Five Months

There are days like today when I need to remember what the Bible says in Psalms 119:105 "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". It does not say that He will give us a spotlight to the future. I have to admit that I am thankful that no one told me 5 months ago that my mom would still be in the hospital. We have to take this journey one day at a time even when those days are the "bad days".

Just under a month ago, we celebrated a wonderful Christmas dinner with my Mom at her house. Little did we know, she would fall just a couple days later on December 28th and have stitches in the emergency room, another five days in the ICU, a 9th brain surgery and a ten day stay at the Swedish Hospital Neurological unit. Tania's primary doctor at Craig Hospital confirmed this week that Tania medically is back to where she was when she was transferred to Craig in early November. The statement 1 step forward and 2 steps back is 100% accurate in this case.

This past month has been a travesty for Tania and her recovery and also very difficult for our family. She fatigues quickly, sleeps a lot, and when she is alert and tries to speak, it is very difficult for us to understand what she is saying. She is currently receiving all of her nourishment from a feeding tube. They have performed two swallow tests in the past couple weeks to see if she can start having liquids and each time she has struggled and started coughing almost immediately, so we will have to wait and see if she can pass the third test next week. Our hope is that she will progress with therapy as she did in November and December prior to her fall. One of the therapists mentioned that she has learned what methods worked for Tania and she hopes to fine tune her approach this second time around.

We had a family conference with the Doctors and therapist at Craig today. The primary focus of the new goals is to prepare her to be released to go home on March 26.

Not to sound like a broken record, but we continue to ask for prayers. I can't imagine this journey without the love, support and prayers of friends and family around us. We are most thankful for all of you who are continuing to pray 5 months later!

Tara