Catherine-Ann / Pure-Grace
A SPECIAL MUSIC REQUEST (12.08.22)
Hi, welcome! Larry did go to RCH first thing this morning, but it wasn't for the removal of his stomach feed tube. He had a barium swallow test, to evaluate for esophageal dysphagia. The tube removal is yet to come. Larry was taken from Queens Park at 8:00 & returned by 11:00, in time to have physio therapy. I attended a funeral this morning & by the time arrived, he had one more therapy to go. The O.T. was assessing his fine motor skills, having him perform daily tasks: putting on his watch; pouring water from one cup to another, fitting an elastic band around an object, etc. I mentioned that it had been a while since Larry tried playing his guitar, when his wrists were very sore & he couldn't tolerate the pain. I'm bringing it in again tomorrow. I mentioned that Larry will soon be tying flies for fishing. Well, wasn't the O.T. excited to hear that & share her love of fly fishing & how expert her young daughters are at it. Larry always comes alive when the topic of fishing comes up. She said Fridays are fun days, so if Larry can play his guitar, he's got a couple of fun interactive songs to make things lively. The O.T. challenged him for tomorrow morning, to write down his therapy schedule for the day. He'll wheel down the hall, first thing, to the large board with everyone's day planned out. It's very clear that the whole team really are working together to do their best for Larry. He appreciates it & so do I.
I've been concerned at Larry's increased depression over the past week, but today there were twinkles in his eyes. He made eye contact continually, had a cute smile much of the time & was quite chatty. I asked what had changed, as the Larry today was so up-beat. He shrugged his shoulders, smiled & said "Really?" I am so happy that he could enjoy his exchanges with me & the staff. He was the 'old' Larry today! He was very encouraging to me about a few things. He phoned me around 5:30 to say sorry that he fell asleep before I left. Oh my! He only laid down at 3:30 after such a full day. I helped him into bed, tucked him in. I prayed the blessing over him & he closed his eyes, with a very content smile. I kissed him goodbye & left!
Although my time today with Larry was less than usual, it was quite euphoric to witness the dark cloud lifted from him. Between the feelings evoked at the funeral & my visit with Larry I'm feeling a really good tired!
Shane worked on this website from home. I haven't talked to him yet, but this entry was quite easy, so far. I hope it translates into the update I want to share with you for today. God bless you! xoxo
An update on my little 4 year old friend, Grace. I've shared her painful journey with leukemia over the past 18 months. For 2 weeks she's been sich with pneumonia & RSV. She's in hospital on IV fluids. The children's hospital is overflowing with children with this dreaded lung virus. Grace is in desperate need of prayers for healing of her lungs over the next day or 2. "Daddy, I just can't handle being in hopital anymore!" Her mom Anna is struggling with illness presently. Please continue to pray for this little one & her family. Grace helped me tremendously last year through my struggle with cancer treatments. Thank you!