Bob's Spring Update - 2011

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Hi friends,
     Can you believe that it's been two years since "you know what shall remain nameless" happened? And it just goes to show you . . . life goes on. And so do we! Who knew that a stroke could be so physically disabling? And yet, Bob and I  feel blessed with each passing day and the time we have together. Somehow, we've adjusted to our new normal and we tell each other every night before we go to sleep, "life is good".
     Occasionally, folks will ask me, how do you do it? How do I do take care of Bob? Well, I love him. And when you really love, love knows no bounds and you just do what you have to do. And so we do just that. No big deal. And in some ways, I look at it as a gift to be blessed with helping Bob. Besides, I can't bear to think of the alternative. And every day, he lets me know that he loves me.
     There are a few things that we miss doing but we try not to think about them because it just doesn't do any good. It's much more fun to look for opportunities to enjoy what we can.  And so we do. Like sitting in the sun. Admiring the flowers as they come up. Taking small trips. Playing with Toddi. Hanging with our family. Seeing a good movie. Being together.

Happy Spring! Enjoy life!

Love,

Sharon, the love of Bob's Life (and vice versa)
  

A Year of Thanks!

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Dear Friends and Family,
Like so many of you, Bob and I are getting into the holiday season. We've started decorating the yard (can someone help me with lights?) and the house although the tree isn't up yet. Bob is happy that I'm home with him and I'm happy to hang out with him so that I not worrying about him as much. Every day is a miracle and I feel blessed that he's with me and we're adjusting to our new normal. Recovery will be a life-long process and I'm thankful every day for the little miracles that we see happening every day. He can blow kisses to me now (think about how many muscles and neurons that takes to sequence in your brain) and hand signal for me to come to him (full fingers or just the "come here" signal. He put a 300 piece puzzle together in an hour. Bob:

• Starts his day by walking downstairs (and upstairs) without my assistance
• Makes hot chocolate, pours a glass of juice, and gets the LA Times by himself so that I get to sleep in
• Reads the paper-sports section first (he says he's able to understand about 75-85% now-a HUGE improvement)
• Tells me my breakfasts and dinners are "delicious (but my lunches "need some work", to which I respond, "at least you get lunch")
• Stacks his dirty dirty dishes and helps me fold laundry
• Works so hard in his speech therapy. Last night he told me that "it's tough not to be able to talk". His speech therapists, Britney and Breeanne, are just wonderful with him. He actually has full-on conversations with them! I love the University of Redlands Truesdail Center! 
• Talks to me as best he can - and somehow, we have wonderful conversations. (Maybe it's a lifetime of speaking broken English with my mother.)
• Never complains or gripes about his situation - he just does what he needs to do and is so sweet and kind. 
• Still works at walking--although the cold weather is hard on him.
• Tries not to complain about my driving. I really have been working on improving, too.

Our fall has been taken up with speech therapy and exercising at the Drayson Center, but in October, we saw a number of friends, Roger, Sandra, Ann, Chris, Russ, Kathy and Hank, Bryan and Denis. In early November, we spent a week in Palm Desert visiting Bob's sister and brother (they're in the photos). We're so thankful for all of our family and friends who have made life oh so bearable over the past year. Thank you for loving us! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

Warmest regards,

Sharon - just Sharon . . . (The Love of Bob's Life)

Happy Fall!

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Bob and Sharon's Summer So Far!

Our First Out of State Trip!

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Dear Friends,
I know! It's been forever since I've updated the Bob blog so I have lots to tell. First, my retirement from 30 years in public education became official on July 2, whoo-hoo, and I've enjoyed every minute home. Bob and I are together now so that I don't worry as much.
     So what's happened since our last post? Well, here goes:

Living the Dream!

