Marla is over the moon excited about her new kitty, Milo! Marla adopted Milo from the Rifle Animal Shelter earlier this month of August 2019. Milo is a 2 year old neutered male domestic shorthair. He is a bundle of energy! Milo was fostered by woman affiliated with the shelter before Marla adopted him. He was an outdoor kitty, so he is becoming accustomed to living indoors at Marla’s house. He loves to run and play!

It’s been a long time coming, but finally an update on all the happenings in Marla and Mark’s lives including their wedding in May, 2008! With much anticipation that has built since their engagement in July, 2007, Marla and Mark Townsley were married on May 31, 2008! Many friends and family gathered to celebrate this milestone in the lives of these two amazing people. The event took place at the beautiful and historic First Presbyterian Church in downtown Glenwood Springs.

There’s a lot of very exciting things going on in Marla’s life right now, so many that it will be hard to fit them all in one update! But we’ll start with the biggest news. Marla is engaged! She met her fiancé Mark Townsley during her two visits to the University of Michigan Residential Aphasia Program (RAP). Mark grew up in Michigan, and is a speech language pathologist. Mark completed his Master’s degree at Eastern Michigan University in December 2006.

Welcome back to Marla’s site. It’s been a while since the last update, but not for lack of activity on Marla’s part, that’s for sure! Marla recently completed her second session at the University of Michigan Aphasia Program (UMAP). She was in Ann Arbor from late December through mid-February. Marla and Mary had to scramble to make their flight out before one of those December Denver blizzards blasted through, but they made it to Michigan frazzled from travel, but safe and sound!

Marla had a busy and productive summer. It’s hard to believe that fall is almost here! Probably her biggest accomplishment this year was completing a 6 week intensive speech therapy program at the University of Michigan’s Residential Aphasia Program, or RAP for short. She left in early May for Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she lived completely on her own during the 6 week program! Leo went out with Marla to help get her established in the small apartment suite where she lived in Ann Arbor, a couple of miles from the University.

Spring of 2006 - it’s hard to believe how time flies! Marla continues to keep herself busy. She continues to drive the automobile independently, transporting herself to her volunteer jobs at the Valley View Hospital Gift Shop, and the For You Shoppe (a secondhand store) in Glenwood Springs. She continues to swim avidly, as a form of occupational and physical therapy now that her formal therapy sessions with a professional have ended due to insurance limitations.

Marla and her family have had a full autumn and start to winter! They are now more or less settled into their new home in New Castle, which they moved into in July, from their home of 32 years in Glenwood Springs. Although they are still working from day to day on several tasks related to settling in! Probably the most exciting development for Marla in the past few months is that she passed her driving test, and is officially certified to drive, with no restrictions!

Summer has brought many exciting activities and some big changes for Marla and her family. The weekend of July 23rd and 24th, Mary and Leo moved from their home of thirty two years in Glenwood Springs, to a new duplex in New Castle, Colorado. New Castle is about fifteen miles west of Glenwood Springs. Marla, Mary and Leo worked very hard to fix up the house for sale, and to down-size their belongings in order to fit into the new house.

Marla has had a busy and exciting springtime, and she is ready to dive into summertime! She has had several opportunities to go riding on her new adaptive-recumbent bicycle. She loves the sense of freedom and opportunity to enjoy the outdoors that the bicycle offers. Stop by the photo gallery for pictures of Marla out and about, touring on her bicycle! Marla and her family are very grateful for the many friends who came together to donate the bicycle for her.

Marla is ready for spring as weather has begun to warm in Glenwood Springs–as the weather is warming, she hopes to get out on her new bicycle! Many of her high school classmates donated towards getting an adaptive-recumbent bicycle with controls on the left side. On March 11th, Marla and Leo traveled to Denver, where Marla was fitted for her new bicycle at AngleTech cycles, of Woodland Park. Although the weather is still a little chilly for her to get riding, she is definitely looking forward to taking the bicycle out for rides!

