I better get to work, hope you all have a great day! Thanks.

May 2, 2009

Hi again. Just another little update to report. Mary is still doing pretty good. We had another sand volleyball game last night and again Mary played. She did really well this week. She saw the ball alot better this time, and she just looked more comfortable out there. She had quite a few good hits and even good sets! More times than not she just had a smile on her face, and that makes our whole team have a better time. She didn't even fall down one time this week either. Even Mary noticed that! She said on the way home that she felt better out on the court this week. I was so happy for her. We all were. The next big step now, is getting Mary back to work. I think she is maybe going to try to jump back in as early as next week. It will be slow going at first, (who knows, maybe not) but I think she is ready. She needs it in her life. She just has so much time right now to think about things, and I feel it really gets to her. She needs something to occupy her time and give her a purpose. I thinks it will be hard for her at the start, but I think she's ready for it. She thinks so too. Please keep Mary in your prayers for this next big step down the road to recovery. It has been quite a journey so far, with many, many, bumps in the road, a few minor detours, but she is still going in the right direction. Thanks for all your help! Have a great day!

April 27th, 2009

Good Morning all, thought I would do a quick update on Mary this morning. A couple of thing have happened that are news worthy. Last Friday Mary was released from physical therapy! What an accomplishment that is. When she walked in to the place she was walking very slowly with a quad cane. When she left she was doing high level work out moves. Then, on Friday night, Mary actually played in our sand volleyball game! WOW! She doesn't think she did very well, but the rest of us thought she did great. I think it is going to be good therapy for her also. It was so nice to see her out there. I will be honest, I did not think she would be out there playing this season, and I really didn't know if she would ever play again. She has come so far in such a short time. She still has a long way to go. I think she will get there. After this weekend, I for the first time think she will get there! She just has to be patient and keep up the exercise. Please keep praying for Mary for strength to get through this whole ordeal. Thanks to you all, and have a wonderful day.

April 12, 2009

Happy Easter! Thought I would do some more writing to let you know how Mary is doing. Today, we had a pretty good day. Alex was home for the weekend, and it is always great to see him. He came home with Emily, so that always makes Mary rest easier when Alex doesn't have to travel alone. Mary had to prepare a dish to take over to her her Mom and Dad's place for lunch today. Before she put it into the oven, I ask her if she wanted to go for a drive. She said OK. That may not sound like to big of a deal to anyone. But trust me, is was. Guess what. Mary drove! She actually got behind the wheel and did a really good job. I was so proud of her! This was one of her personal goals to achieve, and she did it. We made a deal that she could not get mad at me for telling her what to do, if I felt she need to make some sort of adjustment while she was driving. I made her talk to me through all of her moves, as in telling me when she thought it was safe to proceed, or back up, or when she would see a car pulling out. I wanted to be very safe while she attempted this. I was mainly worried about her left side and what she may not see. Especially when pulling out from a stop sign. Without me telling her very much, she automatically turned her head all the way to the left to get a complete view of oncoming traffic. She compensated so well for whatever she lost. She seriously did a great job! She isn't going to do anything by herself yet, only when I'm in the car with her. This was such a huge step for Mary getting some of her independence back. She is also getting better with her physical therapy. On Friday she got to walk on the treadmill unassisted! She has always been in a harness to catch her if she would happen to fall (she never did). From what I was told, she did really good. She walks about 20 minutes on it, and her form continues to improve. We actually went for a walk outside the evening also. Mary is coming back strong, and I am so proud of her. She is a warrior that won't take no for an answer. One more thing, we made a visit to Blue Cross/Blue Shield last Thursday for Mary to see some of her friends from work. The response that Mary got as she walked in was truly inspiring. Her friends were actually lined up to get a chance to talk to her. She loved it, and was very touched by the overwhelming support from her co-workers. I personally thank all of you who talked to Mary. It made her week! That's enough for now, talk to you soon. Please keep Mary in your prayers. Thanks!

