A Smile Goes a Long, Long Way

While we're all prepared for a long road to recovery sometimes it's just amazing the difference a day can make! Today Gord appeared much more alert and focused than he has previously. He is able to fix his gaze on people for longer periods, tracking movement and shifting focus from person to person with greater ease. Perhaps most exciting, just as mother nature smiled on Calgary today with a gloriously warm and sunny day, Gord too has begun to smile again, melting a little bit of the fear that we've all harboured about getting our Gord back!

While several members of Sheila and Gord's family were visiting at the hospital today, Dr. Hill, the neurologist overseeing Gord's care, came by and essentially painted a picture about his prediction for Gord's journey ahead. He assured the family that given the nature of Gord's injury, he is doing as well as can be expected. He likened the current status of the affected area in Gord's brain to a bruise, explaining that like any bruise, it will take time for the body to reabsorb the blood and work to repair what damage it can. Gord is expected to remain in the stroke unit for about a month before being moved to the rehabilitation unit where the focus can shift to regaining any lost or altered function. In Dr. Hill's experienced estimation, he feels that Gord will likely remain in the hospital until about May, after which he will continue with out-patient rehabilitation.

Finally, because Gord is breathing well, the short term goal is to reduce the size of the tracheotomy with the longer term goal being its complete removal. It is also Sheila's hope that they may be able to get Gord into a wheelchair in the near future so they can go for walks and provide Gord with an occasional change of scenery.

We are all feeling a renewed sense of optimism today and knowing the difference a bright, sunny day can make in ones outlook, we'll pray for a continued forecast of sunshine in both Gord's future and Calgary's!

Laurie Bell