The feeling of inadequacy is a little overwhelming when trying to verbalize the power of God and the testimony of what He has done because it is simply not possible. As I sit here trying to put into words what has happened, I can't help but recognize the blessing of another day with my mom and the testimony that God has given us to share. Life is so short and uncertain. There are multiple places throughout Scripture that attest to this.
James 4:14-
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Psalm 144:4-
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
Proverbs 27:1-
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
On May 27th, 2016, I thought it may be the last time I would ever see and/or speak to my mother. It was about 4:30 pm when I received a call from my dad. He quickly explained to me that Mom had just been brought to Weatherford Regional ER by ambulance. All he mentioned was that he had no idea what was going on, but that I needed to head to the hospital as soon as possible. Dropping everything, I ran up to the hospital only to still find myself, along with Dad and Regan, completely lost as to why we were finding ourselves in the ER waiting room with Mom in the back, unavailable to be seen or spoken to to find out what was going on. After about 30 minutes, they called Dad back to give him the news. They diagnosed Mom with a stroke and brain bleed, and immediately called for her to be flown to Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth.
To attempt to put it in the best possible words: we were devastated. We had no clue how something like this could happen. What was going to happen from here? Was I ever going to see my mom alive again? There were so many unanswered questions, and the only response we had was to drop to our knees and cry out to the One who we knew held her life in His hands. As I watched the helicopter take off with my mom in tow, I found myself broken beyond words. Not soon after, we made it to Plaza. Waiting with Mom in the ER, they began running additional tests attempting to pinpoint where the bleed she was having was coming from.
It was then that it became very clear that God's presence was with my mom. You see, my mom had been home alone since she works from home and my father and sister were out working. She had mentioned to my dad that she was feeling a little tired, so she was going to lay down for a nap. As we were waiting with her in the ER, she told us that she was having difficulty falling asleep so she got up to go get her shower. This is the last thing she said she remembered. Mom, after getting out of bed, collapsed on the floor. Somehow, although she does not remember doing it, she managed to text my dad several bursts of "help" text messages. Worrying my dad, he called her and was unable to understand her words. He immediately called for the ambulance, having no idea what had happened to her. Between the fact that Mom was able to somehow let my dad know she was in trouble, to the speed of the ambulance and their ability to quickly respond to the call, to the immediate call Weatherford Regional made to get her into a CT scan that allowed them to see the blood on her brain, to an open room in the Neuro ICU at Plaza Medical Center....God's hand was in it all.
It wasn't too long before the doctors at Plaza came to us with the news that Mom's bleeding was coming from an aneurysm in the back of her head and that it was the blood from the aneurysm that caused a hemorrhagic stroke.
The next morning, the doctors performed a procedure in which they went in through an artery in the lower part of her body, and using a micro catheter, placed coils into her aneurysm to contain it and stop the bleeding. The procedure was successful, and the bleeding was stopped. However, by this point, Mom had what the doctors described as a "moderate" amount of blood surrounding her brain. After her procedure, Mom was placed in a room in the Neuro ICU at Plaza Medical where she stayed for 19 days and began her long road to recovery.
The thing about bleeding on the brain... it is, as the doctors described it, almost toxic to the blood vessels when the blood is on the outside of the vessel. This causes the blood vessels to constrict, restricting blood flow which could potentially cause more strokes. These constrictions are called vasospasms. The great team at Plaza Medical monitored her closely, and when needed, performed angiogram procedures, in which they went in and diffused medicine into the vessels in her brain that relaxed the blood vessels. The vasospasm phase for Mom lasted from day 4, since her initial stroke, to day 19. On day 19, June 15th, 2016, Mom was transferred from Neuro ICU to an inpatient room on the 5th floor at Plaza.
Here, it made God's hand even more evident. Mom, after an aneurysm that caused a hemorrhagic stroke, has shown NO signs of weakness on either side of her body or with her speech. NO evidence of the stroke. Praise Jesus. Ultimate healer, sustainer.
On day 20, Mom and I took a walk with her physical therapist. And, much to the surprise of me and her physical therapist, Mom walked the entire length of the hallway and back. As I mentioned before, she has no weakness from her stroke. But man, being in a bed for 20 days can really take a toll on the body. The last several days she has been working hard to build her strength back up.
The entirety of her journey at Plaza Medical, it has been expected that she would need inpatient rehabilitation to be able to continue her recovery, but on day 24, June 20th, 2016, the rehab doctor deemed inpatient rehab completely unnecessary for Mom's remaining recovery due to her ability to walk, eat, shower, and even brush her hair on her own. So here we are on day 25, June 21, 2016, and she is HOME. I simply cannot put into words the healing power of God and the gratefulness that I have not only to have another day with my precious mother, but that she is healed. There is still quite a road ahead...building strength, dealing with recurring headaches, and getting back into normal life will be a challenge, but we are confident that just as God has provided thus far, He will continue.
Thank you to everyone who prayed, provided meals, goodies, and support, as well as visitors and those of you who have shown so much love, care, and concern. Just know that each of you were instrumental in her strength and recovery. This is not the end of God's story of grace, redemption, and love. We are just grateful to be a part of the journey of redemption and until the day He returns, or we are called home... He will receive all the glory and honor He is deserved. Amen.
