One more update as I leave....

I am leaving today and just wanted to update you on Gord's new doctor for the next 10weeks. Dr. Rosencranz is one of the founders of the Halvar Jonson facility and I am so impressed with him! Actually, I am excited to get back and talk to him more about Gord's recovery etc. He is the one that interviewed Gord at the Fanning Center and made the decision to let him come to Halvar Jonson. THANK YOU, Dr.!

It was a little sad saying good bye yesterday but I know Gord is in good hands and when I return in 10 days I expect there will be a lot of changes. i got up this morning and read an article that talked about "taking an optimism pill" every morning when you wake up. Since I do believe we create how we view our lives and events I thought this was great advice. You don't need a pill bottle....you just need to remind yourself to "think" about it. I feel better already.

So as the variety of song birds are arriving on the front deck to visit the bird feeder every day, I am going to fly in another direction and hopefully get everything set up for completion of our dream. Our wonderful neighbours, Donalda and Ralph will watch over the cabin and take care of Gord on the weekend. Stacy and Daniel will be here to be with Grandpa and make him laugh.

Take care everyone......

Love
Sheila

Interesting week..

Just a short hello and update.....Homecare from Sylvan Lake came in and assessed Gord AND the house. Good news is that the house is set up just fine for Gord's needs. (We are struggling a bit with complete independence in using the shower, and getting totally dressed - shoes and socks pose the biggest effort). It looks like we now are being referred to the Red Deer Hospital for ongoing outpatient therapy AFTER Gord is discharged from Halvor Jonson. It is necessary to get in line as they are pretty booked up apparently. We don't know when discharge will be as yet.

When I spoke to Gord's OT yesterday he said something that resonated with me and that is that Gord appears more capable than he really is at this point. I agree....he needs to be encouraged to stay at Halvar Jonson for as long as he can in this first critical year.

Also, yesterday Gord had his injections of Botox. Interesting process....he was very fearful of the shots and when he lay down, I just held his hand and he actually dozed off while Dr. Gray poked about 8 needles into his muscles. I have not checked today yet to see if it is working. If it does relax the toes he should be able to walk better. I am hoping that he won't have to have it done again in 3 months which is about how long it lasts.

I want to mention a beautiful thing that happened on the drive back yesterday. Gord reached over to me, touched my arm and said " I love you". He said it in such a sincere, innocent way it just broke my heart. He really is displaying the innocence of a child at times and I am so grateful he is gentle and kind. What a guy!!!

I am not sure when you will hear from me again between now and June 5th. I am going to reconnect with the scene of the accident and try to organize things to be able to take Gord back next Winter. I am apprehensive and excited at the same time. Wish me luck!

Lots of love to all,
Sheila

To Aunt Rosemarie: Happy belated birthday ! Sorry we missed the family dinner. We love you!!!!!

Star of the video is grandson Jack from Vancouver who it turning 2 years old June 6th saying "I love you Grandpa Gord" . Thank you Jack!

Snow in May - it must be..........

We have been having a lovely warm long weekend and until Sunday night all was well. We woke up Monday morning to about 3 inches of snow that gradually increased all day long. Needless to say, my flowers were completely covered and since I didn't wake up until about 7:15am they must have been shivering for a few hours. I dashed out on the deck in my housecoat, and hauled most of the planters in the house and the rest are out in the bbq shed. Hope they make it. Actually when the snow melted, the ones in the house looked quite refreshed. Another Artic front is passing by tonight planning to dump another 10 inches of the white stuff so the flowers may be visiting for a while.

Gord has been a good student this weekend. He really has a desire to get his speech straightened out and so we sit each morning having coffee in bed, overlooking the lake going over words and pictures. Patience is my lesson...patience..patience...patience.....

Trevor came home with us this weekend and he may be staying longer than he expected as the roads may be too messy for us to drive him back to Ponoka tomorrow morning. We will let the day present itself and then make decisions. He also made great progress this weekend which is good news. We are always looking for the positives in both Gord's and Trevor's recovery.

Well, I just wanted to check in and say hello and hope everyone had a pleasant weekend.

Lots of love
Sheila

We found a Labyrinth!

On the fateful day that Gord had his stroke, I was with Su and we were on our way to walk the labyrinth in Makawao, Maui. We were half way there when Ken called and said to come home as Gord was not doing well and that the ambulance was on its way. We rushed home and the rest is history.
Today, after finally finding the labyrinth right in our own facility after about a month I am embarrassed to say, Gord diligently took his wheelchair on the path.
As you can see from the pattern, it switches back and forth in a tight manner. He persisted until he reached the middle where I caught this photo. He was sitting so still and I think he was actually reflecting on something - not sure what - but that's not important. He did it. There is an article posted just outside the room that talks about the value for some people - stroke victims included. There was a man who started walking the maze with his 4 leg cane, then his one leg cane and then with no cane at all. Guess what our goal has just become!!!! It really is a very calming thing to do and of course I am so delighted to see places like this and the Foothills Hospital embrace a spiritual vehicle like this.
It is Thursday evening and I am getting all geared up for the long weekend. Gord is getting a little extension on the weekend as we are being interviewed on Wednesday by Home Care. The Center thought it was a good idea to just stay home after the long weekend and return on Thursday. It will be nice to have the time.
For all our friends around the lake, please drop in and say hello if you have time - we would love to see you.
Have a lovely weekend one and all!
Love
Sheila

5th Full Moon

Well we have now passed the 5th full moon since Gord's stroke. I cannot believe it has been 4 full months of day to day attention. It is amazing how that time just flies by and the only indicators I can really see are the number of times I have to attend to haircuts for us both and various other things like the jam jar magically becoming empty and cream for coffee needing to be picked up. I think I have been kind of like a robot over the past months. However, today I looked out the window to see green leaves sprouting on the trees and my heart just soared. Also the ice had receded on the lake overnight and I can now see open water. So beautiful!