• Bob was discharged from 1 year and 3 months of therapy at Loma Linda and Shadi went home after spending the school year to work with Bob at home. He'll return for "tune-ups" but the name of the game now is home therapy. 
• Bob started his personalized workout circuit designed by PT Summer. We go to the LLUMC Drayson Center several times a week where Bob uses the recumbent bikes and machines to strengthen his leg and arm, walks laps in the pool (without his cane), and we walk the hills and dales of our neighborhood (when it isn't scorchingly hot). 
• Cathy, Bob's daughter, came home for Father's Day and we went to the Kimberly-Crest Mansion for brunch and a garden walk.
• We've started taking weekly field trips. So far, we've gone to the movies, to the Music Center to see South Pacific, San Clemente, Dos Lagos Mall, and San Manuel Casino to test Bob's gambling skills (after tutoring from ex-student Kirk and Terri Taco). Bob won $152 playing 21. Whew! It's quite a show with my three senior citizens in tow. HA!
• We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. The years have flown! 
• Last week, we flew to Oregon to visit the "out-laws". Our first "big trip" was a success--no mishaps. There, we hiked Lithia Park, went to The Lake of Woods resort where we "camped" and communed with nature and Terri Taco and Buck. Bob said the highlight was "driving the boat". 

Bob & Cathy - Happy Father's Day!



Happy Landing!

• 
  
• We recognize that Bob's recovery is our life's and we're grateful for every day. We celebrate every little miracle and I'm learning to live for the moment--in the now. I continue to be in awe of Bob and his commitment to recovery. I marvel at his patience, goodwill, positive attitude, and kindness in spite of his injuries. Walking requires major energy and effort and talking is still hard but somehow we communicate. I just love, love, love him!

Well, I think that's enough for today. I'll try to do better in keeping you posted of Bob's progress. Take care and keep those prayers and good thoughts coming our way. We need and appreciate them.

Love,
Sharon

Bob's Relay for Life!

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Support Bob in the Relay for Life!

Dear Friends and Family,  

     On Saturday, May 1, 2010, Bob and I are taking part in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life®, to celebrate the one-year milestone of Bob’s stroke recovery. We are also walking in honor of our brother in-law, Jeff Hinkley, a cancer survivor whose passion for life, unconditional love, and daily support has been a huge force in Bob’s recovery.

     We’re walking with Team ESS (my work team) and we’re hoping you will help us raise $1000 (or at least $500 each). Bob has been training at the Loma Linda Rehab Center and we plan to beat his personal best of 18 minutes. Whew!  We’d love to have you watch and cheer Bob on if you have time, but if you don’t, just donate money! Here’s the link to Bob’s personal donation page:   http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10CA?px=15524387&pg=personal&fr_id=20534

Every step is one more step towards Bob’s full recovery and we’re helping others as well. We’re so grateful for all of your love and support. Please visit Bob’s personal web page to make a secure, tax-deductible online donation. Every dollar matters! 

Thank you in advance for your donation and we will keep you updated on our progress. We love you!

Warmly,

Sharon and Bob

Bob and Sharon's Spring Break!

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Dear Friends and Family,
Boo-hoo! Spring break is over! Although we didn't go anywhere exotic, I took the week off and had a wonderful time just being with the Bob. I got to witness Bob's miraculous recovery in progress at Loma Linda Outpatient Rehab and my, oh, my, he and this angel therapists are truly something to watch in action. Here are Bob's latest miracles:

• Treadmill walking 17 minutes @ 2.3-2.5 mph
• Relearning how to do Sudoku (which he used to do everyday B.S.)
• Bench pressing his cane @ 2 sets of 20 with minimal assistance barely touching his right elbow)
• Shaking hands with everyone - lots of practice with activating his right arm and hand
• Missing only 4 on the Boston Naming Test (he had to name items with minimal cueing and Cynthia said that she was supposed to stop when he missed 6 but he never got past 4) and they were uncommon things. He was a man on fire in speech and Cynthia said he did "impressively very well". 
• Getting his weekly Friday massage from newest angel, massage therapist, Irene 

It was so beautiful so we got to have sun time at the park where we ate frozen yogurt and read his novel aloud together. I go back to work and will miss him but it's almost June! Retirement is scary - I can't imagine not going to work every day but I am so looking forward to focusing on Bob's recovery. 


