Thank you so much for believing in me and still reading this! I am really sorry for not posting anything for so long but it has been a VERY BUSY couple of weeks! I don’t think I can manage a daily account and so I’m going to hit the highlights. But first, my health.

Physically things have been a little more challenging in the last 10 days. I am currently feeling a but chilly but I came home from work mid-morning to rest and so hopefully things will get better fast. Mostly I have been feeling better as far as stamina goes except for yesterday and today really. I really hope it gets better by tomorrow because I have a date with my husband tomorrow night. Our 6th anniversary is coming up on the 20th.

On June 28^th the Greenville Jaycees held a 5k race – the Flat Out 5k and they put my story up to theme the event: S.A.F.E. – Streets Are For Everyone. It was a great day, hot of course, but the route was pretty – from Town Commons to East Campus and back. Bob Lust’s wife Carol borrowed a wheelchair for him and he did the 5k with me, although he propelled himself all the way whereas I had help from my co-pilot! Rowan came with us. When we got to the finish, there were still a bunch of people there and they cheered me on. It was a sensational feeling to be welcomed that way. I got to see a lot of wonderful people too – my rehab group plus others from the day rehab clinic formed a team called Rehab Magic and they had shirts made for the event. How cool is that!!?!?! Penny sent me some incredible pictures I am going to share too. Bob Lust, Jen Lust, Teresa Lever, Jess Dries, Sonja Bareiss, Jani, Rowan, and I were all on a team but since word got out that we were going by the name Team Determination (courtesy of the graduation certificate I got from Shephard – they called me Dr. Determination), I think a bunch of other people must have registered under that name because Barbara Muller-Borer and her busband Mike came, Maria Collins was there, Mark Mannie joined in, Kip Byrum, Cindy Kukoly too….and there were so many others that it chokes me up still to recall.  Our team was apparently large enough to get us the prize for largest team!! One of the nurses who helped take care of me here came and introduced herself to me – Allison. And she was there before and after the race. The support from people is truly remarkable and I hope you all know how very much it means to me.

On July 7^th my R01 grant resubmission was due I actually managed to revise it and get it in just in the nick of time.  This is a major accomplishment and took all I had but I was determined to get it done and not wait until the next cycle in November. Since your thoughts out there have been so powerful in keeping me alive and helped so much in my recovery, if you can put some energy into hoping I get at least a score again so I can continue doing what I love, that would work for sure!!!

On Tuesday July 8th, I picked up Rowan from daycare a little early and took him to the theater to see WALLE. We had a really nice afternoon together. One of these days I will tell the story about the tube at the beach. These kids are my soul. Encsi is going to be 2 in 2 weeks. I am so happy to be here to be with them and see them grow. They are spectacular.

On July 10^th a reporter from out internal publication called the Mission came by to interview me to do a piece on my recovery and return to work. It was a very emotional conversation but I am really glad for the opportunity to reach out to the Brody community this way. I meet people in the elevator and hallways but since I have been so busy trying to get on top of things, I haven’t made my way around to thank people. Additionally, I don’t remember much at all about being in the hospital here and so I don’t remember people and so when they approach me like Allison did, I am so happy to thank people in person. I am sure Christine will be able to put into words what I still get teary and speechless (I know – this is hard to believe!) about – the support from so many people for so much. I told her that I can’t find words to express how I feel and so I might just have to make some up! I said that I haven’t been back to the hospital to thank the people there either. I want to but I don’t feel like I can do it alone. One day soon Jani and I will go together.  We have a woman coming next Friday to live with us to look after the kids. Since Rowan will be going to school in the fall, Emilia will mostly be with Encsi but she will be here when the bus brings Rowan home around 3pm. We have communicated with her quite a bit and she seems like a very kind woman and she is young so I hope she will have lots of energy for our young ‘uns!  I just talked with my brother and he is thinking about coming for Labor day weekend for a visit and so maybe I’ll ask them both to come with me then. Considering that I heard that I was not an easy patient (apparently not speaking was good!) I’m sure that most people will be happier to see Jani and Khaled anyway!

So, I am going to work on getting a bunch of pictures uploaded to share with all of you and catch up with so many other life things – reach out to friends that I haven’t contacted in ages because I have been wringing my brain cells into that grant!

So, to all of you who are following my recovery, you are wonderful. Thanks is a weak word and so if anyone has any ideas about a new word I could use, please let me know!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Dear all,

I thank all of you who are still reading this. So many people have been commenting to me that they have followed and still do follow this blog. My sister-in-law was telling me about her co-workers who check up on me and talk to her about it. There are SO many people who are looking out for me because they care not only about me but my relatives who have been affected by all this as well.  My gratitude for your thoughts and wishes is boundless. My thanks for supporting those I love is….well, the lump in my throat doesn’t allow me to say how intensely I feel about it without totally cracking. Thank you.

Things are going alright. Last week I was able to spend a lot more time at work than I have previously and I am glad for that. Although being there reminds me of how much catching up there is left to do and so trying to move forward is like rolling up a steep incline  - laborious, challenging, and frustrating because I  see where I need to be and I know I could get there faster if I had the “tools”. But I’m doing the best I can.

Physically: My fluid management is getting better. My strength is improving. I miss my therapists at rehab though. My anterior pituitary decided it would listen to my hypothalamus and my ovary and uterus didn’t want to be left out and so now I get to experience some femalehood again. Although I have to admit that if it weren’t for the typically “brain symptoms” (moodiness, tiredness, etc…OK I’ll give in – crabbiness!!!), I wouldn’t have known it was coming. So, I can attest to the fact that PMS is not a figment of the female imagination!  Anyway, things are taking a bit longer but anything that was normal before is welcome back. Other things haven’t changed – my smell has not yet returned. Now my jasmine flowers are gone and that makes me sad. I hope that sense comes back soon – I really miss the scents of my kids and my husband. I believe that how I perceive my senses makes me feel alive. I guess since I can’t feel with most of my body, I just want to have that extra sense to be able to devour them as much as possible.  Fortunately, I have other senses to work with and so being able to hear them, see them, and hug them makes this tolerable.

Saturday was fun but in a bittersweet way. Jani and I took Rowan to Jumpin’ Monkey to wish Elliot a happy birthday and bid farewell to the Abbott family who is moving away this week. Of course we wish them the best and know they will be in good hands since they will be closer to family but we will miss them something fierce. Dr. Susan has looked after us as if we were kin. Good souls. 

Apparently this party was another example of how small my world is now.  My friend Cindy from Ionia Michigan who I have been in touch with a bit here and there and moreso lately (and just found out that her family is 3.5 hours away in SC!) sent me a note saying that she knew I was at that party because of friend of her husband’s was there too. Unfortunately, Eric Frank and I didn’t recognize each other (her and Karl were a few years ahead of us in high school) but hopefully I will get to see all of them in a few weeks!

Anyway, I have to run to get myself together and get to work but I just wanted you all to know that I am so glad that my heart and brain are doing what they used to. With the support and encouragement of so many fabulous people, more will heal. Please keep believing for me.

BTW - Yesterday, Khaled and Mervet celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary and their middle child Kyan turned 4 too! I love them so much.

Dear all,

This has been a really great week!! And today is a fabulous Father’s Day!!  Happy Father’s Day to all you daddies out there and to the dads of all my wonderful family and friends!!

Every morning I have been up to see the kids off – I wave to them and blow kisses to their smiling faces. I am so glad that they like going to Child Time now. Rowan always talks about how much he likes Miss Sierra, Miss Alma, and Miss Pat. Encsi is putting multiple words together all the time these days. Most people wonder if their kids don’t speak when they think they should. What do you do with 2 that don’t shut up!!?!?!? It is really great. I adore them.

