The Vigil

Here's the bag of snacks that my daughter, Lysandra, (named after the Liberator of Mankind), brought to the distant hospital the evening of our vigil.  From the gourmet store, family-owned, that favors her, where she is working part-time while studying business and preparing to launch...and marry...she walks forward, steadily, like her Grandfather, her Papi did.
Here are the fotos of grandchildren, warming the golden pine wall, that is reflecting the morning sunshine at the foot of the national forest.  The fotos that Papi walked by every day, and which he didn't object to, for they are not like the other collections in the home, that he would wish Mami would get rid of.
The thermometer and blood pressure cuff are waiting for Mami to wake up after a sleepless night, for she slept alone; The cousin, Crisitina, who was going to sleep with her, who is so lovingly faithful to her, slept with her visiting cousin, Marisa, who was there at the Vigil.
The spring wind is here, and the lengthening days; Bespeaking time of harvest, richness, and life, here in the mountains, where Papi settled us, and prepared a homestead, in the time before the new Millennium.
I'm looking for letters or cards or poems from Papi for me.  He did leave a beautiful poem for all of us, and I take it as a personal missive just for me.  All 36 of us take it as such.  At home, I have every card he ever sent me for Birthday, Anniversary, and other.   I never, ever thought that they would end-he had an endless supply.  We have found recordings of him and Mami singing together for Birthdays.  We have located them hungrily.  We treasure them.  I delve deeply, deeply into them, feeling eternity...   For I know that he doesn't end.  I know that time may end, but the life that is God endures forever.  The intelligence, the heart, the person that he is, will live forever.  And we presented the choice to the boy who grew up on the Frontier, in his tender years, then lived on his own, primarily, from 8 years of age.  We told him to choose life, to live eternally with his loving Father/Creator.
We loved him into the Kingdom of God, I believe.
Here is the picture in my mind of my sister, lovingly smiling at him, and he at her, for 10 full minutes, after the massive hemorrhage and the trip to the ER.   I see my Mami aceracandose and my Papi recognising her with great joy and surprise and then going dark, not responding again.
The CAT scan, is a picture that I saw at the beginning of the most intense part of the Vigil, that mapped out for me the great damage that my father's brain had suffered, and showed his great center of Reason had been shut down.  But for God, we knew that the curtain had been drawn between us, and that we would be apart for a long time.
My brothers, nieces, nephews, sister in law, all play outside, kicking the ball, and initiating a young generation into a world of security and warmth.  They run by the pots of succulents, and of ferns, that my brother in law, who joined the family late in life, removed from the winter basement, trimmed, beautified, and set them out for the springtime.  His love and skill of plants, honed over decades, joins with my Mother's heritage of vineyarding of centuries, and together, their labors reach a crescendo in the lush, heavenly gardens that fill my eyes with light, color, and shadow.
My Mami sleeps still.
She will travel to her home in another continent, to see her older sister once more.  They will comfort and enrich one another, and in the frail frames of elderly women, the life of the spirit of young girls who grew in a large family, and loved one another deeply, anticipate spending warm, light-filled years together in their Father's house.

Papi In Rehab

After all, Papi was referred to Rehabilitation.  He is receiving Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapy. A large crowd brought him to the facility, and with tears we acclimated him, and deliberated if this was ok.  Conferring with Juani the Pharmacist Doctor, Dr. Sowinski, Rosi w/ health care training, myself with biology background (and I worked in my father's medical practice). and the rest of the family. we considered his medical and therapy needs, and decided that the rehab was similar to camp;  We would be sending him to a "rehab camp".  In our family, it was hard to take him to a facility, and to leave home.  His recovery and interaction with a wonderful staff in the hospital, then in the rehab facility, have been very, very positive.
He'll have medical staff to take his vital signs, monitor his blood sugar, and blood coagulation while on Coumadin blood thinner. The rehab has been very helpful to my Mami and she is resting. The family, Mami and I, and Cristina, have stayed close by.  Juani and Marcos returned home, and Pili arrived tonite.  I will go home Thursday.  Orlando will stay for a month.  Rehab has been a family reunion. We are so grateful for Papi's recovery. 
Today, excitedly, I mentioned to Mami about doing art with Papi.  She said "Great idea". I purchased a nice set, and returned to share it with Papi, anticipating using the Mona Brooks Method, connecting left and right brain.  I began sharing with him, and he excitedly fell asleep.  When he awoke, or I suspect, stopped pretending, I sweetly and smilingly said, "Now we can do art!"  He lovingly said, "No!" You do it! Not me!" with great Choleric grace.  And I knew he was back.  Gone were my dreams of sharing sweet moments of art together.  Somehow we gotta get the left brain to stop Dominating the right brain as much. 
Pili illuminated us on the right and left brain balance, She introduced us to the website, My Stroke of Genius. A Neurologist from Harvard who had a stroke, recovered because her Mother nurtured her and used right brain enrichment.  The lady doctor recovered fully in 8 years due to her Mother's loving therapy.  So, Papi, we ARE going to do art... ;\  ;]
Papi is going to continue doing sequencing exercises, grip strengthening, and physical therapy.  The OT felt he would be here about 10 days.  His agility is very good, and his balance as well.  We are looking forward to a full recovery and before 2 cousins' weddings. 

