Mom has gone home...

She passed all her exams, tests, etc., and is now home. She hasn't had enough time to grow her hair back, and yet has fully recovered. Be amazed. I am.

Yard Sale is *this* weekend!

The post on CL.

The Big Fundraiser

This morning I sent out an email blast asking for a little help; in return i got blasted in the face with almost too much to handle. There has been an overwhelming response from friends, friends of friends, and family who have a few bucks to spare to the cause, to garages full of schtuff that have been neglected a ride to Goodwill and have now found a home on my sister's driveway.

Here's the executive summary. Me and Esh (Alyssia), Chloe and Nick are doing a yard sale fundraiser to help smooth out the bumps, and preemptively fill upcoming potholes on Ma and Pa's road to recovery. We've thrown out there that you can volunteer your time, goods, or simply good vibes. In return we've received an army. I can't thank you enough.

That invitation is still open. the following is the same email I sent this AM.

I don't frequently do these emails en masse; i think the last one is when Dad suffered a brain injury last year. So with that, you know this ain't no little deal, and I although seemingly impersonal I *am* reaching out to each of you with that same candidness, knowing smirk, loving sarcasm, and heartfelt hug and squeeze you've come to expect of me.

Many of you know already, but some of you are hearing the following for the first time. A short two weeks ago mom had a brain aneurysm. After a few days and nights of risky procedures and brain surgery (!), she has not only survived, but amazed all the doctors by qualifying for discharge about 6 weeks before her projected date. She's beaten so many odds that I'm flinging her over my shoulder and making a run at Vegas.

Lucy is currently racing around with the aid of a walker and trying to get back into the humdrum of her daily life, albeit with some difficulty. Her short term memory has been greatly affected, and some of her knowledge prior to the aneurysm has been scrambled causing confusion when trying to deal with the daily minutia.

We have no idea if and when she'll be capable of returning to work, although have high hopes. We have no idea if she'll be able to return to caring for dad as she previously was. She certainly can't currently care for herself, let alone meet his needs. As a result, my sister and I (and our spouses Chloe and Nick) have opted to take them in to ensure their continued care. Not only is this a toll emotionally and physically, but also unfortunately on our respective pocketbooks. With paperwork slowly crawling through its hoops for "official" means of monetary help, my sister Alyssia spurted out a simple, yet brilliant plan. Fundraiser!

Sure, we could do a yard sale, or bake sale, or even put on a small fund-raising concert or show... but why limit ourselves, especially with such an amazingly talented and resourceful pool of friends in which to swim? So here's the the request, the plan, and where all of you come in.

• We do an all-in-one everything sale and sideshow circus on my sisters front lawn and driveway, Friday through Sunday, July 30th, 31st, and August 1st in San Jose. All proceeds will go to mom and dad's bills and other necessities.
  

• That green garbage bag in your closet full of stuff you've been intending to take to Goodwill? We'll take it off your hands, even if that means driving to your home and throwing it in the back of a pickup truck.

• Want to bake? Hock your wares? Perform a short acoustic set? Handcraft street signs? Hula hoop while spitting fire? Any way you want to help, we we more than happily accept your offering. Not only do greenbacks provide, but so do good vibes.

• Please spread the good word to those you think might also be interested in contributing. Any and all takers are welcome.
  

I'll be grilling lunch for any and all volunteers on Saturday and Sunday, and if you've had my cooking before you know frozen patty burgers are not on the menu. And what summer day would be complete without a beer and lime?

If you are interested in contributing in any way, please let me know. If you have a bag of "junk" but won't be able to get it out here, also let me know and I'll make it to you for a pick up.

I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing I can send out this email, and get loving bites back. Thank you for being here and being you.

If you are reading this for the first time, and are interested is helping or contributing please email me at kestermontfundraiser@gmail.com (why can't i make that an active link?)

If you wish to simply skip the middle man and drop some cash, I won't try to stop you. That same email is linked to its own account through paypal.

What else? Remember when you cried at the end of "Big Fish"? That's how i feel right now.

