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