Wednesday, August 14, 2013

My Marvelous Mom


Many of my regular readers know and love my mom and have asked for a report on her recent stroke. I would like to thank each one of them in her behalf for the care and concern they communicated to us by email and Facebook. We definitely felt those prayers!

On Saturday, August 3rd, our family went through quite a scare with my 86-year-old mother. She'd had a TIA recently (in addition to a couple of others in the past), so she and my stepfather initially assumed the "real deal" was simply another one of the fleeting episodes she'd experienced before. The incident began with garbled speech and difficulty reading the puzzle she was doing. By the time it ended, she was unable to speak or read at all. Her memory was affected, too, and the only answer she could come up with to the competency questions was her name.

Happily, Sunday the 4th was a remarkable day of healing for Mom. As the hours passed, she went from recalling only her name and speaking in monosyllabic sentences to communicating and remembering pretty well. In fact, by the time I arrived that evening, she was able to carry on a full conversation, though it was clear she was having to reach for some of the words. Mom felt a bit groggy, but her diction was perfect; and her memory was nearly 100%.

On Monday the 5th, our favorite patient continued to improve by leaps and bounds. Last Tuesday, we were delighted and grateful to leave the hospital and take her home. When they drove me to the airport Saturday, she was doing as well as ever...a truly amazing recovery, made even sweeter by the fact that August 12th marked their 41st wedding anniversary. Mom and the most thankful and relieved husband in the history of husbands celebrated with some of their best friends, who were as thrilled as we all were to see them hand-in-hand for the big day.

One of the most touching parts of being with Mom and Dick last week was observing their love for one another in action. He is such a tender caretaker, and each night they take turns leading a family prayer. Without fail, the two of them express gratitude to the Lord for their years together and ask for as much time here as He is willing to give them.

I hope He gives them many more years, and I am more grateful than words can tell that my mom is still with us...in every sense of the word.

Do you know how cherished you are, Mom? Not just by us, your children; not just by your husband, but by so many friends who reached out to you. Everyone was calling, bringing in a meal, or just wanting to visit. I guess it's true that what goes around comes around, and you deserve every bit of it.

Sure do love you!

{love being your daughter, too}


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25 comments:

EG CameraGirl said...

Your mom sounds WONDERFUL, which goes a long way to explaining why you have turned out so well. :)

I pray that she is with your for a long time to come.

yaya said...

This brought tears to my eyes! I do love your Mom and feel like I've known her forever. I pray she and Dick have tons more anniversaries to celebrate and her health continues to improve. She's a treasure!

LeAnn said...

I am so thrilled that your mother is doing well. I have grown to love her through her blog. Give her my love and hugs!
Thanks for updating she has been in my prayers and her name on the prayer roll.
Hugs~

Esther Joy said...

I'm so glad she is making such a miraculous recovery!

Grandma Honey said...

I didn't realize about your Mom's stroke. How very scary for all of you! What a turn around recovery. How very grateful I know you feel, and so do I.

There is just something so very special about your Mom. She feels like family to me. I truly do love her.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful tribute to you Mom and how lucky you still have here ~ thanks and lots of healing hugs to all ~ carol, xo

Unknown said...

I am so glad she is doing better.

Brian Miller said...

smiles...i am glad you got to spend time with her and that she is recovering...i hope 100% and that they are blessed with many more years together....

betty-NZ said...

What a wonderful tribute to your mom. I'm glad she's doing well.

Pondside said...

I was glad to read that your mother had come through this challenge. What a loving tribute to your mother and to the love she and her husband share with you!

Lola said...

Totally agree with EG CameraGirl above - your Mum IS wonderful!

Best wishes to you all!

SarahBeth said...

So glad your mom is doing well -- I'm sure that was quite a scare. She and your stepdad make a sweet couple!

Nancy said...

So happy about your mom's recovery! The photo of the happy couple is so cute.

Granny-Guru said...

I'm so happy your Mom's doing well. It sounds like Dick got her to the hospital right away. I know they have medicines now that can stop a stroke in its tracks, if you get to it early. Thanks for the update on the happy couple.

fredamans said...

Praise God! So glad to hear she is doing well. May God keep her well.
Sounds like she has a lot left to live for. :-)

Donna said...

I love, love, love this post Sue. I don't comment much anymore...no time and heath issues of my own. But I read your wonderful posts and Kathy keeps me informed at work. She told me about your mom and prayers were coming her way. I'm thrilled with the outcome! Give her a BIg hug for e and tell her I'm thinking of her. Thanks for updating us!

Debra at HOMESPUN: http://www.thehomespun.com said...

So glad to hear she's recovered! :)

Connie said...

What a blessing that she recovered so quickly. She sounds like an amazing mom!

karen said...

I'm so grateful that her recovery was so complete! She is a wonderful person (I can tell, though we've never actually met) and I do love a happy ending. Happy Anniversary to them both and I wish them many more years here together with the family they love so much.

Sistas in Zion said...

We are so happy to hear that your mother is doing well. What a beautiful anniversary gift it must have been for them both to have her healthy and happy on their special day! We are wishing her well and will keep her and your family in our prayers.

Splendid Little Stars said...

scary!
I'm glad your mom has made a full recovery. I hope she and your stepdad have many more loving, happy years together.

Unknown said...

What a blessing! I'm so glad that prayers of healing have been answered. You Mom is pretty tough!

Gail said...

Wonderful news and may it continue.

alpinekleins said...

We live in a time of miracles everyday . . . so glad you're family was able to experience one . . . . best wishes for a continued speedy recovery!

Kristin

Jenny said...

This magnificent post is making me cry...

I can feel the love that flows through your family and am very happy to hear about your Mom's miraculous recovery!

Thanks for linking to the letter "M"...

Marvelous job!

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