Marla is off to a good start in 2005! She continues to adapt to life in Glenwood Springs, and has made several new friends, including Leigh Phipps, at whose home Marla hand-made some artistic drink coasters as Christmas presents. Marla remains active in the Beta Sigma Phi sorority, and has developed new friendships through the organization, as well. Recently a number of other members and friends of the Glenwood Springs High School Class of 1991 came together in a spirit of generosity and caring to contribute toward Marla’s taking yet another step in her recovery.

December has been a very busy month for Marla, and for Mary and Leo as well. Right after Thanksgiving, Marla had an appointment with Dr. Sachar, the surgeon who emplaced her artificial elbow. Upon reviewing her most recent x-rays, Dr. Sachar found a break in the ulna (one of the primary bones in the forearm), that Mary and Marla had been suspecting for some time. Marla was very disappointed to hear the news.

October brought about big changes in the lives of Marla, Mary, and Leo. On the weekend of October 9th and 10th, after weeks of preparing and packing Marla’s belongings at her townhome in Northglenn, they moved back to Mary and Leo’s home in Glenwood Springs. It was an exhausting process, as packing had to be fit in between therapies at Craig as well as doctors appointments and other commitments. Leo especially became worn down, as he continued to manage financial concerns with Marla’s mortgage company, surrounding the details of vacating her home.

Marla, Mary and Leo have had a very active end-of-summer and beginning of fall. On August 8th through the 13th, Marla participated in the Colorado Brain Injury Association’s (BIAC) Challenge-by-Choice camp at the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) in Breckenridge Colorado. The program was expressly developed for traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors. This program offers TBI survivors the opportunity to expand their potential and reach beyond their limitations in a challenging, yet safe and supportive program of outdoor adventure.

Marla’s summer continues to be busy and fun, with several exciting activities keeping her active. She continues to work hard on her physical therapy each day, doing exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles in her right arm. Now that she has an artificial elbow, she still has a lot of conditioning to do to recover the strength in the muscles of her biceps and triceps that atrophied during the 18 months that her elbow was held in a straight and locked position.

It has been a busy spring for Marla, Mary and Leo, in follow-up to her elbow replacement surgery of April 22nd. The first two or three weeks post-op were very difficult for Marla due to the amount of pain that she was experiencing. The 6 hour surgery required an incision that extended from mid-tricep on the upper end, to the wrist on the lower end, and in addition to the emplacement of the artificial elbow, required re-positioning of muscles and nerves.

April, along with the typical roller-coaster of Rocky Mountain springtime weather, delivered some pivotal developments in Marla’s recovery process. The most important of these was her right elbow replacement surgery, which took place on the afternoon of Thursday April 22, 2004 at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood. Mary, Leo, and Marla packed their bags Wednesday night, and arrived at the hospital Thursday before noon for pre-operative preparations. Mary stayed with Marla during the hour of surgical pre-op procedures.

March has brought spring and even summer-like weather to Colorado, and Marla is loving every minute of it. With the temperature regulation difficulties caused by her brain injury, she is frequently cold–so she in particular is glad for the arrival of spring. Marla continues to make strides and progress in her speech and with her injured right arm, through a combination of hard work, dedication, and help from Leo and Mary.

Marla, Mary and Leo have had a very busy 6 weeks to start 2004. Marla was excited to resume therapies at Craig upon returning to Northglenn in early January after being in Glenwood Springs during the end of 2003. Marla’s right eye was evaluated by her eye surgeon during an appointment in mid-January, and the news was great–the surgery was a success, and the eye has settled in the perfect alignment.

Marla enjoyed a wonderful holiday season, filled with friends and family. She, and Mary and Leo, were in Glenwood Springs from Thanksgiving through the month of December. Marla continued her therapies there, working with physical therapist Joe Mazzotta at Valley View Hospital, and speech therapist Trish Weitzenkorn. Marla has re-gained almost full control of her right eye. Although a final evaluation of her eye’s progress and status will come from her eye doctor at an appointment in January, 2004, it appears that her October 3rd corrective surgery was a success!

