The transition to the Drake unit at Christ (room 3083) was smooth and welcome. Tim and I visited the unit yesterday, earlier in the day, and were pleasantly surprised to see that his room was ready and waiting: tube feeding hung, ventilator in room, supplies laid out, his personal belongings (including fan that we left behind last time) were all laid out. We ran into Bob, the respiratory therapist, on our way in and he said "I hear we get him back today!" This welcome was echoed by all the staff we ran into. After his big scare last time (bleeding trach) they were heavily invested in his journey. I'll post the picture of Lisa, the respiratory therapist who had her hands on Dad's neck for 3 hours that awful night. She was happy to see him back. We were equally pleased to see her. I introduced Dad to her (he has no memory of that time period) and told him he was in good hands.
Tim and I stopped by later that night (to double check that the next shift knew how to communicate with him) and were very pleased to hear his nurse teach us what had been passed on to him in report. Leaving your loved one in the complete care of someone else is such an exercise in trust.
Evy (age 2) was finally able to visit with him. She keeps asking about "Poppa in the hosipal" and we were stunned by her reaction. She didn't hesitate at all. She held his hand, talked to him, and kissed him goodbye. She watched his mouth and when he moved it she said, "He said Yes!" She looked past all the wires and tubes and just saw her Poppa.
This morning we had a bedside service. Tim read scripture, the boys led communion, and Emma read Psalm 121. We ended our service by standing while the Hallelujah Chorus was played on cd. "For The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth. Hallelujah."
Dad was especially tired this morning and told us he had a bad night. He was weaning today and it looked like very hard work. As much as we hoped it would be, it just wasn't a "put the bunny ears on Poppa" kinda day. We told him we gave his Easter basket full of candy to the nurses and he approved. He and Mom plan to take a nap together this afternoon.
We got to enjoy a pleasant Easter picnic at the park with Mom. Simple and sweet.
Oh friend, so precious about Evy! It's a great picture of God's grace on this Easter day - looking past all of the other stuff and just seeing us. What a sweet, strong girl. I'm thankful for the Easter service your family had today :)
ReplyDeleteFrom all the wonderful/cute things Nancy has told me about Evy, I know she was good medicine for sure! Sonya
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