As of yesterday Chris has officially (we are told) been moved to the top of the list to be relocated to a rehab centre. This cannot happen too soon for him, he is ready to go.


Chris & brother Gerry

Yesterday morning he seemed pleased with himself after having endured a 20 minute "encounter" with 5 doctors.
"When they asked me what year it was I said it 2009 :)."

Chris thought that they were being tricky because they acted so casual about the question..which btw he could NOT have answered correctly a few weeks ago.

I must confess that last week's grim pronouncement about his future by one of the Neurologists took the wind out of my sails.

Since then we have learned that not all of them share that dire prognosis...and here is the phrase that we've all been looking forward to hearing: it's too early to tell!
Which is exactly what we had originally thought.



Just so you know, Chris is still hesitant to have others visit, I don't think that he understands how much people want to see him or how far he has come.

Most of us think that it would be good for him to meet some old friends..recapture some images and faces ..reconnect more passages..stir some memories...we're working on it!

The best guesstimate for him moving is within a couple of weeks but let's hope that it happens rfn. It would be such a morale booster for Chris to get a change of scenery.

This morning I found Chris parked in front of the hustle & bustle of the Nursing station. I told him that I needed to take some "upbeat" pictures to show everybody how he is doing.

Chris said...



We snuck out of his ward and went for another spin around the hospital.

Chris and I went out-of-doors for some fresh air but the weather wasn't very nice and the perpetual construction noise made us wonder whatever happened to the old Quiet Hospital Zone rules?



When a Bus showed up he told me to put him on it.
I said, "Hey Chris where do you want to go?"



On our way back I parked him in front of the admitting station and made him confess in a loud clear voice...



He thought that was funny :)

We arrived just in time for his physio session. With very little help Chris can now stand up straight for about 5 minutes..he did it 3 times. He can contract his "frozen" right hand into a fist and move his right leg around.
He was even tossing a squeeze ball around with one of the staff.

The news in the last posting was rough so I just wanted everyone to get a clearer image of who I see when I am visiting. Oh sure a lot of things are still muddled and confusing for him but we still have fun. Chris may have a long way to go but when I look back a few weeks, I can hardly believe how far he has come.

Yesterday, after 8 weeks of speculating and hoping that Chris would soon be moving on to the new stae of the art Rehab Centre near my residence, We all received a heartbreaking evaluation.

Last night we were told by a Neurologist with 26 years of experience that,

"Chris is unable to make decisions without assistance and guidance and his memory is significantly impaired to the point where he might never be able to live alone."

"Chris requires supervised 24 hour care. The doctor claimed that the MRIs, CTs, and Angio scans show that multiple strokes have damaged numerous areas of the brain which (they tell us) cannot heal."

"This part of the brain manages insight, judgement, reality and memory."

The Doctor is therefore recommending that Chris be transferred to a different facility, which offers long term care and treatment for patients with similar significant brain trauma/stroke injury.

I should add that the Doctor asked Chris "to prove her wrong".

Thank Goodness his sister was with him when he heard this. As you can imagine Chris was devastated. He knows/understands what is going on but I can't tell you if or how much of the enormity of it all registers. According to his sister he was understandably overwhelmed.

I went to see him this morning. I was hoping that we can somehow make something positive out of the fact that he will be getting out of the hospital.

This is depressing, terrible, news but we still need to spin it into something good for Chris to build upon. Chris needs to feel like he is getting ahead and moving forward. I have no doubt that Neurologists are accustomed to being proven wrong on a routine basis...we are talking about the human brain, and if anybody can prove them wrong it will be Chris.

Yesterday morning I was at the hospital (partly to check up on his Mom who is his vigilant guardian angel) and along with one of his sisters, we actually saw Chris standing with his physio! I remember thinking how fantastic it was to see Chris standing up.

This morning I stole him from his Mom and made her take a break. Then I brought him outside..I wanted to see how much of the situation had registered. Once we were alone he asked me to find a way to help him escape. Unfortunately Chris is still convinced that there is a conspiracy to keep him imprisoned.

He is also having some problems with the short term memory loss...which may be a small blessing in disguise because I could distract him by taking him on a half hour stroll of the labyrinth in the hospital. We eventually went back to his ward where he shaved (mostly by himself with an electric razor) and as the Orderly finished the hard to get spots, we joked about keeping a moustache..Chris seemed at ease. For a time I sat with him in front of the bustling Nursing Station and he appeared to be miles away and untroubled by his recent news..

I was afraid to talk and risk breaking his state of temporary tranquility.

