Wind Surfing

Last night Summer and I went to a fireside, or church meeting, given by Nolan Porter. Porter was training to be an air force pilot when he was struck by lightning while windsurfing in Florida. He was with his two brothers when the accident happened, but was actually rescued by members of the Blue Angels flight crew who were on the beach having a barbecue at the time. He and his brothers where trying to get back to shore because of the storm when the lightning struck. He stopped breathing and his brothers went out of their boat to rescue him. For some reason, however, they weren't able to get to him. Members of the Blue Angels heard the commotion and got in their boat to help out. When they got there one of them dived in to rescue him. He unfastened him from the surfboard, but then lost him and he began to sink. He swam down to try to find him but couldn't. On the way up, however, he felt his foot and was able to get grab him and get him back to the ship. On the ship they started CPR and got him back to land. They continued CPR for a long time, but were about to give up. His brother, however, wouldn't let them. He then made it to the hospital. In the hospital his heart stopped eight times over several weeks. They were going to unplug him from life support, but again he survived. He eventually made it back home to Utah. He was initially paralyzed from the neck down, but over time he was able to regain ability to use his muscles and now can walk again. He has also been blessed with two kids and has gotten a masters degree since the accident.

It was a pretty neat fireside. And its nice to know that I'm not the only one in my situation. Hopefully all continues to go well and I get back everything I used to have. If all goes as planned I will do some rotations at the U med school in the next few months. Hopefully that will allow me to prove that I can go back and finish residency.

As a side note, and knowing that pictures are liked, I've included some photos that we took while getting rid of a household pest.

Decisions

Will and I are coming up on another year of preparing applications and getting the go ahead to apply for residency.  I wish that I could say that this decision and movement in this direction is cut and dry.  We've learned from past experience that it is not. We have been looking for the one thing that will prove Will is ready to go back. But the truth is-- we still need help. We need to be able to "mentor" him back-- with education and "on the job training."  Those of you who have been following the blog for the past two years, know that we have run up against a lot of walls- dead ends. The most difficult wall was our not being able to reengage in Ohio. This blow knocked us down and took us out for awhile.

I am learning to look at Will's recovery differently. From the eyes of "what are we supposed to learn" and "how can we make the right decisions at the right time."As far as what we are to learn: In a perfect world Will would have never had a stroke. In a perfect world we wouldn't have to face hard decisions and at times what seems like unsurmontable trials. Or is the truth that this is the only way to perfection. What is really being tested and decided at this point is our characters. Not whether or not Will is going to be a doctor. The reality is that time will tell and we have very little power over how fast Will recovers. However, the great and unforgettable blessing in this time of trial continues to be that I have Will, and he has me (and we have Wilson on the way). 

As for "how can we make the right decisions at the right time" well if you could picture shrinking to the size of a human cell and flying through Will's ear and connecting to his Hypothalamus through one of his major blood vessels-- and then watching the nuerons paste themselves back together and re-direct around the damaged areas-- then you can guess that not even the most studied doctor can tell you when the "exact moment" Will will be able to return to practice medicine. The only way I know to find the answers to these questions (and the answer to the biggest question of all --  "will he even return to practicing medicine") is prayer.  I have felt the answers to some of these difficult questions. The Lord-- does know what is going on in my husbands mind.  He knows the beginning from the end. I know he will direct us one question at a time, as he has in the past. 

As for the answers I have found and know for certain, Will's brain is still healing.  It is exciting to see Will do things that he has never done before. For example he has been sitting in front of a computer screen for the past two hours typing a talk he will give tomorrow at toastmasters. He has typed more than a page already. (Jump back a year ago he was barely able to type a few paragraphs without getting frustrated with the mechanics of the keyboard and the computer programs-- these are no longer an issue).  Will has also stepped off a few critical plateaus in the past few months-- having to do with fatigue and inattention-- he is much more attentive than he has ever been.  His memory also continues to show improvement. I believe that Will is going to be able to preform at very high levels in the future. That our tears will be turned into diamonds. Keep watching and praying! For both Will and I and in your own lives, the answers will come.

Sincerely,

Summer

ps  As you've probably guessed our son's current nickname is Wilson-- "Will's Son."  We got our first little baby boy outfit this week and everytime I walk past it I have to touch it and imagine our little boy in it. We are soooo excited to be parents. 

pps The pics are Will watching one, of many, programs my nieces put on for us at family gatherings. The other is us at Liberty Park-- alright I admit it -- a park instead of a climb or hike is what I am up to now-a-days. So sue me ;)

Ultimate Frisbee

For the past while I have enjoyed playing a sport called Ultimate Frisbee. Unfortunately I don't know the details of the sport. You know, stuff like where it started, or who invented it. But I do enjoy playing it. It's really simple, all you do is throw the frisbee from one team member to the next until you get across the goal. If you drop the frisbee, or it hits the ground, the other team gets it. You can't run with the frisbee, however, you have to pass it. I think I started playing when I was in high school so I've known about it for a while.

Since this is my recovery blog I suppose I should relate the topic to my recovery. Frisbee has nothing to do with my life in Ohio, or my stroke, but I am thankful that I can still play. I was really lucky. I could be dead, or paralyzed on one side of my body, but I'm not. I can still function, and do any physical thing I did before. Meanwhile, I imagine I still have a few more mountains to climb, but I know I have the ability to keep going.

PS For those of you wondering about our baby, and specifically what it is, here is a video for you . . .

If you cannot see the video-- check it out at the following link Blueberry