Although Jani and the kids have colds, their spirits have been good. Hopefully my system will evade this bug! (this was written earlier in the week – they are all doing much better and I still have no sign of it – yay!)

It has been a week of many “firsts” but some are kind of personal so I won’t share all but here are some: I was work every day!!  Bob Lust moved the fridge and microwave from my van into my office yesterday on Tuesday.  People are happy that my stinky lunches will be kept in my domain (curry and pad thai stink?!)! The main reason for this equipment is so that I will have the intranasal desmopressin on hand and also when I need to heat something, I won’t burn myself carrying it on my lap or spill it everywhere. Krista made me a couple of trays with Dycem on the top and bottom so it won’t slide around and things on it won’t slide either.  I hadn’t seen this stuff before but I love it and I also love the edges (thanks Chris and Winnie). Now I can carry stuff on so I won’t burn myself and things won’t slide off my lap and so I am set!

I managed to get my hair cut on Tuesday. It was good to see Jackie (Practicality).  I’ve been going there since I moved here and so she has seen me 23 months pregnant and she has met the little monsters too!  Anyway, she seemed pretty happy to see me - she hugged me like a sister. A few tears were shed. It is still tough to have people see me like this and obviously hard for people who knew me before to see me like this.  Knowing that people keep me in their thoughts is more valuable than I can say.  Plus she did a great job on my new short do – no surprise there! She always took good care of me in that regard!

I have had some very nice interactions with many ECU people this week too – Mike VanScott, Dick Ray, Deirdre Mageean, Ruth Schwalbe, Ching from Pharmacology, and Pui-Nn Ho, a medical student who spent her first summer in my lab came by my office to visit with me. People of all walks offer to help me any way they can. And as I say to all who tell me it is good to see me, it is great to be seen!! I don’t remember anything about most people visiting but now knowing that they did I am indebted.  Ruth Ann Hendrickson visited many times too and still keeps her eye on me. I have such an incredible battalion of people looking out for me so THANK YOU!!!!!

To boot, the Flat Out 5k I have mentioned previously, Bob Lust has offered to cruise with me in a wheelchair! I am pretty excited about that for many reasons.  

No one has told me yet who put up the get well sign on the road where the accident occurred. If you know, please send me a message!

Friday was a very productive and bonding day. In the morning, I went to work and resubmitted out first manuscript to Cardiovascular Research. Keep you fingers crossed for us! At lunch, I went to pick Rowan up from Child Time and we met daddy at Coldstone for ice cream.  Then I took Rowan for a Wendy’s cheeseburger and fries and then later to go see Kung Fu Panda. It was a very nice afternoon.

Saturday was good too. We tried to go strawberry picking at Briley’s but the season must be over already. Oh well, blueberries will be easier for me to pick if someone can park me next to a bush!! Then we went to Sam’s club, and then home and then we all had a good nap! Encsi slept for 4 hours!! In the afternoon, Gabor and his kids came to hang out a bit. After the kids were fed and bathed, Jani and Rowan and I stayed up late and watched Indiana Jones. I told him I would take him to the new movie if he liked it but when the German guy drank from what he thought was the wrong holy grail and vaporized on his skeleton, that was enough to scare Rowan off of Indie for a while!!

Now is a rainy Sunday morning. Jani and I were up early and got to have croissant and coffee together at 6:30 before children awoke. Rowan was awake first but a cartoon took care of him for a few minutes. Then Encsi didn’t wake up until 8am. Now they have been fed and are playing but every couple of minutes they want attention from one of us and so I am going to sign off.  Jani is messing with stuff – the alarm system, replacing air filters, dumping laundry on the bed for me to fold….it is father’s day though and so I will just smile and be glad that we have such a good daddy! And so now I’m going to hang with the kids and call my daddy and uncle Kal to wish them the best father’s day too!!

One more thing though – I keep hearing from people that they do keep up with this blog to see how we’re doing and I am very glad for that (although I have to admit it feels a bit weird to write to the internet that doesn’t reply!). If anyone has questions that you think I should address, please don’t hesitate to let me know.  As far as my health goes, I feel better and I am getting stronger but my sense of smell hasn’t returned and my pituitary is still misbehaving.

One more quick thing – so Jani is messing wit the alarm system and so some loud ones went off (we were warned) and when Jani turned it off, Rowan said “that scared the eyeballs out of me!”  How funny is that?!?! I had a mental image of a cartoon character with his eyeballs 3 feet out infront of  him while his body was already turned in the other direction to scram!!!

Anyway, gotta go!! I still haven’t had a chance to ask Vince about the pix but I promise I’ll get to that soon!

Well, last week was certainly better than the previous one physically.  My sense of smell is not back yet and my pituitary is still malfunctioning.  Healing is still going on though so keep hoping with me! Psychologically, the week was more challenging. Friday was my last day of therapy.  I think it many ways it is time for me to move ahead and try stuff on my own as my strength continues to improve, the rehab folks have been truly instrumental in acquiring the abilities I have now. Not only that, they are really good people and I feel fortunate to have had their kindness and intelligence working so hard for me! As much as I had separation anxiety for this event, I am more at peace knowing that I can go back to them if I need to. As Dave put it, it is another chapter closing. Sigh.

Fortunately, I have my family to keep me busy and entertained! Jani continues to be the positive presence. The kids continue to grow and get more beautiful each day. Jani put us all in the pool yesterday. Now that 100+ degrees is the norm, it is a relief! Rowan paddles and splashes around and Encsi is pretty brazen in it considering that the water comes up to her chest! With daddy around, there really is nothing to fear (except for him when he is angry!)!

Encsi was so sound asleep this morning that even mommy was up and rolling before she was awake.  So I got to go to her room and see her sleeping. Such a wonderful sight! I took pictures of course!! Rowan has been getting better about parting in the morning and even on Mondays. Although he did ask yesterday, “mommy, does Friday come after Tuesday?’ don’t we wish the work week was 3 days long and the weekend was 2!!

So now, what do I do to ease the pain of no therapy? I bury myself in work! I have a TON of stuff to do and there are still parts that I am trying to catch up on so I can not only be up to speed, but also get a few steps ahead of the game (needs to be done to be successful in this line of work!).  So today I am working on resubmitting a manuscript and will concentrate on the grant resubmission from now until July5th. From here on out, I am planning to be at work everyday and hopefully most of those days.  We just bought a mini-fridge/freezer and a microwave for me to keep in my office so I can keep my intranasal desmopression (has to be refrigerated and I have to take it at 6am, 2pm, and 10pm) and food/drink in my office.  Getting back to normal life (well, mostly)! I also bought a ramp to put in the back of the van so that when I go to people’s houses that have steps (most do here since we’re on pocosin wetland) so hopefully I’ll be able to get to more Bunko nights!

I am looking forward to visitors later this summer too. Hope and Jay and their kids are planning to come by when they come down for a vacation at the outer banks in August. Cindy and Karl and their kids and hopefully Cathleen and her family will join us too for a weekend in July or August. 

The news of the flat out 5k that the Jaycees are putting on here in Greenville to benefit burn victims and to help me out too this year has spread like wildfire.  Jani, Teresa, Dave, and Claire have worked to put this together. I put the website link up on the last posting but in case you can’t find it, it is www.flatout5k.com.  The theme this year is S.A.F.E – Streets Are For Everyone.  This will be grueling physically and emotionally but it is yet another example of how many people have come together to help out and support me and apparently, since I am stubborn (I keep hearing this and I’m not sure if it is good but I am still here so I hope so!!), I intend to be there and if it takes me all day to cross the finish line, so be it!. Overwhelming doesn’t even come close to describing how it feels to have so many people reach out to me.