Now I am still processing all of this..I want Chris to prove them wrong.. I know that it has only been eight weeks and at the same time it has been over eight weeks!! I suppose I had convinced myself that I wouldn't notice any real change for months as the brain healed? The fact that an experienced medical practioner made such a devastating evaluation of his future quality of life has me puzzled. I had lowered the bar far enough to make allowances for more time so I'm out of sorts now.

This opened up a whole new set of questions and obstacles. We're waiting for more answers. Either way whenever I visit I still need to be as positive as possible and if Chris moves anywhere he will think that he IS making progress right? It will take a while for this to sink in...and my faint hope clause is still in working condition. Maybe that's naive wishful thinking but this isn't over until Chris decides it is...and I am certainly not going to give him a reason to stop trying.

I can't tell by looking at this photo whether it is a Sunrise or a Sunset?

Prove them wrong Chris..go ahead...prove them wrong.

Yesterday afternoon I found Chris in a wheelchair parked in front of the busy Nursing Station. He waved and smiled as he saw me coming down the hall. It was such a treat (for both of us) to see him out of his bed. I usually don't get there until the evening so I miss this part of his day.



Chris was quite intent on figuring out what the staff were doing. There were people darting in and out carrying all sorts of do-dads and what-nots, while others were busy answering phones, checking charts and computer screens. Chris could not stop himself from speculating upon the events.



He said that,"all these people are busy trying to figure out how to get me out of here...should be in a couple of days now."



While that is obviously not entirely true, it is a great attitude for him to have and I concurred that he was "prolly right". I said prolly because it drives Chris craaaazy and he gave me heck for it right then and there! The staff thought that was pretty funny.



I was informed that I could take Chris outside for a while :) so off we went. That was so much fun. I pretended to ram his feet into the elevator doors & walls, told him that we should play hide and seek to see how long it would take for his ward workers to find him..he enjoyed all the goofing around. Chris especially enjoyed our sojourn into the sunlit world outside of his prison.



Chris enjoyed all the commotion..construction, traffic, birds chirping, planes overhead, and he really liked eavesdropping in on the other inmates who were discussing and comparing the severity of their afflictions with each other.



One of the most puzzling bizarre sights that you always see is the ubiquitous hospital O2 Smoker? Even the most cynical amongst us must realise that if oxygenating your lungs requires a nasal tube attached to a small tank of Oxygen, that you prolly shouldn't be frickin' smoking HELLO!


Chris was mesmerized by the frail looking O2 Smoker who looked like she would have to get better just to die! I reminded Chris that he (we) had inadvertently QUIT 7 weeks ago and that now he needed to think of himself as an Ex-Puffer.

Hopefully this sinks in because he does talk about it and all of us have threatened him with a quick retribution if in the future we ever catch him trying to sneak a puff :( I was a light smoker (Chris was a pack-a-day'er) and after witnessing the brutal effects of the stroke, secondhand, it was a no-brainer for me...
and that's the end of my preachy sermon.



On our way back to his ward it became evident that some of Chris's social filters are still not working at full capacity although his commentary on women's fashion was most entertaining and informative. Most of the seasonally clad young ladies in the hallway seemed oblivious to his comments which although unwarranted, were definitely flattering :)



When we made it back to his ward it was Suppertime! I sat with him and watched him eat. Chris can feed himself with his left arm (I helped him a bit with the soup and cut up his food) and he ate the entire portion..as well as a chocolate bar that his sister had left.



We watched the news and talked about the Thunderstorm that had hit the city in the morning. A few areas in town had their power knocked.



I said,"See Chris, this is like you, lines are getting reconnected and things are getting back to normal." He laughed and nodded his head as he sipped on his Tea.

It was probably the best visit that we've had so far and I am "banking" this experience for the next not-so-great day.

I saw Chris on Sunday night. He was quite animated and told me in no uncertain terms that his right side is "frozen". I hadn't seen him for a few days because I was out-of-town and he was very chatty.

Chris looks healthier and his speech has improved..it isn't as laboured and deliberate as it was. He didn't hesitate and search for words as often.

Chris made a lot of jokes about stuff...some of which I can't repeat but most of which I regard as "normal" guy-talk :)

I noticed that the horrible fighting program was on his TV so I switched it over to the Discovery Channel to watch a spectacular documentary about the Ocean. Chris accurately identified a surprising number of the featured marine creautures...and he was most emphatic about his factoids.

This really seemed to capture his imagination but the best moment was when the program was focussing on the giant kelp beds.

