Dear Family and Friends
Greetings from the city -- and the country --
This posting has four parts:
1. Brief Update
2. No visitors please
3. How to Send Communication to Mum and Us
4. "The Ride"
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Brief Update
Mum continues to be a resident in a critical care unit at Regina General Hospital. She has a lovely private room with a terrific view of the trees and parks of Regina, looking far out to the prairie harvest. Mum is conscious and is able to maintain focus for a short time to hear messages and harvest reports. She is usually acutely aware of what is going on around her, and we keep reminding the staff who come into her room and speak to us ABOUT Mum that they had best address ISABEL as she is hearing every word!
Mum cannot speak or swallow. She requires a respirator to breathe. She communicates through facial expressions and hand squeezes. Mum has a huge medical team working with her -- doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, and a speech therapist. She is very very determined which gives us great hope. This will not be a surprise to those of you that know her as friend, aunt, cousin, teacher, athlete, or committee member! West-Nile has greatly compromised her body. However, yesterday her four physio-therapists and her nurses gave loud cheers at the progress she was making to recover some movement and some breathing ability.
Mum has a very long road ahead of her. Her days are two-steps-forward-one-step-back. We continue to live in hope as she has shown us her powerful determination. She is clearly in charge of her program!
No visitors please
Thank you to all who have asked if you can visit, bring gifts, or provide respite to us in our support of Mum. We very much appreciate your offers. We are calling on medical members of our extended family to be with Mum in afternoons so that one of us does not have to be there every day. However, we continue to request that at this time you do not visit Mum. That is her wish, and ours. She is getting stimulation from a variety of health care providers and she is in various therapies throughout the day. Thanks for understanding and spreading the word.
How to Send Communication to Mum and Us
There are four ways:
1. By Canada Post to: Box 190, Abernethy, SK SOA OAO. Please do not send cards to the hospital.
2. By e-mail to Catherine at: catherine.barnsley@usask.ca
3. By fax to: the Garratt Seed Farm at: 306-333-4833.
4. By leaving a phone message at Mum's home: 306-333-4805.
We will pass on each message. Regretfully, we are not able to reply to phone calls and e-mails at this time.
"The Ride"
Mum's room has huge white walls that are now filled with photos, and posters made by her grand-kids and young friends. Christmas card strings hold your many cards. A bright purple binder covered with stickers holds your e-mails. Her CD player and favourite CDs are by her bedside.
Isabel is one determined woman, and we are ALL along for the ride. Thank YOU for joining us with your greetings and prayers. As her daughters, we continue to be in awe at the outpouring of messages that have come to Mum from every chapter of her life. We can only guess at what Mum is thinking. However, we have always known that family, friends, and community are the most significant treasures in the world to her so your communication is very important to her -- and us.
It's a beautiful late summer harvest evening... Full moon; suppers in the field; tomatoes on the vine, corn on the cob; late night combining......and gratitude that we can continue to update you on Mum's health in a hopeful way.
Catherine, Janet and Nancy
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