The First Few Days

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, Marie suffered a stroke early Sunday morning. She was sent from RVH in Barrie to Sunnybrook in Toronto for emergency brain surgery to relieve the swelling on her brain caused by the stroke.

Someone at the hospital suggested we start a web page that will help us notify everyone of Marie's status. We thought it was a great idea so some of us are going to post some updates when we can.

Later on we will write about what happened but for now we wanted to just give you a quick update of her current condition.

She has come out of her surgery well and is responding to her neurological indicators well. Unfortunately, the stroke has caused some damage to the right side of her brain. We do not know the extent of the damage of the stroke. The swelling on her brain is the critical issue at this point in time. It appears to have not gotten any worse since her surgery and the Doctors have requested a CAT scan this morning to verify this. Last night she was able to open her eyes slightly and she recognized Allison's voice. At 5:50 this am, Constantine the nurse asked her to hold up two fingers and she gave the peace sign. She is breathing on her own but has a ventilator on to regulate her breathing. We think these are some very positive signs within her very serious condition.

Later on when the swelling is under control they will focus on the cause of her stroke to try to prevent any further problems.

Please pray for Marie!

Laura and Dennis