Dear Friends and Family, Our lives were changed on December 13, 2002, when our daughter, Marla, was in a car accident. She suffered multiple serious injuries, including a severe brain injury to the area controlling speech and interpretation of auditory input. Mary and Leo have been living in Denver since the accident, staying at the home of friends Bob and Annie Brooks until moving with Marla to her townhouse in early June.

Marla’s right eye is continuing to heal and improve from her October 3rd corrective surgery at Presbyterian-St. Luke’s to help compensate for the loss of eye muscle control that resulted from the cranial nerve damage experienced in the accident. For the first few weeks following the surgery, Marla had little control over her right eye, and it wandered, causing dizziness and disorientation. As she has healed and her motor control has returned, her eye alignment has improved.

Marla had surgery on October 3 at Presbyterian-St. Luke’s to correct the nerve damage in her right eye, which she cannot move to the right past center. This creates double vision unless her left eye is patched, or obstructed with tape on her glasses. The surgery involved moving muscles from above and below her eye to the outside. In addition, Botox was injected into the muscle on the left inside of her eye to relax it.

Marla has given us permission to share her near-death experience. Several months ago, shortly after going home from Craig, Marla was trying to communicate something to Mary and Leo. She pointed at the months of the calendar that had passed since her accident to let them know it was something she had been wanting to tell them for a long time. Unable to use words to express herself, she drew a beautiful picture that said it all.

Marla has had a busy but enjoyable summer, with continuing therapy days at Craig, hikes in the mountains, and fun with family and friends on a variety of different outings. Please visit the updated Photo Gallery to see pictures of her recent adventures! Marla’s strength continues to improve. She has been on several hikes in the mountains–one in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area west of Boulder, and more recently near the Maroon Bells in the Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness area.

Marla’s summer has gotten off to a great start, with many visits from family and friends, her 30th birthday, a couple of weddings, hiking, and more! Be sure to drop in the Photo Gallery to see updates from Marla’s recent activities. Marla continues to improve in her physical endurance, while her speech progresses on a somewhat slower pace. Marla’s workouts on the stairmaster, stationary bicycle, and treadmill, have prepared her to go on several hikes!

Marla, Mary and Leo continue their busy schedule of therapy at Craig. Marla was disappointed to learn that Jean and Peggy, her PT and OT from the very beginning at Craig, were being re-assigned to other patients. The primary duty for both is inpatient therapy, and with new patients coming in, both were needed on the inpatient team full-time. Marla had grown to like them both very much, and was sad to have to transition, but she understood.

Marla, Mary, and Leo continue with a full schedule of therapy classes at Craig Tuesday through Thursday, as well as home therapy, stretching, and rehabilitation on evenings and days off. Marla continues to enjoy visits from friends and family at the Brooks’ home on Race street. Some recent highlights for Marla include: Nicole Diamond, Marla’s dear cousin, paid her a visit over a fun weekend (April 27-28), traveling all the way from Baton Rouge, Louisiana!

Marla (and Mary and Leo) have had an eventful several weeks since Marla graduated from the Craig inpatient program, with therapy, outings, swimming, and more! Be sure to drop by and see the updated Photo Gallery to see pictures! Marla has been swimming in the Craig therapy pool twice, each of the last two Fridays. It has proved to be a tremendously positive experience for her. Before her first swimming session, she was very apprehensive and nervous.

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.

Marla has been busy over the past week, which has included blizzards, outings, and more! Be sure to visit the updated pictures from the blizzard, as well as some pictures from her outing to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Marla is soon to be released from the hospital, at less than one week now left for her inpatient stay at Craig. She will be discharged on April 4th, 2003.

Marla’s sinus infection seems to be a bit more stubborn than expected, as she is still quite congested, but she is now on antibiotics to help fight off the bug. Hopefully this will clear up the illness, because we think that her discomfort in chewing and eating might partially stem from sickness-related congestion. Marla has started on a diet that includes some soft foods that require chewing, such as pancakes, orange slices, peaches, etc.

