Two Months and Three Days!

Dearest Bob,
Can you believe that two months and three days have passed since you had your stroke and that you’ve been home three, count them, three weeks. Although the time seems to have flown by, it also feels like the longest two months of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever lived through anything harder. I suppose that God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle but jeez, Louise, I sure would like an easier task.
Bob, I’m so grateful and thank God daily that you’re still here with me. I know that each hour of each day is a challenge for you – your body doesn’t allow you to move easily and each movement is exhausting, but the good news is, you are improving. Each night I pray that the new day will bring more small miracles for you and that those miracles will build into really big miracles. I pray that God will give us strength and courage to overcome these obstacles and that our faith and hope remain unwavering. I’m so proud of your perseverance and commitment to hard work and recovery. Thank you for comforting me and reminding me on Tuesday that I have to “Stay strong”. I know that took all of your energy to find those few words and I promise that I will remain positive and hopeful because we’re a team and we have to keep each other lifted up. Team Corkrum can never, ever, ever give up.
Here’s a recap of the past week for you:
1) You visited with Pete and Judy and you spoke on the phone with your sister, brother, daughter, and friends at ETS for the first time: Carrie, Kristen, and Audrey. They were wonderfully patient and sharing and you were so happy to hear them and about work.
2) On Saturday, we went to little Chad’s 14th birthday party at Mimi’s on Saturday and you ordered your favorite breakfast dish, pain perdu, by yourself.
3) On Sunday, we decided to try for a real adventure and we went to Victoria Gardens with Sonia and Jeff and saw the movie, Up, which I cried through because I was sad for the old man who didn’t talk and who loved his wife so much. Later, you “told” me that you like the movies you've seen in this order: 1st: Star Trek, 2nd: Up, and 3rd Angels and Demons.
4) You started your official outpatient treatments this week. Your physical therapist and occupational therapist are fabulous and they noted that you’ve improved tremendously since your intake evaluations last week.
5) You walked! Yesterday you walked with a walker from the gym to your speech class and you transferred yourself to a chair from the walker.
6) Today, you walked 500’ with a walker. You listened to everything Dr. S. told you to do (bend your knee, stand up tallllllllllll, long step, don’t lock that knee) and you walked!
7) You are learning how to pivot with a walker.
8) You moved your right wrist for the first time! Yes! You lifted your right hand almost 45 degrees from the wrist. Dr. S. says that she expects recovery of your right hand including your fingers so that you will be able to put on your own right sock and shoe independently.
9) You started standing without my supporting/holding you - just using my hands to cue and spot you. That’s huge! And with that accomplishment of standing balanced, you’ve started pulling your pants up without hanging on to the grab bar.
10) You're getting much more efficient at showering in your new roll-in shower (by Hinkley and Associates, thank you, Jeff!)
11) You've been working out in your new gym (thank you Jeff for replicating the rehab center's gym) and making each of the tools/equipment on request.
12) Last night, we had smoothies and people watched at the Citrus Plaza outdoor food court.

Bob, speech/language is still challenging for you. You labor to get out the few words that you can and I can see how exhausting it is for you. I miss our conversations. I miss hearing you say, “Hey, babe” or “Hi kid!” when I walk into the room. Or just, that low, slow, “Sharrrrrrrron” when I’m being a pill and you’re signaling me to simmer down. But, Bob, I’m glad that you can say more than “Lorp” and I firmly believe that you will speak more easily again. Anyway, thank you so much for trying and here are a few of your words this week:
1) You were so proud to find the ETS homepage in your occupational therapy class and you tried to talk and told the therapist that you “make test questions”.
2) You told me that “you light up my life” and you asked me to “help you learn to focus so that you could find the words”.
3) In one of our midnight bathroom runs, you told me, “Go, man, go!” and then you laughed, which made me laugh, too.
4) You told Dr. S that you “have pain in your right shoulder” and you showed her where it was. She was thrilled that you talked with her!

Bob, I love you and I want you to know that you’re my hero! You’re such a fighter and I’m so proud to be your wife.