Happy 80th Birthday!

The last time I posted here my mother had had a serious stroke and was admitted to hospital. 

 I'm happy to say she was discharged to her home last Saturday.  We spent a few extra days visiting and making sure she was settling in okay,drinking adequate fluids and eating.

She is currently on a pureed diet and on gel like water flavoured with honey and lemon.
She likes the flavoured water much better than the plain old thickened water they had at the hospital.

On August 31st we were able to celebrate her 80th birthday. It was a real joy to see her be able to mark the occasion and in her own residence.

We usually have a dinner and cake and a few family members gather with her to celebrate.  We planned to do the same this year but had to forego that idea for now because mom cannot eat a normal meal. In fact, we were not even sure she would make it to her birthday.  We are pleased with her progress and have promised we will have a proper dinner and cake when she is stronger and able to eat regular food. For now we had the very small cake with candles so we could sing "Happy Birthday" and take photos.

When I arrived at the care home I was so surprised to find mom dressed, sitting in her wheelchair and driving herself.  She had also had her hair done by the in house hair dresser.  Last Sunday evening when I left her she was lying in bed and we didn't know if she would be able to drive or feed herself. She is now doing all of the above.

Mom is not yet able to speak clearly on a regular basis.  She does put several words together into short sentences and can often do so in two different languages. She can also say some things very clearly at times.  I was surprised she could do this at all because it is her left brain that has been affected.  The left side of the brain deals with thinking and speaking (language).  She does have days when she is tired and cannot communicate very well and evenings seem more difficult in general. But she also has other days where she is almost her old self.  In fact, my very first day with her in hospital she was alert, talkative, funny and cracking jokes. I was simply amazed.

Several close family members made the  32 hour round trip to visit with her while she was in hospital.  She was very happy and I'm sure it aided in her recovery.  She really loves to see all her relatives at any time but most cannot visit very often.  The journey is so long and expensive and there is no way to fly directly from where they live to where mom lives so a road trip is the primary way to visit. 

My brother was at the hospital the entire time mom was admitted and making sure to advocate for her since she could not speak for herself.  By the time I joined him, he needed a bit of rest.  We both stayed until mom made the transition back to her residence but I took over the visiting and dealing with hospital and residence staff while he did his thing,  relaxed and updated people.  We are both very pleased with her progress so far and will be checking in on her again soon.

Your kind comments, prayers and wishes of support for my mother and I are very much appreciated.

All your words and well wishes meant a lot.

Sadly, just as my mother was getting better, the mother of a very dear friend in Kenya is going through the same thing with his mother.

His mother's name is Eunice.  She is in serious condition in hospital several hours away from her home. 

I humbly ask for prayers for Eunice and her family members all of whom have gone through an awful lot this past year.

Many blessings to all of you.