That's it for now! Take care and much love,


Sharon   (Bob's biggest fan) 

Happy Easter, Bob, and Other Miracles!

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Dear Family and Friends,

Can you believe that we've been in the trenches for over eleven months? And we're still here! Whoo-hoo! We wish you the best this Easter!

We spent the day with family at Sonia and Jeff's just kicking back, eating a lot of food, and watching The Blind Side. The big excitement came when the 7.2 Mexicali earthquake shook the earth but we kept right on eating and saying, "We're having an earthquake."

Jeanie was our Bobwatcher while Shadi's in Korea with Bill. Although we LOVE Shadi's support, Bob is enjoying Jeanie's attention immensely. Jeanie is the quietest and calmest of the four sisters and Bob is a quiet man so it's a good combination. Besides, she's a super cook (like Shadi, who makes Bob "dang good" meals).  Jeanie is also a "Healing Touch" certified and gives him massages so life with Jeanie is pretty good.

Jeanie said that she's amazed at Bob's progress and determination in therapy. His miracles during her watch were: (1) flexing his hand back and up and (2) walking 10 minutes at 2.5 mph on the treadmill, singing "Margaritaville"! The Walk-Aide is jolting Bob to lift his knee, foot, and toes so that his gait will continue to improve. If only there was a similar device that could help him with his speech. We just work patiently at it and pray for lots of improvements every day.


Well, I'd better get to bed. Happy Easter, all!

Warmly,

Sharon

Happy Spring! Sharon & Bob Sing! And March Miracle #727!

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Dear Friends and Family,
Can you believe that it's the last weekend in March? Bob is enjoying March Madness and I'm trying to avoid working on taxes (which used to be Bob's job). I used to go garden and find projects while he worked on them and now I can't wait until he can help me with this tedious task.

Bob is getting stronger and more engaged every day. Shadi has him folding clothes, clearing the table, and picking up after himself. Next, he'll be unloading and loading the dishwasher and washing machine like he used to. I like it! I really like when Toddi wants to kiss him, and kiss him, and kiss him, and kiss him. He's getting better at saying, "No Toddi" but his voice is very soft so I don't think she takes him seriously. She loves her some Bob!

In the last blog, I told you that Shadi and Bill donated the very expensive computerized Walk Aide that sends electric stimuli to his leg muscles so that he picks up his knee and foot when he walks. Well, the Loma Linda business office went to bat for us and guess what? They got our insurance to pay for it after all! YEAH! Miracle after miracle happens! So I asked Bill and Shadi if they'd like to donate to my retirement wardrobe foundation and they said NOT! By the way, Bill arrived from Brazil a few days ago and will take Shadi back to Korea with him for a few weeks, but she'll return in mid-April ! My middle sister, Jeanie, will "Bobwatch" next week and I'll take my spring break the following week, and then Shadi will be back (or Bob and I will be heading to Korea after her. HA!) Time is flying.

Well, I'd better get back on task. Take care, dear friends. Thanks for keeping us in prayer. Pray for Bob's full recovery and especially for the return of his speech and language! He needs practice so please call him or visit!

Much love,

Sharon

See Bob Walk! See Bob Be Extraordinary!

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Dear Friends,
I wanted you to see the extraordinary progress Bob has made over the last few months. Bob's angels, Lisa, Rachelle, Cynthia, and Shadi help his neurons click, fire, and find new pathways every day, and because of them and Bob's commitment to recover, he's made big gains over the year. Click on the smilebox to start and wait for it to load. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We need EVERY single one of them. Take care!