I asked him what that was and he said, "KELP..I need somebody". We both cracked up at his little Beatle reference...which to me signals a real ability to manipulate information in the here & now. Right? You need to be on the ball to do that.

I mention this because Chris was still casually chatting about some weird stuff. I'm just believing that his bizarre notions are temporary and part of the healing process. Chris did pass an examination last week that determined he was able to make decisions and select others to help him safeguard his personal affairs so that was encouraging.

Chris looks healthier, he has some colour in his cheeks, he was happy and seemed optimistic that he would be leaving soon. This week I will try to find out when the medical staff thinks that his departure plan can be put in motion.

When I arrived at the hospital tonight I could hear Chris laughing from halfway down the hallway. As I turned the corner there he was visiting with his two favorite people on the planet, his kids.



I haven't said much about his kids and that has been intentional...the main reason being that I went through "this" when I was his daughter's age, except my Dad died in the hospital.

I remember how all of the adults showered me with niceties and platitudes...they thought that they were protecting me somehow..but it clobbered me like a tsunami and altered the course of my Life.

They will have to grind their own way through the myriad of possible outcomes and ensuing implications of this event. Their Uncles and Aunts are there at the ready. This comeback is a team effort.

Seeing the smile on Chris's face tonight while he was with them says it all. When he comes back, for the most part it will be for the three of them.

Tonight Chris was very chatty and goofy..we laughed at a lot of his zany madcap ramblings..I wasn't always sure that I should be laughing but it was better than crying. Who knows if he'll have any recollection of his natterings?? I doubt it.

He told me about some really weird sh*t that he said happened today, but I just reminded myself that his brain had been unplugged, he is working his way back, and every now and then he's going to be making up some wonky crap, and that's Okay.


His BP was taken while I was there and it's still nice and low..he's eating well, I fed him a couple of chocolate bars, he's sleeping better, getting rehab. I reminded him how amazing it is that he has come this far...
3 weeks ago we were all still living on pins and needles.





Now Chris is quite interested in his mental rehabilitation..he makes jokes about how he is going to bust-out of the hospital. He is soooo ready to get out of there and he told me that there isn't any reason why he can't go on to the rehab centre...
which will be great because it is a ten minute bike ride from my house :)




So we're all still hoping that any day now, we'll find out that Chris can be transferred over here .

((Any day now, any day now, he shall be released))

Here is a photo of Chris and his brother taken this weekend.



As you can see Chris has had his hair cut and he was also out of the hospital gown and wearing shorts & a real shirt..he looked pretty snazzy!

To be honest I had taken a few pictures before but Chris looked pretty beat up and out of it so I didn't post them. I took them so that later on I could show Chris how far he has come.

I probably shoulda-woulda-coulda posted a few of the ones that I cleaned up to look like this..







because I'm sure that most of you were anxious to see how Chris looked..
seeing is believing.

Today Chris was in a very good mood.
We called my good-lady-wife on the cell and I tried to encourage him to chat with some more people but he said maybe tomorrow.
He is still a little concerned about his ability to speak which btw has really improved during the last week and a half.

Throughout our visit he was joking around, laughing, and being
((REALLY LOUD))

Chris makes an effort to display his ability to reach over to his tray, take a drink off the counter, have a sip and put it back. He seemed more comfortable today, he wasn't squirming around as much.

Chris was very chatty today and in between schmoozing the nurses, he had a running commentary on each of his roomates. There appear to be a few glitches concerning his adherence to, how shall I phrase this, proper hospital internment etiquette.

Let's just say that some of his societal modification "filters", the cognitive governors which moderate our interaction with others, and enslave most of us during our adult lives, seem to be a little off kilter at the moment.

I'm not certain how the Doctors have defined this behavior, but I am believing that it's another tick that will just have to work it's way through.

Let's face it there are statistics and patterns but brain-attack victims make their way back on their schedule. The brain is a mysterious mystical organ. I wish that I knew more but honestly, I never expected Chris to just wake up and hit the ground running.

Oh I'd gladly take a miraculous recovery, but realistically, I was anticipating a few months of weirdness...for lack of a better term.. I think we were all glad that this was going into the long-haul because the alternative was unthinkable :(

Chris and I also discussed the news of the day (what else, Michael Jackson) and the weather (Weekend Monsoons have lifted) and the appalling youthfulness of the Hockey draftees.

I wanted to take him out for a stroll but the single "chair" in his ward was occupied until after lunch. He was much more calm and compliant than a few days ago and he didn't argue with me about trying to get out of bed.

