Friday, September 12

Have I told you about Miss A? Miss A is the head nurse on the TBI section of the rehab floor at Bellevue. I am not ashamed to admit that she scares me. Over the past five weeks (almost) I have observed how hard the nursing staff works. They are smart and dedicated, and I try really hard not to be in trouble with any of them.

Today, however, Miss A busted us on two counts. First, Jilly was avoiding her afternoon occupational therapy group session on the grounds that she needed to finish her lunch and take a nap. Apparently this is not acceptable. In addition, when she came into Jilly's room to enforce the therapy attendance policy, Miss A noticed that we have filled the window sill with books, clothing, and other miscellany. Apparently this too is unacceptable. So.... Like it or not, Jilly headed to the therapy, and I proceeded to sort and organize all that stuff. Luckily for us, Miss A seems to have chosen to ignore the fact that Jilly was not in regulation pjs.

The reason Jilly needed a nap was that this morning in the occupational therapy session that she does enjoy, she and therapist Rivky actually LEFT THE BUILDING! The mission: Walk to the local Gristede's, navigate the aisles, and collect the items on a list. Rivky pronounced the trip a success; Jilly said it was great to be outside, but she would have preferred to hunt down her own kind of food.

Today we welcomed a surprise visitor: Brother Jeremy's high school debate partner, Ted Chang. Ted, who has been living in New York for several years, was married just a few months ago. It was great to see him after all these years and to meet his wife Tricia. Ariane Reinhart also visited, bringing tidings from the American Dance Festival, one of Jilly's best-loved habitats over the last several summers. Many of the other familiar friends also braved rainy weather to show up for Jilly again.

Based on a conversation today with Dr. Kalva (attending physician on the floor), it's looking as if we should be able to bring Jilly back to New Mexico just within the six weeks that her neurologist said they would require post surgery. This will depend on a last visit from the neuro team, who may require a precautionary CAT scan, and progress that continues over the next several days as it has up till now.

So we feel we can see the light--and the serious green chile--at the end of this tunnel, which could have been much longer that it now seems it will be. The kind thoughts of all who have been reading and posting on this blog continue to lift our spirits and Jilly's prospects.

Thank you all.

Ingrid