Tom and family visited Mom yesterday, because they knew they wouldn't be able to get down there today. It turned out to be a good day for them to visit, since Mom thought yesterday was the 12th. I had made arrangements to ride down today with Larry & Linda Swing, good friends of Mom & Dad's.

Larry was the catalyst that allowed Dad to partake in a childhood fantasy ... driving a big rig! But more importantly, Larry was Dad's friend: before, during & after he drove truck 'for a living.' Larry has always been there for us, especially whenever we had a big boo-boo to clean up after! When I destroyed my Dodge, even though it was parked, shut off, locked, & I was 20 feet away from it ... when I blew up the engine in my Chevy, with Dad's '51 in the back-end, on the side of I-80 (those are just the biggest ones that come to mind -- you can see why I'm nervous to drive a truck!)

Linda has been trying to create Mom's hairdo, but so far, Mom hasn't been able to sit long enough for it. She also brought lotion to help Mom's dry skin, that would help to stimulate her skin's healing.

At noon today, just after lunch was delivered, a cast was put on Mom's right leg. I figure this must be a good sign, that her free-flap has survived, & her leg will heal. But when we arrived, just before 2, she was under the impression that the doctors had told her she could get up & walk. She was waiting to be told she could use the restroom.

Almost immediately, a gentleman from Transportation came with a wheelchair to take her to Ear, Nose, & Throat, to check on her vocal cords. The office she went to was barely big enough for the wheelchair, with her legs elevated as they were. But I personally don't think she's quite ready for a wheelchair yet.

Getting her into the wheelchair was quite a feat. From the beginning, it was uncomfortable at best, painful the rest of the time. She was eager to be in the wheelchair, but it just wasn't the best mode of transportation for her. Her knees hurt her a lot; we just couldn't get them positioned right, & the pillows kept falling out from under them. But sitting directly on her buttocks was downright painful, both to her tailbone & to her bed sores. She was very relieved when she was finally returned to her bed, & her spirit & comfort level were quickly restored. She didn't talk any more about leaving her bed for the bathroom.

We didn't catch the name of the doctor she saw, but he evaluated her, looking at her vocal cords through a scope in her nose. Her right vocal cord is fine, but her left is not working at all. There is no damage found from the intubation. He suspects the damage may have come during her original surgery on the night of the accident. The aorta & the nerves for the vocal cord are very near to each other, & it would have been very easy for the nerve to be damaged.

For the time being, he will just watch her. Unless she aspirates (which would probably be from eating too fast ... something we all know Mom will not be doing!), he will not be doing anything. He feels the vocal cord should heal itself in 6 months, which puts her at May 29th. If it has not healed in that time, there are a few different things he can do to correct the problem. He didn't really expand on the options, because by this time, Mom was in pain & really wanted to go back to her bed. But my understanding of it would be similar to gently blowing air into a balloon & reinflating it. Not a very medical description, but what I got out of the conversation.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Mom's room, talking about past bike rides, and Dad. Larry has a perfect word, "Bob-isms." In our household, his most well-known Bob-ism would have to be "Dewey, I spent some of your money!" If any of you have any Bob-isms, stories about Dad, or photos of his life, we'd sure enjoy it if you could share them with us. We haven't spent near enough time with his memories as we'd like to, as we've concentrated most of our efforts on Mom's recovery.

I really wanted to send a photo of Dad, but I don't have any stored on this computer, & it's almost 11:30, so I'm not much enthused with the idea of going to a computer that does have some. I'm using Dewey's truck computer. Gee, I remember when having one computer in a home seemed like a leap into the future. Now it's like having a TV in every room!

For now, I'll leave you each to your memories.

A handlebar mustache, twinkling blue eyes, an infectious smile. You are with us always, but it's your birthday, and our thoughts are with you, today more than ever. Sure do miss you, Dad.

~ Val & Tom