The recent news about Jimm is very upsetting. Our first inclination is of course to feel bad for him and his incredible family. For me, that was followed by frustration at not being able to do anything.
Then I got thinking.. we have Deborah and the family. They are being swamped with expenses and drive at least 60 miles each day back and forth to the hospital. The cost for fuel alone is huge. We also have Jimm. He is still hanging in there, and can see and hear. He knows what's going on and needs even more support now than ever before.
Let's send a get well card to Jimm. In it could be three things: a message of hope and encouragement; a picture of you and your family taken off the computer.. just printed on plain paper and taped to the card would be fine; and a gas card for whatever amount for Deborah, or whichever family member she wants to hand it off to.
So Jimm will hear an upbeat greeting, be able to use his good eyes and look at a picture of friends, and the load will be lightened by a small amount for Deborah and the family. If a bunch of us do something similar it would send a hugely positive signal to all concerned.. that we are still here, and still hoping for better things for our good friend. Instead of a care package- it will be a sort of care card.
If you agree that it's a good idea do it!
Gift cards for other daily expenses like food, etc. would be great too.. just as long as it's from a major chain that can be found in all areas of the state of Maryland. Of course enclosing a small check would be a wonderful gesture as well.
If you can't do the money or gift card thing.. or even the picture part, please join in by sending a card to wish Jimm the very best. Getting these cards may not make him improve.. but they sure won't hurt!
If your card contains gift cards or money, you could send it to Deborah's home address to ensure it gets to her safely.. for cards alone, the hospital is fine.
Home address:
The Jimm Revelle Family
430 Oakton Way
Abingdon, MD 21009-3201
Or for cards only:
Mr. James Revelle
Gudelsky 4 Rm 404
University of Maryland Medical Center
22 S. Greene Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Whatever their contents, having a lot of these cards coming in will send a very personal and heartwarming message to a family that is pretty low right now.. and doing this will make us all feel like we are at least doing a little something.
Comments section is open for any questions or ideas.
Thanks,
aw
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3 comments:
Hang in there, Jimm and family.
You are remarkable people.
The brain is a fantastic organ which has the ability to heal itself. Over time, long and short, abilities reappear just when you start thinking that they won't.
Every stroke is different. But I feel that I must tell you this:
In late August 1990, my 72-yr-old husband had a left-brain stroke, caused by atrial fibrillation. About 95% of right-side paralysis subsided in hours. He spoke well, asked for food, etc. About the 2nd or 3rd day, he became lethargic, then comatose for several days; scans revealed massive bleeding which in essence was causing much more damage than the original stroke. I was told that if he survived, he would be in a vegetative state.
His cardiologist encouraged us to stimulate him in anyway we could to get him awake. We tried. By the next week he began responding, and continued to do so, a little at a time, so well that by the end of the 3rd week he was sent to rehab.
In rehab, the ward was hell, but the therapy department was terrific. Long story short, he came home in November; by the end of the month, after learning to read, write, add and subtract, and having done numerous cognitive exercises, he resumed doing the household finances.
The only lasting damage was visual: he is blind in the left half of both eyes; but it hasn't hampered him. He had cataract surgeries in the past 5 years which gave him more joy in reading, one of his favorite pastimes.
Subsequent strokes in late 1990's robbed him of his personality. (No hospitalization those times.) It took about a year to be sociable again and another 3 or 4 years to be completely "himself" but we surely enjoyed all of that time. He has enjoyed the subsequent years the most, of course.
A PBS show, "The Brain Fitness Program," ran during fund raising recently on MPT. I found it to be a terrific explanation of how the brain functions; it gives us all hope.
Keep the faith. Best wishes and prayers for a positive outcome.
--Judy (The perfect stranger of earlier comment.)
Judy,
Thank you for sharing your remarkable story. I also have heard tales of miraculous recoveries. We can hope.
Some folks are confused about what kind of gas card, etc to get. There is probably no way to figure out where the four main players, Deborah, Laura, Jenna and Mandi will stop for fuel or food at any given time.. the answer may well be: whatever station, market, convenience store or restaurant they have a certificate for(one idea would be Wawa because they usually have food and gas, and are all over the place). But if you are worried about the choice, or don't want to bother.. cash is accepted everywhere. Mainly though.. as we know it's the thought that counts. Even a note on the Greetings post would be terrific.
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