High's and Low's
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| A sweet time with Mom and Dad at Robert Renzoni for lunch & wine tasting (January 20) |
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip~
He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep."
Psalm 121:1-4
For all of my daughter, Allison's childhood I kept journals of her development (5 volumes worth). A frequent lament at the outset of a journal entry would be how much time had elapsed between entries. Ideally, I would like to post a few times each month to "Annie's Song" to keep everyone up to date. Unfortunately, being out of the country in late January without my laptop and then coming down with Covid (sigh) definitely didn't help.
January has already come and gone but here are some noteworthy happenings with mom. She overall has continued to do well. On January 20th she, dad and mom's caregiver, Alma drove out for a visit. It was the longest drive they'd undertaken since mom's diagnosis in July: Orange County to the Inland Empire. We went to one of our favorite wineries in Temecula Valley for a delicious lunch and a glass of wine. We were also treated to great live entertainment. It was a very enjoyable afternoon/evening.
I had the opportunity to return to Zihuatanejo in late January to spend time with my sister, Cassandra and her husband, Gene. During our trip I got a call from my brother, Michael on the 25th that mom was taken by ambulance to Mission Hospital. Dad was concerned because she was non-responsive and called 9-1-1. A scan was done that revealed edema in her brain. A follow-up MRI was done the next day to see if there was anything causing Ann's behavior aside from swelling. Thankfully, there is no evidence of tumor. Yippee skippee! 🎉 She was at Mission for 2 days while they administered Decadron (steroid) by IV. Fortunately, Ann is doing really well. In case you are wondering, Dr. Kim (mom's neurosurgeon) felt the swelling was a result of the radiation/chemo in September.
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| In Zihuatanejo with my beautiful sister, Cassandra last month |
It is always a massive relief when the reason behind a "hiccup" medically is easily resolved. I have mentioned in previous posts that one of my chief goals on this journey with mom is to be present and not project into the future: To celebrate the blessings (like our visit to a winery for a relaxing afternoon on a crisp January day). I included the photo of Playa La Ropa in Zihua for two reasons. One is simply because it's such a lovely spot and the beach is definitely one of my happy places. The other reason ~ the sand is a spiritual "visual" for me (and I hope an encouragement for you).
I recently watched a presentation from a Christian perspective on the reasons for the existence of God. I know that not everyone reading this is likely to hold the same views as me, but I do believe Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." To illustrate the vastness of the universe, apparently cosmologists believe there are as many stars in the observable universe as there are grains of sand on all the beaches in the entire world. Wait what?!? My brain hurts just trying to fathom such a thing.
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| A visual of the awesome power and greatness of God (how many stars are represented on this stretch of beach alone?). |
- Ann will be having an outpatient procedure next Tuesday to hopefully "wake up" her bladder. If it is effective she will regain bladder control in 3 months or so. Please pray for the procedure to be successful with no complications.
- Ann continues to meet with a physical and an occupational therapist weekly. Prayers that she will continue to become stronger and able to do more & more independently of caregivers.
- Provision for as long as mom needs to have 24/7 caregiving.
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