Next Step

Lucy's acting quite odd today, as her body adjusts to the drain being removed. CT scan was clear, so they went ahead and removed it.

They're confident in her physiological state, and have moved her to another room out of ICU. Now it's simply a waiting game to see if she comes back to us, in working order. Today at lunch she wasn't as good behaviorally as she had been in the past, although she was both giddy and mentioning how good she felt.

It's difficult to not stress out, even when she shows signs of progress. If you see any of us on the street, at a restaurant, even find yourself driving by on you way home - stop and hug. They go a long way.

On the up and up and up!

Mom had the "brain drain" clamped, to ween her off of it. Her health slightly declined and her headaches increased when they did this, but this stuff should pass once her body and brain equalize.

Mom is doing extraordinarily well. Her short term memory is still winding its way back to the standards most of us are used to, and her confusion comes to the surface when she's been up for a while and is tired.

She's reading her "candy" celebrity gossip magazines (and can likely get extra use from them because of her short term memory issues), and is even occasionally watching TV. She sits up daily, and does "stuff" from a chair next to the hospital bed.

The doctors are quite hopeful for her to have a full recovery, and have been sure to tell us so repeatedly. She is still not yet out of the danger zone, but with your good vibes I don't expect her to slip backwards anymore.

This weekend she'd requested a few more days without visitors. Please respect her wishes, and Esha and I will let you know when it's okay to start bombarding her with your presence.

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted here.

Roller Coaster

Mom is having her ups and downs. Right now is the most critical time for her healing. I'll be spending most of the AM with her, and hopefully get some quality time in.

She was down yesterday, let's hope an "up" today!

Mom and the Brain Aneurysm

Note: I'm hijacking Dad's blog for a post or two - to bring you info on mom.

No. They are not brought on by stress. No. This has nothing to do with mom working doubly to both bring in money and take care of dad. Stress-related aneurysms are a myth. It just happened. Mom had the worst headache of her life while brushing her teeth, thought to herself "I hope this isn't what Wayne goes through daily," then blacked out. She awoke on the bathroom floor with her back to the door, listening to my dad talking to my sister on the phone.

Dad, thanks to all the deities in the universe, had enough sense to call Alyssia. She spoke with mom. I called and spoke with mom. She called Joe to come be with dad, and then 911; all after just having a brain aneurysm.

I knew something was very wrong because she always knows it's me immediately, but had insisted to the fireman that was present that I was the 911 dispatcher. We had all thought she just hit her head while fainting. Dad got up because he's a tough ol' man and was about to give the person pounding at his front door at sleep-time some lip, but stopped at the restroom because the dogs were barking and sniffing under that door.

I can give you the detailed rundown - but I am breaking down and need a break. These are tears of joy, of course, because Mom survived, and even had a successful craniectomy to reverse the aneurysm. Most people die the moment one happens. Mom is a rock.

Surgery Aftermath...

Dad is right back on track. He went back into physical therapy last Monday, only a short week after returning home from surgery.

I think he's as elated as the rest of us it was only a few days hospital stay. For as long as we have all been in one over the last year, it's still an alien location. Everyone can't help from regressing, even if just for moments at a time, and it's gut-wrenching to so powerfully have memories of that short year ago.

Thankfully, contrary to that, Dad is getting better daily. Little hints of his past self eek their way out, reminding us that he's still in there, like a child groggily awakening for an unwanted school day. A couple of weeks ago, he watched his first Warriors game since before the accident. That brought up happy tearful emotion in all of us. Keep it coming Pop. Keep it coming.

A bunch of cannibalistic turkeys.

Surgery...

Dad has been on the recovery trail for quite some time. He's improving daily, even among the setbacks. He now walks, and even has some use of his left hand.

Currently, one of those setbacks has to do with his gall bladder. It needs to go, so he's going under the knife. 4 days recovery in the hospital will go by in a snap of the finger. I look forward to his path again becoming unencumbered.

Head injuries do not make you any shorter.