I can't believe all of the people who supported Stephi and followed her fight. I especially cannot believe the popularity of this blog which, by the way, was truly meant to be an outlet for the big sister who never knew what to do with her many hours spent in a waiting room waiting, wondering, and worrying. I started to write and I felt better so...now we have a blog. I did; however, learn to pay a little closer attention to my spelling as the days went on.
I have had a million requests for an update so here you go.......
A lot has happened since the horrific night on October 10, 2008. We had a successful benefit. Steph's kids had a great Christmas. The best Christmas miracle for them was that they still had their mommy. They don't realize that yet, but someday they will know the story. I remember sitting with Olivia while Steph was in Madison and looking at the neatly painted nail polish on her tiny fingers. Stephi had just painted them right before she got sick and I would get teary wondering if her mommy would ever paint her little nails again. Olivia came over 2 days ago with a new color :) and I had to smile. The girl who would spend months - maybe years in rehabilitation spent hmmmmmm........2 months in an outpatient rehab program before they decided that she was too well off to be there. I did; however, have to laugh a little bit when she would come home with home work with these papers that had tiny little letters all over them and she would have to circle all the letter "B's" on the paper. 4 of us sat there at the kitchen table thankful that it wasn't our homework because it was tiny and tedious. She would just look up at us with a look of disgust, and I would remind her to be thankful that she wasn't getting coloring books for homework for the rest of her life. She didn't think that was as funny as I did I guess :)
In January, she met with Dr Baskaya in Madison and was given a clean bill of health, or as clean as it gets for having a massive aneurysm I guess. That man is amazing. I wonder if he knows :) Stephi was bound and determined to drive. I wondered sometimes if that was more important to her than hearing that her head looked normal. Once Dr Baskaya gave the OK to hit the road, she was gone....I mean she was seriously gone. She went somewhere everyday. We live 30 miles from any sort of civilization, but she didn't care. She was out shopping, hanging out with her kids, you name it. All I know is that I could never find her.
Dr Baskaya...if you read this....maybe next time you open someone's head....a GPS tracking device might be beneficial for family members who can't stand it when we cant get a hold of our brain injured loved ones. Just a thought for next time. LOL.
If she didn't answer her mobile, I would worry that something happened to her, and I would have to call Jen, who had to call mom, who had to call Josh to find out if anyone heard from her that day. Here she would be shopping all day in Wausau. Wow Stephi!
As the next couple months went by, it was very hard to even tell that Steph was ever ill. If it wasn't for the short hair cut and the small town rumor mill no one would have ever known. The huge scar on the right side of her head was now covered with about 2 inches of curly sandy blonde hair (curly hair---who knew??) There were a few more grays in there than I remember but she earned them I suppose. She went about her activities of daily living like she always did. There are a few times when I can see a tiny facial droop or a slight look of confusion when I ask her something but I think I probably see it more because I am with her all the time. It never fails she always has the answer along with the slight twist of the Stephi humor that I love.
Over the next couple months, her baby bump was growing, but overall it looked like she was going to have a very small baby. By March she was down 10 pounds from her pre-pregnancy weight even though she took very good care of herself. She was scheduled to have a c-section on March 20. C-section?? Well, I think it was in everyone's best interest not to allow her to push during labor secondary to her shunt and all of her recent brain surgery. It was in everyone's best interest to make sure we have a healthy baby and a healthy mama no matter what, and no one was about to mess with all of the risk factors. So....we wait patiently until March 20th. All of her OB appointments were checking out well. Dr Zabel was her primary OB and he was also the one who was on call the night Steph got sick at work. She trusts him with everything she has, but even though he would tell her at all of her prenatal appointments that everything was well, she could never get it out of her head that this baby has been a part of her through a horrible accident and she kept worrying that something could be wrong with the fetus.
Friday March 20, 2009.
Stephi's day is finally here. I was her nurse. I had every confidence that all would be well, yet, I had a hard time sleeping just as Steph did the night before. Excitement, anxiousness, a little worried?? I don't know, but it was my baby sister and I was praying that I would not let my emotions take over. I admitted her to the birthing unit where we both work, the girls had her room all decorated for her, and everyone was excited for her. We went back to the OR for her c-section where I would scrub in and stand right next to Dr Zabel (who I trust with everything I have as well). I watched my baby sister slip off to sleep and get intubated for the last time. I choked down a few tears behind my mask as memories of seeing her intubated were too familiar. I watched Dr Zabel make an incision and deliver my nephew. OMG. I, all of a sudden am an aunt, and a sister, and a nurse all at the same time, and I was trying very hard to keep my game face on as Stephi slept.
I made a promise to Stephi that I would not take her baby out of the OR unless he needed an intervention. She said to me many many times "I woke up from 3 major surgeries with this baby. Please don't let me wake up for the last one alone." I am happy to report that I was able to keep that promise to her. Her baby was perfect! I recovered him in the OR and together we waited for her to wake up.
Now earlier I said I was trying really really hard for my emotions to NOT get in the way of my responsibilities as her and her baby's nurse, but by looking at some of the pictures I'm sure you can tell that we shed more than a few tears.............happy tears this time!
Introducing:
Charles Baskaya Zeinert
7 pounds 2 ounces
Thank you Dr Baskaya for having faith in Stephi and saving these lives!
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