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!