Stronger every day....

I don't have much news to report right now except that Gord is continually amazing us with his walking. Today I invited him to get out of his wheelchair in the hallway and just hold my hand and walk without the cane. He was a little hesitant but did it for me and his pace was so much smoother than leaning on the cane. We are noticing the toes on the right foot are curling under when he walks and that is worrisome. It was not detected when he wore runners but I have been wondering why he had dents on his toes that looked like the seam inside the shoe. When I put on his sandals it became evident it was because the toes were "clawing". So another issue to figure out.

I am keeping my pocket full of tissues these days as the emotions have been running a little high lately. I found 2 of our guys in the hallway the other day with tears running down their faces. I hugged them and handed them a tissue. All because of a book I suggested they look at. They were crying because the book gave them hope. Made my day.

Then I got to witness a scene of a father singing to his daughter - "You are my sunshine". The daughter was in a car accident in October and has a 2 year old son and and 8 month old daughter. She is not in good shape but if love can pull her through she will make it just fine!

Last night I had a good conversation with one of our roomates who is moving back to Calgary and I was so impressed with his sense of self. He puts an "O" after his name for "optimistic". He is writing a book on his life after his motorcycle accident. It will be a great story.

Well, I am tired this evening so will sign off and head for bed.

Take care, everyone,
Much love
Sheila

PS If Leni and Sandy read this blog and can possibly bring home a Maui phonebook for me I would be so appreciative. I have tried the yellow pages on the internet and cannot locate some stores. Actually if anyone reading this knows the name of the drywall supply store in Kahului that sells soundproof drywall please let me know! I am going to try to do remote purchasing for the condo renovation we had to abandon. Son Geoff is heading over May 2 to pull some of the pieces together for me.
Mahalo!

One determined man

Here I sit on Sunday while Gord and Trevor are lounging in the living room below. It is SNOWING - a virtual white out at the moment. My flowers have been dragged in for about the 10th time since I bought them. They will be the hardiest in the land, I believe.

Andrea and Declan left a few hours ago and hopefully missed this storm. We had a most delightful weekend with them.

Gord has achieved another goal. He told me last week (in his own special way) that he no longer wanted to sleep in the living room and that he would be going upstairs by this weekend. Well, I did not think I was ready to do so many stairs but he convinced me. With Trevor's help we got upstairs successfully and Gord was so happy to see his own bedroom and sleep in his own bed that night. We even figured out how to get him into the shower which is a really tight squeeze. I put a white plastic lawn chair inside the shower and we wiggled our way in. Once again, happiness reigned! Going down the stairs is more challenging but doable. Glen stopped by for a quick vist on Saturday and within 2 minutes I had him putting up a rail to the upstairs. Thank you Glen!!!!!

We worked on leg and arm exercises today and word recognition. It is coming along and Gord is quite fascinated by the words that come out even when he knows inside his head the correct word for the item. It is certainly a challenge. The kid's books are really helping. Thanks kids!

Gord, Trevor and I will head back to Halvor Jonson Monday morning after breakfast and be there for Trevor's 11am class. He is reading the same book I am right now so we have lots to discuss. It is "The Brain that Changes Itself". Fascinating material.

I am adding some pictures...not great but they give you an idea of what we are up to. Trevor is the one reading with Declan. He is at the Halvor Jonson with Gord. Andrea is in the background. Yes, that's what a snowy day at the lake looks like.
And Gord and Declan - so cute.

Have a good day

Love
Sheila

Results of eye exam

Well, it has been confirmed. Gord cannot see on his right lower side - totally black. Upper right has a little use and left side of right eye is good. His eyes are in good health generally and he could have glasses if he wanted to see 100% but that would mean he may have to actually read a book or something which is not on his priority list. That is the same condition he was in before the stroke so nothing has changed there. The comment that got to me in the dark of the exam room was..."Well, Gord you won't be able to drive for a year or two or....ever"...if the periferal vision does not come back. At this point he could not pass the driver's test.

Imagine my thoughts projecting into the future....me driving Gord around - tried it once when he lost his licence for too many tickets and our relationship almost ended right then. I always map out in my mind which route I am taking, and when I am happily on my way somewhere and the voice beside me says...turn HERE...I try to remain calm. Anyway, this in another challenge for me as it is solely brain damage from the stroke. So now we have blind spot on right eye, limp right arm, mildly functioning right leg and speech to work with. A small summer project.

I am going to be so multi-talented when this is all over...amazing what a person can get pushed to do and learn. Now that I am feeling stronger and my wrists are co-operating I can get on with the projects that need to be done.

Ice still on the lake, it's ONLY April 21st.By May it should be gone.... I am however, going to Costco to buy some flowers and if they have to do the inside/outside dance for a while that's fine because Spring is coming to our house ready or not!

Happy gardening to all who participate...

Love
Sheila

Monday morning....

We are ending another great weekend at the cabin where Gord managed to walk around the house many times, each time getting better and better. He uses the cane with 4legs....next weekend we may try to get up the stairs to the master bedroom and the office. THAT will really be getting back to the "normal" life for Gord. Today we are driving back to Halvor Jonson and in the afternoon Gord is travelling to Westaskiwin for an eye appointment. I will accompany him. His vision has been limited on the right side and today will check just how much it has improved.