My Father's Stroke and Second Chance

Thursday, my Father had a stroke, with the slurred speech and drooping mouth on one side.  The next day he was walking, joking, and imitating the fast walk of hospital staff person. His speech has been a little slurred, and he has been searching for words, but we are overall... amazed. I arrived3 days later to join the warm family circle around my warm, glowing Father/Papi.  The Sunday night after the Thursday stroke, I hugged Papi's neck and held him for a long time.  The next day we visited from 1pm to 10 at night, and this day amazed us even more.  In the morning, he walked up 15 steps, then back down.  He spoke rather articulately, recognizing Gen. Forrest in a military painting of the Civil War that I gave him.  He took it, studied it, and spoke the name "Forrest."  Then, "I know him."  He interacted with the Phys Therapist, charming her and many of the other staff.                                                                                                                                A dark moment overshadowed the day to be swept away by spring winds. While Papi napped, a Doctor of Osteopathy came into the room and asked if we wanted to resuscitate our Father if his heart stopped.  Mami understood that the question was about extreme measures.  I interjected that we did want to use emergency response in case of Papi's heart stopping.  I agreed with Mami that he didn't want artificial life support, but the D.O. wanted to know if she should mark DNR, Do Not Resuscitate.  We clarified that we did Not Want to mark his bed Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)  What a relief.

Getting in bed, became easier and he has grown stronger thorough out the day.  The Doctor came in at mid day, and announced  he could leave when his blood thinner to a 2.0 with the Coumadin  bloodthinner.  Papi surprised us all, when he agreed eagerly with the doctor about entering rehabilitation.  We were very relieved and grateful.  Orlando is able to accompany him and advocate for Papi and will be available for several weeks.
Juani just called and advised me that Papi has been evaluated as not needing  Occupational Therapy, nor Physical Therapy, and Medicaid will not pay for Speech Therapy alone.  He is most likely not a candidate for Rehab.  OK then...what's next...? I'm waiting on Juani's call as he continues to consult.
Back to the events of Monday in Rm. 2-17, in the Salinas Hub.
At dinner time, the Neurologist visited, Dr. Maruso, from Mexico. He evaluated Papi and told him that he will improve with rehab and that he's not completely recovered yet, but that he will recover w/ therapy. (Both doctors were Spanish and communnicated with Papi in English and Spanish which really helped to spark their communication and connect w/ Papi.)
We spoke with Dr. Maruso about the change in Papi's agility-last week he was shuffling with a cane, and this week he's spry and walking 18 steps and springing in and out of bed.  The Dr. said let me see and took Papi's hands and swiveled them around from the wrists for 30 sec.  Then he said that Papi had some rigidity that might mean the beginning of Parkinson's.  He proceeded to say that the death of some Brain tissue may have counteracted the Parkinson's, quieting the parts of the brain that over-fire.  We were amazed, again.  Unbelievably, Papi had recovered well, and now it was possible that a life-threatening stroke, averted, by the grace of God in response to many prayers, had neutralized a Parkinson's Disease onset.  Wow.
Now, we are contacting the case manager from social services to secure a hospital bed.  Papi will stay in the den while the hall bathroom is remodeled from bath to shower. I'm trying to post photos of our day together.