Great news. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Keep up with the updates.

Can I use the general address for WakeMed that's listed on page one to send stuff to Jill, or do I need a more specific one?

d

Go Jill!!!

And many thanks to jmxcpter for the continued updates!

New update:

First, to answer the above question, I believe you can use the address listed in this thread. Over the weekend I actually spoke with Mom on the phone. It was not a long conversation and mostly consisted of me asking her questions and her giving one word replies. No came across clearly while it seemed like she was having to work harder to get out a yes answer. She did start the conversation with hiya. This is very encouraging to me. I'm going to fly back this Friday to visit her for a day or two and so I should have a more detailed update after spending some more time with her. Thanks to Efrem for the award ticket (I'm not playing favorites among all those generous FT folks who offered tickets, he just happened to email me a question right as I was thinking of making a reservation). With regards to phone calls to Mom, if you call and ask to be put through to her room, it'll just ring as she's not quite up to answering the phone on her own yet. When I spoke with her, my brother called me from her room and held the phone for her. I hear the best way to try to talk to her is to call the main switchboard and have them call her ward to see if a nurse is free to help facilitate the call. That's it for now.

Thanks for all your support.

jmx

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A man's got to know
his limitations

I had a delightful, though short, phone conversation with Jill this morning. She knew who I was - called me "crazy man" when I told her I'd fly in to see her this Thursday, a term she used before her surgery whenever I was about to do something that "normal" people (i.e., non-FTers) would consider odd. It wasn't quite the interactive conversation of old, but it was good to hear her voice. I'll post an update after the visit.

More news:

I spoke with Mike tonight and he had some good things to say. Mom has been moved again, this time to the re-hab facility. Apparently the re-hab center is a pretty focused program as she is not allowed visitors during the week except between the hours of 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM. On the weekends she is more accessible. Mike says that she's more communicative and has started eating some of her food which is a real good step. She seems to be regaining some of her spunk as she's offered up a few salty comments in the last day or two.

That's it for now.

jmx

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A man's got to know
his limitations

This is a very good sign... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Just got back to the RDU airport after a delightful four-hour visit with her. There are no formal visiting hours during the day, since she's pretty heavily scheduled with various kinds of therapy sessions, but apparently a lone adult whom she was clearly happy to see and who was able to help with occasional menial tasks is acceptable. (I had expected to throw myself on a supervisor's mercy and talk about how I flew in just to see her, and be granted 15 minutes, but none of that turned out to be necessary.)

She's got a long road ahead of her, relearning everything from how to walk to the difference between a penny and a quarter. Still, her improvement over the last few weeks is nothing short of miraculous. She's definitely herself. She's reading, eating with a fork, and most importantly teasing the way she always did. A few of the highlights:

- Her recognizing me right away and greeting me by name.

- Seeing Randy Petersen's get-well card on the bulletin board with the others, complete with FlyerTalk pin for her.

- The time I made a slightly risque comment, and she winked and tried to slap me with the paper envelope she was holding.

- Hugging her and being hugged back.

The facilities are excellent - modern, airy, well equipped. The six people I had a chance to observe in the performance of their duties (one psychologist, two therapists, a nurse, two dining room staff) seemed dedicated to what they do and good at it. In short, she's in good hands with WakeMed.

Since today is only her second day in rehab therapy, I think she's doing well. If things keep on this trajectory, we'll be seeing her at an FT gathering before too long into next year!

(Her son John will be there the day after tomorrow. I look forward to reading what he thinks.)

Efrem, I really appreciated your report, and thank you for going out of your way to make a difference in a sitation such as this. Your right it will be a long road from recovery but the worst is now behind JILL and with all the love and support from family and friends will make a world of difference.
Your report has made me smiled several times and one thing for sure was u were determined to make a difference!

Thank you for the updates and their progressively positive news.

Great news! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif And who said posts with just a smiley are a waste of bandwidth?

FewMiles..

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Go Jill Go!!!!!

Tell Michael something should be coming to the house for you pretty soon.

Josh

Update:

Efrem's post was good to read. Not long after his post I got a phone call from Mom! My cell phone rang and when I answered it, she said, "Hey, how are ya?"! We proceeded to have a pretty normal conversation. Once or twice, she seemed to stumble, but overall it was more like Mom than anything I've heard lately. It was really good to hear her voice sounding like her again.

I'm on an AA flight tomorrow to see her again and I'll post as soon as I see her (prob Sat as I don't arrive in Raleigh until nearly 10:00 PM).

Thanks for all the support.

jmx

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A man's got to know
his limitations

That's extraordinary news! I see light at the end of the tunnel... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Thanks for all the updates.

Keep up the good work Jill.

All the best.