Happy 80th Birthday!

It has been 3 years since my last post and 4 years since that fateful day in July when Mom had her surgery and subsequent stroke.  Much has happened in the intervening years, most of it a testament to the wonderful woman she is!  Mom underwent a corneal transplant and has recovered quite well.  She finished all her therapy and relearned how to use her computer.  She is back making scrapbooks for the grandkids and sewing baby blankets for the new great grandkids. Things are more frustrating for her than before, but she persists, and enjoys learning and relearning new things.  She was even cleared to renew her driver's license and does an amazing job behind the wheel.  In short, she is a remarkable Whitehead Woman, feisty and independent as ever!

This Tuesday, September 3rd, will be her 80th birthday.  I vividly remember her 76th birthday, right after she was moved to the 12th floor for rehab at IMC.  Who would ever have thought she would come this far?!  I invite any of you who would like to send birthday wishes her way to leave a comment on the blog.  I will be sure she sees them all!

When I think back to those difficult months 4 years ago, I am humbled and grateful for all your love and support.  I'm not sure we could have made it through without your prayers.  They carried us through some incredibly difficult times.  We love you!

Happy Anniversary!

It's hard to believe it's been one year since that fateful day Mom received her new knees. In some ways it seems only yesterday that we rode to the hospital in the dark early morning hours, full of excitement that Mom would finally be free from the pain which had plagued her for years. I vividly remember walking through the halls of the hospital with Mom and Dad to the room where Mom was prepped for surgery, and giving Mom a hug as she snuggled under warm blankets while they wheeled her off to the operating room. Dad and I spent the next couple hours just hanging out together in Mom's room, anticipating better days ahead for her. We welcomed the doctor's visit after the surgery explaining that everything had gone well. I called everyone to let them know the good news and that Mom would be back in the room within an hour or two.

Little did we know.

This past week as I contemplated the events that transpired that day and the tragedy that unfolded before our eyes, I couldn't help but shed some tears at those terrifying memories. However, my sadness was soon washed away by a flood of memories of the countless miracles we were privileged to witness over the next few months, and I was once again keenly aware of Heavenly Father's tender care throughout this ordeal.

Our family knows in a very personal way that miracles aren't always granted in the way we desire, but we also have deep and abiding testimonies that no matter what we are called to pass through, we will be sustained every step of the way. In a few short weeks, August 19th will arrive, marking 10 years since Lynn passed away from cancer. Although we petitioned Heavenly Father fervently for her to be healed, we each have a firm testimony that He is in charge, and have been granted that peace which surpasseth all understanding. Therefore, despite the uncertainty of Mom's situation we were comforted by our knowledge that somehow all would be well. Just as with Lynn, we again witnessed countless miracles. This blog is a testament to His hand in our lives.

Last Saturday we gathered together as a family to celebrate Matthew's baptism, and Mom was asked to give the opening prayer. It was unbelieveable to contemplate where she has come from and where she is now. On Sunday we had a family party and Mom was taking pictures, just like she always did. Despite the fact that she has the world's slowest camera (some things never change!) we were all happy to smile and were thankful to have our Mom and Grammie back. I couldn't help but picture her lying in Intensive Care, hooked up to countless machines, blind and in a coma. What a contrast to the sweet, feisty, vibrant woman we have now!

It's a good thing Mom has a bit of feistiness in her because it has been a long road. Back in the earliest days, only one doctor gave us any real hope. After we had received countless conflicting medical opinions, one of the ICU neurospecialists, Dr. Roller, ventured to say that although he didn't have a crystal ball, it was his opinion that in a year we would be pleasantly surprised to see the progress Mom would make. We clung to his words despite the grim situation, and are thrilled to report that his prediction has come to pass beyond our wildest dreams.

Mom was a dedicated therapy patient, traveling to downtown SLC twice a week for physical, occupational and speech therapy. Dad was a trooper, driving her there and patiently sitting through three hours of therapy with her each day. In May she finally graduated from all three therapies, having made dear friends with her therapists along the way!

Her biggest worry right now is her eye, which became infected in the hospital. After a few months of constant drops and medications, the angry redness finally subsided. However, because of the severity of the infection, the eye has been permanently damaged and will most likely require a cornea transplant. Unfortunately last month the infection returned, which will postpone the transplant for another 6 months or so. It seems that sunlight exacerbates the condition and in June she spent a few days out in the yard, determined to get the flowerbeds weeded. Not only did her eye regress from the intense sunlight, but she also injured her back and found herself in physical therapy again. Thankfully she is mostly recovered from that and hopefully will let us help out with the weeding a bit more in the future!!!