April 9, 2009

Good Morning, I just wanted to do a very quick update on Mary. Yesterday at her occupational therapy, Mary was released by her therapist! She has progressed so much on her left hand strength and dexterity, that they felt she did not need their assistance any further. That was wonderful news. It made Mary happy, and I think it gave her a big sense of accomplishment. She has worked hard so far, and I hope she continues to improve with each and every day. Her walking and leg strength continues to improve also. Her physical therapist is really noticing her picking up her left leg more when she walks. She really doesn't even drag her foot anymore when walking. Even though she still has such a long way to go, Mary is really coming along great! Just within the last couple of weeks, I have noticed a new sense of confidence in her. She is starting to talk about what she wants to do this summer, as in planning the volleyball team and things like that. She is even talking about when she will get to play again. She knows it may not happen, but I hope she keeps striving to reach her own personal goals. I am supporting her in what ever she wants to do. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Also, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to bring us food, send a random card, or just give us a call. It really reinforces the fact that we have such a great group of friends that truly care. You will never really know how much it means to us all. And what would we do without our family? They have all been wonderful. Mary's folks have been such a huge help to her, by just being there. They run her to all the therapy sessions that I can't, (which is most of them), and we greatly appreciate that. Anyway, thanks to everyone for all the little things. Their not little to us! Have a great day.

April 2, 2009

Good Morning, I didn't realized it had been so long since I had written on here! We have just been busy and I forgot. Sorry to those of you are keeping up with Mary's progress. Mary is still doing pretty good. She did make a big step yesterday. She went to her hair stylist and got a cut and color! She got rid of the "salt and pepper" look and is back to close to her original color. It kind of looks weird, because I was getting used to her new color. She is happy about it though. She continues to work hard at therapy about 3 times a week. The therapists say she is doing really well. Her walking is getting better, her hand dexterity is for sure getting better. Her typing skills are getting better also. She types every morning on a program I downloaded from the internet. She is really working at getting back to as close to normal as she can. There are still some bouts of being depressed about the whole thing, I and would imagine that is normal. She has every right to be a little down. But, she keeps on going, and that makes me happy. Her sense of humor is back and she is getting pretty feisty. That's good. All in all, Mary continues to make a little progress everyday. Keep praying for her. We still have a long way to go. Thanks and have a wonderful day!

March 15, 2009

Good Morning, I just wanted to give a very quick update on Mary. We went down to St. Louis on Friday and had all of her staples removed. Everything went as planned. They said her incision looked good. Mary was able to able to wash her hair, which made her very happy! I have already noticed a spike in her attitude and self confidence. She seems to be a little more motivated, and is in pretty good moods each day. She is just so relieved to have all of the surgery stuff behind her. She begins her therapy again today on a full schedule. I think she she is really ready for it now. There is no looking back now. Nothing looming over her that still has to be done. I am so proud of her for working through this nightmare with desire and strength. She is very tough, I am certain she will make a good recovery from this. There is still a long way to go. We have the time though. So, we keep on moving in the direction she is taking us. That is, the right one. If there is anyone still reading this blog, please let me know with a comment. Mary likes to read them also! Thanks and have a great day!

March 4th, 2009

Good morning all. It is 10:08 and I'm still writing from Barnes. Mary had a pretty good night of sleep last night. Aside from the usual prodding and poking from nurses throughout the night for blood tests, BP and so on, she got quite a bit of rest. This morning as I was walking into her room about 5 am, there was a doctor already in there and they were removing the drainage tube from her head and also all the bandages. It was nice to see that she still had most all of the hair she had grown back. They only shaved a small strip around the old incision and that was it. I counted her staples this morning, and she has 53 staples closing her incision. It is quite dramatic to look at, but it will all be hidden when her hair covers it. Her incision starts at her hair line above her forehead, goes strait back, then curves around the right side, loops above her ear, and ends on her hair line in front of the ear. (for those who haven't seen Mary). So basically, the whole thing will be covered. It is so nice to see Mary with her normal head shape back. She was tested by a physical therapist this morning and Mary passed all of her tests. She has been disconnected from all monitors and IV's. The therapist had her get out of bed and walk for her. She did well. She went all the way down the hall, and then did a flight of stairs! They all say she is doing very well. There is a possibility of her going home sometime today, but most likely it will be tomorrow. They said she can continue to do outpatient therapy when we get home, which is good. Her platelets in her blood are still a little lower than what they want them, so that is something that we are going to have to continue to monitor. That's about all I know this morning. All in all, for having surgery just 2 mornings ago, I think she is doing quite well! Way to go Mary!!! Thanks to all.