A story that I want to share from my stay at Shepherd:

I had a very nice visit from some old friends from Seattle (they just moved to Minneapolis) Dave and Nicole Nuckley. We went to the Atlanta art museum and then they joined the McDevitts and my family for dinner in the family recreation room. They brought many treats from Seattle (I had to hide some to keep others away from!) like smoked salmon, chocolate covered cherries, choclate covered almonds….mmmmmmmmm. It was awesome to have them visit and to catch up on Tama and Jerrod and Isabelle, and Priscilla and Jeremy. Thanks again for coming out of your way to see me and spend time with all of us!! I hope you are enjoying Minneapolis!

If you are still reading this blog, thank you. I feel good to be able to share these experiences with you and know that you care to read them. I am getting stronger all the time and even though there are ongoing battles, the love and support I have from my family and friends is phenomenal. I wish all those that suffer adversity would have the network that I have. The world would be a better place. I know that many of my friends and family have suffered and I hope that I have been there for them a fraction of the way they are here for me now.

So with that, I wish you all a Happy Monday and hope the week goes well!

I just wanted to pass this along and thank everyone involved in advance.  If anyone in interested in participating remotely, I understand that that is a possibility also. The therapists here at the PCMH Rehab outpatient clinic are putting a team together! I am planning to do this too!! The support continues to be truly overwhelming.

http://www.flatout5k.com/

Hi all! Once again too much going on to write about everything but I’m going to try! Last week was not good physically for a couple of reasons but I’m not going to go into those boring details other than that I got some virus Wednesday evening that kicked my butt through Friday and so I stayed in bed all day Friday. I felt better over the weekend, relapsed yesterday, but today was pretty good again so I hope it stays like this and continues to improve.

In other respects it was very good. I got to see Dr. Reeg on Tuesday morning. My spine looks fine so I am healing.  I felt stronger after seeing him. Hard to explain in words.

I rally want to thank our sweet neighbors Gary and Mac for all the bunches of daffodils that decorated our kitchen this spring.

Jani is hanging in for the firefighter training. It is a workout physically and intellectually but he is still working hard at it and enjoying what he is learning.  The kids are doing better now with the daycare thing. Not sick and not crying when they get dropped off so that makes life more pleasant for all of us. This morning Rowan woke up on his own all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Both kids were happy, ate, kissed mommy, and hopped in the car. I feel MUCH better about it when they are like that.

As for me, I am trying to get to work more. Still working around some logistics but hopefully everything will get worked out in time.

I’m sorry for this being so short but I’ll try to go into more detail next time!

OK - this covers the last 10 days so hold on!!!

Does anyone know who put the sign on the road where the accident happened to wish me well (I never got to see it because it was up while I was in PCMH/Shepherd but I heard about it)? If so, could you please tell me so I can thank them?

So today (when I started writing this) is Monday May 19^th.  Poor Rowan had a fever all weekend and so he is home with mommy right now. I took him to see Dr. Susan this morning and she made him feel better because he didn’t have to have any shots.  Hopefully it isn’t anything serious but we’ll see how things go in the next few days. He gave Dr. Susan 2 hugs and she gave him two stickers – Batman and Spiderman. I was glad to have been able to take him there and have her see him.

I would like to send a special thanks to Bardia Askari, Steve Berard, and the Murrys for throwing a benefit auction for me at Kate’s Pub in Seattle.  The people at Kate’s were very generous in their donation of the space and Kate and Eric put their tips into the pile as well. This was Steve’s brainchild (as Bardia calls it – that means a lot coming from him because my sense is that he thinks most of humankind is clueless) and the Murrys have always been very generous in spirit and in addition to having contributed tons to the recovery fund, I am extremely grateful to have them in my life. Thanks so very much all of you. I appreciate all of you tremendously.

As few more things I have been thinking about lately…

I was a bit cryptic about the emotional experience at therapy last week but I am going to share this story with you now.  At Christmas, as I mentioned before, we got tons of cards and gifts from so many thoughtful people. One of the cards was from some friends of friends in Seattle. Priscilla told of her experience similar to ours – her husband suffered traumatic brain injury. Aside from that, the point that struck me hardest was her advice that I should mourn my loss.  This has really stuck with me. Only time will heal that wound. It still upsets me when I think about it and I know it will for a long time. I am an active person. I had 2 wonderful pregnancies and enjoyed all associated sensations immensely. Two days before Encsi was born I was mowing the lawn (she liked the pool that mommy built for her and didn’t want to come out and so I was trying to discourage that comfort).  When I see a bike I get grumpy.  I loved to ski (well, try to anyway) either cross-country or downhill. I loved hiking when I lived in Seattle. I want to jump through the waves at the beach with the kids.  Anyway, it is difficult to share these feelings but I hope it will make it easier not only for me, but for those who love me. I hope that when you read this you will think about those that you love and the trials they have been through and understand how it has shaped them. I could be depressed and miserable but not only is there no time because life is speeding on around me, no one I love would want to be with me and that would not be fun at all! I have said this to people and I will probably keep saying it because it makes me realize how futile those emotion are. So if you think that I am strong because of that, I thank you but the thanks really goes to my family. You know my dad, my brother, and Jani aren’t going to allow me to be sad!  Jani calls me “weepy” when I tear up – about anything, even when it is because of something sweet!

Tuesday May 20^th. Staying home again today with Rowan. Poor kid.  For the record, it is not funny when a 4.5 year old nephew tells his nephrologist uncle that his kidneys hurt.  The funny part to me was that if anyone out there knows any 4.5 years old that know where their kidneys are, please let me know!  Anyway, poor uncle Kal has been through enough between his brother-in-law and mother-in-law’s kidneys, his son’s hernia surgeries, and my accident (this is a short list by the way - the real one is much longer) and so I should have know better than to joke with him when he is hard at work!!

Came across this article about clinical trials through Geron using ES cell therapy for SPI being halted. 

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080519/full/news.2008.842.html

For those of you who are missing Jani because he doesn’t have time to get back to you, please know that it isn’t for lack of desire or thought. This firefighter training is intense mentally (they have a few tests/week) and physically (they are working out everyday), and in addition to taking care of the kids, the dog, the house, and me, he gets a few hours of sleep.  Yet, he never complains and not only that, he smiles and makes us all laugh.  If I haven’t said so before, I will say that I adore my husband beyond words. Truly a spectacular man in so many ways and I feel so incredibly lucky to see his wonderful smiling face every day.

Well, Rowan went back to nap again and so I am going to try to get some work done!

Saturday May 24^th. Well, the rest of the week was better. Rowan was well enough to go to daycare on Thursday and Friday and is totally fine today. When I got home on Friday, Drew from DC was waiting in the driveway.  It was nice to visit with him for the evening (he stopped on his way to visit with family in SC) and he spoiled Jani (with Guinness and Heineken) and the kids with toys (a helmet and words for Rowan and a little wagon for Encsi to pull George around in  -so cute!). Anyway, poor Ensci was fine all evening but around 11pm she woke up vomiting and was sick all night. Probably a rotavirus. She is still sleeping this morning. Poor daddy is cleaning the sheets in the rain outside. Well, tomorrow is his birthday, not today! Neither of them got much sleep and so I see big naps on the agenda for the afternoon.

As for me, Friday was nice at therapy. I got a good work out with weights and doing push-ups with Joanne and then Krista tested me out on some Magic Wheels (a Seattle company!).  Just so you get a feel for how economically challenging this is, these wheels alone are $4500. My chair was around $6000. Insurance coverage for a medically necessary item should theoretically not be an issue. These wheels, if they work well, could really help to save me should pain. I can put them into a gear so that when I am rolling up hill, if I let go of my wheels I won’t roll backward. For all those that have seen me going from the van to the Brody building, you know this would be very helpful. So I am trying out a demo pair for this weekend and we’ll see where things go from here.

