Friday, February 8, 2013 - Home Sweet Home

It was nine weeks ago today, just after midnight as we were about to go to bed, that Marc suffered his stroke.  Nine long weeks that went from hoping and praying for his survival to cheering him on through recovery and rehabilitation. 

But when you think about it, nine weeks is a very short time, considering the severity of his bleed and that his chances of surviving were so slim.  Marc’s recovery seems like a miracle.  He has worked very hard to reach this milestone today. 

Today he got to ride out of RVH on a floor cleaner.

Okay, he didn’t actually ride out of RVH on a floor cleaner.  He didn’t even get to drive it and not because he got busted before he had a chance.  No, for once Marc got permission to do something. 

Earlier in the week Marc jokingly told Catherine that he should drive one of the floor cleaners to practice his driving before returning home.  The next day, Catherine surprised him by arranging for Marc to pose on a floor cleaner for a picture.  She emailed it to me after.  Just another reason why we love the rehab staff!

I woke up this morning to piles of snow in the driveway from a massive snowstorm that had blanketed the area since last night.  I was determined to get to the hospital for 11:00 am so I could meet Marc after his pool therapy and attend his graduation ceremony from rehab. 

I shovelled the porch, around the car and down the driveway to the road.  I just needed enough room to back the car out and I could worry about the rest later.  Just as I finished, I realized that there was no way I’d be able to get the 50 feet or so down the side street to the better travelled street onto which our house fronts.  We live on a corner and our driveway is on the side street.  Our small side street rarely gets plowed this early on.  My heart sunk as I realized that it could be closer to evening before they got to it. 

I started to cry.  I don’t think I’ve cried that hard since the night Marc had his stroke.  I was devastated to think that we had made it nine weeks, through all the hours of rehabilitation, just have to miss Marc’s final day and his graduation ceremony. 

I looked up at the sky and said, “Really?  You’ve got to be kidding.  We’ve come so far.  I need a snow plow right now so I can shovel out and get to the hospital.  Please.” 

I went back into the house and sat down with a cup of coffee.  I haven’t missed one day with Marc since this happened.  How could I possibly miss this?

Before I could figure out a way to get to RVH, I looked out the window to see a snow plow going up our side street.  I was dumbfounded. Someone up there must have taken pity on the woman standing in the snow having a meltdown.

I quickly cleared the mountain of snow the plow had dumped at the end of the driveway, had a quick shower and I was ready to go.  Just as I was leaving, a neighbour came by with his snow blower and cleared the other side of the driveway. 

I took this picture out of Marc’s hospital room window.

The rehab floor has a tradition.  They get their “graduates” decked out in their farewell outfits, stick a sign on the front of their walkers and clap them through the hall to the nurse’s station on a victory walk. 

Marc was one happy looking pimp. 

A final pose with his rehab angels.

I tried to take a video of Marc’s victory walk but all I managed was one second at the start and one second at the end.  I was crying (again) and hadn’t noticed that my phone’s video had clicked off. 

I was really upset to realize that I’d missed capturing such a momentous occasion.  I was being pretty hard on myself until Marc reminded me that we no longer sweat the small stuff and that at least I was there to share it with him. 

We made it through the snow storm and finally, after nine weeks, Marc arrived at home for good.   

 

We made it through the scariest time of our lives but we are together again and we will tackle this next chapter of our lives together.  Marc will continue his therapy and his path along this healing journey.  I will figure out how to support us and my mother.

Marc has taught me a lot the past nine weeks.  He taught me that we can face any obstacle and if we try hard enough, we can move past it. 

I have no doubt that there will be many more victory laps in our future.