Fundraiser Info

Hello all, Karleen here. I am sorry to say we will not be doing an official get together to raise funds, but a bank account has been set up for you to contribute to! For those of you who have donated items to be sold at the fund raiser we will either be giving those things to Mily and her family or selling them on ebay/craigs list and sending the money to the account. We apologize if we let anyone down but Beth and I have found it difficult to organize with the many things going on in our lives along with Melissa's upcoming deployment to Chile to help with the medical relief to the earth quake victims. Again, we are sorry if we let anyone down.

The idea to set up an account to directly send funds to is due to the fact that the at home supplies and in home care costs are high and not necessarily covered by insurance. For example: one tube of the cream used to prevent bed sores costs $17 a tube. Please use the following information to deposit funds:

Chase Bank
Account # 2936361886

Home Sweet Home

Hello, Karleen here! So sorry for the delay in updating the blog. Many of you have sent Beth and I messages and texts wanting to know "What's up with Mily?" Well here's the deal: At this point Mily is way past the critical stage of her stroke, therefore updates will come less often on this blog. The good thing is, she is healthy enough that you can call or txt Mily yourself to ask her how she is doing! I asked her what would be best to post on this blog, her email or cell phone number and she prefers her cell: 1-360-489-5783. Also notice that the address where flowers, balloons, cards, and letters can be sent on the right side of this post has changed to Mily's home address. So feel free to send something!

I decided to call her this evening after spending most of the day thinking about her since today is the day she went home from rehab. Almost exactly two months away from home she feels good about being able to lay in her own bed and spend more time with Ryan and Danny. I spoke with Mily this evening and asked her how she is feeling emotionally and physically. My concern stems from a saying my mom taught me: "With every change (even a good change) comes some form of depression." Mily told me she feels wonderful being home for she will be able to be around Ryan more and use him as an inspiration to get better. At the same time she was emotional leaving the rehab facility for as she said "They are my angels and made me stand again." Physically she is able to get out of bed, stand, and walk with assistance...she could not do this a month ago. Imagine what she will be able to do by the end of this year! She will have in home physical therapy three times a week and looks forward to being able to go on walks. In the next coming days Mily has a few doctor's appointments, physical theraphy, and will spend some much needed quality time with her two boys. Continue your prayers for Mily, Danny, and Ryan as they get use to their new life. Don't forget to call, txt, or send Mily something via good old fashion mail.

I fell off the planet......

This week has been such a complete blur - I don't even know how I lost the whole week. I really needed the three-day weekend. Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's day. Mily - she's a superstar; that's all there is to it! Her 15 famous steps have been shortened as her primary therapist thinks its a good idea to stand completely before she walks...makes sense. She also has had a very hard time sitting for more than 15 minutes or so; she needs to lay back down after a short time. PT is working on getting her seated comfortably and working her abdominal muscles so she can hold herself up better. So that being said, she is working on standing from a seated position (repeatedly) - I'm sure her quads and thighs are sore! Last weekend, she was still needing the hoiter lift (fancy machine that lifts her out of bed in a harness that's mounted to the ceiling); now she's using a 'slidey board' (it's like a HUGE plastc cutting board that's smooth so patients can easily slide from bed to chair and back safely) - she's become a pro. Millie says she is becoming more alert daily and as I'm sure you all know - she's on the phone ALOT! Lisa, John and Aunt Thelma were all there over the weekend; Lisa decorated Mily's room! It's a mellow version of a Hallmark store :) On to the reality of the situation.....the insurance is likely to start squawking about her length of stay. There are weekly meetings with the multidisciplinary team that are on Mily's case (MD, PT, OT, case management, discharge planning, dietary and more I'm sure I've forgotten) and they go over her progress, their goals for her and all that. Bottom line is this....if insrance gets to where they won't pay for rehab any more, but she isn't safe enough to go home - they will send her to long term care as it still saves them money. We know thats' not whats best for her - so PRAY and pray and pray. So far, the sun has shone upon our girl. I'm hopeful it will continue. Godspeed all, xo B