The weekend was beautiful weatherwise....Gord helped me garden in the back area and made sure I was putting everything where it should go. We ventured over to the shop and the new garage to check things out. I am gradually getting everything working bit by bit with the help of visitors who each seem to be able to do one more thing for me. Thank you to all who assisted us this weekend.

We were delighted to see Evelyn and Sharliss who brought a beautiful dinner on Friday night. They came back on Sunday eve to join us for dinner and watch the hockey game. Hopefully we will see Richard with Evelyn during the summer!!!
Brother Wayne and Judith visited and Dana and Leon dropped by as well.
Stu (Gord's business partner) stayed over the weekend to help out and it was a comfort to have him in the house. Stacy, Daniel and Andres also visited which is always a delight for Gord. Danny played catch with Gord and they both did well...

As I was gardening I was thinking about how I am going to dedicate the garden to gordon....this year. It will certainly give me a focus to either be doing "gardening" or "gordoning".

I have to say this has been and continues to be a daily challenge and with the constant encouragement from you all, I think I will make it! And so will Gord. Today he seems a bit depressed am I am hoping it is just a glitch that we can overcome. I will watch for serious depression though. He wants to do so much more. Patience is something he really needs to learn....

Well, off we go...and will report in later..

Love from Sheila and Gord...

A room with a view.....finally!

Over the past 4 days or so, I have not been able to blog due to internet malfunctions, snow, ice, you name it.....but now I am back. Today is Thursday and we are once again excited about making the trip home on Friday after therapies are finished ....about 3:30-4pm we will exit this place.
Latest news is that we have a room with a window - to the outside. The fellow that left, Randy, had been here 4 years! Of course as soon as I saw the announcement of his "going away party with cake at 9:45am" I started the process of getting what I want right away. At first the nurse was cool and I thought maybe we would not be the chosen ones for the vacated room. As I called in my legions of angels to change her mind, she called me aside on my way to accompanying Gord to his 1pm appointment, and said if I wanted to move I could. I said "right now"? She said "yes". Well, I bolted down the hall with Gord, dropped him off, and got back to start moving within 5 minutes. I had him completely moved in the 1/2 hour it took for his therapy so when he returned, he came back to a new and brighter room. Today I brought in flowering plants to put on the window sill and things are looking pretty "homey". He can actually see for miles and miles over the fields so when they turn green in the Spring/Summer it will be very beautiful.

Looking back over my notes today, I found a note that a doctor at the Foothills told me Gord would probably be home by May or June. That time is quickly approaching and I can see there is still a lot of work to be done on his speech and walking. It is a good goal, though. Maybe he won't have to gaze longingly over those green fields all summer and will be home to gaze over the lake every day.

Gord's neice, Andrea, and husband Dallas and new son Noah dropped in yesterday and it was a lovely surprise to see them. Gord was fascinated with Dallas who is now 6 months old and has reached 12 pounds in weight. He truly is a little miracle as he was only 1.5 lbs when he was born 3 months early I believe. Andrea showed us the album with the teeny tiny little diapers he wore and the tiny little tubes and things they used to get him up to speed. He is obviously thriving and is a happy little soul. We all agreed that we all have had a long haul with hospitals in the past months and truly understand that day to day commitment that is made.

We hope everyone is doing well as Spring and Summer approach.

Lots of love from

Sheila and Gord

Forgot one photo

Last one for now....

Rest of the pictures

I am still trying to perfect this picture thing.....hope it works. Explanation in in the blog prior

Yes, home sweet home

It is Sunday evening and we have just finished another great day. The family have headed home to Calgary and the silence is deafening! The sun is shining, the lake is still WHITE as in FROZEN. I have the deck furniture all out as if it is summer. Gord is so happy to be here.....witness the photos.
The group on the bed are Prue and Paige from Australia on the left ( my brother's daughters), Andrea and Stacy on the right. This is Gord's bedroom for now - in the living room. The picture of the little guys(Daniel and Declan) shows a bit of the lake in the background. I love the one of Gord doing his homework. (Learning the techniques of writing with his left hand). He was very diligent about getting it done. Language is improving as well. We are looking forward to this next week at Halvar Jonson now that we have had the home experience, to see what progress we can make.
We hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
Love
Sheila and Gord

It takes a Village!

Well, we are ready! The cabin is in order, all the pieces are in place thanks to the help of friends up at the lake, Rita and Steve, and Marg and Barry. With one quick phone call they were over at our place fixing things, moving furniture, clearing snow and ice, getting my little car started.....amazing. Following that, Gary and Richard, Gord's brothers arrived to help me with many things such as getting the water turned on and appliances hooked up and running. They installed railings for Gord and wedges over the door sill so Gord can get his wheelchair in easily. We put a pole in the bathroom for ease of getting to the toilet and into the bath apparatus. Our good friend and neighbour, Kevin arrived later in the day to help the boys find things and clear snow with the bobcat. He also helped get me reconnected to the internet. I have SO much to learn!