Warmly,

Sharon

The January - March Miracles of Bob and Sharon

Dear Friends and Family,

January and February weren't total busts and Bob is quickly on the rebound. Let's recount Bob's  miracles:

1. In January, Cathy and Josh came home. Bob really enjoyed visiting with Cath and I loved Josh taking care of me and the house while I stayed at the hospital.
2. Bob was so ON during his admission to the hospital. He answered all of the doctors questions himself. I was in awe of his alertness and his passion to make sure he understood and they understood him. It was amazing to watch him engage again. He followed their directions and seemed to be able to do all of the neuro tests. As challenging as it was, he communicated with the hospital staff. Whoo-hoo!
3. Bob seemed to regress (speech, language, motor) but thank goodness, it was short-lived!
4. Bob is back to his daily exercise routine of walking and range of motion (which he does not love, let me assure you but is a way of life).
5. Bob is reading a novel with Shadi (she reads aloud everyday) but guess what? Now they are doing paired reading and he reads a page aloud to her and then she reads a few pages. It's wonderful to see and he's pretty proud of himself (although he said "I'm still not conversational." Pretty good, huh? His speech therapist, Cynthia, continues to be amazed by his progress.
6. Bob will be fitted with his Walk-aide tomorrow (an computerized electronic device that sends electrical impulses  to his leg and foot so that he will walk without drop foot). Our insurance denied this device saying that it is too "experimental" although it's what the Olympic and professional athletes use for rehab. So we say a special thank you to the Shadi and Bill Letson Foundation for donating this lovely tool to Bob.
7. Bob is walking on the treadmill at therapy. His new, wonderful PT, Lisa Z., puts him in special  harness hooked to the ceiling, and he walks at 3 mph for three minute intervals. Pretty amazing.
8. Bob attended Gaby C.s (one of his doctoral student's) dissertation defense in March. Bob was so happy to see his friends Mary T. (in the photo) and Dr. Tom Harvey. We scripted a few questions and Bob practiced and practiced and practiced and asked questions. We were so proud and when I asked him how he felt, he told us, and I quote, "I was hot!" And he was, too!
9. Bob is able to go up and down the stairs pretty efficiently now, but when Shadi first arrived, I asked him to stay upstairs until she got up (because he was still on that medication that made him wibbly-wobbly). One morning, she yelled to me as I was heading out the door to work and when I got to her room, Bob was in her bed (with his shoes on) and he had told her that he would wait there with her until she got up to go downstairs. So that's the photo you see. It's not me.
10. Bob is graciously dealing with the reality that his recovery will be, in his words, "a long time coming and therapy is laborious". He has good days, great days, and hard days but he handles them with grace. He wants two things desperately: to be able to speak fluently again and to be able to drive. So we are working on speech and language - Shadi makes all of us insist that he must speak and that he must do so in complete sentences.
Well, enough for now. I'll try to stay more current. Thank you to all of you for your continued prayers, cards, and words of encouragement. They mean a lot to us!

From the depths of our hearts, we remain yours,
Sharon

We're Back!

Dear Friends,

So sorry that I haven’t written since Bob’s surgery but January and February were very difficult months for us. As y’all know, Bob’s surgery went well and he seemed to be recovering without hitch when  he had a localized seizure. The ER docs put Bob on an anti-convulsant which had the side effect of depressing his brain’s cognitive, language, and motor functionality. So for the past month, Bob had extreme difficulty generating any kind of responses outside of “yes or no”, he couldn’t get out of the “thick fog” the meds put around his brain, and he wasn’t able to generate phrases or sentences. His spirit was so sad and he was terribly depressed (another side effect). Everyday, he would shake his head, as if he was trying to clear it, and ask me, “What’s wrong with me?” All of this ALMOST sent me over the edge and I, too, was sad and frantic.

But we have good news! The angels do look after us. After a few phone Skype conversations, my twin hopped on the next jet out of Seoul (yes, Korea) and moved back into our lives and my, oh, my, changes have occurred! We’re doing much better now.