March 3, 2009

Good morning everyone. It is 10:40 am, and I am writing today from a laptop that belongs to the hospital, which I reserved with my credit card. With my history of laptops down here, I am kind of scared to even be writing this! I just wanted to update you all again on Mary's condition after her surgery yesterday. She is doing pretty good today so far. She still is having her headaches, but that is pretty normal. I just wish it wouldn't hurt so bad for her. She is being a trooper so far though, and just dealing with the pain. She still has a drainage tube in her scalp, but that is supposed to come out sometime today. She also is still in ICU, but that was really just a precautionary measure to monitor her condition after the surgery. She will be moving out of ICU today also. I am not sure where she is going to be moved to, but I am assuming some sort of a step down room, or a semi-private one. Mary is alot more alert today than yesterday, and I'm sure it is because most of the anesthesia has worn off. She is still pretty medicated for the pain though. This mainly just makes her very tired, but she is still way more alert. When talking to Mary now, it is like talking to Mary. That may sound weird, but I think you know what I mean. She looks more like herself, and is acting more like herself. I think this step in her journey is going to be a huge one. Especially for her self esteem and positive thoughts. I am excited for her and so very happy that she has made the progress to get this far. Now we just concentrate on working hard on therapy, and getting her strength back. The nurses in the ICU actually remember Mary from 4 months ago! For all the people that they put through this hospital, I found it amazing that remembered Mary and our family. However, when I think about it, being the kind of person Mary is, healthy or not, she does leave a lasting impression on people with her personality. She is eating solid food already, and is getting stronger. I know her strength will continue to improve over time. I think that pertains to all of us. Thanks

March 2, 2009

Hi everyone, it is 6:38pm. I am at the guest services desk at Barnes Hospital writing this. This blog is just to let you know that Mary came through her surgery just fine. The Dr. said that it went as planned with no surprises! She actually had the surgery alot earlier than we thought, but that was probably a good thing, so Mary didn't have as much time to think about what was about to happen. (me too!) She is awake and doing really well. Still a little groggy from the medication that they are giving her, but alert also. She looks so much better than when we came here. You can already tell her face is so much more symectrical and normal shaped. I know she will get her beautiful face back soon! She is so happy that this is behind her, as we all are. But what a huge relief for Mary to take another step towards getting some normal back. She is a remarkable woman that we all love very much. I am thrilled for her that this is finally done and behind her. We will be here for at least a couple of days, but no sure when her release will be. I will stay in touch with you all. Thank God and thank all of you for your ongoing prayers. Have a great night!

March 1, 2009

Hi everyone. It is about 4:45pm, and I am writing this from the Hilton in downtown St. Louis. Very nice place. Mary and I came down a night early just to get a good nights sleep (hopefully), to get ready for her surgery tomorrow. We have to be at the hospital at 6am, so we will be getting up very early. Mary is pretty scared about tomorrow, and she has every right to be. She has been through so much these last few months. She knows this surgery has to happen for her to continue with any kind of a normal life. She is ready for it, she is just scared. Please keep her in your prayers tomorrow. She needs strength to get through this surgery. We all do. I know everything will go well, there is no reason to believe anything different. She has been so amazing so far through this ordeal, and has impressed so many people. I look for that to continue. Her surgery will be somewhere around noon, but I don't know for sure. Well, Mary is up in the room while I am writing this so I better wrap it up. Hopefully, we will only be down here for a couple of days, but we will see how everything goes. Once again, I ask that you pray for Mary tomorrow for a successful surgery, and a speedy recovery. Not to be greedy, but say a little one for me also! I am afraid some old memories of another surgery are going to running rampant through my head in the morning. We love you all, and I will update as soon as I know anything. Thanks.