A random interjection: Everytime I drive over the overpass I see the red circles where the police made markings at the accident scene. Even though the paint is fading, I still feel a twinge every time I drive past.

Today is Tuesday May 27^th. I know it is terrible not to have put this up before but there was a lot going on. Drew came to spend Friday night with us. Encsi had a bad belly all night that night and kept Daddy awake throwing up. Saturday there was a fox in our yard jumping to pick peaches off our tree (you’ll have to ask to get the full story). Sunday was Jani’s 39^th birthday! Rowan bought him beef jerky and 2 super tootsie pops (which he ate/is eating!).  Terese and Dave came over to celebrate with us and brought a really nice cake with fresh strawberries – yummy!!  The Magic Wheels came off on Sunday – too heavy!!! Also, there is too much play when it is in gear. I don’t think they will work for me. Monday we hung out at home and enjoyed Jani’s first long weekend off! Nice that his birthday fell in the middle of it! I got to see Dr. Reeg this morning and he said my spine has healed well. It was great to see him. I kind of feel the same way about him as I did about Dr. Thompson in Seattle who came from dinner with her family late in the evening, was pregnant herself, and stayed into the wee hours to help me deliver my precious son Rowan (1:57am on 9/13, 2003). There are just some people that, even though they are doing their job, they make you feel as though they really care about you as if you were family. Then I had therapy this afternoon with Joanne and Krista. They are going to leave me to me own devices as of next Friday. I can go back if I need help but they think I am ready to do things on my own. I have really come a long way because of the folks at outpatient rehab and I hope to continue to improve.  Tough road………

Anyway, I have pictures that I have tried to upload and will keep doing so but I can’t see them so I don’t think it is working. Will have to bother Vince soon…..

Hope you all enjoyed a beautiful Memorial Day weekend!

Dear all,

            I hope you have had a good week! It is about noon on Saturday and it has been very busy this week in the Virag household.  Jani has been a bit sore from his rigorous physical training but is enjoying that they take them to different places around town to see how things work in case of a Fire.  The kids are both fluctuating with being sick and so we are trying to help them get better by eating, drinking, and sleeping. Hopefully the summer weather and being outside to get fresh air will help!

As for me, I have been at work a bit each day this week and so I am very glad about that. The lab is busy now – Jess has her comprehensive exam coming up at the end of the month, Sailly is working to get a handle on how we do things, Jon came back to spend some of the summer with us, and Jennifer will likely come to help us out part-time too. Therapy is Monday and Friday each week and so I only get one chance to be in the pool on Fridays but I will do my best to try to get there more. Monday was tough in terms of being emotionally taxing but I could not ask for kinder people to help me adjust to the reality of this situation.  

So many other things to share I don’t know where to start!

I got a phone call from Cindy Bollinger (now Munschy) and heard from Cathleen O’Malley (now Chojnacki) – two women I was good friends with in Ionia since St. Peter and Paul middle school. Cindy and her family only live 2.5 hours away in SC and so I am looking forward to having them visit this summer and meeting their families!

Wishes for wellness and contributions to the Recovery Fund just keep coming. I can’t begin to express my gratitude. Thank you so very much for keeping us in your thoughts.

I was recalling visits from friends the other day. When I was at Shepherd, my friend Dr. Frothy (other know him as Jude) from DC came and spent the weekend with me.  He has a fabulous sense to humor and he set me straight on some thoughts I was having. He did’t bring his blender then but hopefully the next time I see him he will make some magic! I thank Todd and Megan McDevitt for hosting him.

When I got home, Eric and Andrea Soule and their 2 kids Carly and Fletcher came by for a few hours on their way from Kingston to Florida. I have always adored the entire Soule family. They have been a source of love, laughter, and strength for me for many years.

Healthwise, my fluid issues are getting much better. I just had a blood draw yesterday to check things and so we’ll see how well my system is adjusting when those results come back.  Otherwise, there are not really many changes. I still need the medication and, as time goes on, the likelihood that my body will resolve it on its own becomes slimmer. This is troublesome because of other symptoms as well but mostly because I don’t like to put medications in my system and In the beginning, the doctors told me this would likely resolve in about 6 months.  My sense of smell is not back either but that could still take some time.  

Well, I am going to make this one short today because there are lots of things to do while the children nap! I just want you all to know that if I haven’t called or responded to messages, please re-send them. The blog is connected to Jani’s e-mail and so he forward things when he gets a chance but you might have better luck if you try my e-mail directly:

jaivirag@gmail.com

Big love to all!

Oh, and if you have any suggestions on what to spoil my hubbie with for his birthday which is coming up on May 25th (#39) let me know!

Dear friends and family,

First let me day what a wonderful Mother’s Day it is. Friday Rowan and Encsi brought cards they made at daycare with their handprints on them. This morning, Rowan went outside and picked some flowers for me. Then some of our wonderful neighbors came all dressed up before church to bring some tulips and wish me a Happy Mothers day. Really a lovely surprise (I hope they can forgive my bedhead!). Then I went outside with the kids for a bit but it started raining so we moved our play inside.  After lunch when Encsi went for a nap, Rowan and I snuggled in bed, ate popcorn, watched some cartoons, and read a story.  We talked to my mom, Jani’s mom, and Auntie Mervie too and wished all mothers lots of love. Anyway, it is only a little after 3pm and so I’ll let you how the rest of the day goes!

Most of this next part was written earlier in the week…..

I can hardly see the screen through my tears. I am working at home today (Monday) and I decided to take a break to go back to the blog. You might recall that a month ago I got through some but didn’t finish reading past posts before I started writing. I read some of the initial posting that Bob wrote and then read up to my birthday.  The words, descriptions, and thoughts from Bob, Kal, and Jani are truly heart wrenching.  I have always had great admiration for these men for a huge range of reasons but there are no words to express my intense appreciation now.  I am so incredibly fortunate to have such amazing people in my corner. I balled like crazy when I read what Jani wrote about his mom in mid December.  I was glad to laugh though when I read what my brother wrote about ending up at PCMH because of nearly falling out of my chair – the eyes rolling. Bets on when that will be? And I cried my heart out when I read how Khaled described his view of me watching my kids as my first sunrise. So true. Everyday is really a gift with them. Seeing Rowan’s sleeping face next to me and the gorgeous smile on his face when he wakes up to daddy’s voice before he even opens his eyes. When we were outside this weekend it was beautiful and so I was wearing shorts. Encsi (now 21 months) came over to me and looked at the graft donor site scar on my right thigh, pointed at it and contorted her face into a concerned visage and said “ow”. I said yup that mommy’s ouchie and then she leaned in, kissed it, and toddled away to play.  This is the attitude – be tender briefly and then get on with the important things in life!

Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I cry and I get frustrated. Not because I can’t reach something (that has always been an issue being married to a very tall Hungarian!) but because there is so much I want to and need to do and everything either takes forever, is very difficult, or seems impossible….but not for long. I was outside cutting watermelon for the kids recently and found it to be pretty tough, not because of my hands and arms but because of my torso – no abdominal muscle control to balance.  So many of you have commented on my strength and my positive attitude and I thank you because I am working at that and so I am glad to know that it is paying off. It is real. Laughter is incredible medicine. I am so very happy to know that there are so many great people around me and the genuine support and care you all share with me is indescribable.  However, this is a new mode and I am not made of steel (well, except for the stuff I don’t like to think about like the Greenfield filter that I didn’t know about until I saw the foreign object in an x-ray I was looking at with my brother at Shepherd and he explained it to me).  I want to get up and run in the yard after Rowan. I want to go over to the pretty little fig tree Jani planted in the yard for the third time – it came from Houston as a Christmas present in 2004 to 1231 Forest Acres in 2006 and now 1259 Forest Acres in 2008). I want to feel my feet in the sand as Ensci digs around in the sandbox. I want to go pick strawberries and blueberries together (most of you know how nuts my kids are about berries). I want to smell the beautiful jasmine plants that are starting to flower (Mother’s Day gifts from my wonderful husband when we lived in Houston).  I want to go camping with my family like we did last summer – listen to the water over the dunes and fall asleep under the stars….  BUT, I am determined not waste too much energy feeling sorry for myself because I have it pretty good. To be alive for one thing but the life I have is pretty darn good. I try not to think that things could always be worse or better but it is human nature to place ourselves on a continuum.  So what I aim for each day is to slide toward the “better” end of the continuum.  Laps in the pool and propelling myself down Forest Acres will replace running and biking.  I will find other activities to substitute for ones I can’t do anymore.  Suggestions are welcome! As much as I have tried, crafts are not my forté but eventually I will attempt to make more soap and candles. I guess the boxes of photos I have could be put into albums….I am so glad to be digital now!