But for the most part, things are wonderful. Mom wishes she could drive, but is enjoying her newfound freedom from pain. She can do stairs like a champ and her knee surgeon said Mom has more range of motion than many of his "regular" patients! She finished a life history for Jim Jr. and is working on one for Randy. She also made a baby quilt for her two newest great-grandsons. The computer is another of Mom's hobbies and she diligently relearned how to use it. And of course she is working on her photos. In short, we have our Mom back!

How grateful we are for the many tender mercies we have been shown by countless loved ones, friends, and the medical community over this past year. We are overcome with gratitude for the love and kindness shown to us and humbly give thanks for all the blessings we have received. Thank you once again for all your faith and prayers. How blessed we are to have such wonderful friends and family.

Happy New Year!

When I asked Mom what she would like me to say on the blog today, her eyes lit up and she said to be sure and thank everyone for all they have done for her. Although she cannot remember the first weeks and months of her ordeal, she is keenly aware that she has been served and blessed in so many ways and she is overwhelmed to think of all the kindnesses shown to her and our family. Over the years Mom has written hundreds (probably thousands) of thank you notes and it is frustrating for her to be unable to express her gratitude in that way. Although this is more impersonal than she would like, please know how much your thoughts, prayers and numerous acts of kindness are appreciated!

How special it was to celebrate Christmas Eve in the usual way, gathering for dinner at Mom and Dad's house, reading the Christmas story and opening gifts. Shopping for everyone was too overwhelming to consider, so we convinced Mom to be satisfied giving gift cards this year. She spent many hours making lists and figuring out how many gift cards she needed to purchase, then putting them in envelopes and writing names on the outside. Simple tasks we take for granted must be relearned, and Mom was determined to figure it all out! Way to go, Mom!

Mom continues to improve day by day, and although she still has a ways to go, she has come so very far. Yesterday she visited the cornea specialist who was thrilled with the improvement in her eye. The severe redness is subsiding and the vision is clearing. Best of all, the area of scar tissue is smaller than first suspected and a transplant may not be necessary. Although the final verdict won't be known for a few months, once again we acknowledge the Lord's hand in this process.

Looking back over 2009 we are humbled at the many blessings we have received. Despite the trials we have faced we have seen the Lord's hand each step of the way. Our testimonies have grown and our love for each other has been strengthened and deepened. Lynn told me once that despite all her trials with cancer she wouldn't trade what she had learned for anything. I think we can understand her feelings a bit more after traveling this road over the past several months.

We sincerely wish each of you a wonderful new year! Happy 2010!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's December already and Christmas is almost here. Four months ago we never could have envisioned the progress Mom has made and we are so grateful for all the miracles we have received. Mom goes to speech, occupational and physical therapy twice a week for three hours each time. The therapists encourage Mom to do as much as possible around the house. Her right side is still quite a bit weaker than the left, so she is supposed to wear an oven mitt on her left hand during the day so her right hand will do most of the work. But she is able to cook simple meals, and do the dishes as well as the laundry. Her handwriting is coming along, although it is quite a chore. She is also working on the computer more and trying to create cards like she used to enjoy doing. Each card takes several hours to create, but Mom is determined!!! Although she gets around quite well, she trips easily and, in fact, fell twice this week. Slow down, sweet mother, and remember, "No more mothers jumping on the bed!"

Medically things are going well except for her right eye. Despite intense care from her ophthalmologist, the infection is not quite gone, so he sent Mom to a cornea specialist. The sobering news is that Mom will need a cornea transplant because the infection was not treated adequately in the hospital, which allowed for extensive scar tissue formation. Mom is praying for another miracle, but feels as if the Lord has already granted so many in her behalf that she shouldn't ask for more. However, we know He is very aware of our dear mother, so we are joining our faith with hers in requesting His help once again. We humbly ask for your faith and prayers as well.

We are so grateful to be celebrating this special Christmas season with Mom. We wish each of you a joyous holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving together. We ate at Mom and Dad's house, but everyone helped out so Mom and Dad could just relax and enjoy the time together with family. Mom received a cute little treat from a neighbor called Blessing Mix, which contains different snack items such as m&m's, bugles, pretzels, etc. She enjoyed it so much that she wanted to make one for each family member. She and Dad spent quite a lot of time shopping for all the ingredients and then Mom carefully assembled a bag of goodies for each child, grandchild, and great-grandchild.

After dinner we had a special Thanksgiving program. Everyone gathered in the living room to watch a beautiful DVD put together by Jim Jr, set to the song, "The Climb," by Miley Cyrus. He included a few photos from the early days after the stroke, and then focused the rest on all the progress Mom has made. It was sobering to see where Mom started, and exhilarating to see the miracle of her recovery unfold before our eyes. After watching the DVD, everyone was invited to share their thoughts and feelings about the ordeal. Our focus was on the many miracles showered down upon us by the Lord, who opened countless doors so Mom could get the help she needed to recover. Mom then expressed her gratitude for everyone's love and support and we ended the program with yummy desserts. It was a wonderful evening.

