What a difference a month makes!

Feb. 17, 2010
Then: essentially she was lying in her hospital bed to be transported with some signs of awareness, but not much more.

March 17, 2010
Two friends stopped by after Andie and I had dinner together and were just about to settle into her room for some TV. We started out in Andie's room and moved to the dining area on her floor since her room mate was trying to sleep. We spent time discussing - and cracking jokes about lots of different things and Andie was a significant contributor to the conversation, mostly with us trying to figure out exactly what she meant but still she didn't give up on trying to make US understand. There several times that she'd get stuck on a word or name and look at me like I'm in her mind too and should interpret or translate in some way. Then look at me like I'm crazy cause I don't get it...

The company was a good thing for her since she didn't know they were coming ahead of time and couldn't think too much about how she looks and she spent the evening laughing instead of watching TV. She's able to hold a conversation if you're willing to give her time to form the words with her mouth that are inside her head. If you've been thinking about visiting - now's the time to go - evenings seem best since the therapies are done by then.

Tomorrow she's got an appointment with an ENT in Bethlehem to check out and hopefully take out the trach tube. Once that and the feeding tube are out it only a matter of a few days til she'll be on to her next phase : more therapies but at a different location - once she's established in the new place and new therapy schedule we'll arrange for visits to Friday's and other familiar places to bring back a sense of normalcy.

Wow - just last month a part of me never would have imagined or dared to hope that things would be going so well!