I got to host Bunko on Cinco de Mayo and that was very special to me. Thanks to my mom for making lots of food when she was here because I pulled out a yummy lasagna to share (I didn’t tell everyone that mom is the chef at the General Wolfe but they said it was very good!), I made some salad, and when we were at Panera on Sunday we bought some of their death by chocolate and caramel chocolate brownies (me and baking have never been close).  It was nice to see those women again and they were all very kind and helpful. For example, Karen fixed me a plate, Marion reinforced my strength (although she won in my house and I didn’t!) and we had a really good talk about coping with adversity, Teresa brought her sunny personality to sub for Barbara and put all the dishes in the dishwasher, Terri and Cheryl made sure that the game proceeded, and Frankie is taking care of the Powerball ticket (keep your fingers crossed!).  Thanks ladies!

I got a wonderful surprise e-mail from a dear old friend, Cathleen O’Malley this week (she has posted comments on this site too) and so I am really very happy to restablish contact.

The middle of the week was just plain busy - between work and therapy, things are moving along!

Friday was interesting. It started off fine, until I got to work. There was a thunderstorm in the morning and so I waited until that passed before I headed to work. When I got to the parking lot, there were only a few spots available and none of them were spots I have used before. So I pulled in, not thinking that the hatched blue areas would vary in size between spots. Well, I tested the lift and it looked close but I thought I would be able to make it out. No such luck. I tried and managed to get myself stuck between the lip of the lift and the car parked to the right. Well, luckily I had me cell phone on me and so I called Laura and told her I was “good but stuck” and asked if she could find someone that might be physically capable of helping me out. So she and Dr. Ray came an rescued me. Not only that, Dr. Ray reparked the van so that I would be able to get in when I had to leave.  Also, as all this was happening, Dr. Lust arrived and said he thought we might be having a meeting outside. Then Dr. Iams arrived and saw us all out there and so he came over to join us.  So much for not drawing attention!  Fortunately it wasn’t pouring anymore. One can only laugh about something like this. It makes for a good story!

Emily and Jason were in town visiting from Boston for graduation and we got to spend some time sitting out on the patio with them on Saturday too.

Healthwise, the intranasal stuff works alright but as I get more physically active, the dose frequency doesn’t seem to cut it so I’m going to work on that this week. My physical strength is responding (well, a little more slowly than I would like but it is aging too!) and so hopefully by the end of the summer I will be independent.  People seem to be surprised that I have been going back to work part time since March and driving since mid-April.  I will continue to strive for physical and mental strength!

Have a great Mother’s Day Sunday afternoon and a wonderful week everyone!

Dear all,

I have to warn you that these posts are probably going to be long for a while.  Partly because I like to think about what to write and how and partly because I write some and then I don’t get back to it for a day or sometimes more.  So I hope you’ll bear with me!

I have to tell you about this week because lots of things have changed around the Virag house. Then I will go back in time for a spell and lastly I will update you on my health.

Wow it has been a busy week but pretty good all in all. Monday morning we rose early so Jani could make sure all of us were ready for the day without him. Rowan and mommy were a bit grumpy because we don’t like to be woken up but daddy and Encsi’s energy is contagious and so we forget and move on quickly. Daddy took the kids to daycare. Rowan is going through separation issues but once he gets into things, he has lots of fun with his new friends. Encsi, well, she is like her daddy – she will talk to anyone, anytime, about anything and entertain herself and others with whatever is on hand.  Mommy stayed at home in the morning and took care of some things and then drove herself in the fancy van to therapy in the afternoon. I really enjoyed going to outpatient to work with Krista, Penny, Dave, and Joanne.  I got to go in the pool Mon, Wed, and Fri this week so me and my circulatory system are happy campers!

Tuesday morning mommy went to work for a bit to greet Sailly, the new addition to our lab.  It is good to welcome a kind woman with great capabilities. In the afternoon, Teresa came with me in the van to help me pick up Rowan from daycare and we took him to his orientation at Falkland, the school he will be attending in the Fall. I got to do the parent part and Teresa accompanied Rowan to the classroom with some of his future classmates to play and learn some of the school policies and practices. Anyway, it was a good day.

Wednesday I scared Jani a bit because I charged my phone and popped it into the bag underneath me, not realizing that it had turned off. So he couldn’t reach me and I was busy all day and didn’t use it so I didn’t know. It was a productive day though! Working at home on a manuscript and then therapy (pool again!)

Thursday, I saw the family off, had some coffee, got myself together, worked on the computer for a bit and then drove to work and parked with my new accessible parking pass. Got the best spot possible – my lucky day!

Friday, I went to work in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to therapy to work with Penny in the pool (hurrah! On both counts!).  Then I went to an appointment to meet with Dr. Reeg only to find out that it was supposed to be the day before. I was pretty disappointed because I was very much looking forward to seeing him again (this is the man who operated on my spine).  Now I have to wait until May 27^th.  After that I went to pick up the kids for the first time. There was a girl there who was kind enough to put Encsi in her seat and away we went in mommy’s new van! When we got home, both kids were able to get out through the front passenger door and then they waited for mommy to come out in her chair.  

So all in all, it was a busy week, full of “first tries” but fortunately, without incident!

A few things I was thinking about recently that I want to share and when I was at Shepherd:

Jani gave me a few of his shirts to wear, mostly because I didn’t have the arm mobility to pull many of mine over my head. I was glad about that especially when he wasn’t around because it gave me strength and peace of mind.

When the family would leave the room at the ends of visiting hours and go to the elevator, Rowan would always run back to give me extra kisses. One time, he looked at me with those big tearful brown eyes and whispered “mommy, if you move over just a little I could fit into bed with you.”  Obviously there was not one single time I didn’t cry for hours after they left to drive back to Greenville.

When Mandy and Lori (from Wolfe Island/Kingston, Ontario) came to visit me in January, their flights got messed up because of inclement weather and so, because of my therapy schedule, I really only got to spend a few hours with them. However, it was really good quality time. Being with them, talking about life stuff, laughing and crying with them, and seeing pictures of Mandy’s little Rosyln…all of it really made me feel so lucky to have such great friends and still be integrated into their lives. I think you all know about the benefit they held for me at St. Margaret’s on Wolfe Island. There were so many people there and the money raised is so much appreciated I can’t begin to tell you. I look forward to getting up there one of these days and I was thinking that maybe I should just sit on the ferry all day one day and hug everyone I can get to!

There were lots of people who visited me there and I met some really nice people while I was there so I will come back to it often.

My health: Things are better with this intranasal stuff but I still have to watch things pretty closely. My right shoulder has its good and bad days. The therapists want to keep me for 4 more weeks (my discharge date was May 9^th) to see if they can help with that and work more on strengthening and mobility.  This would be good. I am getting better at transferring by myself but for some things (like the pool and my shower chair) I still need help. They tell me that one day I will be able to just pop myself over instead of using my sliding board. Yikes.

