Sophie and I scurried about today so we could pick up Bandar at Jennings by 3. Today is mama-in-law's day to graduate from rehab, after spending the last 54 days there. Both mama and Sophie are especially excited. Bandar's excitement turned to full-blown anxiety when we hadn't arrived by mid-morning. Someone on staff had mistakenly told her we would be there at about 10, and Bandar counted the mounting minutes for more than four hours until we finally arrived. One of the aides tipped us off on our way in: "You're in trouble!" Thankfully, after a few minutes of snarls and lecture, Bandar was so excited to leave that she quickly forgave us and made her round of goodbyes with her good friends on the staff.
The aides, nurses and therapists took such good care of her, without exception tolerating her eccentricities and peculiarities (but after an adjustment period). Everyone exchanged hugs, more laughs and I-love-you's.
We managed to get her home and quickly into the house -- I zipped Bandar in her transport chair right up our portable 12-foot ramp, made available for loan from Steve Barille, a fellow Mayfielder who has been following this blog for awhile and offered us the use of any of his several ramps. Thanks, Steve!
We were joking with the staff at Jennings about the workout Bandar gave the nurses yesterday at "Mary Mountain" Hospital. Oh, how the Jennings aides appreciated that!
We're all laughing and joking, and I'm saying, "It takes a village" to care for Bandar Murad. Milla, one of the aides, laughs and keeps telling Sophie in a sing-song voice, "She's your mother!"
Getting Bandar home and inside was relatively easy. Then reality started to reveal itself over the next few hours as we took Bandar's back brace off and got her situated on the couch, back brace back on and Bandar back up to walk to the great room chair, her back brace off and Bandar up and over to the bathroom, back-brace back on, back to the chair for dinner, back brace off again, up to the bathroom to get washed up and finally to bed. Very suddenly, "The Village" now has a population of 2.
Thankfully, Sophie and I are blessed to welcome our occasional village visitors and helpers, in the form of kind people like Steve Barille, our neighbors and members of our families and friends.
Thank you for your prayers, words of encouragement and good deeds.
Bandar's Jennings village: Milla, Smiley and Debbie, top right; another Debbie and Smiley, lower left
No comments:
Post a Comment