February 20th, 2009

Hi all. So sorry for not updating the blog. I talked to a good friend at the grocery store the other day, and she reminded me how long it had been since I had written in. Time flies I guess! Honestly, there hasn't been a whole lot of new stuff to report on Mary's recovery. She is still doing pretty good with everything. Therapy is still a big part of her life, and she is working hard at it. She doesn't use her cane anymore, even when out shopping. I think she is still getting stronger, but others see it more than I do. We did finally, yesterday, get a call from the doctor in St. Louis on a reschedule date for Mary's bone flap replacement. It is going to be March 2nd. They are going to get her platelet counts where they need to be one way or the other. Most likely they will do a transfusion of platelets the morning of surgery. Dr. Chicoine (surgeon) is not going to take any chances or risks concerning her blood. Mary is scared about this surgery, but she knows that it has to happen. This is a big step in moving on down the road. Once this is done, she can focus 100% on working hard with her rehab, she will finally have some protection on her head, and she will get her normal head shape back. All big things in Mary's life. Our lives too. Please keep Mary in your prayers the next few weeks, as there will be alot of things happening. She will need every bit of help she can get. As always, thanks for all the support and friendship. I can't explain how much it means to us. Thanks.

January 31, 2009

Hi everyone! I just needed to give you a little update of Mary's ongoings. As most of you know her bone flap replacement surgery was scheduled for this Monday. I got a call from her doctor in St. Louis on Thursday, and they have decided to postpone her surgery. It is because her platelet count in her blood was a little lower than what the preferred count should be. They want it to be 147, she was at 143. We had an appointment with a hematologist yesterday to find out why it is a little low. He said she may just run a little lower naturally. He was going to call Dr. Chicoine at Barnes, and tell him that he thinks she is fine for surgery. I forgot to tell you, platelets in the blood are what makes it clot. (if you didn't know) (I didn't!) Anyway, they are going to reschedule the surgery, and I will let you know when it will happen. Please keep Mary in your prayers. Thanks.

January 25, 2009

Hi everyone, it is 3:51pm on Sunday. I just wanted to give you a quick update on Mary. We went to her appointment with Dr. Chicoine on Friday. He liked what he saw in the way of her improvements so far. Her scab on her scar has healed up nicely. We have scheduled her next surgery for a week from Monday on February 2nd. This procedure is where the Dr. will re-install her bone flap that was removed. It will give her her natural shape back to her head. It should be real close anyway. They have to cut back over the original scar, open the skin back up and put the bone flap back in with small screws and metal plates. The Dr. said it should be a relatively simple procedure with not a lot of chance of any complications. It will probably last about an hour or so. It is supposed to start about 12:00 roughly. We have to be down at Barnes at 7 am, so we will be leaving very early on Monday morning. Mary is very anxious and scared about this next step that we are taking. Please keep her in your prayers for the upcoming weeks. She will need every bit of positive strength that you all can send her way. I don't know how many people that have examined her recently have said that she is doing really well. It is still hard for her to see. Hopefully, after this surgery, there will be more of a sense of relief, or less scary thoughts for her. Then we can focus 100% on rehab and getting stronger. She needs all of you. She has said so many times how fortunate she is to have so many wonderful friends that care about her so much. I agree. She is very lucky to have you all. Thanks again. Hopefully the next blog will be from Mary! We will be in touch.