First, Shadi insisted that we take Bob to Dr. B. (his original stroke/rehab doc) and Dr. B seemed to think that Bob’s seizure was the result of medications (anesthesia) and not the stroke or surgery. So, the good news is that Bob is now OFF the anti-convulsant  and WHOO-HOO! My old Bob is back! He’s talking more and generating sentences and phrases again AND we’re having little conversations again. (He even called me a “pain in the b--- “ the other night.)

Shadi will live with us until June 30 when I’ll have finished my 30 years in public education and will be able to focus my life on Bob. (THANK YOU, Dr. Bill Letson for sharing your wife and Shadi for sharing your life! We love you and owe you! There’s nothing like family!) I'm not sure that I know how to retire fully so our hope is that I will be able to work part-time to cover insurance and yet spend most of my time helping Bob fully recover. We may be asking for a little help from our friends. HA! 

Bob is on a tight schedule of OT, PT, and speech at rehab and home and he’s showing incremental improvements especially in PT and OT daily. Speech is still a challenge but he amazes us every day!. Lisa, his PT, has Bob on a treadmill (yes, treadmill) and Rachelle is working hard to activate his arm. One of his daily exercises is to put his arm around me daily. I like that!

More later. Much love to all!

Warmly,

Sharon

The Bob Speaks! Yes, He Does!

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Dear Friends and Family,
Click on the play button, turn on your speakers, and hear Bob's voice. 

  Bob continues to make tremendous progress over time - - just what we want to hear! He truly is my hero because of his never ending efforts to recover, and believe me, it is hard, hard work. Who knew that  a stroke could be so devastating to one's body but never to his spirit. Although Bob struggles to walk, talk, and move his body, he never complains or even hints at giving up. And he is still kind, sweet, and appreciative. That we could all be so brave.

  We wanted to SAY thank all of you for your continuous prayers and words of encouragement.  It means so much to know that you still hold a special place in your hearts for us . . . and believe me, we need ALL of your positive thoughts. So, please keep them coming.

  And now, a special thanks to Bob's "A-TEAM" for helping Bob reactivate his brain, believing that Bob could improve, inspiring hope in us, and for helping our hearts through this very difficult time. We love you Therapists Summer, Rachelle, Cynthia, Rick, et.al.

  And then to Bob's Incredible Cadre of Caregivers: Shadi, Bill, Josh, Terri Taco, Jeanie, Robin, Sonia, Jeff, Sandy & Frank, Mom & Dad:  We can't say thank you enough for giving up your time and changing your lives to help me and Bob. Folks don't know that you've literally given up days/weeks/months of your lives to help us so that I'm able to return to work. Because of all of you, Bob and I have been able to resume a new normal to our lives. Caregiving is very demanding including helping Bob dress, fixing his (and my meals), doing our laundry, walking/exercising/massaging him, reading aloud, practicing speech activities, driving him to/from therapy and then being his personal cheerleader through his treatments. And you do all this without expecting a thing from us. So know that we say thank you, thank you, we love you and we appreciate you!

Happy New Year!

With our deepest thanks,

Sharon & Bob  

Bob Hates Sharon's Driving! WAHHHH! And a New Miracle!

Hi there,

Okay, so we all know that Bob does NOT like my driving and that he used to say that he drove better than me under ANY condition.  Well, now that he can't drive,he's dependent on me (poor guy) and his dislike of my driving is VERY open. Now, I don't think it's THAT bad but Bob REALLY hates it to the point that he manifests his feelings by gripping the upholstery, sputtering at me, and gives me directions (YES, YES, NO, NO). 

OMG, it was getting on my one good nerve and really hurt my feelings so for a while I told him to close his eyes or cover his face with his pillow or jacket and plug his ear. He resorted to burying his head in his pillow or pulling a bag (what bag, any bag) over his head but that just doesn't look good when we're tooling down the freeway. So, yesterday, I gave him my sleeping mask, and by george, I think we're on to something. I kid you not, he put the mask on on IMMEDIATELY when he got into the car with me to and from Nancy's for New Year's Dinner (and he didn't care if it was on right either). Then, he quietly white knuckles it where ever we go and yes, no sputtering at me. It's not beautiful but it does save our relationship and we get where we need to be.   