Marla is currently fighting off a head cold. Her symptoms seem to be fairly minor, mainly some congestion and a cough, but it is hard to know exactly how she feels because of her limited ability to communicate. It is apparent that her cold has made her tire more easily. However, she rested well over the weekend and seemed to be feeling better as she began this week’s therapies on Monday.

Marla’s benefit dinner was an un-paralleled success, due to the tireless efforts of her friends from high school and supporters from the community, both in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond, who put in countless hours organizing and coordinating the details. Also due to the numerous artists, professionals, and businesses that donated the fruits of their efforts to the silent auction for the cause of helping her journey of recovery. We are touched by the generous contributions of so many, even in a difficult economic environment.

Marla’s speech has been increasing at about one to two words a day. Some of her recent new words: She told her Occupational Therapist to “Quit!” during range of motion exercises on her shoulder. When Pam, one of her and our favorite rehabilitation technicians, asked what items from her lunch she wanted to save for a snack, Marla replied: “Nothing!” Marla still doesn’t seem to enjoy the pureed hot foods. Of course, we can still understand her distaste.

Marla continues to make progress, but it continues to be erratic. We’ve been told from the beginning to expect a step backward for every two forward. She is still fighting a couple of antibiotic-resistant internal infections, but she may be gaining ground on those. In the last few days, she’s been outside several times; and it won’t surprise anyone who knows her to hear that she loved it. Today she asked to go out, and with her feet provided most of the power to move her wheel chair.

Marla’s level of awareness continues to increase steadily. At the same time, she is also now prone to “flooding” – an overload caused by excessive environmental stimuli or emotional reaction to her frustrations when she cannot communicate. She cries often. This is very difficult for her, and for us to see her sadness, but be unable to console her. On the exciting side, she has been fitted with a smaller wheel chair that allows her to use her legs to walk herself to her therapies.

It was a busy weekend for Marla, with many visitors coming to see her and lend her support and encouragement. Two of Marla’s long-time friends from college, her room-mates Megan and Lyndsay, both flew in to visit. Megan from Idaho, and Lyndsay from Boston. On Saturday, many of the teachers from Glacier Peak came to visit and brought with them two huge cards signed by them and all of the students.

Marla is becoming more aware each day, and is physically very active. Her speech therapist has been monitoring her tongue and lip movements, as well as her swallow reflex. She supervised Marla’s first taste of soft foods (pudding, mashed potatoes). Marla was delighted to eat something. Her first words were, “Ow, eye, no.” She has corneal abrasions on her left eye which are very painful. Due to the nerve damage, her eyes do not blink or close completely, causing dryness and irritation.

Marla continues to slowly improve, thanks to the prayers and support from all of you. As you may know, we had a meeting on 1⁄21 with the Craig Hospital team working with her. They are predicting discharge in early April, and that she will walk out! She may need a cane and will require someone with her 24 hours a day, but they believe she will be able to return to her home, including climbing the stairs.

We really appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, cards, gifts and visits. They keep our hopes up and give us strength to keep going. The gifts we received on Tuesday evening astonished us. The gift card for King Soopers, the cash and the certificate to the “Black-Eyed Pea” were overwhelming, staggering. Your generosity and caring are truly incredible. Marla has good days and non-so-good days, partly due to her agitation, which in turn is a result of improvement in her level of consciousness.

Marla is continuing to become more aware of her surroundings and got a good night’s sleep last night for the first time since coming to Craig. We have been told that it is not uncommon for part of the confusion as a person wakes up to be a mixing up of days and nights and the sleep cycle. When Marla has been awake and agitated all night, she sleeps through her therapy sessions in the day–so it’s good to have gotten a good night under her belt so she can hopefully be awake and actively participate in her therapy.

First we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you sincerely for your support, prayers, kind words, and kindness. We have been amazed at the outpouring of love for Marla and recognize that as a mark of her preciousness as a teacher, colleague, and friend. On Tuesday 1⁄7, Marla was transferred from St. Anthony’s Central hospital to Craig Hospital in Englewood for re-habilitation. Although there were some challenges during the transfer, she is now settled in here.