Since December, our family has walked through a season we never could have imagined. It has been a long and difficult road, but through it all, we have seen God’s faithfulness, the strength of family, and so many reasons to keep hoping. It all began in December when my stepdad suffered an abdominal aneurysm and my mom broke her femur while at the hospital with him. They both required surgery and spent time in the ICU. During that time my mom was diagnosed with fragility osteoporosis. Its been really difficult that all of us girls are far away. In December, Tami and April were able to fly out to provide support for our parents. My mom’s recovery from her broken femur was a long one and resulted in significant expenses. Just as they were beginning to recover and settle back into life at home, our family was faced with another devastating turn. On May 29, my mom suffered a massive stroke caused by atherosclerosis. My mom was already living with lymphoma, which she has battled for nine years, as well as beta thalassemia minor. With all of these health challenges together, her doctors have had to carefully navigate a very delicate medical situation. Immediately following her stroke, Mom was unable to communicate. Watching someone you love suddenly lose the ability to speak and do so many of the things she once could has been heartbreaking. But Mom has continued to fight. Today, she is making progress. She is able to say some clear sentences. She can get out of bed with assistance and has begun walking short distances with her walker. She continues to receive regular speech, occupational, and physical therapy as she works to regain as much independence as possible. We are incredibly grateful for every bit of progress. She has an upcoming appointment with her neurologist in August, and our family is anxious and hopeful to hear how she is doing and what the next steps in her recovery may look like. I went to see mom and papa over the fourth of July weekend. It was very meaningful. Mom was able to read captions and descriptions from one of her coffee table books she created with her photography. We also sang together. Its meaningful to see her remeber lyrics to songs and watch her sing, she loves to sing and music has always been something she’s loved. Melody and I also went again this past weekend. It had been several years since Mel had seen her and it was a very meaningful trip. Us girls are trying to go as much as we can to provide support to both mom and papa. We are all planning to go in a couple of weeks and this will be the first time in 22 years that all three of us have been together with her. Its important to us to sit beside her, support her and. celebrate the small victories. Melody was able to be with my mom during a physical therapy appointment to provide support and cheer her on. We created this page first and foremost as a place to keep our family and friends updated on Mom’s journey. We also wanted to provide a way to coordinate help for mom and papa if and when they need it. First and foremost we covet your prayers. As I mentioned my mom’s health is delicate with all the medical issues she is struggling with at once. For anyone who is wondering how they can help any support with meals, gas, and travel expenses is greatly appreciated. The primary focus of this page is connection! Your prayers, encouragement and love are greatly appreciated. We are taking this one day at a time, celebrating every step forward, and trusting God with what comes next. Thank you for loving our mom, praying for her, and walking alongside our family during this season. We believe there is still so much hope in Mom’s story.
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