Things are looking up
Hi all of Graham's friends and assorted folks ,
First a message from Graham as dictated: "Pressure sore healed. Can now lie on back as well as sides. Proper clothes almost organised so can be decent and get out of bed. Hallelujah, hip hip hooray, praise God I'm satisfied, Love, Graham"
Now from me: I am sending this email to the list that Airasa has been using, and assume you all want updates from me about Graham. I will send this and if any of you want off the list, let me know and if I don't hear otherwise I will keep sending you information from me.
Airasa and Ian are off today for their preplanned holiday and it is great they are going as Airasa really needs the time away. When they came over last night to drop off clothes for Graham, as she left she said 'You are in charge as you won't be able to contact me' so that tells me something. We know he will continue to improve and there will be no need to contact them for anything. I wish them a very happy holiday and rest and fun and no worries.
Graham feels himself he is improving which I think is a great sign. I was with him for an hour on my own last night and we talked about his view that he has improved from the first day. He talked about how scared he was when he was lying there and then decided he would not die and only had to wait for me to arrive. He said how he was in much worse shape a month ago when they had to help him breathe and now he is breathing fine without any oxygen. He says he could not feel much a month ago, but now is aware of more of his body (upper body). He said how he could not get up before but now they want his clothes so they can dress him and get him up and moving. He sees all of this as very positive indeed. So do I. So do we all.
He has also embraced his spirituality a bit more conclusively -- as he sees it as holding him together. Last night he got some sort of chill, and his jaw was chattering, and eventually we put on one of his religious CDs and he concentrated on listening and I held his hand and talked quietly to him about the difference between worrying and wondering. I said one was a downward spiral taking a person to negative thoughts, and the other was upward taking you to higher positive thoughts. I suggested he use his intelligence to think about what it would be like to be in zero gravity, or what sort of devices could be made to help a person in his situation.
We talked about his apartment and all his books and what if the housing situation was to change drastically and I said stop thinking about that -- nothing is going to change quickly. If he has to get rid of things, he can just get rid of what he knows he can do without -- a wonderful piece of advice from Airasa and Ian when they helped me get rid of about a third of my stuff 18 months ago.
He is feeling much more positive and so am I. He can see how caring and helpful the staff are as they were very kind about the superbowl (which they have no understanding of as a thing) and made sure that he could see the television and when they turned him again to see it and positioned it just so ... he was grateful and he realised they were being so good to him. All of this is so positive.
Forgive my ramble but it is nice to have something positive to ramble about.
So Airasa and Ian are off and deserve the break. I will see him every day that no one else goes and of course there are friends who will visit him. Charis and Helen and possibly Charlotte. Such wonderful friends from Airasa's school days while she is off with Jo (and her Ian) and Claire (and Rob) also wonderful friends from those days so long ago.
I still remember one of Airasa's parties when I was keeping out of the way upstairs and everyone seemed to drift into my room where eventually Airasa came to the door, hands on hips, saying 'so this is where everyone has got to' in a very sweet joking way. But I have known all these girls for so long and seen them grow into wonderful caring kind considerate loving women.
Friends are the most precious gift we have.
Be good to each other -- and as Graham now says 'watch your step'
Love and peace,
Linda
First a message from Graham as dictated: "Pressure sore healed. Can now lie on back as well as sides. Proper clothes almost organised so can be decent and get out of bed. Hallelujah, hip hip hooray, praise God I'm satisfied, Love, Graham"
Now from me: I am sending this email to the list that Airasa has been using, and assume you all want updates from me about Graham. I will send this and if any of you want off the list, let me know and if I don't hear otherwise I will keep sending you information from me.
Airasa and Ian are off today for their preplanned holiday and it is great they are going as Airasa really needs the time away. When they came over last night to drop off clothes for Graham, as she left she said 'You are in charge as you won't be able to contact me' so that tells me something. We know he will continue to improve and there will be no need to contact them for anything. I wish them a very happy holiday and rest and fun and no worries.
Graham feels himself he is improving which I think is a great sign. I was with him for an hour on my own last night and we talked about his view that he has improved from the first day. He talked about how scared he was when he was lying there and then decided he would not die and only had to wait for me to arrive. He said how he was in much worse shape a month ago when they had to help him breathe and now he is breathing fine without any oxygen. He says he could not feel much a month ago, but now is aware of more of his body (upper body). He said how he could not get up before but now they want his clothes so they can dress him and get him up and moving. He sees all of this as very positive indeed. So do I. So do we all.
He has also embraced his spirituality a bit more conclusively -- as he sees it as holding him together. Last night he got some sort of chill, and his jaw was chattering, and eventually we put on one of his religious CDs and he concentrated on listening and I held his hand and talked quietly to him about the difference between worrying and wondering. I said one was a downward spiral taking a person to negative thoughts, and the other was upward taking you to higher positive thoughts. I suggested he use his intelligence to think about what it would be like to be in zero gravity, or what sort of devices could be made to help a person in his situation.
We talked about his apartment and all his books and what if the housing situation was to change drastically and I said stop thinking about that -- nothing is going to change quickly. If he has to get rid of things, he can just get rid of what he knows he can do without -- a wonderful piece of advice from Airasa and Ian when they helped me get rid of about a third of my stuff 18 months ago.
He is feeling much more positive and so am I. He can see how caring and helpful the staff are as they were very kind about the superbowl (which they have no understanding of as a thing) and made sure that he could see the television and when they turned him again to see it and positioned it just so ... he was grateful and he realised they were being so good to him. All of this is so positive.
Forgive my ramble but it is nice to have something positive to ramble about.
So Airasa and Ian are off and deserve the break. I will see him every day that no one else goes and of course there are friends who will visit him. Charis and Helen and possibly Charlotte. Such wonderful friends from Airasa's school days while she is off with Jo (and her Ian) and Claire (and Rob) also wonderful friends from those days so long ago.
I still remember one of Airasa's parties when I was keeping out of the way upstairs and everyone seemed to drift into my room where eventually Airasa came to the door, hands on hips, saying 'so this is where everyone has got to' in a very sweet joking way. But I have known all these girls for so long and seen them grow into wonderful caring kind considerate loving women.
Friends are the most precious gift we have.
Be good to each other -- and as Graham now says 'watch your step'
Love and peace,
Linda
posted by Fearless Leader Sue at 8:50 AM
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