blessingsforkaren.com Blog

We apologize for not keeping Karen’s blog updated.  We have been so busy that honestly, it just kind of slipped away from us.  However, we just recently reviewed an email that Karen received that expressed how much many of you still continued to re-read what we had written, and how you wished that we would continue to post entries because Karen’s story is so inspirational.  So, we’re back!  The following post was drafted in July of 2007 and never published.  We will publish it now, and continue to publish updates to bring everyone to date.  Meanwhile, let’s just say that Karen is continuing to be a greater miracle than anyone could have hoped for …

It is hard to believe that it was almost a month ago that Karen was transferred to the Valley Medical TBI Rehabilitation Center.  As you can tell by the latest pictures, she has continued to become more and more present.  She engages you fully now, and is working hard on her speech.  Karen has speech aphasia, which means she can understand everything you are saying to her but has trouble speaking.  Karen knows everything she wants to say, and can form the works in her head, but has trouble with getting the right words out when she speaks.  She can answer yes or no questions, however, and is learning more and more phrases every day. 

She is also remembering more and more.  She now has recollection of the day she suffered her aneurism, and also how to get to her mother’s house from Valley Med.  We know this because on Friday, July 27th, she was able to guide her therapists to her mother’s for a visit.  She was glad to be out of the rehab center, and now she is even more motivated toward her recovery! Karen can now wheel herself in her wheel chair, and is helping more and more with her wheel chair transfers.  The greatest challenge she is facing is the curling of the toes on her right foot.  It sounds like a small issue, but it is a major challenge.  With her toes curled, it makes it painful for Karen to bare weight on her left, and strongest, leg.  The physical therapists are working to help solve this problem with casts, which gradually stretch the tightened muscles that curl the toes, and Botox injections to help relax them.  This therapy has already showed results.  So, we anticipate that this week will show more significant progress. 

Oh, and did we mention that Karen can sing?  She is becoming a karaoke star!  “Wild Thing”, “The National Anthem”, and “You are so Beautiful” are just a small part of her repertoire – which can go on for hours. So, overall, the times are bitter sweet (perhaps more sweet than bitter).  Karen has come so far, and there are so many moments of joy – and, sometimes, there is so much deep frustration at the trials of the moment. 

We continue to thank you for your loving and powerful prayers.  We know that is likely that Karen would not be with us today without them.  And, we also know that they are so necessary for her continued recovery.  Karen needs to show continued and significant recovery, to maintain her stay at Valley Med.  So we ask you for your continued support, and know that God is all powerful and good.  

Time has certainly been going by quickly!  July 3rd began Karen’s 3rd month in recovery.  I apologize to all of you who have been waiting for another update – so much has been happening so fast. 

Karen’s recovery has been miraculous.  She has advanced enough to qualify her for participation in the Valley Medical Center Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Rehabilitation Center’s program.  This program provides intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy programs to prepare Karen for re-creating her life. 

Karen’s trach has been changed to a smaller one (from a 6 to a 4).  This allows her to breathe easier on her own, and also makes it easier for her to eat, and to practice talking!  Yes, Karen can eat on her own now!  She has also found her voice, and is learning how to talk once again - look out world!   She has also been helping the nurses care for her by holding this and that, and helping to support herself when she is transferred in and out of bed.  Another miracle occurred – a month ago Karen had a CAT scan which showed that she still had large amount of fluid on the brain, and that her condition was not improving.  We told the doctor’s, that despite what the tests had showed, Karen was progressing quickly.  When they finally decided to take another scan last week, the tests showed that the fluid had drained! The doctors are now coordinating with Valley Med to plan a time to replace the piece of bone removed from Karen’s skull. 

We are fully aware that all of the miracles of Karen’s healing are taking place through God’s grace, and through all of your love for Karen, and your loving, faith filled prayers for her recovery.  We ask you to keep up the good work!  God is good, and miracles flow through love.  Visiting hours for the rehabilitation center are from 1:00 pm through 8:00 pm.  It’s different from CareMeridian – there are only two visitors at a time allowed in her room.  We can’t thank you enough for your love and support.  We’ll keep you “posted!”  

Every week we are blessed to have all of you praying for Karen’s recovery.  We can’t thank you enough!  Each week Karen continues to defy the odds.  She is now considered by her caretakers to be a miracle.  She is drawing more interest and attention from them. 

This week Karen was able to sit up (with very little help).  You can see a picture of this on the website.  Her physical therapist presented her with a tin of assorted objects and asked Karen to give her the green plastic clothes pin – and Karen did it!! 

Karen is also getting speech therapy.  The speech therapist is introducing a speech cap for her tracheotomy tube.  It allows her to breathe in, but forces her to breathe out through her larynx.  She can now breathe (almost) normally.  And, she is becoming more aware of her speech!  When you first see her and say “Hi Karen!”, she will mouth “Hi!”. 

We can’t emphasize enough the power of your prayers.  Again, we thank you!  All Karen’s doctors and therapists feel that her recovery has been beyond all expectations.  When we talk to them about all the prayer, and those of you who visit her and pray for her, they agree that this is a major reason for her progress.  Thank you again! 

So we ask you to ask anyone you know to pray for Karen and her recovery.  Please refer them to this site.  It doesn’t matter whether they know Karen or not – if they are moved to join her recovery team, please do!  We will add a post on this site for her recovery team.  Please add your name and comments. 

Thank you again for all your blessings!  More later. 

It’s been 25 days since Karen left Stanford Medical Center and journeyed south to San Martin and CareMeridian.  As you can tell by the pictures, she has been improving quickly and steadily.  Karen can now reach for your hand, scratch her face, sit up, hear you, see you, and feel you.  She will also let you know whether she’s happy or sad, pleased or displeased with you.  Her muscle tone is good.  In fact, Karen’s progress to date can be considered miraculous.  We would like to thank the staff at Stanford and CareMeridian for all their support.
She isn’t shooting pool yet, but she is ready for another level of physical rehabilitation. We are beginning to look for another location for her where she can 3 – 5 hours of rehabilitation activities a day.  We’ll let you know as soon as we find the best location for her.
In the meantime, thank all of you for your life saving, and miracle bring prayers.  The power of the Lord is great, and so are the prayers of all of you.

This blog’s for you! 

We are creating this space for all of you Angels to post your memories, pictures, thoughts, and comments.  It’s a place to celebrate, pray, and grieve a friend.