Pam

   Ireland is lovely and green again and not so cold as it was a few weeks ago.  I [Kathy] find myself being very thankful for the window seat in our bedroom (see the pics below of my view and the chair).  It was just too cold to sit there for a while, but now I'm back to enjoying the view. I love that I can look out and see the Dublin mountains with sheep grazing and even a couple of old ruins right from my bedroom window!  It's a daily reminder that I live in Ireland.  It's been nearly three years since we moved here and we have grown to love it!  There are  many people who have become very dear to us. One of  my sweet friends recently said.."I want to begin the new year as I mean to finish it."  As I was sitting in my comfy bedroom chair gazing out of the window, I got to thinking about what she had said and decided that I would like to begin and end this new year with an attitude of thankfulness!  
  
   I am so thankful for my sister Pam!  I thought I had lost her in March, when she suffered a stroke but she's working so hard and is determined to get better. She has come such a long way and is a real inspiration to all of us!   Sometimes she feels discouraged because it's a long, rough road to recovery, but whenever we talk on the phone there's always something new and encouraging in her progress.  She walks quite well with a walker now and is able to walk on her own in therapy sessions, with someone right there to catch her if she starts to fall. Today she mentioned that she's been cleaning out drawers and made pumpkin bread with a bit of help from Carrie who is her caregiver during the day when her husband Dave is at work.  She's wanting to do more and more which is a good sign and her neurologist is very encouraged with her progress!  Thank you to all of you who have prayed for her.

   My window seat is a lovely place to read, reflect and pray, this year I mean to spend a good bit of time remembering to be thankful!  

 Our window seat at the foot of our bed where we can look out and see the Dublin Mnts.

 This is a bit of what we can see from our Window Chair.

This is Kathy writing this week's blog . . . Just a little over 2 months ago we received the shocking news of my sister's massive brain stem stroke.  As we flew out to California to be with her and the family we had very little hope for her survival. On the flight I felt the peace of God as I cried and prayed knowing that her life was in His hands.  I know that God would still be good if he had chosen to take her home to heaven but I am thrilled beyond measure to watch (from afar) her recovery! (See pic below)

In the last post Tim mentioned that Pam had taken 7 steps during physical therapy.  These were assisted steps with bars and the therapist steadying her, now she has walked 30 feet, still with some support but she is getting stronger every day!  She is now eating regular food (feeding herself) and although she still has a tube in her stomach she is eating enough on her own that they will be able to remove it soon. She is talking more and more, as a matter of fact she made our mom's day yesterday when she answered the phone and heard Pam say 'Hi Mom'!

One of my favorite stories from one of Pam's friends, happened shortly after she had the trache tube removed so that she was able to speak.  Her friend was reading Isaiah 40:31 and Pam mouthed the words right along with her so she stopped reading it and Pam completed the verse aloud on her own! "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Pam is working very hard in her recovery and although she still has a long way to go we are praying for and expecting a full recovery! 

In this picture, our son Mark is with Pam in her rehab room in Redding, CA - about a 2 hour drive from home.  The next step will be for Pam to move to a facility in Chico, CA - about 25 minutes away, and finally back to her own home!  The move to Chico could come within the next couple of weeks. 

In the waiting room at Mercy hospital is (L to R) Steve Long (Kathy's brother), Mark Laughlin (our second son), Shirley Jager (Kathy's Mum) and Kathy.  We have spent lots of time in this room as well as in Pam's ICU room as we wait to see how things are going to go.

The past two days have been very encouraging as Pam is now more and more 'self contained' and free from heavy duty drugs that were needed to control blood pressure, from tubes draining fluids and relieving pressure, and many other things.  Pam is still in a coma, but does respond from time to time.  She has opened her eyes, moved both arms, both legs and moved her head up and down as well as side to side in response to questions.  All of this gives us hope that Pam is beginning to recover from this massive brain stem stroke.

We currently believe this recovery will go on for a long period of time, but we don't know yet how much of a recovery to expect.  We are so thankful for so many of you praying for a full recovery, as nothing is too hard for our God!  

As things stand today, we plan to fly out of San Francisco early on the 24th and arrive back in Dublin on the 25th.  We are looking forward to getting home as we miss all our Dublin friends and family.  Kathy and I want to thank everyone for such a tremendous outpouring of love and prayer support!