I have some excellent news for those of you (like me) who find themselves needlessly oversharing in the cyber-vortex of Facebook..

Chris is now oot & aboot...

and just in time for Winter! 

Chris posted on his Blog .

I hope to get him going on his Facebook page this week because it would probably be easier for everyone involved.

Click on over and say hello  :)

*SCROLL TO THE END TO SEE UPDATE

MAKING NEW MEMORIES

After six months of recuperating from a series of strokes, Chris finally made it Home.

I don't need to tell you how happy he is or point out that he has just begun a new phase of his Life. 

Chris intentionally displayed his re-acquired ability to get around and do ordinary things that most of us take for granted.

I sat back and listened to him explain how he intends to re-master everyday living as much as he can..
and then some  :)

I'd be glad to forward his new mailing address & phone number however I also intend on getting him back online this week!

Before I left, his two favorite people arrived and this picture says it all.

After some chit-chat I left so that they could start making some new memories.

There will be some new hurdles ahead, but right now, I think that we should savour the moment and be grateful.

*Well LOOK who is back online!
Forget about emailing Chris for a while because his computer will be retrieving all of his messages for a few days...
but, you could go and leave a comment
HERE

I watched him post about an hour ago.....:)

CHRIS IS BEING DISCHARGED @ NOON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th.

This week Chris will be doin' his thang on his own.

He will be monitored but the staff would like to see how he goes about his routine unassisted...

get himself ready and down to physio etc.

The final preparation for his release.

I told him about all of your salutations and he was tickled pink...and he wanted me to say thank you.

Here are a few snaps from his party;

Good luck this week buddy.

BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Chris will probably be released by the end of November...maybe next Friday?

Chris continues to make terrific gains in physio therapy and the reward for all of his latest efforts will mean the difference between relying more on his walker than a wheelchair.

Chris is able to walk on his own for short distances. This will make a big difference while getting around his apartment.

Chris also mentioned that he would like to get two kittens or cats to keep him company, although I don't know if pets are allowed in his apartment?

Next Sunday Chris turns 54.

I'm hoping that they'll let me take him out to a movie.

My best guess is that he'll be released the following Friday and begin the next phase of his journey.

I am going to help him get set up on his computer and make it as easy as possible for him to access his Facebook and Blog sites.

Naturally you should expect a lot of brief "hi" and "thanks"  replies for a while until he regains his stride on the keyboard, won't that be fantastic?

I'm planning to post a photographic essay on his return home and then my original mandate will have been completed.

I'll post his links & email address here to ensure that you can get in touch.

I hope that Chris will be able to look back on these pages and appreciate how far he has come..

and like you, I look forward to reading his "take" on it someday soon.

Thank you all for the encouragement.

TREATING WITH TRICKERY

Today being Hallowe'en, I thought that I would surprise Chris with a visit from Doctor McScreamy!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Scarrrrry stuff eh?

Don't worry he'll pay me back in spades when he gets back online :)

Anyway, I assured Chris that I was there to give him a routine check-up.

I told Chris that I couldn't find anything
wrong with him but just to be sure,

I was putting him on my home-made medication for the next few weeks.

Now just to prove that Chris was unharmed during the making of this posting, here he is with the treats I brought along to bribe him into playing along with my dorky  trick.

Chris assured me that he is making great strides in physio while he "patient"-ly awaits his release.

His roomate (and credible eye-witness Bob), who was kind enough to take these photos, concurred with Chris's prognosis.

Hang in there Chris.

HIS OUTLOOK IS LOOKING GOOD

Chris went to see his new apartment while a review of the necessities and alterations were discussed with staff and family members.

Chris had been tentatively scheduled to be released in a few days but he wisely decided to stay and work on his physio for a few more weeks.

His physical progress is remarkable and he understands that the more he is able to manage his day-to-day activities with his walker the better off he'll be.

I'm not certain if a release date is etched in stone but Chris seems to be fine with the idea of bolstering his mobility capabilities before he goes home.

The good news is that he'll be home for CHRISmas.

Why don't I meet you at the gym and we'll go out for coffee?
How bromantic? 

This morning I found Chris nasalscaping

"Aw jeez Chris, you don't have to bother doing that for m...",

"it's not for you (very bad words)!". 

Then it was off for a workout which the staff was kind enough to let me shoot...
and then it was off to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee before Lunch.

Today I'm going to just let the pictures do the talking....

                                it's awesome isn't it?

                                 

                                     :)

TERMS & TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

Chris will be moving to a new apartment..probably within the next few weeks. He will be in the same block as his Mom & Dad.

He will receive homecare from a consortium of  family members and trained professionals, and attend ongoing therapy at the nearby St. Boniface Hospital. Chris told me that he is on the hurry up and wait program. Naturally he wants to escape living in the fishbowl.

I should probably come clean about the extent of his memory incapacitation...

I am guilty of glossing over how much this stroke has damaged his short term memory. Today I asked him about it.

Chris said that his short term memory is fine and that his long term memory is poor.

However he described, in great detail,  the appearance of an old College friend who found me on Facebook this week,  but asked me three times if I was having Thanksgiving Dinner today.

So I told him that his short term is worrisome and his long term is surprisingly acute. So the fact that Chris has some trouble recognising this reveals a great deal.

Of course he can carry on an intelligent conversation and discuss certain recent events, but at times forgets what was said. This of course does present some serious implications about being on his own to any extent, but the decision has been made, and it wasn't unanimous, that Chris is going to get a chance to try living in his own apartment. 

Chris seems to acknowledge that if this doesn't work out, that for his own safety, he will then move into a personal care home. I suspect that this will become self evident and that it will need to be constantly monitored and re-assessed on a day-to-day basis.

Who is to say that in the near future he won't make strides in rerouting his synaptic pathways. From what I understand many of the professionals have expressed concern that this may very well be as good as it gets....but others keep saying that it is still too early to tell.

I defer to my nagging optimism and choose to believe that Chris is going to give it his best shot. I asked him what he thinks a typical day would be like..he said that he wants to sleep in until 9 and then he will start blogging and maybe watch some TV. Chris said that he thinks that blogging and answering emails will keep him really busy and connected to the outside world.

I asked him again if he had tried reading anything..he said that he was tired of reading because he has been proofreading for a living for 3 decades..I asked him if he can retain what he reads and just sort of nodded. He said why do I need to read when I can watch TV and let someone else do it for me?

I'm fairly certain  that he doesn't grasp the logistics of it all..but I'm a kinetic learner so I know what that sort of existance means..you need to actually do it to figure it out.

Chris deserves a chance to find out, this might not be the perfect time or even a good time but his patience with his present routines  and environment has all but expired..he seems to have focussed on getting out and is losing interest in many of his tasks...at least that is what he told me. You can guess that there is a lot more to his predicament but this is as far as I am willing to discuss the matter.

After my nosey prodding Chris and I joked around for about an hour. He thrives on trash-talkin' me in front of the staff. When an orderly asked if he needed anything Chris replied Yes a new friend because this bozo is such a (bad word) and then he laughs and laughs. Which is great because he has spent decades mercilessly ribbing me.

Chris always called me Goofball or Nerd-Boy and (bad word) as a term of endearment.

It's a guy-thing, I know that he loves me. 

He is an incorrigible tease.

So as soon as I find out when he will be moving I will be sure to document the event. This is another huge step and once again Chris is entering unchartered territory, but considering the past five months, it is a gift...my Thanksgiving Gift.