Weekend Update

Tuesday, September 2, 2008
by Clay

Karen, Cameron, and I returned late last night from a long weekend in Indiana. Our primary activity was to drop Daniel off at Manchester College for the start of his first year. We also spent lots of time with Carl and Doreen. Karen and her sisters are working on getting a much more thorough update, but I thought I'd give you a few observations, for a change.

The photo to the right really tells the whole story. It was taken after a walk outside with Carl and Daniel. Realizing that the sun was very bright, the only sunglasses available were ones that I use for running and biking. Doesn't Doreen look spiffy? At the time I took the photo, she was very tired from the walk: foot rests were forgotten and she needed to either pull herself along or lift her legs. I'm sure her abs and quads were sore the next day. She said that she really enjoyed being outside for a change and appreciated being able to just sit comfortably.

The other highlight (two really) was Doreen's appetite. I'm sure Karen will have a much more detailed account, but on Saturday, we brought in food from Taco Bell and ate with Doreen in a conference room. She exhibited a tremendous zeal in eating her chicken taco salad, chips, and cinnamon crisps. On Sunday, the family ordered Chinese food and ate together in a room adjoining the one from the previous day. The photo here is Daniel helping mom with balancing her food on the spork (a nearly useless utensil when eating a salad).



Talk about zeal!!! Doreen seemed to attack the noodles and other food with abandon (exhibiting little of her former decorum). According to Karen, her sisters, and Carl, they've not seen Doreen eat so much food since the hemorrhage.

Karen and I won't be returning to Indiana until Manchester's homecoming on October 11th. As Doreen continues her progress, your cards and visits will help fill in the gaps and keep Doreen focused and engaged in her recovery. Thanks for all the kind words and thoughts.