Dear Friends & Family,
An incredibly wonderful thing happened yesterday. Allie's halo vest was removed. She is wearing a neck brace since the muscles in her neck have weakened so much. We are fondly referring to her as our "bobble head". In time, the muscles will be able to once again support her head, but for the next three months she will wear the neck brace at all times. It was pretty scary for Al (and me) as they removed the screws from her head. But she handled it like a champ and in fact went out for a ride on the freeway today and then to Hobee's for lunch with Jordan, Brianna, her nurse Merlyn, Scott from Rec therapy, and me. She's a bit sore and learning to move her and get her comfortable is a new challenge and experience. Another piece of good news....our discharge date is Wednesday.
The not so great news is that Allie is on a course of medicine to resolve some granulation she has in her throat which is preventing her from voicing and can make a trach change dicey. That is our biggest concern right now. Other than that she is making great progress physically and emotionally. She's eating all three meals now and is taking most of her meds by mouth. We are going to start working on her Doc. to see if we can get him to agree to remove her stomach tube. That will be the next great milestone.
Her smile when friends visit is priceless and although her nights continue to be without sleep and her sadness is at times overwhelming, her coping skills and outlook is beyond my greatest hope. Her friends continue to amaze me with their compassion, dedication and overall love for her.
Recently Allie attended peer support group although she remains the most "disabled" in the unit. She attends skills group and plays poker, blockus and other games with the competitive edge we all know her best for.
We cannot wait to be back among our friends. We miss you all so much and are forever grateful for all the love, prayers, support, meals, help with pets, visits, donations, etc. I can't wait for Al to see her new room. I haven't seen it yet myself, but hear it is perfect. Bamboo floors and pretty green walls. We hope to have a van this weekend to bring her home in.
See you all soon.
Love, Peace & Happiness,
Deborah
Allie
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What wonderful news.We are all excitet to get Alli back to her Valley.(-:
ReplyDeleteDeborah and Alli sending you a great big hug and much love.
Peace,Gabi
Yahoo the news we've all been waiting the halo off and Allie coming home. The visitors and food will be abundant : ) Can't wait to see you all. Allie I think you will exceed even your own expectations--just a feeling!!
ReplyDeleteLove and much peace and comfort.
Stacey
blessings abound! AMEN and Amen!
ReplyDeleteFANTASTIC!!!! Allie, we're all thrilled you'll soon be home.
ReplyDeleteWonderful news! Allie home sweet home is moments away. We look forward to visiting you at home!
ReplyDelete"OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE!" Allie's coming home again.
ReplyDeletePraying for a smooth ride over the hill and into the woods.
Welcome home kiddo,
SLV Mom
Halo off :) almost home :) food, friends, loving family, seeing your pets again, and them seeing you :) & all of your lots & lots of courage, these are good things.
ReplyDeleteHope for a cure for SCI...You probably heard the promising news on spinal cord nerve damage repair - BLUE M & M s - the blue dye - repaired spinal cord nerve damage in rats and enabled them to move again....
Allie, Jerry, Connor....young enough to hopefully see a cure, & yes, maybe one day walk again. Believe.....others do or they wouldn't keep looking for the SCI cure/repairs.
Who's in charge of collecting donations of Blue M & M s !! The side effect of turning blue is only temporary per latest news.
Deborah - let us all know if there are things we can do to help, doesn't matter if we know you or not, valley residents ready & able to help.....keep your ice chest/cooler out!
another valley mom
GREAT NEWS to hear about the 2 of you coming home!!! I love hearing that Allie is making positive strides. I hope each day continues to bring good news & you continue to get answers for any problems that come up.
ReplyDeleteOne question that I believe others also have - is there a contact person that we can call or email when we have questions about various ways to help? I know there are people out there that would like to do something but don't know where to start. Most of us don't want to call your house to ask how we can help because we don't want to overwhelm your family with calls/questions but we really do want to do more than just send a donation.
If anyone reads this and has an answer, I think many of us would appreciate it. Maybe post a contact name & #/email address (on Allie's webpage) saying "contact _____ if you'd like to find out about different/other ways you can help"
Thanks & keep up with the great progress. We love hearing good news & we'll continue to pray that things keep going well.
Allie,
ReplyDeleteWe're all praying that you get to come home and sleep in your new bed in your new room, tomorrow night!!!!!!!
Prayers tonight are that you rest well and that the move home is smooth sailing!
This is a huge step forward, honey. I hope that you can enjoy it and relax once you're home again.
*big hugs*
another mom
YAY ALLIE!!! You are SO stong!!!
ReplyDeleteI love you roomie!
Rachel
This is my first time reading this. I just read through every post and comment with pure awe. What an truly mind-blowing support group you have surrounding you.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I could. I know that the days seem like months sometimes, but what I just experienced from reading this, is that within a time frame of 3 or 4 months, an incredible amount of recovery has occurerd. I know its just step-by-step for you Allie. But I just read it all at once, and minus the hiccups, it was like reading the first few chapters of a book about a girl on her way to a miracle. I hate to give false hope. But thats the best way I can put it.
And now you are going home. The next chapter. God-speed to your recovery. Relish in the positive moments. Fight the negatives. Endure the challenge. I can't wait until you are posting on this site yourself. I think that's Chapter 12. LOL.
I'm off to pray for you. (Something I have never done but I feel that for you, anything is possible.)
Stay up girl.
is today the day????????????????
ReplyDeleteAllie, I wish we could line to road up to your house to give you a special homecoming!!!!
WELCOME HOME, GIRL!!!!!!!! YOU'VE BEEN MISSED!
How about a Welcome Home Allie sign taped up today at the intersection of Graham Hill & Hwy 9??? and flowers!, Allie AND Deborah should have flowers for their homecoming, imo....
ReplyDeleteand yes, Josephine has good idea about people wanting to know how to help - from a simple store run/delivery - errands, meals....want to make sure you guys are taken care of and have as much friends/community support as you need.
Another Valley Mom, Sharon Ferry
Anyone who wants to help can email me, kskuared@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteInclude your name, phone number, times you are available, special skills?
We will be making new meals calendar soon.
I will call you when I match you with a need!
With all our love and hopes surrounding your homecoming, Kathi and Iz
I cannot help but feel sooooooooo good inside when I read all of these posts. Allie I am very happy you are finally coming home. I can't wait to see you.
ReplyDeleteAnd Kathi, thank you so much for being the person we can contact to help out.
Allie and Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI hope you made it home today. So sorry I couldn't be there to help but as soon as you are ready, I hope to come see you both confortable in your own home. Love you both, always in my thoughts, Kerry
A full moon welcomed Allie home yesterday. A first night in her new room.
ReplyDeletePraying all went well through the night for all of you.
Welcome home Allie!
SLV Mom
I'm hoping for another full moon tonite!
ReplyDeleteHow lucky you are to have your parents. Mom by your side each day and Dad building a beautiful healing place for you to come home to. I know your ride home today will be a safe and exciting adventure. Your home is such a warm healing place I'm sure it will bring the peace you both need. Welcome home!
Call when you are ready for ROM/Reading/Visit/ice cream? KK and Iz