Ron is coming back, slowly...

IMC - Intermountain Medical Center, Murray Utah

I haven't posted for 10 days. I didn't want to sound negative and sad, so I waited until I could sound more hopeful, and positive. It has been a hard 10 days. However, Ron is progressing slowly. We were told that in the beginning. Last Sunday 8/10/14 was an exciting and depressing day at the same time. The exciting part was that he chatted with me, mostly mimicking me. The first words out of his mouth were "Hi Parker", because my son Parker came with me to see Ron and I told Ron to say hi to him. I went through each of the families names (siblings) and he copied each one. I finally was able to hear him sing and I could understand some if it (an occasional sentence). He also smiled at me, however he showed signs of a stroke because one eye droops and only the right side of the face shows expression. When he spoke, it was very simple and child-like. The only expressions he came up with on his own (without copying) were "yes ma'am" and when I asked him what he wanted to drink he said "fruit punch".  I called our brother Jim and I told Ron to say hi to Jim, and he said "Hi Jimmie". I was so happy to hear him speaking. At the end of my visit the neurologist came in to talk to me. She said that he was going in for a CT Scan because they found fluid around his brain. They were also worried about blood clots near the brain. I was told that there is no way to tell right now if he will be living on his own or in a long-term care facility the rest of his life.  Only time will tell. This was hard news. I went through all the "what if's" I could think of. What if he never moves again, because his brain is not functioning fully. He has been out of ICU for 11 days and has not moved anything but his right arm and right leg. He can't get up to go to the bathroom on his own (I'm not sure of the expectations on that due to the pelvis injuries, that may be normal). What if he does get partial brain function and is nothing but honery and unpleaseant. What if he gives up and has no hope to fight to live and function (I wasn't supposed to be negative).
The Doc's were expecting him to be talking by now. That doesn't mean he won't. I have to have hope.
During Sacrament meeting that morning, I thought about the Atonement. It meant so much more to me than it has in a while. This is because I truly need it right now. Christ knows the pain Ron feels and my family is feeling as we watch Ron go through this rough time in his life. I am trying desperately to hand this over to Him to carry the burden. It is too heavy.
Ron is progressing, he has bad days like we all do. He has days when he is so uncomfortable and doesn't want to be awake and responsive. He has other days when he is singing and chatting. I have to have hope....
Elder James E. Faust said the following "Everybody in this life has their challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope."
He also quoted Samuel Smiles: “Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.’ … Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination.”  (James E. Faust, General Conference Oct 1999, "Hope, an Anchor to the Soul")