I tried to send you all a video of Gord's walking yesterday but it would not upload for me. I will try a shorter one to send soon.

We are plodding along and with the greening of the fields it is making our travels back and forth much more pleasant.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday where Gord is working on therapy for his right arm and leg.

Talk soon,
Love to all
Sheila

5th Full Moon & Gord is walking!

I wanted to share this video with you all. I took it today May 11th. This is the beginning of the 5th month after the stroke and I think it is amazing to see Gord at this stage. I never could have imagined it. Seeing is believing as they say.

He is starting to ask questions now about when he had the stroke and how long he was at the different places. He now can tell people he had the stroke Jan 5th and left Maui on Jan 10th. We certainly will have one HUGE celebration on the beach in Maui in Jan 2010! Book your rooms early!

We are still working diligently on the speech aspect of Gord's recovery and I must say he is really trying hard to get those words out so they are understood.

Once again, I send a heartfelt wave of gratitude out to all of you who have stood by us both through this and sent your prayers our way. I do believe you have us both riding on the wings of angels. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Enjoy the video - hope this works....

Love
Sheila

In the Pool on Tuesdays!

Thought you might like to see how Gord gets into the pool these days and what activities he does.....he walks from side to side with help from Bev and when he needs to get across the pool she tows him. Pretty nice!

Gord seems to really enjoy being in the water and the resistance when he is walking helps other muscles join in (I think). AFTER my quick trip to Maui and IF I get any kind of a tan, I just MIGHT take my bathing suit up to the center and get in the pool with Gord. We'll see.....

Gord is checking in on the blog with Lee ( one of his therapists) so he will be reading messages from y'all so if you are motivated please send him a "hello".

I spoke to Dr. Gray today and have started the process of "when we get home" things and just casually asked him when Gord would be able to fly. He said "right now"...there is no reason to stop him. He is not on any drugs that would hurt him and sitting in a plane seat is no different than a wheelchair as long as he moves his legs a bit. Gord's eyes got so huge I thought they would pop out of his head! He had the biggest smile ever....so nice to see. Health insurance will be our biggest hurdle but I will figure something out. Our plan would be to return to Maui for the Winter. Watch for us!!!!!!

I love Thursday evenings! I am excited about the weekend and getting Gord home. On Fridays I go grocery shopping and hunt for things he may need and then arrive at the Center just in time to be with him in the physiotherapy at 2 - 3pm. I take him directly to the truck from physio, run the wheelchair back to his room, run back down the hall saying Good-Bye to everyone and to the truck and off we go!!!!

Stacy and Andrea are bringing their little boys up this weekend to be with Granpa and cook a nice Mother's Day dinner on Saturday eve and brunch on Sunday for us. I may just get to sit down for a few minutes...finally.

Well, Happy Mother's Day to all!

Much love
Sheila

Botox man

Here is how our weekend went....sunshine...ice....warm winds....and Maui attire. It felt good. The young man sitting with Gord is Darren, his son. The woman sitting with him is ME...and rarely do I let photos of myself hit the public's eyes! The room with the Maui quilt on the bed is where Gord's stays at the Halvor Jonson Center.

Today we had a consultation with Dr. Gray and the physiotherapist and it was concluded that Gord's right foot and leg will receive botox treatment. His toes are curling up due to some thing I totally do not understand but the botox will relax his muscles and hopefully keep his toes straightened out so he can walk more efficiently. We got a tiny bit of movement in his right arm and the team concurred that there seems to be some muscle tone building up.

We had a down evening on Sunday and today I am a bit saddened because Gord seemed to be losing his fighting spirit. I spent a few hours last night trying to convince him he is going to be okay and we really need to see that spirit come alive again. He was a bit happier today but I am wiped out.....hopefully I can find my fighting spirit again.

I am going to make a trip to Maui to sort out our life there and try to get a grip on what I need to do with our unit there. I will be there June 9-18th so if there are any willing and able bodies around Kihei to help me out while I am there please let me know. My email is sheilabosch@hotmail.com
I hear there are some folks from the canoe club that may be able to help me. I am not sure what I can get done but even helping me pick up toilets/vanities etc. from Home depot etc.
My son Geoff is there right now and is looking at getting the wiring done. We still need to drywall and plaster the ceilings etc. The kitchen cabinets are sitting waiting to be installed and the appliances are floating around somewhere between Sears and the boat that brought them over.

Be well everyone!
Love
Sheila