Mid afternoon

It's quiet now here in 2803, Wednesday, Mary Ann's third day in the hospital.  Mary Ann is resting peacefully after her afternoon walk and exercise session. She has warmed to the task of regaining her walking ability. The improvement in her walking since the surgery on Monday and the almost complete lack of pain are nothing short of amazing. I feel the support of many people who have been praying for her, and I know she does, too. I have to stop now; we have more visitors:  Jackie from the cathedral and her daughter, Monica.

It was a nice surprise to see them, and it was very kind of them to visit, because it was the end of their day and they must have gone out of their way to come to the hospital.  Earlier in the day, Sr. Mary Katherine Palisan, also of the cathedral staff came and visited.  This was before I arrived.  Sister gave Holy Communion to Mary Ann, so her visit was a very special one indeed!

In the early afternoon, Barbara arrived again.  She brought Ally and Ryan with her, and Ally had yet another personal, hand made Get Well card.

It's a Teddy Bear that she drew based on a sketch she found on the internet.  She showed me the sketch; it was on her iPhone, and the resemblance is striking.  The bear is holding a stick with a balloon on the end of it.  The balloon says, "Get well soon!"  It reminded me of the bear her cousin Lukas has, which is named "Golden Bear."  If he brings it this weekend, I will compare them,

I decided to take a closer photo of two of Ally's cards, and here it is:

I feel better just looking at them!

Finally, Mary Ann's excellent nurse today, Jeff, told us he wouldn't be there tomorrow, Mary Ann's final day at the hospital.  So I asked if he'd let me take a photo with the patient.  He willingly went along, and this is what resulted:

Jeff was a really good guy and a darn good nurse, too.  He took good care of Mary Ann.

A representative from Life Care Center of Altamonte Springs, the rehab facility that Mary Ann's moving to tomorrow, stopped in to give us some useful information.  It didn't surprise me that this lady was very nice, because the facility was recommended highly to us as being clean and having an excellent staff of physical and occupational therapists.  Mary Ann has responded well to the walking and exercises in the hospital, so I am hoping for continued improvement a she moves to the next step towards resuming a normal life.  Stay tuned!