She Walks Herself Straight Out of the ICU

I post this blog entry with lots of happiness. I think I posted an update several days ago that said she might just walk herself right out of this place! Well - she kind of did that today. Stephi graduated from the Neuro ICU today and was transferred to a general surgery unit. She said no to the wheel chair ride and walked over to the room she will call hers for the next few weeks, and waved goodbye to all of the kind nurses in the ICU with her left hand...ok ok...maybe she didn't wave goodbye with her left hand...but it made the story a little better.

She is still very tired and seems a little bummed at times, but she is progressing well as a matter of fact, she is progressing way beyond where she was supposed to have been at this time if she was even supposed to be with us at all. She has a lot on her mind these days. She asks a lot of questions about plans for when she can come home, and she seems to have a very realistic mind set on the fact that she knows that she will need some help at first. She worries about her kids and their school work, she is wanting to get back to work, she worries about the baby, she's thinking about bills, etc., and she is focusing hard on trying to be able to be transferred closer to Wausau for rehabilitation.

Stephi will have one more surgery to replace the right bone flap if the brain swelling goes down enough. The surgery is tentatively scheduled for next Thursday, and she is dreading going back into the OR another time. We have to keep reminding her that this should be the last time and then she can come closer to home.

She struggles with vision on the left side and still with some fine motor skills on the left, but cognitively she seems better than most of us sometimes. She continues to have a little trouble with the concept of time (who was there, and when, etc.), but I am wondering if that is part of sitting in the hospital day in and day out as well as some of the medication she needs to take.

What a strong girl. I sit next to her and wonder if it were me laying there if I could keep up the fight as well as she does every day. I thank god every day that she was in the exact place that she was at when she got sick and I know she was there for a greater reason. I thank god for the people who cared about her enough to give her the second chance, and I know that there was a reason for all of this.

Beth R (one of our friends at St. Clare's) if you are reading the blog - thank you for the time you spent on the treats for Stephi and her nursing staff. Everything was beautiful, and everyone enjoyed them. I think about you daily as well through all of this. I know that it was you a few years ago and here you are doing something amazing for us now. You are an amazing and strong person and that is how I know that there is a bigger plan for Stephi.

Today I know that I wasn't supposed to watch my baby sister die that night on October 10. We were all supposed to get stronger together for some reason - and that is what we are doing! Some more pictures for you to enjoy. Our mom and our sister Jen, me, and Stephi!

Keep fighting Stephanie!!!