Here's Bob's newest miracle: He can do math! When Bob was in the hospital, Michele Douglas gave Bob a math game with all of the operations. Well, he couldn't do them then or even last month when I'd try. On New Year's Eve, I brought the cards and asked Bob if he wanted to try. So I put the first problem up (a multi-operation word problem) and he solved it mentally AND gave the correct answer. So, we tried 12 more! OMG-he read them aloud, then did them mentally and selected the correct answer (and I needed paper and pencil to do them). It was the best! Thanks, Michele. We're doing about 10 per day, now. Keep those prayers for a million small miracle coming!


Happy New Year, Y'all!

Warmly,

Sharon

Merry Christmas, Bob!

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Dear Friends, When you click on the "play" link, wait a few minutes for it to start up. Be sure your speakers are on AND if you hold your cursor over each photo, you'll be able to click to enlarge. Thank you for loving us . . . We LOVE YOU!

December 25, 2009

Dearest Bob,

Thank you for sharing 26 wonderful Christmases with me. Each one has been special because we've been together but this one is extra special because you've worked SO hard to be here. Thank you, thank you, thank you for hanging in and persisting in your recovery. If I were the real queen of the world, you would be fully recovered from your stroke. You would be walking and talking and using your arm and hand with such automaticity. But, since I'm only a queen in training (much to my disappointment), your recovery is slower than instant but faster than never. AND . . . you ARE getting stronger and better every day! Let me tell you a few of the changes we've noticed in the past month:

1. You're reading short paragraphs with greater accuracy
2. You smile with ease and laugh generously
3. You're understanding so much, much, more
4. You're walking longer distances (3 laps around our cul-de-sac) and with smoother form (still with your cane)
5. Your right shoulder and arm are getting stronger. Oh yes, Bob, the pathways are slowing filling in. You're able to raise your right arm without assistance enough for me to spray on deodorant
6. You sit with your right leg crossed over your left now--I like seeing that.
7. You're able to help me fold the clothes (you do the small pieces, I do the large ones).
8. You're able to follow multi-step directions with greater accuracy. You go, apraxia override!
9. Expressive language is still your biggest challenge. It must be so hard to understand and not be able to tell what you are thinking freely. We continue to work and pray for big miracles. You recognize voices on the phone and say names with greater accuracy. You're beginning to recognize and say numbers. You are recognizing and recalling objects with greater accuracy. You are learning to generate sentences given two words. Whoo-hoo!
10. You call my name with 100% accuracy! No more Olivia Newton John for me

Bob, while some might think of these tasks as small, we know that they are major accomplishments for you! EVERYTHING you do requires concentration, planning, and sequencing and while my heart hurts for your body and for you, I am so proud of you, Bob for NEVER EVER giving up or whining or complaining, no matter how difficult or challenging the task. I also appreciate that you do these things for me as much as for you, and I am so very grateful for your sweet spirit and gentle heart.

Well, Bob, I thought and thought about the perfect Christmas gift for you but as we both know, Christmas really isn't about things and it isn't like you need things. (Although I love and needed my panini press-thank you very much!) So, please accept my five gifts of Christmas to you and know they are from my heart:

• My first gift of Christmas: My heart and love forever and ever!
• My second gift of Christmas: A lifetime of laughs and joy and love and places to see (like Yosemite, Cincinnati, Nova Scotia, Minnesota, Ashland, Connecticutt, Chicago, Boston, and maybe Italy . . . to name a few.)
• My third gift of Christmas: My arms and legs to support yours while you get stronger
• My fourth gift of Christmas: A kick in the butt when you need one
• My last gift of Christmas: 1 massage a week to soothe your aching body. (Oh yeah!)

Lastly, Bob, let's be sure to say thank you to all of our family and dear friends who support and encourage us and continue to pray for your recovery.

