Good morning!

My apologies for the long delay in posting an update. We've been working through some adversity, but the great news is Mike is progressing wonderfully in his recovery!

The reasons for the lapse in communication are many, but mainly because my personal social media accounts were hacked towards the end of the hospital stay. This is likely due to my increased activity and cross-posting between Caring Bridge and Facebook. I've been working to stay ahead of the hackers by changing passwords multiple times on multiple platforms. I was locked out of Facebook, and eventually, Caring Bridge. I've worked through this challenge, but not without a lot of stress, some fraudulent charges, and freezing/canceling payment methods.

Additionally, just before we arrived home, Ethan came down with a stomach virus. This led to quarantine zones around the house, lots of extra laundry, double masking, sanitizing, etc. My sister and brother-in-law were the heroes of the weekend and into this week. The good news is it was not strep, influenza, or COVID- all have been rampant here. Ethan returned to school yesterday so we are excited to be able to move about the house more freely, and, most importantly, we can interact with him now. Until last night, our interactions have been through masks and six feet from our bedroom door. We sure missed each other and we're grateful to return to a new "normal".

Lastly, my mom tested positive for COVID when we were in the hospital, so we lost an extra set of hands. She is starting to feel better but we haven't been able to see her yet. For those who don't know, she lives with us in a lower-level mother-in-law suite. We sure miss her gentle care during a time like this.

This week has tested us and we have persevered. Mike has been very committed to moving around, accelerating his breathing exercises, showering each day, binging 80s movies (some are just horrible in retrospect), and sitting in the sun. I'm so proud of his accomplishments and I'm certain he will live a long, happy, and active life. 

We have so much gratitude to extend to so many: those texting and calling to keep Mike socially engaged, words of encouragement and advice, special Amazon deliveries, meal cards and meals, etc. The outpouring of support has been humbling and we can't thank you all enough. 

THANK YOU