Just a quick note to share that Adam told me about Millie's finger and toes test. They squeeze her tightly to see if there is a reaction and there was. Both sides of her hands and feet responded and then they also called out "Millie, Millie?" and she slightly turned her head, both right and left. She turned to the right strongest.
Those are all reactions that we can be very happy about.
My sister Becca told me of how Pedro Bay resident's have New Year's Eve parties where they bring their Christmas trees to add to the fire. I talked about that to my daughter Karla then she said that she was going to bring her tree to our party. Oh? Our party? Yes, she says, you are making fat balls, remember?
Fat balls, a tradition we try to do every New Year's Eve. The fat balls are so good. Too so good! I think I wrote all about them last New Years.
New Year poetry:
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God's love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.
A Millie Update:
Doris called. She said Mom has a fever because her brain cannot regulate her temperature. They are using cold pack blankets, Tylenol and lots of fluids through the IV to keep her cooler.
I just spoke with Doris and Debbie and earlier Doug spoke with Adam. The girls said that their Mom is warmer today. Warmer hands, feet and body. They are encouraged by that, and so am I. Doris and Debbie shared that they have been praying healing prayers for their Mom and reading scriptures with her, especially Psalms 91, which I just read too.
The same day that Mil had her "bleed" my sister Kotya's husband along with my niece Charmaine (13 years old) were traveling back home from Dillingham's airport in a blizzard. As they crossed Alegnagik Lake towards home Chris could not see where he was but he knew there is a thin spot on the lake. He thought he was not near it but turned out that he was. They broke through the ice but Chris was able to climb out! He pulled Charmaine out three times. She kept going through because she would crawl quickly toward Chris and their combined weight on one area would break the ice, she is the one that broke though each time. (Picture is of Alegnagik Lake, sent to me by Kotya.)
We all thank God that they are both safe. When I called Kotya to tell her about Mil, she said that Chris and Charmaine just got out of the lake, but my mind was so numbed by Millie's emergency that it totally went over my head.
I am so thankful.... thank you God for your mercy in Chris and Charmaine's lives! Kotya and her family and all of us were blessed that day when their lives were spared from a freezing death.
Millie has been blessed too. Her son Kenneth had just completed a CPR course and the day she went unconscious and stopped breathing, Kenneth had not gone to work! He was there to administer this life saving talent he just learned for the first time ---- on his own dear Mom. God has shown Himself to be so good in her situation already.
This morning the report on Millie:
Doris said that her Mom is coughing on her own. The physicians said that is a good sign. Adam reported that Millie moved her hand. These reports this morning are so encouraging to me and I know they will be to you.
"Cerebral angiographies show the brain's blood vessels. Doctors use cerebral angiography to detect abnormalities in the brain's blood vessels, such as narrowing or blockage. It is usually done after another test (such as a CT scan) has already detected an abnormality. Angiography is useful in detecting and diagnosing acute stroke and is especially beneficial since the images taken through cerebral angiography cannot be taken through other techniques."
....."The basic principle behind cerebral angiography is the same as that of regular x-ray imaging. As the x-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed at different levels. The absorption of the x-rays by the injected dye allows the blood vessels in the brain to be imaged. The differences in absorption become one of many images detected by a camera, which finally become a “movie” of the blood flow (and the flow of the intravenous dye) through the vessels." (Internet Stroke Center)
Millie and Adam's daughter Courtney will be joining Millie, Adam, Doris, Debbie and Josh in Seattle tomorrow. I know that it will be good for Millie to sense that her family is around her.
I asked how long Mil will be out in Seattle and Adam said he should have an idea about that in a few days. I am going to say that I think that she will be ready to come back to Alaska only after the doctors in Seattle are sure she has been treated for all and any problems that may need neurological surgical treatments, which they would do there.
Tonight's story: Millie's angiogram ended up on a positive note and she continues to sleep.
I will update again when I know more.
Keep praying and thanks very much.