One last thing. You know what I am really glad about? That when people I know see me, they aren’t afraid to bend down and hug me.  It means a lot.

Hope you’re having a great weekend everyone! Today is my youngest nephew Kellan’s first birthday. Even though I can’t be with him to celebrate, I am so glad to be here to see the day!

Dear friends and family,

There are so many things I want to say! This site was not only a great way to keep people apprised of my progress (thanks so much to Bob, Khaled, and Jani) but now I find it soothing to be able to communicate my appreciation for all of you, memories, feelings, and coping strategies. I thought of more people I want to thank and there are two stories I will tell now (but that doesn’t mean that I won’t talk about other things irrespective of chronology at some point!). I want to tell you about Christmas with my family in Atlanta, how I spent the day of the 6^th month anniversary of this accident, then I will update you on my health.

Thanks so much for staying with us. I have heard from many people that they managed to get through my essay (that’s what my dad called it) and I know there are so many people that I missed… like my family in the Czech Republic, including my aunt Jitka who is looking after my health and telling my mother to relay useful information to me and the others who locked down intense thoughts for my well-being and supported my mom through all this insanity… my sister-in-law’s family (all 300+ of them who pulled for me), and friend’s of Khaled’s and the thoughtful people who know him through work and have continued to inquire about my well-being, the Meades in Ionia, MI, and the wonderful flight crew that flew me from PCMH to Atlanta. I reserve the right to keep adding to this list as time goes on but please don’t hesitate to send me a note if you think I will miss someone!

Christmas story: My dear friends Todd and Megan McDevitt were going to be in Texas to spend Christmas with family and so they loaned their house and one of their cars to us. Not only that, they put up a lovely Christmas tree for us. Did I mention that I have a unbelievably fabulous group of friends? So on Christmas I got a day pass (well, closer to half a day in real time) from Shepherd to be able to spend some quality non-hospital time with my parents, Jani, and the kids. It was wonderful. Jani put me onto the loveseat so people could take turns coming to sit by me. I so enjoyed watching them open presents – we all got spoiled by so many people! When the adults were in the kitchen cooking, Rowan came to me with the Dr. Suess’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, (courtesy of Neil and Lou who visited me at Shepherd first and came all the way from Chicago). As we were reading, Encsi came and wanted to get up onto the couch with us but I couldn’t quite lift her since I don’t have control of my abdominal muscles. So, without hesitation, Rowan hopped off the couch and lifted her up as much as he could….which turned out to be just enough for me to get enough leverage to bring her up all the way. So, even though it only lasted a few minutes (as most of you know children this age don’t sit for too long!), it was an incredible moment for me. I missed them so much it ached.

6 months:

Friday night April 18^th late in the evening, 4 Bettys came (this was the name of our soccer team in Seattle for those of you who don’t know) – Julie from Austin, Megan and Melissa from Atlanta, and Marsha from Worschester, MA.  I got to spend the whole day with them Saturday April 19^th. It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio and talk. As Marsha said, it hit the “Reset” button. I also got a lot of Megan love. Melissa has always been a calming presence. And Julie made me feel like I haven’t missed a beat. We all laughed a lot together and of course, there were a few tears. To say that I am grateful for their friendship is a huge understatement.

So an update:

Healthwise, we are changing things a bit (intranasal – yuck!) to manage my fluid imbalance issues so I’ll let you know in a couple of days how this goes.  My shoulder is still bugging me but my PT did some deep pressure therapy on it and so it is better today.  I caught a bit of a cold – had a sore throat for a couple days and have a little cough but nothing like what I went through the last couple of times. Immune function creeping back! 

You all have inquired about the van that we got Thursday April 17^th, so here are a couple of pix. I will tell you that I drove Jani to therapy with me last Friday April 18^th and he came in the pool with me. Saturday April 19^th was my first time out without Jani (I’ll bet this felt pretty good for him too!). Where did the Bettys go – why, downtown to the 4^th street wineshop of course! We also wandered around in Jefferson’s for a while (I just found a bag in the study/dining room last night – a couple of those cool square candles and holders).  Then we came home and sat on the patio more. Jani took care of the beautiful steaks on the BBQ and made a yummy salad for us! Sunday April 20^th, we went to visit some friends and I drove the whole family there. It was a great feeling to be able to do that and to spend time with good people.

So Jani and I were talking the other day and he came up with this idea (mostly to humor me I think). He suggested that I write a list of things that I won’t be able to do for a while. So we have come up with five…

1. Line dancing.

2. Sit-ups

3. Karate

4. Bull riding

5. Squats

Otherwise I am working on my arm strength and endurance and so I hope to be moving around faster soon so I can bother more of you in person!!

In other news, most of you know that Jani is going to begin his firefighter training today and the kids are going to daycare for the first time. Soon I’ll let you know how all that goes!

I know so many of you have been asking why we haven’t updated the blog – I am very sorry to keep you waiting and so I hope some of this makes up for the delay! We are coming up on the 6 month anniversary (4/19) of the accident. Since I got home 1/22 things have been crazy.  Jani has effectively been a single parent for so long and now he has had to take care of me in addition to that, juggle fixing up both houses, and manage a ton of other things in order to keep things moving forward. This blog was turned over to me but among other things, it took time to put my thoughts down.  I hope you’ll stay with me!

I keep saying this but I really feel that I am so lucky to be alive and to have so many amazingly beautiful people as family and friends! Thank you so much for being with me through all this. The support I have received is truly more than overwhelming and I know that the thoughts and energy you have all invested is the major contributing factor to my well-being. There are so many people to thank - I hope to reach everyone in person one day but there is not a day that goes by when I don’t think about so many of you. For example, here in Greenville there are a great bunch – Teresa and Dave, Walker and his family, Bob, Dick, Jess, and the whole Physiology department and BSOM, Chad, Steve, the other early response folks, Drs. Reeg and Newell, as well as Omar, Frankie and all the nurses - the whole ICU and beyond including the outpatient rehab folks I work with now – Joanne, Krista, Dave, Penny, Sarah, Megan – as well as my Bunco group; some of the folks at Shepherd in Atlanta – Erica, Jeanette, Paul, Marlene, Sheila, Robert, Blair, Marion…; my friends from Seattle - Marsha, Megan, Melissa, Julie, Cathy, the Murry family and lab, Bardia, Hans, Sandi, and all those who went to the party held for me there; my friends in Kingston/Wolfe Island – Mandy, Lori, Hope, Jen, Robert, Sherry, the Soule family, Wolfe Islanders, and everyone who attended the event at St. Margaret’s to honor my 38th birthday; the boys in Chicago – Neil and Lou and their families; Loree in Vancouver; Vince in Winnipeg, the boys in DC – Jude and Drew; the Ponthiers in Perth Australia; Dr.McDonough and the pholks in the Physiology department at LSU in New Orleans; in Houston - Rachel, Bill, Susan, Kevin, Valerie and her family and all the people who attended the auction held for me there; my husband’s family in Hungary – Margit, Edit, Ibolya, Peter, Sanyi, their kids, and so many relatives who have extended so much support to me and to Jani; and of course my absoSmurfly phenomenal husband Jani, beautiful children Rowan and Encsi, my loving and selfless parents, and my devoted and brilliant brother Kal and my sweet sister-in-law Mervie and their 3 handsome boys Kaden, Kyan, and Kellan. If you are reading this and weren’t mentioned, please know that I feel so incredibly grateful to have you in my life. I have been thinking about this website for some time and have been avoiding it because I wanted to start from the beginning and see how things evolved and do as much as possible to let people know how much they mean to me. Well, my dear husband placed the computer with the blog site in front of me one night in early April and so I had no choice but to read. So I made it through October. What a nightmare. Everyone tells me that it is all in the past but in some respects (emotional), it is hard to pick up on life from a given point. Physically, I still don’t care to know much detail. I know what I need to know and am working on building my strength. This is very different from my normal level of activity but give me a year. You all know this is not my style. I’ll figure something out. Plus I believe in the power of science! Self-assembling nanofibers injected into the spinal cords….And Jani, my wonderful soldier Rowan (this is what he told me he was when I was in the Rehab hospital in Atlanta – no question he went through a lot and I am thrilled to have the handsome ball of energy to guard me!), our little social beauty Encsi, and all of our family and friends are my motivation to make my life even more grand. I knew I was lucky before all this but now I know my fortune is extreme! “Thanks” doesn’t even begin to express my sentiments.

