Update 1/3

I want to start by saying, no bad news in this update.

Since the October update, there’s been slow improvements. Some days are harder, some days are easier.

Mom is physically fine; she is dealing with receptive and expressive aphasia. What further complicates things is that typically, when stroke survivors are re-acquiring language, polyglots like Mom re-acquire language in the order that they learned them.

The three weeks of mostly German were tough, but Google Translate’s voice dictation translator was a lifesaver for being able to communicate at all.

Something funny (?) is how much of Mom’s language comes back at my sewing table. One of her assignments from OT is to do some sewing together (to make sure she’s safe). She can knit, but following patterns… not sure yet.

Speech therapy is tough, but she is working so, so hard. She works on the tools we have at home, because one hour a week is not enough and she knows it. (You’re not surprised, right?)

When we FaceTime with friends (with me interpreting for Mom), or they visit, our friends make the most terrible shocked faces while we talk, because this horrible thing happened to someone that they know and care about. (I try not to hold it against them, but it hits my heart in a way that makes me feel more protective of Mom.)

Mom wants to podcast again, and that’s what she is working towards. She has a long road ahead of her. We celebrate every small success.

Right now, she needs 24/7 supervision/care, just to make sure she’s safe, because she doesn’t always remember that she has had two major strokes, and auto-pilots to do normal things, but in ways that aren’t the safest.

I’ll try to record a short audio update, since that’s the best way of spreading information, but for now, that’s where we are.

Thank you for all of the well-wishes, prayers, positive energy, etc.

Happy family photo from Christmas Eve: