Our Final Post, But Not the End of the Journey

Marie has recovered well from her surgery just over one week ago. Today, she had her forty-six staples taken out, a few days ahead of schedule. The scar looks great and so does her "new" skull. She certainly has been blessed with great healing power!

For the next few months Marie will be working with the Windsor Regional Hospital's outpatient physiotherapy program three days per week, as well as doing private occupational therapy in a clinic in Tecumseh. She also has other plans including to look into volunteering at a local school (as her therapy schedule permits).

It truly is amazing to be sitting here today, with all of what we know (and perhaps won't ever know) about what happened less than three short months ago. To go from a rare event that was described to us by top-notch doctors as "catastrophic" to where Marie is today is nothing short of remarkable. This has been such an inspiring lesson for many of us in the human body and spirit, and the power of community.

Please know that we could never even begin to adequately thank you all enough for your kindness and generosity. You have been so gracious and loving and offered so much to Marie and our family, often even before we knew we needed it. Your support has been tremendous, and deeply appreciated. We also know going forward just how important that support will continue to be for Marie, as she progresses through her journey of healing.

With this new chapter, it will mean a change in how we will communicate with you. We will no longer be posting any updates here. We hope the end of the blog will not mean the end of communication with all of you, as Marie's journey is far from over. Marie, and our family thank you deeply for all of your support. We would also love to hear form you anytime. Do so with whatever means works for you, texting, email, facebook or a good "old fashioned" phone call... haha!

God bless,

Laura & The Kenneys

Surgery - Update

Hello Again,

As one of the previous blogs states, we did receive some disappointing news about Marie’s surgery being postponed again! We have good news on this front, Marie was later notified that surgery would be back on!!! I have received updates all day saying that Marie was excited to be “de-bucketed” or with out helmet, and she was anxiously awaiting surgery.

She went in this morning at 9:45am and was out around 12:15pm. When all was said and done, we were told surgery went well; Marie will be in Sunnybrook overnight and released tomorrow, just to make sure all is well before she heads out. Congratulations Marie! I can’t wait to see you put all back together again :)

Marie, I want to take a minute to tell you that I am so proud of you and I love you so much, we all do, can’t wait to see you again soon! xoxoxo

Love: Allison & All the Kenney’s

So You Think You Can Dance – Midland :)

Hello All :)

So, as many of you know this weekend was our big dance at the Native Friendship Centre in Midland. First of all, I want to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! To all friends, family, and supporters alike that came out Friday night, bought tickets and supported Marie in her recovery in any- and every way. We are so appreciative of everything! Specifically I want to say thank you to the Newburn Family, you guys have been great throughout this all and the work you guys did to put this dance together was nothing short of amazing! Thank you to all those who donated prizes and placed their bids for the silent auction. Between the hammers to the autographed hockey sticks, saying thank you now will never do justice to the gratitude we truly feel. To those on the stage, behind the bar and behind the scenes, those setting up and cleaning up, thank you for making everything come together so well allowing us all to have such a great night! All in all the night was a complete success and once more, to everyone, THANK YOU!

With Love: The Kenney's

Surgery Cancelled Again

We got some bad news this morning... Marie's surgery has been cancelled again.

The doctor has 5 brain tumours that he has to operate on.

We'll update you all when we know more. It likely won't be for a few weeks that we hear from the doctor's office.

Physio is going really well here. They are going to start electro-therapy on her arm this coming week.

One thing to look forward to is still the dance this Friday, see you there!

Laura

Out Patient Rehab

Marie got a call from Windsor Regional Hospital's out patient program on Friday. They have had some cancellations so she went for an assessment and starts on Monday! Right now it will be Mondays and Fridays. This is much sooner than we expected!

The rehab will focus on extending Marie's left arm and fingers as well as continuing to work on balance etc.

Marie continues to build endurance every day and is looking forward to visiting with friends and family at the dance at the end of the month!

Hope you are all enjoying this warm weather!

Laura

September 1st

Is the new surgery date!

Surgery Postponed

Marie went to Sunnybrook for her pre-assessment appointment on Friday. Everything went well and she was cleared for surgery.... except, it got cancelled due to another patient's emergency. This means she will not be having the surgery on Monday. They have instructed us to call next week for the next appointment. We don't know if this means the surgery will be next week or next month. We will have to wait and see.

Marie is dissapointed that the surgery was cancelled. She was looking forward to "humpty dumpty" going back together (her words).

We'll keep you updated when we know more.

Have a good weekend,

Laura

Stroke Clinic & Surgery Date

Today we had a meeting with the stroke clinic. They reviewed Marie's medical history and all of her test results. Basically, in terms of determining the cause of Marie's stroke they have not found a cause. The doctors have ruled that all of the possible risk factors that Marie had (which were very minimal if anything) were not significant enough to consider them the cause.

They have said that Marie's stroke was kind of like winning the lottery in a good way and a bad way. The bad of course is that the stroke occurred, the chance being only 1/100,000. He reminded us the "good" lottery Marie won was on the recovery side, given the severity of her stroke. He said that she was doing "amazing" when he examined her. We all know it too, but it is nice to hear it as well from a stroke expert with many years of specialization and experience.

From here they will repeat some of the testing that Marie has had. They do this because the TPA drug among others could have possibly masked some of the causes. The Doctor feels that the chance of finding anything new in this testing would be very slight however they repeat the tests to be extra careful.

One of the messages that he gave to us was a good reminder to probably a lot of us out there... it was to listen to your body. It sounds simple but really is not that easy with all that life demands of us at times! He reminded us that our bodies will tell us what it needs - from an emotional standpoint, to sleeping and eating etc. He said that we all get far to good at ignoring what our bodies are telling us. Many of the recommendations given to Marie for the future fall exactly around that piece of advice, from how much exercise or caffine would be appropriate etc. The doctor's advice to Marie, and in some way to all of us I suppose, try it out in moderation then listen to what your body is telling you! Simple but smart!

Marie has also been given her surgery date. It is very soon - next Monday! This is great news! There are minimal risks to the surgery. They say that replacing Marie's skull is for mostly cosmetic reasons, and that it is not medically necessary from their perspective. Marie will spend one night overnight in the ICU for monitoring. Providence will then re-admit Marie for one week. Her discharge date will be August 17th.

From that point, Marie will go to Windsor for a while (where her sister lives). After that, Marie will likely go to wherever she can get into out patient services first, in Barrie or Windsor, which ever that might be. The most important factor will be how quickly she can get into a rehabilitation facility.

Family Meeting

Yesterday's family meeting was a good one. We met with the physiotherapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, nurse, social worker and had a consult from the Doctor. They provided us with updates on Marie's progress (much of which has been discussed on this blog already) as well as discuss options for the future.

Marie's stay has been extended within this facility to the maximum allowable under the OHIP funding guidelines. This means that she will be staying here until August 11th. The reason they have chosen to offer Marie the 45 day program is to provide her with intensive therapy for as long as they can. Right now Marie is having several hours of therapy 5 days per week. In out patient programs, the amount of OHIP covered therapy is significantly lower.

After Marie's release from Providence, she has a few options for out-patient rehabilitation. The two main options right now are the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) or the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) in Barrie. The therapists here will be submitting referrals on Marie's behalf to her chosen facilities. Each program comes with it's own set advantages and disadvantages. Right now, Marie is leaning to RVH as her 1st choice.

Out-patient rehabilitation services are often offered on a 1-2x per week basis and generally go for 8 weeks. We will not know the exact amount of therapy Marie will be offered in either facility until they have assessed her. It appears that more therapy may be beneficial to Marie, so we will be looking into advocating for Marie to get more OHIP funded Rehabilitation (if this is possible), or looking into private therapy options. If any of you out there are knowledgeable in this area, please feel free to share your feedback with us here or by emailing me at laura_mdick@hotmail.com, we would love to hear it!

The team here was hesitant to offer any sort of timeline for Marie's re-entry back into the work force. From our research, we have learned that many people continue their recoveries for years after their stroke, but most gains are made during the first year. It has been suggested that 1 year might be their best estimate for Marie's return to work. We are supportive of this (or whatever Marie needs) to allow Marie the time to recover to her fullest potential.

We have learned that overall, recovery from stroke is a difficult thing to estimate. This is due to the complexities and uniqueness of the brain. As well, everyone has different goals for thier recovery, and progresses at different rate.

Our next important meeting will be August 6th, when we go back to Sunnybrook to meet with the doctors about the cause of Marie's stroke and stroke prevention. The doctor here tells us that this team is the top-rated team in Canada for stroke.

Going forward, blog updates will likely be weekly or biweekly. Of course if anything significant happens we will be sure to post it here!

Thanks again for your continued support!

Laura

Independent Steps

This week Marie continued to improve her balance and stability as well as the movement in her left arm. This is largely because of the dedicated practice that she's been giving it and the great team here. Marie is still doing physiotherapy and occupational therapy everyday as well as other activities with physiotherapy assistants and with her visitors.

To give you an idea of what it's like for Marie to do some of her physiotherapy, Marie compares moving her left fingers with moving her right finger with a 50lb weight on it. Often when Marie is doing the exercises she is putting so much effort into it, that you can see her whole body flexed tightly.

Other parts of therapy involve "thinking" about her elbow, wrist, and fingers in an effort to get them to move with a greater range of motion. The therapists also encourage Marie to use visualization techniques among other things. I try to imagine what it is like to "think" about moving my arm that used to move so easily. I can definitely understand (although certainly never completely) why these exercises can get very frustrating for Marie to do. The therapists say that it is all about rebuilding the pathways from her brain to her arm.

This week Marie was reassessed for her balance. Although there are more advanced tests to follow, this week focused on a basic balance test. One month ago, when Marie first got here, she scored 31/56 on her balance. This week, she scored a perfect 56/56! As a result of this, and Marie's significant improvement in avoiding "neglecting" her left side (a very common effect of stroke) she has been granted permission to walk independently on her floor! To say this is a huge step towards regaining her independence would be an understatement! It is awesome and Marie is super excited about it!!! WAY TO GO MARIE!!!

This weekend Marie is "escaping" again. Next week should prove to be an interesting week. We are looking forward to the family meeting we have scheduled for Tuesday. We should have lots of updates for you all then!

Take care,

Laura

Visit with Neurosurgeon

Today Marie went back to Sunnybrook for her follow-up visit with the Neurosurgeon.

He said that she was doing AMAZING, but we all know that! Although we complimented and thanked him, he told us again how wonderful the Barrie Doctors did. He said that the brain swelling usually doesn't happen until the third day (Marie's was on the first), and that they were a huge part of the reason Marie is where she is today.

He also said that he could put her bone flap back in at the end of August sometime. He was going to schedule everything and call us back. This is great news!! We had heard that it may not be until 3-5 months from now!

He said the surgery is cosmetic only, that a person can live without their skull. He said Marie's skull will look almost the same as before. He said that negative side effects of surgery only happen in 1-2% of people. These side effects could include things like infection etc. Marie will likely only spend one night in the ICU after the surgery.

That's today's big news!!

Laura

PS) Marie had a great weekend in Barrie !

P-Dub and Straw Happiness :)

A couple of things from this week...

Marie has completed the final leg of her dietary journey. She has been given the "okay" for using drinking straws. Yeah!!!


Marie's left arm is doing well. She's nicknamed it "P-Dub"... for paper weight... it's not what the physiotherapists like, but it is kind of funny :) Jokes aside, Marie has made huge progress with her left arm in the short time she has been here. When she first arrived, she really had no movement in her arm except some bicep strength. Recently, on top of the other progress we've written about, Marie has demonstrated slight movement in her thumb and slight supination of her left arm. Her bicep muscles are becoming stronger, to the point that she can now almost lift her hand to her face. Her shoulder muscles are very strong, as are the arm muscles used to do a "pushing down" motion. She also has some elbow movement. Physio for the next while is likely going to focus on moving Marie's elbow and her hand.

This week, one of the high lights was that we went out to dinner one night. Another fun thing for Marie is that she is being granted another weekend pass. On Friday night, Marie is going to Barrie for a nice relaxing weekend, and will be coming back Sunday night. So, you won't see any updates here until Monday at the earliest :)

In talking to the Doctor today, he said that the latest release date Marie would likely have from here would be August 7th. Although, there are still a lot of missing puzzle pieces to know what her actual release date will be. We have what they call a "family meeting" the week after next to get more information regarding Marie's discharge planning and other items.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Take care,

Laura

Celebration

Marie's Aunt Connie, Uncle Rob and family are hosting a celebration (fundraiser) for Marie. They asked that we post a memo here about the details, and we are happy to do so. Here they are :)

Friday August 28th, 2009
8:00pm-1:00am

Native Friendship Centre
175 Yonge St,
Midland, ON

Tickets are $10

We know the evening will be a fun-filled one! We look forward to celebrating Marie's progress with you!

For tickets, please contact one of Marie's family members, including Marie's cousin Nicole at nicolenewburn17@gmail.com. Details can also be found on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=88946754057&ref=mf

Walkers and Transfers

This morning, Marie was "upgraded" to allow her to transfer a.k.a. move from a bed to a chair on her own. This is a big step in regaining her independance and she is pleased, although she is already asking about the next step. Further assessment will completed later this week to work towards granting Marie additional Independence to move around in other situations as well.



Although Marie was previously walking with a cane, the physiotherapists now want Marie to walk with a walker. This is so she can focus more on pushing down with her left arm while walking. This helps build stability and also strength in her left arm.



The speech pathologist says that Marie has almost all of her regular speech patterns. Most of the exercises focus on relatively minor things. For example, working on the tone in her voice. We've been doing these exercises for a week now and there is already a big difference. Speech exercises are proving to be the most fun of all of the therapy, especially when we make up our own phrases and sentences.... and you know how good Marie is at improvisation... I'll let you imagine what types of phrases we practice with! Haha!

Escape

This weekend Marie escaped from rehab! She was granted a weekend pass! First, our apologies to those who we didn't see (which were almost all of you) however we were keeping things very low-key on purpose. We wanted the weekend to be as relaxing as possible, and it was definately that!

We left here on Friday and Marie spent the night at her apartment with her Mom. Her landlord Diny, and Karen the tennant in the other apartment gave Marie quite a warm welcome with cake and flowers! Marie said she had a good night sleep, and she even slept in - for the first time in a long time. Sleeping in definately doesn't happen in the rehab facility with all of the commotion happening in the morning, not to mention that breakfast comes at 7am!

On Saturday, we had breakfast at a restaurant near Marie's house and then headed to the family cottage. We had a very quiet get together at the cottage, and then headed to our grandparent's house who live nearby to stay the night. We also spent Sunday with them at their house. I know they were happy to see her!

Everyone is commenting on how well Marie looks, and noticing how she is gaining strength and stability every day. One part of her appearance that she is not too keen on is that she must wear a hockey helmet when walking around. She has to wear it to protect her precious brain from an accidential bump, which could be very serious even if slight. Marie will need to wear the helmet until her skull is replaced in 2-5 months from now. Even though totally out of her comfort zone (as it would be for most of us I'm sure), Marie has kept her sense of humour about everything. An example of this is that when eating out or going into a public place, Marie says that she just wants to shout out " GO LEAFS GO!!!".

If I had to guess Marie's favourite part of the weekend, I'd have to say all of the food! She definately took full advantage of all of the non-hospital food!

This week's upcoming events will involve more intensive physio, occupational therapy as well as a few small outings in the evenings.

I hope all of your weekends were just as fun!

Take care,

Laura

PS) Marie finally has got the follow up appointment from her neurosurgeon at Sunnybrook. The appointment will take place the week after next. We are hoping for some answers on why the stroke occured, although we are guessing that if there was anything significant in their findings, they would have called us by now.

Hello All,

As Laura said there has been sooo much progress over the last week. Marie and I took it easy this weekend as this past week was her first of full week of Physio and Rehabilitation. On Friday due to some lovely traffic and inclement weather I was only able to visit for a brief period of time. However we did get to spend all day Saturday and Sunday together.

Saturday got off to a bit of a rough start as Marie was a little bit frustrated, although she was feeling better in no time. She started telling me all about the week of physio and how she was able to use her shoulder muscles in her left side to move her arm. As she was showing me this I thought that she has already shown us a mean bicep so this is promising that the movement will continue to move down her arm. Later on while we were watching a movie I was moving her fingers and all of the sudden started to feel some resistance which is how her shoulder started to moving as well. We were and are so excited!

Sunday Marie was allowed to sign out with and have a dinner date with the family. She decided we would go to Jawny Bakers and the whole day was just so excited. When she was outside walking to the restaurant she was so happy. She said being outside and not in a hospital or rehab centre was amazing and she felt like she wanted run down the street, although she opted for the safe option of walking there instead. She had a Sunday for dessert and said it was simply the best thing she has ever eaten. I think the visit out gave her new vigor because after all of the commotion she was still awake and going strong although I bet she slept well Sunday night.

Thanks again to everyone,

Love: Allison

Food and Fingers!

Two Quick Notes...

Marie got upgraded to a full, regular meal plan today!!!

AND,

A few times in a row, Marie moved her fingers a little bit!!!

Laura

All Kinds of Stuff

There's so much to write about from yesterday's appointments with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech pathology that I thought I would write some of them out point form. Here goes....

- Marie's meal plan upgraded to soft foods and "thin" liquids (aka regular liquids)!!! Yipee!! We went downstairs to the gift shop to enjoy a cold green tea to celebrate. As Marie would probably tell you, all of the emotions that go along with having your first "real" drink in 3 weeks really caught up with her. She said through her tears, "if you asked me right now if I wanted a personal chef for the rest of my life or to travel the world" or have this drink right now I would choose this drink! We are all sooooooo glad your experience with thickies is over Marie!

- Marie got her assessment back from physiotherapy (PT). They spent most of the week completing a detailed assessment. Marie and the physiotherapist have made goals for the short-term and long-term. They involve things like balance, endurance, and continuing intensive therapy on her left arm. On Friday Marie was able to do another movement with her left arm, moving it forward on a table slightly. It's great news! It certainly isn't an easy journey, and can get understandably very frustrating for Marie.

- The overall plan for discharge in a rehabilitation facility is largely determined on a day by day or week by week basis. Right now the team here has set a goal for Marie to be discharged from this facility by the end July. These goals however are always constantly reassessed, because among other things, they want to make sure that they can provide the most value possible to Marie. After leaving this facility there are a couple of options that exist, including attending outpatient services 2-3 times per week at a Barrie facility, attending a live-in vocational program in Toronto. Marie will also have surgery again to reimplant the piece of her skull that was removed. The dates for all of these things is to be determined. The one thing that is for sure is that things are moving quickly.

- Because Marie has made such good progress, the team here may start to allow her to take short leaves from the facility as early as this weekend. Motion sickness has been a challenge for Marie (although improving daily). Journeys outside of the hospital will be done with this in mind.

That's it for now!

Laura

PS) Marie has also recently been able to start reading all of the cards, notes, emails, and this blog. I know she really appreciates all of your comments tremendously!

No More Thickies

Marie sent me a text today that I thought I would share with everyone;

"Oh Happy Day, No More Thickies!" - Marie

: )

Love: Allison

Over The Weekend

Marie had a good weekend overall. We hung out Friday, Saturday and Sunday and we experienced improvements every day.

Friday – After a couple weeks of hospital food Marie was allowed to have some Swiss Chalet Chicken and that sweet Swiss Chalet sauce! She was so excited to have some “real food.” She liked it so much that she asked to have her leftovers after her oatmeal on Friday morning. After that Marie got the news she would be moving that morning to Providence Health Care Centre – A Stroke Rehabilitation Centre. Before she left we were doing exercise that the physiotherapist had shown us and Marie was able to resist the motion of the exercise using her right bicep. Shannon the Physiotherapist couldn’t believe it and said that she was ‘’skipping steps!’’ He said he is very happy about the progress she is making and that she will continue to make more progress during rehab.

After the hot, bumpy, not so pleasant ride to the Rehab Centre she had arrived. She got situated and met her new Physiotherapist Jen and her new OT (Occupational Therapist) also Jen. They both assessed Marie and planned to start full rehab with her Monday morning. After this as well as some other visits Marie was pretty tired and had quite the headache. She decided to take a rest and call it a day, but not before hearing about the amazing turn out and support from the Golf Tournament that day. Dustin & Ashley brought the huge Get Well Soon poster and we unrolled it the best we could all the way around her bed. There is no denying the amount of support that she has. She was stunned at all of the names and well wishes covering the banner and golfers that had come out just for her. Thank you to everyone from Marie and all of us! We wish we could express our gratitude to each and every one that has helped and supported and continues to support us all in this journey. All we can say is Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for everything!!!

Saturday - After getting settled in at providence Marie said that she had one of her best sleeps yet! She said it’s much quieter and she was actually able to go the entire day on Saturday without any headaches!!! We got the opportunity to relax and rest after Fridays move and commotion. It was a welcomed, much needed restful day. We read some magazines together, went outside and painted toenails, watched a bit of a movie, did some exercises – used the right bicep and shoulder muscles again! What a fighter that sister of mine!

Sunday – Marie had breakfast and lunch and was once again getting a little tired of hospital/Rehab food (Which are not much different according to Marie). Dad, Theresa and I had gone out while Marie was napping to get a cell charger and decided to get a bite to eat. During our tour we had some Thick Roasted Red pepper soup from Casey’s, so we decided to bring some back for Marie. We cleared it with the nurses, Marie was pumped! She decided she would have a little then and the rest a little later. She had one spoonful and then before she knew it she was scraping the bottom of the bowl. It was an awesome addition to her dinner! Time went by pretty quickly on Sunday and before I knew it I had to go home. Later while getting gas marie text me and said sweet dreams, I told her that although it sucks that this has all happened that I am so happy we have got to spend so much time together, I love you and goodnight. She said no worries that I could hang out with her anytime! J

On my way home I also got a call from Laura telling me she had seen another rainbow. I saw one leaving Toronto the week before and another double rainbow last night during soccer, not to mention the one’s we all saw on our way down to Sunnybrook our first time. Maybe it’s because we are looking for them, maybe it’s just coincidence or maybe it’s something bigger than us all telling us He’s watching out. I think you can tell which way I’m leaning on that one. J

Thanks again to everyone

Love: Allison

A Day in the Life of Rehabilitation

I thought I would take a moment to write to you about what a typical day is like for Marie right now.


Marie gets up at about 7:00 am to have breakfast. Breakfast is usually eggs, oatmeal, thickies and bread. Right now Marie is still on a modified diet so the menu is still not making Marie's "A-list". We are working on bringing some yogurt and berry smoothies here, tomorrow might be the day! After breakfast, Marie gets ready for the day with a shower and her usual morning activities.

Marie is doing physiotherapy at 10:30am, then lunch, then occupational therapy at 1:30pm. There is lots of time in the day to practice her exercises but there is also time alotted for rest. Doing the exercises (such as balance, focused activities for her left arm and shoulder, walking and transferring from bed to chair properly) takes a lot out of Marie. Focusing on building stamina is a key part of the rehabilitation process and Marie definately doing this every day! We practiced walking this morning with a cane and already this evening when we walked to the computer lab she looks so much sturdier!

In the evenings (and sometimes through out the day), there are recreational activities. As Marie has only been here for a couple of days, she hasn't participated in any as of yet. They have a wii in the basement, and we are definately going to check that out!

A lot of the residents here are older more "typical" stroke and neurological patients. There are many other types of injuries too though, like car accidents etc. Although the residents are mostly older, a lot of the staff members here are younger. Although she hasn't mentioned it, I think is good for Marie, who is used to spending most of her days with people under the age of 18 years old!

There is a chapel here, a computer lab, a cafeteria, lots of rehabilitation rooms and some other recreational rooms. The facility is technically a hospital however it feels quite comfortable.

Marie has yet to check out the blog. In her words, she says what would you write?, "it's pretty boring" - she has no idea that being here and watching her progress is far from boring.

Take care,
Laura

A Tremendous Success... Tee It Up For Marie at The Wilds

Friday June 26th was a gorgeous day with a sunny 30 degree temperature and balmy breezes. It was a day and an event fitting to support and honour a beautiful person who in some way has touched and made a lasting impression on all who attended.


Tee It Up For Marie was held at The Wilds of Cedar Valley. The course is a jewel in the rough, a well maintained executive 18 hole course just minutes from Barrie and a pleasure to play. The course is owned by the Winkleman’s. Marcia Winkleman heads up the science department at St. Peter’s High School. A heartfelt thank you to Marcia and her husband Scott, for their idea to host the event and their generosity in donating the course for this very special event. Further thanks and gratitude are also due for all who organized and supported this day.


As I walked in to the event, a crowd of people surrounded the event tent with a huge banner wishing Marie well. People had personalized it adding notes from the heart to the “missing” guest of honour. As I turned and looked at the canteen, there was Marie’s picture. Jillian had the picture enlarged and it was surrounded by other photos of Marie’s family and friends. In that picture, Marie looks like a movie star and it struck me like a ton of bricks. My emotions had got the better of me once again, and I had only been there a few minutes. Seeing friends, family members, and co-workers (many of them travelling from out of town) eager to help affirm one’s faith in humanity as we band together for a common cause.

The day went off flawlessly. I think all will agree that the feeling in the air that day was one of help and hope. Thank you to the many of you who attended, or were unable to attend but still donated. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! I would also like to acknowledge those who contributed in other ways and to those at the BMO Bank of Montreal. As most of you are aware, Marie was a long-term occasional teacher and does not have the luxury of a benefit plan so your help will go a long way.


As the tournament drew to a close and another round of food and beverages appeared, people said their goodbyes and went their ways knowing that we have not only found a very special golf course, The Wilds of Cedar Valley, but that they have been part of something very unique for the common cause of supporting a special person.


Thank you, Thank you, Thank you ….

From Marie, and her family.


(Written with love by Dad)

PS) In case you are wondering, the event raised almost $6000!!!! WOW!!!

Huge News!!

Today, only 12 days after Marie's stroke, we have so much to reflect on and be so proud of Marie for. We have watched her achieve so many significant milestones and accomplishments in her recovery so far. And now, we have yet one more item to add, because of all of her hard work, Marie has been already admitted into a rehabilitation center in Toronto. And, she is going TOMORROW! Normally, there is at least a 1-3 week waiting period (or more) for a placement. When her application was submitted only this morning, they scooped her up!!

This is another awesome step for Marie, because it means that her care will be even more focused and intensive as she will have even more resources geared to her needs!

As every stroke is different, therefore there is no time frame on how long Marie will stay, but our best guess is that Marie will be there for 8 weeks. After that, her rehabilitation will probably be done on a local out patient program in the Barrie area.

Congratulations Marie!!!

Tee it Up For Marie

The following link is an article that was published in today's Barrie Examiner:

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1628411

Up Walking Again!

This afternoon Marie was up walking again! Even though a little while before her headache was quite severe for her! What a trooper!

Other than that not much to report!

A Physio Morning

Marie had a good night last night with some good shut-eye.

This morning was productive with regular morning routines and a visit from Shannon the physiotherapist. With the help of a cane, Marie walked all the way around the unit. It tired her out but she did so awesome!!! Shannon says that Marie can go for small walks as frequently as she would like with accompaniment, and she can go outside soon in a wheelchair. Outside is not a walkable distance as of yet because we are deep in the abyss of the hospital.

Marie's spirits are good. She's cracking jokes with the nurses and her new roomies.

Laura

Lots of progress.... Again!

Today was event filled for Marie! A few of the things were: walking around the ICU and a small distance in the outside hallway. She also changed rooms tonight and made it comfortably into n

her new ward room. It's a little cooler but we found out that the air conditioning is broken in most if not all of the hospital. Her pain was manageable and she as alert for a good portion of the day. She also got her catheter and the remaining staples out (there were 48 in total). Her inscision looks really great, the doctors did an awesome job of ensuring it will not be noticeable. Right now she is sleeping soundly after a long day's work!

The social worker tells us that she will likely be in the hospital for a few weeks and then move into a rehabilitation facility that will likely focus on stroke survivors. We are not sure of the location of the center, but it looks like some of the best in the country are right here in Toronto so we are hoping she can stay in the city.

There's still no news on the cause of Marie's stroke. The main focuses for Marie right now are avoiding infection, getting enough rest, and working on her recovery program. This new unit will help her with that.

Ta-ta for now!

Laura

Leaving The ICU Shortly

Last night was much better for Marie. She says that she slept well. She ate a good amount of her breakfast, and drank all of her thickie.

Today they are hopefully going to move Marie from the Neuro-ICU to a ward room. Hopefully it will be quieter there (and the air conditioning will work!!). I'm not really sure how anyone sleeps in the CCU or ICU with all of the beeps, clangs, talking, grunts and groans that are going on in there! Not to mention some of the excitement the other patients bring to the ICU. One dude down the hall keeps getting out of bed (when he's not supposed to) and frantically telling everyone that he is going to be late for his dry-walling job, and that he has to go right now! A new room will definitely be a welcomed for Marie! (Although she doesn't really even mention the noise anyway).

Talk to you all soon,

Laura

A Special Thank You

There have been so many generous and hearfelt gestures and offers of support for Marie and her loved ones as we make our way through this journey. It is so difficult to adequately put into words our gratitude, but please know that we thank you dearly for the love and support you have extended to Marie and our family!

There are too many individuals to mention here, however we wanted to recognize one person who really stands out in the crowd of many. Marie's good friend Jillian has been an outstanding support to Marie and to our family in so many different ways.

Jillian has thoughtfully prepared and organized many things for Marie which include; being Marie's liason with the school, taking care of all work related requests, contacting Marie's soccer team and landlord (who is dear to Marie), communicating with us about the upcoming golf tournament for Marie, picking up things from Marie's house, organizing greeting cards etc. from the school land community, and even buying an extra pair of jogging pants for someone who needed them.

She does this all with a great spirit and wonderful organization. In many instances she has figured out what we need to do even before it has crossed any of our minds. She does this even though this is one of the busiest times of year for her as a teacher. I know Marie knows she is blessed to have Jillian as a friend. Through this experience, she has also become a great friend of ours as well.

Jillian, for all of the things you have done for us, and for those things that we may ever even know that you have done, thank you! We truly appreciate you and your dedicated friendship to Marie! May we all be so lucky as to have a friend like you when we are in our time of need.

Love,

The Kenneys

Headaches

Last night was a rough one for Marie. She didn't get much sleep at all because of her pounding headache. The morning didn't provide much relief for her either. She said that her pain was a 9 out of 10 and most other times in the past, she has said that it is a 3 or a 4. It seems like if her headaches are not medicated soon enough they quickly escalate to be much more severe. The doctors are changing her pain medications to find a more suitable solution. They said it will likely involve medications that are longer lasting.

This afternoon, Marie had a slightly elevated temperature. The doctors ordered another CT scan today to check on the swelling. It came back normal. Later in the evening, after some ice and cold clothes, her temperature came back down to normal. Even through all of this, Marie's sense of humour and grace are still shining through, loud and clear.

The doctors tell us they are very happy with Marie's progression and she may be able to move out of the ICU as soon as a bed becomes available. Another great step!

Laura

Thickies

Yesterday we told Marie about the player in the US Open that was winning early on. We told her that he had a stroke last year. She said that she didn't think that would be her. She explained, because she wasn't that good at golf, but Jillian could do it.

Marie is still very unimpressed with her meal plan here. Yesterday, she said, "I was thinking about this juice". She explained that because they are not really smooth, but they were thick, that she was going to call them "thickies" :) She has been craving frozen yogurt. So we picked her up some, but have to wait for the Nutritionist's approval before we can give it to her.

Last night, she said her headache was bothering her so she was given some medication so she could sleep. We think that she slept for a few hours, but not through the night.

Allison and Laura

Evening Update

Marie's MRI didn't give much more information than her CT scans have. She had another CT scan to compare to the older CT scans to look at the clot in her neck . According to the neurologist, the clot in her neck is gone. This could be because she is now on blood thinners.

Marie at three solid meals today with assistance, or as she calls them, roadkill. Minced meals aren't her favourite... who can blame her? She is drinking thickened liquids to avoid any possiblity of any fluids entering her lungs.

Marie is working on her exercises to strengthen her left arm which has feeling but as of yet very, very limited motion.

The best news that today brought is that she is able to move her left foot, and put her weight on it. Even though it takes a conserted effort, and tires her out, it is very big news.

Marie Walked Today!!!

Allison hung out with Marie until she wanted to go to bed at midnight. She said she slept better, she slept through the night.Marie woke up around 8, determined to walk around.

With the help of Pat, the nurse, and Allison Marie walked about 20 feet! She was holding herself up and taking direction with Pat and Allison there just in case.

Upon arrival back at the bed, Marie was back to her normal breakfast routine: Cream of Wheat. Her spirits are still high, cracking jokes and all. Its naptime now, more updates to come.

Afternoon Update

Laura's computer is not working this afternoon. So I'll just give you a quick update. Nothing has really changed this afternoon. Marie is talkative, and feeling better, but tired of being in the hospital (who could blame her). Got a few test results back, but didn't really show any new information. They're still trying to figure out the cause. If we get any more information, we'll post as soon as we can.

Dennis

Morning Update

It was a long night for Marie without a lot of (decent) sleep. She's got a really bad headache and says that she feels like a marionette from all of the tubes and wires coming from her. She's ready to be done with those!

I found out that her counting skills were just fine. She knew that her finger heart rate monitor wasn't working properly. She told me that she knows how to set off, it takes "just takes 20 touches". Said "see the nurses don't even come". The restlessness of being her is definately setting in for her.

Other than that, not much to report.

Wes

Midnight Update

Marie has had some active conversations today and is also actively complaining about the pureed food that she has been served. She is asking for ice cream but she isn't allowed that just yet.

At 9:00pm Marie got moved to the Intensive Care Unit from the Critical Care Unit. This is another positive step for Marie!

The swelling in Marie's eye is down also and she is opening both of her eyes, and she can see from both of her eyes.

We still don't have the results back from any of her tests, but it looks like it probably isn't a problem with her heart (although there are still more tests for this too).

Talk to you all tomorrow!

Fundraising Event...Mark Your Calendars!

Marcy Winkleman wanted us to let you all know that they will be hosting a golf fundraiser on Marie's behalf. Marie golfs at this course every Friday with some of the teachers from St. Peter's High School.

The Wilds At Cedar Valley in Barrie.
9 Holes of Golf and lunch
Friday, June 26th, 2009
Starts at 12:30-3:00
$50 to enter
All proceeds are going to Marie

If you are able to make it, please call 705-733-3751 ask for Marcy or refer to Marie's fundraiser.

PS)

I forgot to mention that although waiting room visitors are ok the nurses are asking that we keep the visitors to a minimum so Marie can get her rest. I'm sure Marie would love to see everyone later on when is in the rehabilitation! We will keep you posted on this as well!!

What a Cheering Squad!!

Last night Marie was a little restless. She was able to get some rest after they gave her a sedative. In general she is not on a lot of medication anymore, she gets Tylenol and Morphene if she requests it.

They got Marie up early for her MRI. We aren't sure when the results will be in. She is also having the scope in her esophagus today. We will keep you posted!

More friends were by this morning and told us again how much everyone in Midland is cheering Marie on, and about how they are going to be there for Marie throughout her recovery. Jillian brought by a big box full of cards, three bristol boards crammed front to back full of comments and best wishes from St. Pete's. There are going to be a masses held in Marie's name at St. John Vienny Church. There has also been prayer service for Marie at St. Pete's, and we're sure many of your hearts too. We always knew Marie had A LOT of friends, but the outpouring of support has been nothing short of phenomenal. We love you all and thank you so much for all of the INCREDIBLE support.

Laura