May 3, 2007

Happy Spring.

It’s been awhile since my last update. We are one month away from the year anniversary of Dirk’s stroke. I can’t believe it. Dirk and I still wish that we will wake up from this awful dream and get back to “real” life. It is still hard to accept that our life now is our “real” life. Although, through all of the hardships and sadness we have faced this year, I have had the rare opportunity to watch a person (Dirk) learn how to live again. It’s pretty amazing and inspirational. I’ve watched Dirk relearn everything- how to walk, talk, eat, tie his shoes, write, read, descend/ascend stairs, run, swim, ride a bike, jump….the list just goes on.

Dirk eloquently described relearning everything in one of our therapy sessions. He said he has an imaginary person sitting next to him who knows how to do everything- that’s the old Dirk. He tries to connect with the old Dirk’s knowledge and use that information to produce movements, voice sounds, and gestures. In a way I think this is a form of visualization, which can be very effective in learning.

Since February Dirk’s checked some goals off his list and made new ones. First off, he has gotten back on the bike. He has gone about four miles on the bike path around Marin. This is pretty incredible (scary?) considering he has decreased balance and double vision- so maybe check with Dirk to find out when he’s going in order to avoid the bike path during that time. (We are still looking into finding a tandem.) In the pool, Dirk’s stroke is improving and the other day he practiced summersaults to work up to flip turns. His ultimate goal is to return to work, so we are also focusing on areas that need improvement- voice, fine motor skills, and vision.

In late March we met Bob and Lee Woodruff. What an amazing couple. It was really special for me to meet a woman who understands what I’ve been through. Riding the elevator up to the ICU and not knowing what the day had in store, treasuring the small miracles, and dealing with the punches. It felt like a boxing ring sometimes. What else could he throw at us….pneumonia, DVT, UTI, hydrocephalus, respiratory distress, and a second bleed. As Dirk’s doctor said to him, most people do not survive the type of stroke he had, and look where he is now.

Good news- we had a follow up MRI yesterday and everything looked good. There’s no tumor growth or changes in the area where the stroke happened. We will now go four months until our next MRI. I have to admit, the few days leading up to the test were stressful and emotions ran high because somewhere in your mind you brace yourself for the worst case scenario.

So, we continue to move forward and find something to laugh about everyday. We are going to Hawaii for the year anniversary and to have that little vacation we didn’t get last summer. I think it will be another step in our healing process and a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to everyone who helped save Dirk.

Thanks again for everyone’s support and good wishes- keep them coming because he still has a long road ahead of him.

Love, Kelsey

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