November 18th, 2009

Hello everyone. Once again I have to apologize for my procrastination on updating everyone on Mary's progress. I will try to get better! Mary is still plugging away at her rehab and doing a good job at it. They are really working her hard at the physical therapy 3 days a week. It tires her out quite a bit, but that's OK. We are continuing to do exercises at home also. She is getting stronger it seems a little each day. I guess that's why they continue to push her at therapy. Mary has been a little down the last few days. I think everything is really starting to sink in that this is a pretty life changing thing that has happened to her. She just wants it to be like it was. She has said things like, "I was so happy a few months ago, and now look at me." I try to reassure her things are going to get better, but easy for me to say. Her depression really hurts me, as I can't bear to see her like that that. We are trying to do things to bring her up and make her feel as she has a "purpose". Its a challenging task, what we are all facing and trying to work through. I think I might check into some support groups or something like that, maybe that would help Mary, maybe talk to people that are going through what she is. We will keep pushing and praying for her and her recovery. Please, you do the same. We are so thankful for all the help we received over the last month at home. We couldn't have done it without all the support. Thanks to all, and I will be in touch. Thanks.

January 8th, 2008

Hello again. I just wanted to do a quick blog to let you know of the results of Mary's appointment yesterday. Mary does have what they call a field cut in her vision. What this means basically, is that the left side of both eyes do not register light. If you would draw a line down the middle of her eyeball and split it in half, the right side works fine, the left side doesn't. That's the best way that I can explain it. What that also means is that she will not be able to drive anymore. That for sure, is our first big set back. Not the end of the world by any means, but Mary wants so much to be able to be independent and free to come and go as she pleases. (like she used to) We will play the hand we are dealt and move on. The doctor seemed to think that if she was going to see any improvement in her vision, it would have happened by now. He said most likely, it is permanent. Mary is not throwing in the towel quite yet though. She said she will continue to work hard to get her strength back with all of her therapy. She has made us all say wow so far, with how she has battled back. I am in her corner, as I know all of you are also. As long as it takes for her to keep fighting, I will be there. As will our whole family. Please keep Mary in your prayers. She still has a long fight ahead of her. Putting this in the perspective of Mary' road to recovery, she definitely hit a pot hole yesterday. Enough to jar you a little bit, but you keep on going, and it doesn't effect the goal of reaching the finish line. She's still going, strong! Thanks.

January 3rd, 2009

Hello all! I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, I hope it will be a great 2009 for you. I did not realize that it had been so long since I had updated the blog. For those of you who are still looking at it, (I really don't know if anyone is or not, as you might have given up on me), I am sorry for the delay. It has been a little busy around here, as I'm sure everyone's life has been hectic during the holidays. Let's get to Mary. She still is working very hard at her rehab. She is going about 3 to 4 times a week. She seems to get a little stronger each day. She is really doing alot better at walking. She actually very seldom uses her cane around the house. She is getting very good at going up and down stairs. She goes one foot at a time now, not putting both feet on one stair. (if that makes sense). Her strength on her left side is still getting better also. She is practicing her typing skills. That is frustrating to Mary, not being able to be as fast as she used to be. It will come in time. She has to be patient. Easy for me to say though. We go back down to St. Louis for an appointment with the neuro-optimologist to check her vision. They think she may have some problems with some of her vision. We also go back down on the 23rd to check one more time with her surgeon on the date of when she can get the bone flap put back in her head. It should be good to go this time. If so, it will probably be scheduled about 2 weeks out from the 23rd. I will try and do better on keeping everyone up to date her progress. Just so everyone knows, Mary is comfortable at home, and loves to hear from her friends. Don't hesitate to call her on her cell phone or text her (217-440-7128). If you would like to come and visit, just give us a call. For those of you who have already been over, thank you for your support. It is so wonderful to have as many great friends as we do. Mary and I both appreciate your help, thoughts and prayers. Our family continues to be wonderful also. With help taking Mary to rehab when I have to work, it makes my mind rest a little easier that she is in great hands. Thanks to all, and I will be in touch.