So this week the physical stuff is stable so now we are waiting and hoping that any psychological damage is mending too.

This ordeal is fast approaching week 6 so Good News needs to travel fast.
Here is an update from a sibling;

Yesterday one of the physiotherapists told Chris's Mom that
"Chris will be able to walk at some point!"

The Physio is not sure when or how (and Chris may need a cane) but he will walk.
Chris is also getting some increased sensation and movement in his arm.

The Speech Therapist said that Chris's swallowing mechanism is perfect.
Chris is now eating solid foods. She said that "his speech is improving hugely" and has started some speech therapy with him.

Chris will be in the hospital at least another 5 days, he has 4 days of antibiotics left, and then hopefully he can move on to the rehab centre and get a fresh start on his recovery.

Make a wish, cross your fingers, light a candle, petition the favour of the personal deity of your choice, do whatever it is that you do, but, let's get Chris out of the hospital.

Guess who has figured out how to hoist his body into a sitting position, hook his strong left leg over the edge of the bed, and launch his body onto an unforgiving hospital floor. The 24/7 constant care folks are back to make certain that Chris doesn't attempt this again.

Last night he was happy to see me for about 5 minutes..then his mood changed drastically as he became agitated and determined to get out of bed to go to the bathroom on his own.

Unfortunately, for the time being anyway, it is physically impossible... but try telling him that..he was quite stern with me and was less than impressed with my rebuttal. I had to gently contain him (man is he ever strong) and received an earfull of very bad words for my efforts.

That's OK because I believe that his fierce countenance and determination will allow Chris to make huge strides in his physical rehab. He calmed down after several other attendants convinced him to delay his expedition. Whew!

There seems to be a rhythm to these visits UP/down/UP/down but Chris is making progress..I certainly wasn't prepared for his current Houdini routine? I can appreciate that he wants to get out of there..well no I can't imagine how MUCH he wants to get out of there.

I will keep asking Chris if he is ready for some new visitors..I think that would do him some good, but so far he insists on waiting until he is in a better place..which I interpret as meaning the Rehab Centre as well as a clearer mind. Until then I will keep mentioning those of you who email & comment here. He needs to know that he is special...

..and speaking of special, his little episode last night is evidence that the mental and physical reconstruction sort of see-saw independently. My guess/wish is that the two will soon intersect and then Chris will be off to the races.

Last night Chris was in very good spirits and we watched most of the Goldeyes (local Baseball Team) game on his TV.

Chris made the mistake of asking me how I was doing and he laughed as I kvetched about the heat n'humidity, the cankerworms denuding all the Elm trees on my street, the longest day of the year already behind us, all trite and ridiculous considering where we were...

we both instantly recognised how tedious and pedestrian my woes sounded and laughed.

I have always loved the expression,

"If I had your problems, I'd burn mine",

and if there was ever a time to invoke that adage, this was it.

I always sent Chris tons of funny/ridiculous/weird stuff and this was one of his favorites.

Last night Chris chuckled away as various hospital workers strolled by and chatted with us. We had a good laugh when one worker asked if Chris was my Dad..awkward..but I said no, he's my Grandpa!

It was great to hear him laugh because for years we would get together weekly to sip n' bitch about the same bloody things..start off with personal issues and digress our way down to the generic universal irritants: weather, traffic, global-politics, religious fanaticism yada-yada-yada..(obviously the topics and rhetoric were proportionate to the amount of discussion fluids being ingested :)

We'd rehash our ridiculously simple solutions to all of the endless circle of Life crapola and get it out of our system. My main objective was always to exasperate "Mr Devil's Advocate" because Chris would thrive on taking the other side just for the hell of it.

I had no choice but to construct the lamest, most outrageous, arguments to dismatle his veneer thin position. Once I got him to crack, laugh, and abandon his ridiculous, indefensible stance, we could move on. That was a great way to cauterize whatever "BS" Life was throwing our way that particular week.

So hearing Chris laugh means a lot to me. After a while he started to nod off..and snore...it's getting late...but he did wake up when an orderly and I started discussing the logistics of keeping Hugh Hefner sufficiently jacked on Viagra..

sneaky little bugger, Chris is always listening.

I just wanted everyone to know that Chris was having a very UP evening and it was quite a relief after the last weekend. I apologize for nattering about our relationship but when I think about Chris I think of LAUGHTER.

This week the family should get an indication of when Chris can advance to a rehab facility..it's time to move forward and everyone is hoping and praying that any of of Chris' outstanding medical issues have been stabilised/neutralised and that he can take the next big step.