This letter has taken me a few weeks to write. I really am sorry to keep you all waiting. I will keep you apprised of developments as long as there is progress and you are all interested!

So to catch you up on what has been going on: I arrived home on Tuesday 3 days before my 38th birthday. Jani threw a party for me in the new house and my brother arrived on my birthday to help me celebrate. Kal and Jani each took a few of the rings I always wore and kept them on strings around their neck. On my birthday weekend, I was happy to reclaim them. So many people came to that party and it was great to see everyone…some I did not remember but I was glad to have the opportunity to meet them and thank them for helping out. Everything everyone who was there did saved my life and not to be cheesy but I am eternally grateful. As I have told my friends, there are so many more people in life I need to aggravate! Oh and speaking of cheesy, Cheesy was well looked after mostly by Teresa and Dave and they brought him home when I arrived. He is 12 now but still getting his lumpy self (he has dozens of lipomas all over but they are all benign) around well and I am very happy for his company.

The move took place on Feb 2 and again, lots of people showed up to help out. It was amazing and we appreciate it immensely. Then my parents arrived and continued to move things over from the other house for the better part of their month stay with us. In addition, they bonded with their grandkids, cooked yummy food for us, and for those of you who know my dad, you know that he went shopping all the time and not only for good things for mom to cook but also, he found a lot of great things to help make life easier. Then my brother and his family came for the week of Valentine’s Day. The kids played together and we all enjoyed each other’s company. Drew came down from DC in March to help Jani paint in the kitchen of the old house. Jani’s mom and sister Edit came at the end of March to stay with us for 2 weeks. They were tremendous is helping to look after the kids, cook, clean, and help Jani work on the other house too. Plus they were good company for Jani. His sister Edit has such as fabulously contagious laugh that I would laugh not even being able to understand what was so funny in the first place!

So, now we are moved in to this beautiful home that so many of you helped to fix up, paint, and move us into. It is a great place.

I have been going back to work as much as I can and I am very happy to be back. I missed many things about it and as hard as it is to get caught up on things, I am happy and grateful for the chance to do so.

I am in outpatient therapy 3 times/week and they are helping to conquer the mobility issues. Good folks there. I am getting stronger and more educated about how to cope with more than mobility issues and I am actually happy to go there. I get to use the pool (you all know how I love the water) a couple times per week and so that is a huge treat to get out of the chair and do some cardiovascular exercise!

Medically, most of you know more than I do about what happened but I’ll tell you where I am now. My dexterity is good in both hands. My left hand is always colder than my right – probably some vessels got messed up so my circulation isn’t the same. My right shoulder causes me pain but since I depend on my arms and shoulders for everything, I think that this will be a constant battle. My hormones are still awry and so I am taking an ADH analogue to keep from dumping fluid abnormally (well, too abnormally in that I don’t become severely dehydrated like I did 5 months ago). They say there is nothing wrong with my pituitary and that what is wrong will right itself over time. My physiology says different but hopefully with time the problem will get fixed. I have no sensation below my chest level but I might be getting some ability to contract my upper abs a little bit. The rest of my muscles spasm when I change posture but this doesn’t get in the way of most things and so I am glad that they contract to retain some tone. As I understand it, the first 18 months are the critical healing time and so I have another year in which anything can happen….although there are reports of people getting up and walking 5 years later and so on and so we hang on to the hope that my body will also perform such great feats!!

Van Products just called that my van is ready and so we’re going to get it 4/17. This van is possible because of all the generous contributions you have all made. It has a lift that operates by remote, I will be able to strap my chair in behind me, transfer to the driver’s seat, and off I go! Not having to have Jani hoist me into the Armada will be a good thing for his back and I will be happy not to have to ask him to take me to work and therapy. Plus, obviously it is another step toward independence so THANKS!!! And for any who may question it or wonder how such a thing works, I have passed my driver’s evaluation which involved using my left hand to push a lever for gas (down) and brake (forward) and my right hand to steer using a bracket (attached to the steering wheel) with a knob on it so I don’t have to do hand over hand. Something to get used to for sure but hopefully I’ll be the soccer mom extraordinaire when that time comes! At any rate, I am so glad to be here to see my sweet nugget Rowan be his wonderful 4.5 year old self and have his first day at school which will be this fall. (He has slept next to me nearly every night since I have been home and even though this age brings curiosity and defiance that is well…. let me say confusing to reasonable people, he is a good soul). Who knows what Encsi will want to try but I am happy to be here to watch her grow. Her smile and her gorgeous chubby thighs (she’ll be so mad about this10 years from now!) are simply addictive. And then there is Jani, my loving, wise, seriously silly but wonderfully sexy fireman (to be - starting 4/28!) husband…well, my heart is too full for words.

So as things progress from here, I will let you know how things are going. Thanks so much for sticking with me through all this. There is no question that this situation is traumatic in many ways but I have a great life to live in many ways too and I will continue to do so……so stay tuned!

Dear all who still bother to look this blog up,

I am so grateful and happy to know you care about us.  I tried my best to keep this blog up.  Recently I had my mother and my sister visiting here.  They have been a great help for sure.  I am home with Jitka and the kids until the end of April.  Then I will start my job with the Greemville Fire Department.  I though it will be a great thing to do for me, and hopefully for all whom involved……

Jitka has to find the mind to keep this going. 

Thank you so so so very much!

Love

Jani

Today Jitka was back in her office. She thinks of it as the first official day back on the job.  She was so proud of herself.  In a few weeks I hope she will be able to drive herself, as she is trying to learn a manually operated HC vehicle at the rehab facility.  We are going to find a minivan that is already equipped with chair lift and controls.

Her parents were with us for over a month. Today they are driving up to the freezing cold weather.  It was great to have some help for sure!  Now I am back in the laundry room….  

A few days ago we had the Red Oak Fire Department’s Chief Singleton here visiting with the EMS man who were the first responders at the accident.  They are so nice.  I hope we will be able to keep in touch with them.  At this time we owe so many letters and phone calls to people that it seems crazy to think any of will be able to keep in touch - not even with our own self sometimes.  I am sure a time will come when this chaos subsides and life will be less of a scramble. 

Tomorrow I am starting to paint the “old” house.  Hope fully it will be rented out or sold in a short time.  

Well, I am too tired again to write, so good night

I hope you are all well!  Eat lots and sleep more!

Jani 

Wow, we had an eventful morning.  As I first stepped into the kitchen this morning I noticed a massive “lake” accumulated on the floor.  I got so scared.  Just yesterday we had a service man here to try to repair our heating system, which has not worked since we moved in.  The house has a non-functioning floor heat system.  Yesterday the repairman said he gave the pumps a temporary fix, so the pipes would be under circulated pressure.  I thought there was a leak somewhere and that caused the flooding.  (Need to mention I had to break up the concrete floor in a bedroom already to repair a busted pipe.) But I was very happy to find that the freezer was causing the trouble.  It is just a busted water supply for the ice-maker.  Then a few hours of mopping and we were all happy again:):):):)

As you can see I uploaded some photos here.  I am hoping to get some more on - especially form Wolfe Island very soon.  By the way, if someone could send me telephone umber or email address of the weekly magazine published there that would be great!