Merry Christmas, Robert! I love you! Your Best Friend in the Whole World,

Sharon xoxoxoxoxoxox

Happy Thanksgiving, Bob!

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Dear Friends and Family, We have much to be thankful for this year . . . Bob's improving health, our family and friends never-ending love and support, Bob's continuous recovery, Shadi and Bill's generous gift of time and teaching the Bob, the angels of Loma Linda (Summer, Rachelle, and Cynthia, jobs, good health benefits, oh, the list goes on and on! Bob's progress continues - slowly but surely.

We thank God EVERY DAY for the wondrous miracles we continue to experience. Keep us in your hearts and prayers! Much love, Sharon

Bob & Sharon are Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

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Shadoan and Bob took us to see "Mary Poppins" at the Ahmanson theatre on Thanksgiving Eve. It was a wondrous evening of music, good food, and good company! And, oh my, we were ready for an evening of fun! Press play and see our evening of miracles!

Love, Shadi

Happy Halloween, Bob!

Dear Family and Friends,

Shadi and I loaded the Bob and Toddi into the car and headed over to Sonia's and Jeff's for our annual Halloween fun. We don't get many kids in our neighborhood but Sonia gets carloads because her street goes all out for Halloween. All of the neighbors decorate their homes and then set out chimineas and chairs and give out candy. Bob was a little worried about sitting outside when he saw all of the children but as soon as he saw Jeff, he felt lots better. Anyway, we had fun and wanted to share our pics with you! Happy Halloween, all!

Warmly,

Sharon

The Bob is "Talk of the Town" (LLUMC Rehab) (video below)

Dear Friends and Family,
It's hard to believe that the Bob is in his 6th month of stroke recovery and although progress has been slow, it's also been steady and sure. Our first prayers were that God would grant him lots of little miracles that would add up to BIG miracles. Our biggest miracle was getting Shadi to move in with us and work with Bob all day long while I'm at work because that has made a huge impact on his getting extra intensive work.

Bob is the talk of the rehab center because his improvements are so dramatic! We see lots of stroke patients in rehab and it seems that we haven't seen anyone yet who's stroke is as devastating as Bob's is where the language, speech, legs and arms/hands are all so severely affected. Believe me, we look because we want to talk to others about recovery. Tom and Bonnie are the only others we know personally who have come back from deep brain injury, thank God. Anyway, the Bob's rehab "A-TEAM" (physical therapist Summer, occup. therapist Rachelle, and speech therapist Cynthia) are so encouraged and inspired by his progress because what they're seeing are consistent daily improvements and much faster than they anticipated. They are moved by the Bob's resilient spirit and his commitment to recovery and my oh my, they work hard and reset his goals because the man is having breakthroughs. Bob will be a guest at medical center's PT program.

Here are some of Bob's big changes. He:

