May 13, 2014 Tonight when I walked into George Ishus room all the lights were off and the tv was flashing in the background. As I walked in I could see George leaning over the edge of the bed struggling to reach something. I rushed in and quickly asked if everything was alright and if he needed me to get him something. He just started laughing and had a guilty look on his face. He pointed to an open drawer next to his bed which I abruptly opened to reveal a bag of candy. I laughed, handed him the bag and told him that I had caught him red handed. I cant express how wonderful Georges recovery is going. If rehabilitation was a university program George would be valedictorian of his class. Each day I am dumbfounded by his progress. Today in physical therapy he was able to walk with the use of a cane and some assistance from the therapists. I wasnt able to see him in action but he called me on the phone and told me all about it. George calls me a couple times a day now just to say hi, tell me he is bored and any successes that happened during his morning sessions. Our phone calls are becoming more and more recognizable and every day he impresses me with the new words that flow from his mouth. I sat in on his speech therapy session today. A week ago George loathed going to speech therapy. It was his least favorite of his 3 major therapies each day. It was also his biggest struggle. His therapists today were amazed at the progress that he is making. They noted that there was huge progress in just the time they had seen him since last Friday. He is producing sounds that he was incapable of making a few weeks ago and he is piecing these sounds together and successfully creating words. Its mesmerizing to listen to. I wish you all could experience what George and I have been thru in the last month. Its nearly impossible for me to convey it on paper and do it justice. Ive seen George go from the brink of death to the strongest, most dedicated stroke survivor imaginable. There is no stopping him. He is on a mission and he reminds me every day how hard he is working, how far he has come and how motivated he is to have this all be a part of the past. Not so long ago when I would practice speaking with George he would get frustrated, shake his head and I could see the loss of hope in his eyes. He couldnt communicate and he was a prisoner in a hospital bed with little hope that he would ever regain his life back. Now when we practice his speech if he makes a mistake he just giggles and smiles and keeps trying till he makes the correct sounds. Sometimes they come out perfectly and sometimes they come out in such a bizarre fashion that we both cant help but laugh. Tonight I had a deck of cards that preschool children use to learn how to write properly. I told him we were going to practice his reading and speaking. I held up the first picture, a drawing of a cat and asked him to say the word. He chuckled and said this is so stupid. This is for kids. I couldnt help but laugh as well but I told him that while this may seem elementary, it is the best way to practice. He quickly blurted out the word cat. We proceeded to continue thru the deck of cards. Each time he made an error he would just chuckle and continue trying until he got as close to the word as possible. He breezed thru several of the cards but I was finally able to stump him at the word Elephant. We both just laughed and decided that was enough and returned to our regular nightly conversations. I asked George how he was feeling about his physical progress and he quickly showed me how much he can move his right leg. He is now able to bend his knee as well as lift his leg entirely off the bed and the floor. This morning as George was transferring from his wheelchair to his bed, I watched him do the entire process on his own. Not only did he do it all on his own but he made it look easy. Georges last big hurdle has been his right arm. While everything else has been rapidly improving he still has had little to no sensation in his right arm and has been incapable of motion from his elbow to his fingertips. Tonight he proved to me once again how he is exceeding everyones expectations. He told me look at this as he pulled the sheet away from his arm. Then with intense focus he slightly lifted his hand off the bed and wiggled his thumb. It wasnt a lot but it was the most Ive seen his fingers move since the stroke. I just looked in amazement and told him how amazing he was. We caught up on some of the things going on in our friends lives and he navigated his Facebook page and commented on some of the pictures our friends had posted on their news feeds. I know things are getting back to normal because George is incessantly asking me when he can get back to the gym and start working out again. I laugh and tell him to take it one step at a time. As we said our goodbyes and I began to leave for the evening George grabbed my hand and told me thank you. He told me how much he loved me and he couldnt do this without me. He told me he loved me more than anything. I stroked his hand, kissed him and told him that I would never in a million years expect him to go thru this alone. I told him that there was never any doubt in my mind that he wouldnt do the exact same thing for me. This whole experience has been a lesson for George, myself and all of you that care enough to follow our story. Ive learned many, many things. But Ive learned that even in the wake of tragedy there is happiness, that love is a powerful force, that everything happens for a reason, but above all things, George and I make one incredible team!
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 05:40:58 +0000
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