TUESDAY MORNING DECEMBER 1

ONE YEAR

As I sit this morning with Christmas music playing softly in the background, I realize how much progress Kana has made in a year. One year ago, today, Sunday December 1, 2019, at this time we were in the middle of our first Emergency Room visit of the day. Through your prayers, God answering those prayers, the work of dozens of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and therapists and the hard work of Kana we are where we are today. Thank you, Lord, and thanks to each of you for being there, praying and following Kana’s journey this past year. Kana continues to improve each day.

A couple of updates to provide you. Yesterday Kana visited the ophthalmologist who previously fitted her with a temporary prism lens in September to help correct her double vision. Kana’s eye has improved enough for the doctor to prescribe glasses with prisms in both lenses and she can avoid eye surgery. The doctor told her after getting the new glasses she can drive during daylight hours and she should be able to start going back to her regular eye doctor! This is truly another answered prayer and we are excited.

The second update takes me back to last year. During the first week of December 2019, Kana had been scheduled to have reconstructive surgery on her right thumb joint. Well, that surgery still needs to be completed and is now scheduled for December 16. The surgeon tells her the first week will be extremely painful and she will be in a splint for six weeks. I guess being married to a CPA has rubbed off on her as she and the surgeon decided on the timing “since I’ve already met all my insurance deductibles and such”. Kana has needed this surgery for a couple of years so she’s glad this will soon be behind her.

This past year has brought us a new vocabulary and understanding of the frightening neuro-muscular syndrome known as Guillain-Barré. There have been many highs and many lows. The fourth day of hospitalization brought about a cardiac arrest. The fifth day of hospitalization brought Kana indicating she wanted to “go home and be with Jesus”. The 15th day of hospitalization saw the death of Kana’s mom (Kana was not told for another six weeks). The 55th day of hospitalization saw Kana take her first steps. The 61st day of hospitalization brought our second grandson into the world. And the 110thday of hospitalization saw Kana discharged into a pandemic but coming home with no walker or cane! The next six months saw intensive physical, occupational and speech therapies. We know Guillain-Barré syndrome can leave devastating impacts on some and some never recover. Kana is so fortunate.

During all of this Kana received hundreds of cards, dozens of visitors (many multiple times), some gifts/flowers/plants and, most importantly, innumerable prayers from around the world. I received numerous offers of help and dozens of meals. Thanks so much to those of you who organized the help and the meals. There’s no way I can convey how much you mean to us!

During Kana’s hospitalization writing these journals was therapeutic and a way to get information to those of you wanting to know what was happening. But it is time to move on. This will be my final CaringBridge journal. Merry Christmas to each of you and your families!

Russell