She's pretty in pink

Ok, so I like to shop.....anyone who knows me at all knows about my wardrobe - particularly my shoe fetish. So when I got here, I did a quick look-see and this place was just not girly enough at all. A girl needs some soft, snuggly things to make her feel special, especially when she's trying to heal. She has new clothes for PT - sweats, shorts, and tees. She has some new super soft and pretty jammies. I'm a sucker for a satin pillow case myself, so Mily now has two crimson red satin pillow cases to rest her beautiful head upon and a bright pink coverlet and a heart-shaped pillow with a pocket to hold her phone (she loses it in bed alot - so we fixed that). We've taken lots of photos of her happily hunkered down with her new homey comforts - I will post them here once home as I do not have my camera cable with me now. I'm sitting here in her room with her while she chatters away on the phone to the dozens of people she is calling this morning..... music to my ears. Speaking of music, we've been grooving and singing to everything from Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood to Marvin Gaye. Debbie - we've been dancing as practice for your wedding, so Mily'll be ready to partay! When you see the photos of her, she will look a bit tired - that is the effect of the stroke. Her facial muscles have not yet rebuilt their tone so she looks wiped out when she isn't. You know it when she's tired - she just goes to sleep mid-sentence; when she's done, she's done. I know we are all motivated to see her get home and be better, but the truth of the matter is this - the longer the insurance will continue to pay for her to be an inpatient here - the better off she will be in the long run. I am truly hoping for her to remain here until May or even June as it will mean a much better long term outcome for her to have intensive therapy for months, not just weeks. Rehab units of this caliber are rare - she needs to milk this for all it's worth so she can have maximum benefit from it. She misses the comforts of home and wants out of here, I know it's hard to be in a clinical environment. Her spirits improve little by little, and she's turning statements of 'I can't' to 'I can' or 'I'll try', or 'I'll learn'. So much of this journey is mental rather than physical - her spirits continue to build with your love......She thanks you again for your love and prayers, but feels that those words can't begin to express what you've all done for her and her family. You know what a giver she is - it's hard for her to be the receiver. She is so grateful - but a tad bored and lonely too. The walls look the same day-to-day, so please keep up the cards, phone calls and love. She's locked herself out of her facebook and email accounts - I'm not sure how we're going to fix that yet. Anyway, I feel so very blessed to be able to be here; I headed to the airport shortly - I land just in time for my hubby to miss the end of the Super Bowl....c'est la vie - the Saints are gonna take it anyway! :) B

Where do I begin?

Tonite I am content - content because I've seen Mily, held her - sat while she stroked my hair and cheeks. The love that comes from that girl just swallows you up and you're jelly - you've no choice in the matter. She has the staff wrapped around her little finger.....she asked the nurse this aftnoon....Why are there no Wal-marts in Afganistan??? ..... Because they're all Targets she says with a perfectly straight face! The rehab facility is small, but pretty state of the art. All the cool toys for mobility assistance are right at hand, and the gym where they do OT and PT is awesome. It's uber clean and the staff are warm and caring. I want her to stay there and soak up whatever she possibly can for as long as she can - its a very good environment for her. She looks relaxed and focused on dealing with each day as it comes. She got about a hundred kisses from me - delivered by me that is, from all of you. She eats up all the love - she misses you all very much. She asks intelligent questions about what happened to her and her course in the ICU. I was honest with her about just how sick she was so she might realize that where she is now is more of a blessing than a hardship. I'm looking forward to watching her in PT tomorrow and cheering her on; if she's up for it we'll get a few pictures so you can see her smile and her new hairdo. More tomorrow, B

"I had a good day today"......

Oh my..... Tomorrow morning I fly out of SoCal enroute to Mily. Not soon enough for me! I am looking forward to a really, really good update that I can share with you right from Mily's side. She called me last night while she had been left alone for a few - the first time she dialed the phone alone I'm told! She told me she'd had a good day....she said the same thing when she called this afternoon. I'm SOSOSOOO happy that she's enjoying her therapy sessions - PT, OT, and speech are all going very well. She sounds better overall - more centered, focused on what needs to happen and on her progress versus why the heck she got into this pickle in the first place. My plan is to sit with her and talk not about what has come to pass, but how to make the best of what God has given. He gave us the gift of her life - the purpose is not for us to be concerned with. Thats' what I want to try to impress upon Mily - to just trust the path He's put her upon and know that his purpose will reveal itself in it's time. I know we will laugh some and cry some and hug and giggle like schoolgirls. It will heal the places in my heart that have been craving what only Mily gives us; I pray it will heal her in the same way. I have many messages from all of you to share with her and I know she's looking forward to seeing them. Millie would like to plaster another wall in Mily's room with messages from all of you - this time she wants Valentine's greetings! I will post all the info for where to send everything while I'm up there this weekend. I will also be checking out what her wish list still has on it and let you know how we're doing on that front. She is still truly blown away by all the love that has come to her and her family since this all began; most humble thanks. Live - from Olympia tomorrow nite! :) B