September 8, 2007

• Saturday, September 8

  Nothing could have said it any better than the words of my friends Kathy Cox and Karen Thompson with the Wal-Mart Foundation:  “We are praying for four steps forward so the steps backwards are not so challenging”.  She has definitely taken four steps forward.  First of all, Hillary moved from yesterday’s “less critical” wing in the trauma unit to her very own private room.  A definite sign of improved health and GREAT for us because two can stay in her room 24 hours around the clock.  Second step forward –swelling in her head is coming down substantially. She looks more like our beautiful Hillary….sans hair.  Third step forward– she is moving even more to pain and seems to be reacting appropriately.  Once we saw her make a fist when they ran the tube down her throat.  Additionally (and fourth), she seems to be responding well to the clinical trial for her pneumonia. God bless Johnson and Johnson/ Ortho-McNeil!!!  For our brilliant medical friends here is a link to the trial

    http://www.ortho-mcneil.com/ortho-mcneil/060607_press_release.html

  And the step backwards really DID seem less significant during the two BP Crisis as they called it which came in the night.  They have postponed the surgery again to put the plates in her elbow…but once again….we are delighted about that.

  My friend Brenda Davis spoke of the surreal experience this is, having gone through a very similar experience with her sister when we were all teens.  Another friend stated how serendipitous some moments are.  Yesterday was the perfect example of serendipity.  We reconnected with our wonderful friends Bob and Martha Nemer who have been at our sides “taking pieces of this for us” as Bob requested.  And Patricia Williams (my idol of domestic goddessness and nurturing) arrived as well as Kerry Dallam, the one who says constantly “its just as easy for me to bring it to you…I’m on my way!”  We sat outside in the great outdoors and told old stories, shared dreams and literally laughed two hours away.  (Later that afternoon we snuck away with Bob and Martha and had much needed cocktails at a sports bar and once again discovered, no time has passed between us whenever we get together.)

  Finally, with visiting hours over, Hillary and I went to bed to the best caregiver/DJ in the world, Drew.  Her wonderful guardian nurse rolled in his computer monitor which guides him and others to the best possible navigation system for her optimum health. And after hearing of Hillary’s great love for all types of music…..especially R&B and Country….Drew fired up some PERFECT R&B on that sophisticated monitoring system and he guided us to sleep with that and his watchful eye on her monitors.  He will be back tonight and we can hardly wait!!!!!

  Thank you, thank you for every one of your prayers

  Shawn

  • 1:58 pm
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