• walks with a cane at home and in the community and is improving his form. He's starting to stand taller and look around and smile as he walks (we have to remind him but it's getting better)
• is strengthening his right leg and glut muscles
• is able to walk up and down the stairs (to and from our bedroom)
• is able to shower with only a little assistance over the step up in our upstairs bathroom (thank you for making that bathroom accessible, Jeff). He's independent downstairs, though.
• pushed a chair loaded with phone books back and forth the neuro-gym floor in therapy
• is able to lift and curl his toes 60 degrees on command (especially necessary to walk upstairs). In therapy, he is learning to walk in Tevas and flip flops. Yes, I said flip flops.
• is able to lift his right leg to put his pant leg on his right pant leg. This means that he doesn't have to roll on his back as often and lift his leg to dress now. Whoo-hoo!
• is learning to activate his shin muscles. Summer made him ride a stationary bike without taping his leg to the stirrup. He rode for 20 minutes . . . and got a shin splint. Ouch.
• is learning to activate his right bicep and tricep. He is learning to push his arm forward and back without assistance.
• is learning to lift his hand at the wrist about 15 degrees. OMG! His hand and arm are slowing but surely coming back!
• is slowly but surely combatting his apraxia. He's better able to follow multiple step directions with consistency and accuracy.
• is getting much better at retrieving words. His newest fill in phrase is "I don't know" and "okay" which we're trying to expunge and replace with other descriptors.
• has convinced his speech therapist (Cynthia) that he WILL improve by his consistent committment to learn and she's so excited by his improvements and is pulling out all stops to advance his recovery! Anyway, he's doing so much better at confrontational cueing (naming objects on demand which he couldn't do with better than 20-30% accuracy a few months ago.) Now, when she shows him pictures, he actually gives the latin or species name (for example, she shows him a picture of a monkey, and he responded, Madagascar macaqur or I asked him what a plant was (jimson weed/loco weed) and he said "datura mendotoildes?"). His therapist laughs and tells him, "Bob, I'm just a speech therapist, bring it down".
• is using strategies that Shadi and Cynthia have been teaching to "work or go around" when he can't find a word.
• is speaking more complete sentences. He's getting better at stringing the subject and verb and he tries with all of his might to hand on to the object of his sentences. We've learned that background noise and side conversations are very distracting so we don't frequent noisy places (restaurants). You have to be very patient and just wait and he'll try to talk. Jeff and Sonz are delighted because he's just started talking with them (beyond saying, "yes".
• told me the other night, "I am tired but I don't think I can make it up the stairs tonight". I almost fell off my chair with that compound sentence. Today, Josh called him and he had a full on conversation with Josh about the book Josh is writing. It was a slow and belabored conversation but OMG, it was a two-way conversation and I almost cried with joy.
• called Terry Taco (the Oregon out-law) to sing "Fight On, USC" today. Okay, the Trojans aren't doing so well right now. (Bob's watching the game.)

Bob turned 67 in September. This stroke has aged us both but hasn't dampened our committment to each other nor are we ready to give in the towel. I thank God every day for allowing Bob to be part of my life. He truly inspires me to be a better person and to be thankful for each day. I thank God for Shadi because her work with Bob is making hugh differences in his recovery. There is no way that what insurance covers would have been enough for Bob due to the severity of his stroke, but we're grateful for what we get and we're blessed to have a wonderful family. We know that his recovery will be slow but it's happening.

Please continue your prayers for Bob, for us. We need them! And please send cards (they've slowly trickled down to a few) or emails. He loves hearing from you and yes, he reads them. I read emails to him every night (although I don't respond) and I wish you could see the look of joy and peace on his face knowing that you keep him in your hearts. So, if you want to send him emails, send them to me at: scorkrum @gmail.com.

I'm back at work again and it's hard to be away from Bob all day but I know he's in good hands with Shadi, or Terri Taco or Rick (Gigi's husband) so I'm able to do my job. Well, it's time to say good night for now. Take care and let us hear from you, soon.

Warmly,

Sharon

Bob Goes to DBHS Homecoming!

Dear Friends and Fans, (ha!)

As you can see by the pictures, the "Top Brahma" went home for DBHS Homecoming Game. We can't thank Denis Paul (the current Lead Brahma), Susan, and Jon for making it possible for Bob to see his beloved Brahmas up close and personal. What grand treatment he received! We were so moved by Denis's thoughtfulness. Denis had the signboard in front of the school announcing Bob's return and Jon arranged for the cart to drive the Bob down to the field. (Thank goodness, too! I needed the cart more than Bob.) They stopped in front of the stands and announced his return to the crowds of millions and Bob "doffed" his gift cap just like old times! It was wonderful to see old friends who stopped by the end zone to say hi to Bob. It was wonderful! Terri Taco and I couldn't were so moved by the warm welcome given to Bob. He loved watching the game and stayed up, even though it was late. Wow! He was pretty awesome, if I say so myself! Bob and Terry told me that the only bad part was my driving to the game (AND we got caught in traffic). Hmmm! Well, signing off for now!

Much love to all,

Sharon