Two weeks awake

I am sharing a photo I never thought I would share because i did not want anyone to ever see my Dad in such a vulnerable position. When this picture was taken, my Dad had suffered an extremely lethal hemorrhagic stroke only hours before. He was in very critical condition and was given a 50% chance of survival. His brain stem and ventricles were enlarged and soaked in irritating blood. The neurologist said to us on this morning, "I have seen really bad bleeds before, and this one is very serious. It is highly likely that he will never wake up." I can never describe to anyone what this day was like and I can only pray that I never experience fear and despair of this magnitude again. My Dad does not look like this anymore. His eyes are bright. His strength is returning and his determination to return home is immense.

Today in therapy he dressed himself (fairly well I am told) and then splashed on his infamous Drakaar Noir. He worked hard walking and making his way up and down stairs. He is no longer receiving ventilation or oxygen through his Trach and the doctors are considering removing it on Monday. This is a huge step in the road to recovery and I cannot wait to see him without any tubes in his face or neck. He is having major problems with his vision and says that he Is constantly seeing double. He closes one eye in order to do simple tasks. This is worrying all of us as we would like him to be able to return to his regular activities at some point (most of which require impeccable eyesight) but the therapists are fairly confident this problem will resolve over time. Sleeping is also a problem. He is having nightmares and has a lot of trouble discerning between truth and fiction. In the evenings he frequently becomes anxious and agitated and needs constant reminding that all is well.

Today was better than yesterday and yesterday was better than the day before. In the rehab unit he is given a schedule in the morning which usually contains five therapy sessions: 2 physical therapies, 2 occupational therapies and one speech therapy for the day. They are all difficult but he continues to struggle most with the fine motor tasks in OT. Speech is working with him on swallowing so that he can eventually return to his diet of roast beef and mashed potatoes, something he begs for every day.

We are looking forward to celebrating Easter as a family this weekend and while we will take part in Egg hunts, baskets and candy comas, we will celebrate our savior and his resurrection. We will be grateful for the immense blessings we have and are receiving on a daily basis but mostly we will be overwhelmingly thankful that the man in this picture is now a terrible memory of the past. We will celebrate it with Dad.