Started looking around for a vehicle that can be driven by Jitka when she can easily transfer to and drive a modified car.  I really dislike shopping, especially for cars.  So it will be a very hard thing to do.  Of course need to be done.  I hope she will be able to get around by herself in a few months.   For the time being I lift her out of the wheelchair and place her in our car when we need to drive to her rehab.  I am getting so strong my friends!  Except when it comes to midnight and I need to update this site…..than I feel sleepy. 

Tomorrow I am going to write about our friend Bardia.  Be prepared! 

Back on line!!!  This is Jitka here…..I am ready to take this over now….    Just kidding, she is not ready yet.  She is not ready to read this site for some strange reason. 

Jitka has started her therapy.  She is really gaining strength.  There are some health issues to deal with of course, but generally she is in OK spirit.  I am putting in a concrete walkway for her to get access to the “outside” world.  Working on a few things at the same time to make our new home enjoyable.  Trying to fix up our old home in order to rent it or sell it.  Any buyers?

Days are going very fast.  Getting everybody ready takes a long time!  Kids have no mercy on  me because of the situation!  Absolutely heartless kids!:)  Actually, they are so lovely!  Encsi is a great humorist.  Rowan is a great helper!  He puts his working boots on and helps me a lot!  We installed a drainpipe together.  He managed to get stuck in the mud with his rubber-boots at least once a day.

Well, that is it for today.  Sorry for the short entry.

Night-night! 

Hi,

We are going to have internet connection from the 20th of February.  Jitka will be able to log on and read/write to you.

At this time the move is taking up all our time.  PLEASE don’t ever think I will stop this blog!  I have pictures to share, stories to tell, people to thank!   

With love,

Jani

hello

I am so happy to say that we are moving into our wheelchair accessible place tomorrow.  Finally the floor is done and we can move on one more step.  It has been a challenge for both of us to manage here at our “old” house.  We have some more wonderful people coming tomorrow to help with the move.  It is our 4th move in 3yrs.  Not too bed even for Gypsies, eh?  I think I should have installed wheels on all furniture 3yrs ago. 

Jitka still has her beautiful flowers and cards displayed.  We will move all of those.  If the kids are behaving fine we will take them too.  They sure keep us busy.  I am still looking for a nanny!  Just to keep me loving them, instead of being their ref all the time.

Jit had a rehab appointment yesterday.  She is going to be doing therapies for a few weeks.  Of course she needs to get stronger and develop new skills.  I will be taking her back to the wonderful people of our local hospital.  She had an appointment today with the endocrinologist.  Kal will write in detail about some of the medical issues as soon as he is done with his grammar classes.  (As a new requirement Michigan doctors need to pass a writing skill test.) 

So tomorrow we will move some of our gear into the new place.  Then I will start working on a walkway that wold allow Jit to go out to the street - the gravel is to hard to ride on with the wheelchair.  I guess when that is done, our place will be functional, (or “functionable”, as our leader would say:).  The rest will be a pleasure.  

You won’t believe this, but I was told today I am running low on energy.  But I am certainly not low on help received and offered.  Thank you so so so very much. 

You guys on WOLFE ISLAND do ROCK!!!!!!!!!

Koszi szepen! 

Jani

 A lot of fun! More pics are coming!

Jitka is going to be forced to take this update over!  I have asked her aready, but you must know, she haven’t had the courage to even read into it.  She has not seen her own photos either. 

We had a short and sweet party on Saturday.  We were so happy to see  40-50 wonderful people.  Thank you for coming! I am going to upload a lot of photos very soon, just waiting for some more pictures from the party on Wolfe Island, Canada. 

We are so ready to move into the wheelchair accessible house!  It will be great.  Need a few more days to finish the floor and then we are in. 

This time I just wanted to say thanks to all of you!  (I will do it many more times!) Also, wanted to bring your attention to a wonderfully written article -or to at least the on-line version of it - that was in the Greenville paper:  It is under “homecoming” on Sunday’s  01/27/08 of www.reflector.com 

All the best to you!

Jani

Hello everyone!  I went to see Jitka, this weekend, and it was extraordinarily eventful!

First, I would like to thank Jitka’s dear friends Mandy and Lori on Wolfe Island who arranged a very successful party for Jitka’s birthday (Jan. 25th).  My parents went and were so so touched to see everyone there to support Jitka.  Thank you to the entire community on Wolfe Island!

Then, on Saturday, Jani threw a welcoming home party for Jitka at the new house.  It was heartwarming to meet all of the people from whom we have received e-mails of well wishes and support as well as those that have been helping out with the work on the new house.  I also had my first opportunity to meet Walker, the young man who arrived on the scene moments after the accident.  He stablized Jitkas spine and airway, and somehow managed to slow the bleeding from her gaping leg wound until EMS arrived.  Teresa had initially described him as a “trained paramedic”, as he had performed so calmly and skillfully under pressure-it seemed that he had done it a thousand times before.  We were all shocked to later discover that he is only 15 years old and was trained as a boyscout.  Fifteen going on 25.  He is a very mature young man.  I tried to thank him, but the words just don’t capture how deep our gratitude runs. 

Earlier that day, a very kind  reporter from “The Reflector” came by the house to interview Jitka.  She wrote a beautiful story that actually made the front page!  You can read it at www.reflector.com, and just search “Virag”.  The article is entitled “Homecoming”. 

Jitka is thrilled to be back home with her husband kids.  She watches them as though they were the first sunrise she had ever seen.  Jani lovingly carries her up the stairs and puts her in the bath tub, washes her hair and gets her dressed.  He helps her with her flexibility exercises.  That guy is a dynamo.  He embodies the vow “in sickness and in health”.  He is truly selfless. Jitka is moved to tears whenever we speak of what he has been through.

Finally, we went for a lovely walk on Sunday.  Jitka nearly made it down the street and back on her own.  Wasn’t lighting, but she did it.  She’s got grit.  As far as getting used to being at home-there were a couple of near misses.  When we got back home from the walk, she told me that the wheel on her chair was rubbing against her leg.  I held the side of her chair in one hand and tried to manipulate the wheel with my right.  To my surprise the d–n thing came off in my hand with one gentle tug!  It was hanging by a thread the entire time!  Fortunately I was able to knock it back on so that it was stable enough to hold her while I got her out of it!  Next, she decided to put her shoes on without putting her seatbelt on and nearly smooched the floor.  Managed to catch her that time too.  I can just see the people at Pitt County Memorial rolling their eye if she were to wind up back there again!

Ok.  Long-winded again!  But I will  sign off with one more expression of our sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for your prayers, helping-hands, cards, donations, e-mails…the list is endless.  God bless you, and goodnight.

Kal

3 months and 4 days after being hit on the road Jitka is finally home.  It has been and will be a time when remembering that she is alive despite the injuries she suffered, and knowing that how much you care helped and will keep helping us to live with a grateful and hopeful mindset.  The road home has been very long for her.  Thank you for cheering on!  Thank you for putting wind in our sail, and for the hope in our hearts.  I keep promising, but one day I will have enough time and will do it too: I will write here your names (and your phone numbers…:)) who touched us by your kindness.  I just need to feel the right way of expressing myself.  And while I am thinking about all that, please be reminded: We will have a party to appreciate you all and to mark Jitka’s homecoming toward which we all looked forward so much.   This will take place on Saturday, 26th.  Please come by!

There are some pictures without comments bellow. there will be many more to come, but for now, this is what I have managed to upload here.  Some are from the house repair, and others are from Shepherd Center.  You can also see Jitka’s arrival home, and visiting her new home.  As I said, I will put on many more of them later!

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jani