Darlene is home again!!!! She has finally returned to her own home and her husband Ray as well as her beloved dogs, Beau, Kalli, and Kandi. When I visited her, the dogs were stuck to her like glue! They were so glad to have their mom back home again! She continues to improve and is walking well with a cane. Her speech is completely understandable - just some minor issues with finding the right words when she wants to. She is a fighter and has done a great job of getting her life back to the way she wants it. Keep the good thoughts coming her way..... Marcia
UPDATE AS OF 11/30/10
We continue to see a miraculous recovery with Darlene! Today is the 90 day mark since her stroke and she is working so hard and achieving so much that she will be able to come home in about two weeks or so. She walks well with only a cane to help her, she is up and about and giving everybody a hard time with a smile - just what we would expect for Darlene to be doing! She is regaining herself more day by day and we appreciate all of your prayers and good wishes. Thank you so much! Marcia
UPDATE AS OF 10/25/10
Darlene has now been moved to a rehabilitation center in Longview. This is exciting because we can now come to see her much more easily, and can make sure her pets and all of our dogs get to see her on a much more regular basis. Today, Darlene was more like her old self than we had seen her since the stroke - she was making jokes and smart remarks to the who take care of here, with a really good sense of humor in use!! She is learning to use the telephone again. She was sitting in a wheelchair and had her dinner with her husband, Ray, while I was there. We also brought two of her dogs for a visit so she got to see Kalli and Kandi. I had given them both baths and tried to groom them, but had tho shave Kalli down pretty far due to the matts she had in her coat. I could see the look on Darlene's face when she saw Kalli's haircut!! Poor little dog, but the good news is it will most certainly grow out again and maybe I will have learned how to do a better job by then!! I am anxious to go see Darlene again on Oct 27th. Ashlyn is taking her a carved pumpkin for Halloween!! More as soon as possible. Marcia
UPDATE: AS OF 10/12/10
Another great visit with Darlene. Her progress each time we see her is absolutely amazing. She is working very hard on her physical therapy. She is beginning to move her left side and she is getting up and about now - she even eats some of her meals in the cafeteria. We brought Roxy and Champ to visit Darlene today - Roxy sat on her. Guess she was claiming Darlene as her very own! All in all, Darlene is doing great and we know she really appreciates all of your kind thoughts and good wishes. Keep 'em coming!! Marcia
UPDATE: AS OF 10/2/10
It was wonderful to see Darlene today for a short visit. She is conversing well and is more capable of give and take in conversations. We took Foxy Roxy (one of our favorite Lhasa Apso girls) with us and Darlene knew who she was, calling her by name as soon as she saw her!! That is great progress......we plan to return soon so she can see Champ and Stormy too.........her husband Ray is making sure she gets to see her three Lhasas, Kandi, Kalli, and Bosephus.
Darlene is improving and working hard on her physical therapy - she is going to fight through this and we will be thrilled to get her back whatever way we can!!
Keep up the prayers and kind thoughts............she needs them all! Thank you. Marcia
UPDATE: AS OF 9/18/10
Darlene continues to improve slowly - her family is hopeful that she will be ready to transition to a rehabilitation facility in Longview very soon. We all want her close enough that we can visit frequently. Will keep you posted.......
UPDATE AS OF 9/21/10:
We visited Darlene today - she has been moved closer to home and is now in a Rehabilitation facility where they can help her regain her mobility and strength. She is in good spirits and her communication skills have improved a great deal! She is also doing better with her memory and eating......we are very proud of her! We brought her three little stuffed animals - two pink puppies that represent her little girl Lhasas, Kalli and Kandi, and one blue puppy to represent her boy Lhasa, Bosephus. She now has them to snuggle whenever she wants to. We will be bringing her best real doggie friends to visit her very soon. She will enjoy that so much! Will report more after our next visit.......
SAD NEWS TO REPORT ABOUT DARLENE, OUR FRIEND AND GROOMER...
On Tuesday, August 31st, Darlene suffered a stroke while at home. She was taken immediately to St. Johns Hospital in Longview. The next day, she was transferred to OHSU Intensive Care unit. This past week, she has been at the Kaiser Sunnyside location. The plan is to get her closer to home for the rehab that she will need. That way we can all be close and can support her as she goes through this difficult time.
Initially, Darlene's left side was paralyzed and she was unresponsive to speech. She was on a respirator and was unable to communicate very much. Now, in just a few days, she is able to breathe on her own and can communicate enough that we know she is aware of her surroundings and knows what is being said to her, although she still has some difficulty expressing her own words.
So we know that there will be improvement in her condition and we are praying for as full a recovery as is possible for Darlene and her family. Of course, we will be missing her greatly here at Riverbend. She has such a special way with our dogs - they know that nobody loves them the way Darlene does. We plan to take her three dogs to the rehab center to visit her as soon as we can. It should help with her recovery - along with all of the prayers and good wishes all of us have for her at this time.
Please keep good thoughts coming her way..............they will be much appreciated!!
