Virginia Benson

Thank you for visiting Virginia Benson's Caring Bridge site.  She's a cherished family member/relative or a valued friend to all who visit here.   For many of us, she fills both roles.  It's challenging  to get the word to everyone who would like to know her condition and receive updates.  We're doing our best, but with your help, we hope this site will assist in that process.  We'll provide updates as they come to us, but after we've had a chance to process them in our own minds.

On Wednesday, January 9, mom was airlifted from the New Ulm Medical Center to HCMC in Minneapolis, with a brain event/injury.  An area of blood, possibly from a small ruptured vessel, has clogged the circulatory path of brain fluid that cushions her brain, causing increasing pressure.  This has left her unable to communicate other than occasional small gestures in reaction to questions.  To this point, she does not open her eyes. There are occasional events of restlessness, otherwise she quietly sleeps as we stand by.  Yesterday, measures were taken to relieve that brain pressure, in hopes of stabilizing or improving her condition.  While we have reason to believe she is resting comfortably and her vital signs are stabilized, there has been little change in her condition,   Our hopes, and those of the wonderful HCMC medical staff, remain that with gradual decreasing pressure on her brain, her alertness will return to some extent greater than exists today.  We believe and hope she knows that we're at her bedside.  As many of you know, until this event, she has been quite active with family and friend gatherings.

The brain event is the primary focus of concern but there is a 'however'.  In the course of scans and MRI's, cancer that was not previously diagnosed, was discovered in her lungs.  That is still under evaluation.  Though quite serious in it's own right, it's the secondary concern at this point in time.

Many of you, if not all, have been through a similar family experience in the past.  As we wait in her room, anticipating the next update. there are moments of calm and introspection but also of levity and storytelling.  I strongly suspect, in some way, she is participating in this swing of emotions.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, primarily, for mom but, frankly, for us too as we struggle with decisions on courses of action.