I think we are set. The fridge is full of food to satisfy any craving Gord may have while home for 4 nights! Imagine....after 3 months, and on the 4th FULL MOON he will finally make it home - at least for a visit. After this, I believe we can set up a routine whereby we leave the centre on Friday after therapy and return Monday before noon. They do encourage home stays which is just fine with me!

I am finally going to settle into the main house and it really feels good. This weekend, all the kids will arrive and luckily we have 2 houses to spread out so Gord can have his rest time.

The weather is co-operating so maybe we will all get a little Vitamin D this weekend.

Have a very happy Easter everyone. I know we will. Pictures will follow the weekend!

Much love
Sheila and Gord and family

A cute picture of a Grandfather and Grandson

Now that I have figured this picture thing out, I thought you may be interested in seeing Gord on his first outing at the Fanning Center about a week before we left. These trees must be beautiful in the summer....

Thursday is THE day

Today as Gord and I were cruising the empty hallways at the Center, we crossed paths with his Dr. of the moment. I inquired about the results of the MRI and he said "Oh I told Gord about that on Friday". I looked at him and said "That's nice but he can't relay the message to me". I thought by now he knew Gord had Aphasia. Makes you wonder.....ANYWAY, the results showed the clot is subsiding but still there somewhat. They checked for tumours or weaknesses that may have caused the bleed but everything looks normal. After I told him what Gord was doing at the time of the stroke he said that it is likely with his arm in the position it was, the blood pressure rises and if he pushes it hard enough something like this bleed can happen. Exactly agrees with my analysis. I should be a Dr.

I then asked if we could go home anytime soon and he said "Oh yes, that has been approved". Funny, no one told me. Perhaps they told Gord but once again, he can't relay the message to me. Wow, maybe these things I speak about are what he has been trying so hard to tell me over the past few days. ANYWAY, I am bringing him home on Thursday after classes since Friday is a holiday and everyone is vacating the place except for the few that can't leave. I have my work cut out for me over the next few days. Ice and snow to clear, bed to move, food to prepare....I am so excited!

We will have a busy weekend when our neices from Australia arrive to see Uncle Gord. Andrea and Declan and hopefully Mike will drive them up to the cabin on Friday night and we will light the fire and have a cozy visit. Stacy, Andres and Daniel will also join us and I hope Colby and Laurie and Catarina can make it as well sometime during the weekend. Gary, Gord's brother is hoping to make it as well in time to help us get the water turned on and some railings put up. Sounds nice, doesn't it? It's time.


Thank you Tom for your wonderful creative thoughts. I am hoping Gord becomes all that you talk about. So far there is no one that speaks in our Ferintosh House. And of course what Gord says comes out as gibberish so it really is a very strange situation. Also, the other people in our "house" are mostly very young and in really bad shape. I did not expect to see this level of brain injury in our section. I guess they mix everyone together to have a bit of variety.

Well, it is time to go and get some preparations done.

Nice talking to you....have a great day.

Love
Sheila

I am going to attempt to send a picture taken the day before we left the Fanning Center. I will perfect this and get more current pictures of Gord out so you can really witness how he is doing.

Saturday morning Apr 4/09

I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at Ferintosh House yesterday morning and find Gord in the kitchen with his Occupational Therapist, Anthony, cooking his own lunch. He made a grilled cheese sandwich and soup. I arrived and smelled something burning and wondered what the heck was going on in this place and lo and behold it's my Gord charring a piece of bread in the frying pan. He looked so cute pushing himself around the kitchen getting all the utensils etc. to do the job. After eating what he had cooked (and seeming to really enjoy it) he then had to clean up the stove and table, and do the dishes. He did it all and I think the kitchen was cleaner after than when he started. They are exposing Gord to all the every day things we go through just to see how much he knows how to do and how well he can do the tasks. He is doing very well.
As for the speech. It may never recover and it may recover almost completely - we learned that yesterday. There is no cure for Aphasia. My job is to find ways to understand what he is trying to say. The big job begins now. Also, in speaking with others in the same circumstance as us, it looks like we will be there for 6 - 9 months. OUCH! Good news is that Gord can definitely come home on weekends and holidays and the odd time take a 2 week break. It will be like having a job during the week and we will just have to deal with it. His intelligence is intact - he just has difficulty getting the words to express himself. I think those bushy eyebrows are going to be the best thing that Gord has for now so his facial expressions and gesturing can help us understand him.
Well, off I go for another day .....
Love to all
Sheila

A big Hello from Sylvan Lake

Well, I am finally sitting at our own computer in the cabin and it is a great feeling. My left hand isn't feeling too well so I won't be typing much tonight. All in all everything is moving along. Gord is still pretty happy and motivated and I have been spending a little less time with him as I have had numerous things to do to make the place liveable. These days it seems like if anything can go wrong it does and I am not going to dwell on the issues since I must move along and deal with them one at a time. One day I will tell you the stories. I keep telling myself "This too shall pass".
Thanks again for all the good wishes.
I am going to try to figure out how to enclose pictures. Laurie , I need a lesson!
Love
Sheila