I learned today that the weekend will be filled with little news about Shannon. No one calls to tell how or what she's been doing. I know she was doing PT early today because she was there when I called to talk to her. And either the nurse forgot to tell Shannon I called and to call me when she's rested, or Shannon forgot that the nurse told her that. Either is a likely possibility.
We did get to FaceTime with her for about an hour today. By 2:30pm when we hadn't heard from anyone, I texted her to make sure she knew I had been trying to reach her and we hadn't forgotten about her. She FaceTimed me on her own. Since she didn't have a nurse with her, I was on my own to read lips. I have to say I am doing better at it. I even tried to teach her to read lips. I told her it's not as easy as she thinks, so I mouthed something. She mouthed it back- which- I pointed out is totally cheating! I can copy her lip movements too, but that doesn't mean I know what she said.
I told her I had heard she did Physical Therapy. She nodded and mouthed that she cried. She seemed more embarrassed by it than upset. I asked if it was hard, and she nodded and then mouthed "for......(something I didn't understand)". Then she held up four fingers. Me: "You cried for forty minutes?" She shook her head and held up 4 fingers and then 1 finger. Me: "You cried for forty one minutes?" She nodded, and mouthed "I don't know why". I had to laugh at the exact time. No rounding here. It was hard and she's been through a lot, so I told her crying is fine. Crying is good. I reminded her she's been through a lot and come so far, but she has to stay strong and keep fighting.
Shannon's younger brother walked into the room and I fluffed his hair, and that reminded Shannon of her hair. She is really upset about it. She asks us almost every day about her hair, and why they shaved it, or tells us she doesn't like it. Today was a 'why' day. So we revisited why they shaved her head on the side. She had an intracranial pressure monitor in her head, with a screw. There was a little wire in her head that checked pressure on her brain. She looked shocked, like the last time I told her about it. She mouthed "whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Then we talked about her being in an accident three weeks ago, and how she almost died, but she didn't. She's been fighting hard, even in her sleep! And she didn't even break a nail (which she laughed at). I told her she has been so blessed by our Father in Heaven. Thousands of people are praying for her. She doesn't remember what happened or what we've told her, and I don't know when she will. I shouldn't be amused by it, but it's kind of fun that she doesn't remember and I get to tell her how awesome she is every day or so. It's fantastic, actually. I tell her about the many blessings she has received, the miracles, and about all of you. Today I read her comments from this blog, from things people have said to her on FB, and text messages. I told her (again) about the hashtag her oldest sister created for her. Shannon was all excited. She mouthed "I"m famous!" :)
Our family was able to relax for a while today and watch our church's General Conference. The spiritual uplift was exactly what we needed. Every speaker seemed to be speaking right to me/us. Even though I know that their words weren't designed for me alone, the message was clear that our Father in Heaven is aware of us, of our situation, and is here for us. Trials bring us closer to Christ, that's why we have them. The Savior will mend all that is broken.
We had another small miracle happen today. I won't go into the personal details, but there was a connection made between something Shannon told us the day after she was taken completely off sedation, and something she received in the mail. What she told us made no sense at the time, but after reading her card to her today, it was very clear that Shannon was aware of what was in that card, which could only happen through a tender mercy from our Savior. I'm sure Shannon heard the words in the card, and we were given a clue that it happened, and the knowledge that Shannon is being comforted by angels watching over her when we cannot be there, and when it appeared Shannon was not aware of her surroundings. The envelope was sealed until I opened it today. There was no earthly way she could have known what was in the card. It gives us such great comfort to know she is being watched over so tenderly.
Please continue to pray for Shannon to regain the use of her muscles so she can breath on her own, and for her body to mend in a fashion that will allow her independence and a fulfilling life. Pray that her spinal cord will heal. And pray that we will have the patience and endurance to continue to support Shannon from afar, and to be able to prepare our home for her arrival in a couple of months. Thank you for the kinds words, for the text messages and comments. We love you all for your continued focus on Shannon in your prayers.
Lately, we've been getting random information from Shannon, so I'll just leave you with these interesting facts and encouragement from Olaf (Frozen 2):
“Turtles can breathe through their butts.”
“People blink 4 million times a day.”
“Wombats poop in squares.”
“Men are six times more likely to be struck by lightning than women.”
“Oh, come on! It'll be fun. Unless we get stuck here, you starve and I give up.”
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