Hi Guys and Olwyn Mary, Just returned from 10 days in Lizard Land, most of which was spent with DD, DSIL and the screachy SMDGD. Steven (DSIL) is so much improved that I couldn't believe it -- just since Christmas too!!! He is using his left hand to do a lot more things -- opening the car door for instance -- and has started back in therapy. His personality is much more like the "him" of pre-stroke time. Unfortunately -- especially for the SMDGD -- he has even less patience than before the stroke but doesn't really think so :-(. DD, DSIL and the SMDGD will be here on Friday night. He has an appointment at the Emory Eye Clinic in Atlanta on Monday next. He will be starting on a six month vision restoration therapy (done with a computer) that was originally developed specifically for people who have suffered a loss of peripheral vision due to stroke or other head trauma. **IF** he can get a fair amount of his peripheral vision back (he has lost the left side peripheral vision in both eyes) he will hopefully be able to drive again. So -- I am again asking for prayers, good thoughts, positive thoughts or whatever you choose to send for Steven. We all really hope this therapy helps him get his vision restored -- especially since it is EXPENSIVE and is not covered by insurance!!!!! CiaoMeow >^;;^<
Glad he`s getting on so much better, Mary - it`s a long, hard road. (Psst! You DO have even less patience after a stroke - probably connected with all the little frustrations and extra effort that goes with it). He`s young enough, though, to possibly make a complete recovery. The younger you are, the better!
Are your DD & Steven affliated with a church (or some other type of organization) in LizardLand? Have they thought about doing a benefit for him? It might be worth asking about if they haven't. A friend of mine has a 2yo son who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our church is having a silent auction and breakfast for them next month because they'll have to spend 1-2 weeks in Maryland 3 times for intensive therapy for him. They also belong to Sons of Norway and they are going to be doing something, too, I believe. I have stitched 2 towels and a bookmark (it was short notice) for the benefit and have added them to my webshots album:
LOL -- the SM stands for Sweet Maggot. So many people get up in arms whenever I call kids maggots that I started calling Raechel the SMDGD :-)! As for the money, It's $6,000 for the 6 month VRT course and it is NOT negotiable. It is administered through about a dozen different eye clinics throughout the States and that's the price charged by ALL of them. It was developed by NovaVision (in Florida) but is "administered" by the different clinics. The patient is given a battery of vision tests and then the computer program is tailored to the specific needs of the patient. A laptop is programmed with the different therapy steps and is then sent to the patient's home. the patient works at home on the laptop and periodically send in results to the eye clinic. After the six months is over, the patient's vision is again assessed to determine if additional therapy would be beneficial. Emory or NovaVision (not sure which) has made arrangements with one of the big banks for a line of credit for the patients since not many of us "regular" folks have a spare six grand laying around doing nothing. The kids will fill out the paperwork when they go for Steven's appointment on Monday. It never occurred to any of us to see if we could do some sort of "fund raising" thing like Joan E. suggested. None of us belong to a church or other organizations so there wouldn't be much of an opportunity. The kids have just this spring made the last payment on their part of the charges for the emergency medical helicopter transport from Mayo (on the east side of the valley) to Barrow's Neuro (west side of the valley). DD is sure they will be able to swing the payments which are not supposed to be too horrendous. We've been helping them every month for the last year and a half and we will just keep on doing so for as long as it takes. The whole money thing sort of makes me laugh. DD and I spoke at the beginning of the year and she said that once the helicopter thing was paid off, they wouldn't be needing our help each month. We told her that we were going to put that money into an education investment "thing" for the SMDGD as soon as she & Steven got "caught up". Once DD found out what the therapy would cost, she called me to tell me that they would have to ask us to keep helping them which I assured her we were MORE THAN HAPPY to do! If this therapy helps Steven's eyesight improve just a little, it will be worth every penny! Even if he shows no benefit at all, it will have been worth the $$ simply to know that we have tried everything out there. Of course, HIS parents just can't see their way through to helping the kids financially. Seems his sister who has graduated with a law degree from one of the TX Universities, hasn't been able to pass the State Bar in TX for three years running and STILL doesn't have a job. Steven's parents are GIVING the sister every penny they can spare so that she can keep studying for the bar (throwing good money after bad, IMNSHO)! Of course, the fact that her alcoholic husband can't keep a job has no bearing on their lack of finances! And you guys wonder why I can not abide Steven's parents -- VBS! OY -- sorry for the rant -- I just get so totally pissed off at the whole thing! I'll just quit while my blood pressure is still in the relatively "normal" range -- LOLOL! I'll post more next week after I find out first hand about this whole therapy thing. Never know when someone here might need the info for family or friends!! CiaoMeow >^;;^<
They haven't gotten here yet -- they arrive late on Friday night. I'm sure she will have fun going down to the creek -- she's never seen anything like it before :-)! CiaoMeow >^;;^<
Here's another idea....I saw on the news last night that someone local arranged a block party (y'know...where everyone on the block gets together) benefit for a little girl that lives there. I think they raised something like $4700! Do they know their neighbors well enough to ask for help with something like this? Was Steven ever in the service so that maybe the VFW/DAV could help out?
Louts! The lot of them are just plain louts! As well as enablers (the bad kind!)
As for the money, It's $6,000 for the 6 month VRT course and it
Well thank goodness it is a more or less "do-able" debt. I was so afraid it might be one of those well-into-six-figures type things which are so impossible ever to pay off. I'll keep on praying that the various specialists can eventually get him back to a point where he can work again - that should improve his disposition enormously! :-) :-)
HMMMM -- I'll have to mention this to DD. Steven is on the Homeowners Association Board -- he's the Architectural Committee -- probably because he's an Architect :-)! Remember, DD is a chef and pastries are her forte' so I might suggest that she and the neighbors that she's friends with organize a subdivision "block party" to have something like a bake sale. They will have to sign up for the line of credit but if they raise funds through something like a bake sale, it can be banked and used to make the payments. I'm liking that idea better and better the more I think about it! Heck -- she could even raffle off a catered dinner for 4 or 6 as a way to raise some extra cash. She LOVES to do catering jobs and cooking for half a dozen people is a breeze for her since she is used to making dinner for 24 to 36 people every night! GREAT idea Joan -- thanks so much for thinking of it -- I'll discuss it with DD when she is here THIS WEEKEND -- HOORAY :-))))) CiaoMeow >^;;^<
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