UPDATES
April 9 2003 Update
The past week has been pivotal for Marla, as final preparations were made for her discharge from the Craig inpatient program, last Friday, April 4th, 2003. On Friday evening, she came to the duplex of Bob and Annie Brooks, friends and long-time colleagues of Leo at Glenwood Springs High School. The duplex is near City Park in Denver, and Bob and Annie have generously loaned their home away from home to Mary and Leo, where they have lived for the past 3 months.
On Monday evening, March 31st, Marla visited the duplex with Mary and Leo, along with Peggy, her Occupational Therapist, for a “trial run,” to allow Peggy to help Mary and Leo troubleshoot the living situation. Marla was sad and cried upon realizing that she wasn’t going home upon discharge. However, the duplex is much closer to Craig, where Marla will continue with on-going outpatient therapy, than is Marla’s home. This is a big advantage at this point in the process, when Marla will be going to Craig 3 times per week for continuing physical, occupational, and speech therapies. With Peggy’s help, Mary and Leo were able to adapt the arrangements at the duplex to meet accessibility needs and to help Marla be most comfortable.
Marla has had difficulty with her eyes coordinating with each other. She now wears an eye patch part of the time to help her exercise the muscles controlling her weaker right eye. She wears the patch on the left to facilitate this process. Marla’s right shoulder has also developed a “frozen shoulder” condition. Marla will have a consultation with the physical therapist that Mary is currently seeing in Denver, to assess the best exercises to improve the mobility and flexibility in that shoulder. She also has an appointment this coming week with Dr. McNair, the orthopedic surgeon who reconstructed her right arm during her first weeks at St. Anthony’s Hospital last December. He will review the progress of healing on the damaged bones in the extremity.
Friday April 4th, 2003, discharge day, Marla was filled with mixed emotions. She said good-bye to fellow patients, her 24 hour rehabilitation technicians, and her therapists, who all expressed how blessed they were to have worked with Marla. Marla became more and more excited as the day went by, and she received so much attention during a “graduation party” that was hosted in her honor and her fellow Craig in-patient graduates. Click the following link to see Photos from Craig Graduation. Marla couldn’t wait for the big event in the afternoon, when her hospital identity bracelet was cut, and she made the trip to the car to live outside the hospital environment for the first time since last December. Mary and Leo did feel a sense of security that they would be returning each week with Marla for 6 hours of therapy class and rehabilitation per day each Tuesday through Thursday.
Saturday, April 5th, the first day at home, was quite overwhelming for Mary and Leo, as they had to coordinate administering medication, proper positioning and weight distribution for Marla, meals to prepare, laundry to be done, physical therapy to be performed, and the challenge of a shower in the vintage cast-iron claw-foot tub! The shower bench, which Leo adapted fit securely into the tub, seemed strange to Marla, and every time she made a visit to the bathroom, she would ask “How?”. Finally, Mary assembled it to show her. Marla then pointed to Mary and insisted that Mary be the first one to try it! Which she did, to work the bugs out. All went well in the end.
Marla has visited people around the neighborhood by walking, and she has already found the friendly dogs. She clearly asked a man: “Can I ….” and made a petting motion, “dog?” After petting the soft poodle, she said clearly: “Thank you!” She has talked to several people on the telephone, and her “Hi!”, “Uh-huh”, and “Bye!” are all clear. Her recent new words and phrases include: “That’s crazy!”, “Whatever!”, and “No way!”
By Sunday evening, after several visits from friends (who came laden with food and prepared meals), Marla and Mary and Leo felt settled in the Brooks’ “play-house” as Mary calls it. The Messages section of the website has Marla’s new address for those wishing to send her cards or letters. With the amazing progress Marla has made in recent weeks, Mary and Leo are looking forward to continued meaningful speech. We continue to be hopeful and faithful as Marla progresses, and as we see more of her strong spirit shining through the challenges. We thank everyone graciously for their on-going support.