Sharon Skinner Sharon Skinner Gets Well

Welcome to our CaringBridge site for the matriarch of our family, Sharon Skinner - we would love for you to leave some words of empowerment, healing, and prayer for her journey to wellness!

On the evening of December 5th, Sharon had a stroke at her home in Dell Rapids. In true Sharon fashion, she called 911 for herself after she lost mobility in her right side and realized what she was experiencing. She was rushed to the Avera Dells Area Hospital and, after assessment, transported to Sanford in Sioux Falls for stabilization and observation.

Currently Sharon has no motor function in her right limbs, though she does have full feeling throughout. Her cognitive functions are fully intact, however, and she is able to speak, though she does so with an affectation that requires her to be very deliberate in doing so.

True to her independent character, her biggest gripe is not being able to get up and get going! Just before this, she had been finishing up decorating the Rose Stone Inn for Christmas (a two-week annual endeavor) and preparing for a busy holiday season with events at the family business she has been building since 1991. She decorated the altar at the First Reformed Church of Dell Rapids with flowers for each season and had regular coffee sessions with her mother, Violet, at the Dells Nursing and Rehab Center. An active and fiercely independent woman, Sharon has been fighting to get her limbs to move from the first minute, and her strong spirit and determination make everyone very optimistic of the potential progress to be made!

This all could have gone very differently, so while we everyone is adjusting to a very new situation, our family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers, and positive energy sent by everyone thus far. She has prayer warriors from all over God's creation working for her, she is surrounded by friends and family, and while she has a long road ahead of her, she is positive that there is a purpose behind all of this and will continue to fight for mobility for as long as it takes. We are lucky to still have Sharon here with us, and while challenges await in the coming months, we are grateful for the blessings that still abound.

As we will be sharing this with Sharon often, please feel free to leave a comment, a funny story, a prayer - anything that your heart leads you to put to words will mean the world to her during this journey.

We will be updating her status here as she enters therapy and finally settles into a routine, so keep an eye out on this page for updates, and thank you all for sending thoughts of healing and encouragement to Sharon - she loves each and every one of you for your support!