She speaks........

Mily went for a minor procedure today to remove the filter that was put in place (Greenfield) to help catch clots. They can't stay in long term; the docs feel it has done it's job. For whatever reason, that procedure didn't go great - they were unable to pull the filter; she will return to interventional radiology tomorrow to try to retrieve it again. That was Mily's exhausting adventure for the day. They placed a special valve over her trach that allows her to generate speech as the way a trach sits prevents vocal noise. Mily asked for 'mom', and later said 'Daniel' as she reached for his hand! This is her first speech in over 3 weeks! This is HUGE!! There is a possibility that the trach will be closed up on Thurs or Fri of this week if Mily continues to make such epic progress. Once that happens, they will be able to evaluate her ability to swallow. This will determine ALOT about rehab and what it's safe for her to eat/drink when ready. Many stroke patients have impaired swallowing ability and need soft foods and liquids that have been thickened so they don't aspirate. For now, all is well - I got no reports of agitation today, just more good news on her incredible journey of healing. We will never know why this happened to our Mily; perhaps to illustrate to all of us the true power of the human spirit. I don't know, but I'm asking God what he has for me to learn from this as I truly believe there's a lesson here for all of us. We travel this road together, therefore our paths do more than cross - they parallel and sometimes pull together so we walk hand in hand. My heart is so very happy tonite, I get misty-eyed passing the news on! B