Near the beginning of May our Mom, Carol Kaye Murphy, took off on an adventure to Austria and Hungary – a river cruise on the Danube River. Near the end of the trip, while seated on a bench, she suffered a major stroke and spent several days in the hospital in Budapest. Fortunately she was with good friends Jim and Sharon Dalton and Jim stayed until our brother Tim arrived.
Tim helped arrange a medical evacuation flight to Denver, which was no simple task considering the language and logistical difficulties. Kaye arrived in Denver on May 15 and was admitted to the ICU at the University of Colorado Hospital.
Kaye's left side was paralyzed in the stroke and many neurological functions were impacted including swallowing. Since being in the hospital she has also had several serious complications.
Our sister Jenny is a pediatrician and is leading our family in understanding the medical implications and decisions.
Mom is a fighter and her spirit is strong. She continues to kindly thank her caregivers and be appreciative of her children and grandchildren. And occasionally has even had energy to flirt and joke. She is definitely choosing life and we are doing everything we can to support her.
We will be using this site as another place for family and friends to receive updates. We so appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. We'll share your messages with Kaye! You can also send cards to Kaye's address. I'm checking her mail regularly and delivering them to her.
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.
