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NOTE: I asked this on Facebook, and I pose it here too…Is it safe to put this shovel away? Dear Hopers,
I have been liberated from the clutches of grading for about a week now, and I still feel tentative about that newfound freedom. It’s sorta like getting out of the car after driving for hours, stepping out of the vehicle, and still feeling in motion. Yeah, like that.
As Minnesotans, we’ve all survived a long, hard winter, and this warm weather makes the heart glad. Come what May, June holds golden promises for all of us.
I haven’t written since March; the many hats I wear had me occupied. Finally, I’ve had time to take walks in the neighborhood with Bridget, a new BFF, to do a wicked quick road trip with another new BFF, Dee, to Rochester, to get close to 6-8 hours of sleep several nights in a row, and to catch up on my superhero flicks, especially Black Panther.
I feel kind of human! I feel kind of good. I feel like I can focus on driving the Bus of Hope through the summer: the itinerary includes therapy, summer school, therapeutic recreation, strengthening bonds with friends and family, and a long-overdue bathroom remodel. I will bring Rachel to the library, Lake Harriet, and the latest kids flicks. I hope to take in a few baseball games with Andrew Colestock, a lifelong friend to Rachel, swinging the bat and fielding that ball.
I am a part of a team of family and friends assisting my mother, who is undergoing double knee surgery on June 14, 2018 at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. Just this past Monday, Chris, Mom, Jan Olson (family friend), and I attended a personal group meeting where we were able to ask questions and hear about the procedure and recovery. She’ll be staying at a care facility for 7-10 days after surgery. While she cannot drive for 6 weeks, she will be able to function pretty well upon discharge, if all goes smoothly.
I suppose if I were turning 74 three days after the procedure, I would want new knees too? Perhaps she’s going dance again, giving us some jazz hands as she strikes a pose? As her daughter, that is NOT hard to imagine.
Sara Frailich, being of sound mind and body, has begun a Google document that allows for us to schedule our care for and check on Kathy. Email me if you are wondering how to help Mom as she acclimates to new motion!
When I wrote last, she had just met with the speech team at Gillette to formulate the frequency of therapy this summer. Since then, Rachel met with OT and PT too. Her goals and therapy (also known as ‘episode of care,’ in Gillette lingo) are set.
She continues to excel in the language, recall, and context department. And like someone you know, curiosity and questions are at the fore: If Jim is channel surfing and pauses on a film, Rachel will ask, “What movie is this?” Jim answers accurately with a simple synopsis.
If I get off the phone with someone, she’ll ask, “What you talking about?”
If I am in the kitchen while she is in the living room, she will ask, “What you doing, Mom?”
She now asks for meanings. Tonight, we grilled shish kabob, and she asked, “What that mean, shish kabob?”
Here is the latest email from her speech therapist, aptly named Rachel too:
“Hi Melissa,
Rachel did so well in speech today. She has a stuffy nose from allergies or a cold, but that didn’t stop her from working hard for me. I had a few video clips and she had to talk about what was happening during each clip (while paused). One of them showed a girl picking out clothes from her wardrobe, and when I asked, “what is she wearing?” Rachel responded, “she is wearing a ___ ” (hat, jeans, t-shirt, etc.) With only 1 prompt. Rachel got a kick out of it because the girl kept throwing her clothing items on the floor, and so we had several sentences with “she is throwing her jacket on the floor!” (or shoes, jeans, t-shirt, etc.) with 1 prompt. This was super motivating for her :)”
We are looking forward to how far she can go this summer. She has been using her gait trainer in school (during the day) on a fairly regular basis. I showed one of the physical therapists, Julie, a video of Rachel’s latest attempt at gait training, which was strong, and she said that they would try to capitalize on this during the summer.
Last summer, our goals were to get Rachel competent on the power wheelchair. She mastered quite a bit, but it was only solidified this year as our school district has a loaner power chair for her to use and continue her progress. She has gotten so good, the team at Gillette started the paperwork process for her to get her own. If it goes well, perhaps she could have it by fall.
Of course, no one wants to give up on independent walking! And that’s what I hope to see more of this summer. I keep inspiring her to walk on her own, listing all the reasons why on a daily basis.
Sometimes Rachel and I talk about fears and being llama brave. In fact, I have heard many actors speak about roles that inspired the most fear in them wind up being the best roles of all. I can relate, for a couple of months ago, I auditioned for (and blogged about) TEDxTalk Edina.
While I didn’t advance to the final round, I’m mighty proud of myself for trying!
Speaking of brave, I enjoyed a Drag Queen brunch on the rooftop of the Union Bar and grill recently. It was a delightful experience, and I blog about it here. Those queens are some of the bravest of us all.
I hope to be not only brave but diligent in returning to the writing desk this summer. When school is in session for me, I find it difficult to justify writing of my own.
Jim remains at Stratasys, a company that makes 3D printers here in Eden Prairie. Right now, he’s on vacation, which allows him to start on a (long overdue) bathroom remodel.
It’s time for this bus driver to wrap up the log entry and hit the hay.
I hope you are brave, strong, and accomplishing great things, just like we are on the BOH.
Love,
Melissa