Wow! What a whirlwind the last couple of weeks have been. One of my very oldest and closest friends, Kathy (Kathryn or Kate to some of you) is sick---really sick. What started out as a normal trip to the doctor to check out her hurting shoulder went really bad when she slipped and fell on ice as she was getting into her car. She broke her hip and was immediately scheduled for a total hip replacement the following day.
These days, a hip replacement is considered fairly routine. But Kathy's experience is a grim reminder that NO surgery is ever routine. As she was coming out of surgery, her blood pressure dropped dramatically and after a couple of hours back in the OR, the surgeons were able to finally stop a massive internal bleed caused from the doctor accidentally slicing through a vein. By the time the mishap was discovered and repaired, her vital organs had been without blood supply for quite a long time and she has spent the the last 10 days in the ICU unit hooked up to everything imaginable as her body begins to repair itself.
It was killing me to be so far away from her during this time and unable to help her or her family, so I made arrangements to fly up a couple of days ago. She continues to make improvements and I can definitely see "Kathy" in there, although it is hard for her to express that right now with a breathing tube, etc. While Kathy is still not out of the woods, one of her doctors described her current status as "still in the woods, but there is now a clearing ahead". One of the nurses yesterday told me that they call Kathy their "miracle patient" because they have never seen a patient survive what she has been through. They don't know Kathy outside of this setting, but I do and I know that God had a plan when he gave her that larger than life, strong-willed personality---she was going to need it to get through this!
Last week, when I was so far away, I wanted to make something special for her --a prayer quilt of some kind that I could send to her. I stopped at the fabric store to pick out special fabric, but when I saw this special bolt, I knew that this was better than any fancy quilt I could make. I gave it to Kathy when I arrived and when she's ready, I hope it gives her a smile and some comfort in the weeks and months of recovery she has ahead of her.
These days, a hip replacement is considered fairly routine. But Kathy's experience is a grim reminder that NO surgery is ever routine. As she was coming out of surgery, her blood pressure dropped dramatically and after a couple of hours back in the OR, the surgeons were able to finally stop a massive internal bleed caused from the doctor accidentally slicing through a vein. By the time the mishap was discovered and repaired, her vital organs had been without blood supply for quite a long time and she has spent the the last 10 days in the ICU unit hooked up to everything imaginable as her body begins to repair itself.
It was killing me to be so far away from her during this time and unable to help her or her family, so I made arrangements to fly up a couple of days ago. She continues to make improvements and I can definitely see "Kathy" in there, although it is hard for her to express that right now with a breathing tube, etc. While Kathy is still not out of the woods, one of her doctors described her current status as "still in the woods, but there is now a clearing ahead". One of the nurses yesterday told me that they call Kathy their "miracle patient" because they have never seen a patient survive what she has been through. They don't know Kathy outside of this setting, but I do and I know that God had a plan when he gave her that larger than life, strong-willed personality---she was going to need it to get through this!
Last week, when I was so far away, I wanted to make something special for her --a prayer quilt of some kind that I could send to her. I stopped at the fabric store to pick out special fabric, but when I saw this special bolt, I knew that this was better than any fancy quilt I could make. I gave it to Kathy when I arrived and when she's ready, I hope it gives her a smile and some comfort in the weeks and months of recovery she has ahead of her.
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How perfect! Something she will treasure for sure... both the blanket and the loving sentiment!
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