This week brought several more miracles as well. On Monday Mom went to the hearing specialist where they discovered that her hearing loss was just a wax buildup, so now she can hear again!!! Her eyesight is getting better as well, and she continues to regain more and more fine motor function through diligent practice and her wonderful therapists.

As we begin this holiday season, we continue to be full of gratitude to have Mom with us, and in awe of all the progress she has made and continues to make. We are also thankful for each of you for the love and support shown us through this long process. Most of all we are grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has been with us every step of the way!

November updates

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated the blog. (Can you spell SWINE FLU? I can!)

Mom has made absolutely amazing progress these past few weeks. She has been trying to cook more, and after one LONG afternoon in the kitchen that left her exhausted and still hungry, she has since had better luck. Mom has made her yummy macaroni and cheese along with her fabulous spaghetti, and although it takes a lot out of her, she wants to do the things she used to do.

To her delight, she finally figured out how to get down in the tub so she can take a bath as opposed to a shower. (Who ever knew it was so far DOWN from a standing position, not to mention equally as far back UP when you're finished?) She also washes her own hair and is maneuvering the blow dryer as well.

Mom continues to faithfully do her exercises and practice writing her name. In addition, she has begun using her computer again, typing with both hands! It is very, very slow and painstaking, but she is equally as determined. Early on, Mom couldn't remember where all the keys were on the keyboard, and several of them were worn off which made it extra hard to type. Undaunted, Mom carefully went downstairs and found her old typing textbook from high school (she knew right where it was!) and brought it up to the computer room so she could find the right keys. Thankfully, Randy had an extra keyboard, so now Mom can actually see the keys she is trying to use. Since handwriting is still a challenge, Mom is determined to use the computer to keep up with her correspondence. One of the things she feels the worst about these past few months is that she hasn't been able to write Jace his weekly missionary letter. She is determined to remedy that situation!

Mom's eye is finally getting a bit better. Her eye doctor admitted today that when he first saw her 3 weeks ago, he wasn't sure her eyesight would return because of the severity of the infection. Although it will take another two or three months, he is quite confident her vision will return. Whew!

We are also thrilled to report that the PEG line has been removed. HURRAH!!! It was a simple process done in the office, and other than a bit of discomfort at the time of removal, there was no pain involved. That's good, because all the pain at the time of insertion should have counted for alot!

New this week is the discovery that Mom has lost much of the hearing in her right ear. This wouldn't be unusual as a result of the stroke, so she has an appointment on Monday with a specialist to check things out more thoroughly.

This week Mom's sister, Louise, has been up from California to visit and help out. It has been so fun for them to spend time together laughing and reminiscing, and the week has gone by all too fast. As Mary Engelbreit says, "There is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather!" Mom is extra blessed in the sister department on both sides of the family!

As Thanksgiving approaches, we are especially grateful to have our dear Mother home again, and are in awe of the progress she has made. We are also grateful for each of you who have cried and rejoiced along with us these past four months. We couldn't have done it alone!

A Fast of Gratitude

Today has been a sweet day of fasting in gratitude for the miraculous events that have occurred over the past three months. We are in awe of the progress Mom has made. We know that Heavenly Father has been there for us through all the ups and downs, and has caused many miracles to occur. The highlight of the day was that Mom bore her testimony in Sacrament Meeting. Although I wasn't there, I heard from several people that it was beautiful. I would imagine it was kind of like hearing from Lazarus!

This week Mom has continued to improve and can now do many things on her own. The various therapists have assigned "homework" and Mom is faithfully working at her assignments. She is supposed to do everything possible for herself, such as washing her own hair, doing the dishes, unloading the dishwasher and keeping track of her appointments on a calendar. She can eat well with her right hand and even helps with simple cooking tasks. Yesterday Mom and I went shopping for some new bed sheets and she walked around the entire store without even leaning on the shopping cart!!! She is diligently practicing writing her name and even signed the check when we went shopping. Although progress seems slow to her, cumulatively is is astounding, and she has come so far from where she was two weeks ago when she first came home!

Mom's right eye continues to slowly improve. This week the doctor removed the medicated patch and instructed Dad to put several different (EXPENSIVE!) eye drops in three times per day. He explained that Mom's eye is numb because of the stroke, which is actually a blessing at this point, as her condition would be excruciating to a normal eye. However, he still expects that the eye will recover and that Mom's vision will return.

We would like to sincerely thank each of you for your interest, prayers, fasting and kind acts too numerous to mention. Mom has been so eager to hear her story and thank each person who has helped her in any way. She wants to write thank you notes (now that's definitely our Mom!), so we're slowly and painstakingly working on letter writing! In the meantime, please know of our love and appreciation for all you have done for our family! We are so grateful!