[Written on Thursday, 1/3/2019 at 2:45pm] Mary and her entire family caught the flu over the holiday. Everyone was slowly getting better, so Mary thought she would too. Slowly, she realized she was not improving and realized she needed to go to the hospital. On Saturday, December 29th, she called Javier to give her a ride to the hospital. When he arrived, he immediately called 911 due to her condition. With this action he saved her life.
She was taken to the emergency room and soon after, diagnosed with a severe case of double pneumonia caused by the flu virus. Since then, she has been intubated (put on a life support machine that breathes for her) because her lungs were extremely damaged from the pneumonia. She has been intubated for four days - today (1/3) is her fifth - as the doctors wait for her lungs to become strong enough to breathe on their own again. They are doing tests hourly and x-rays of her lungs daily to monitor her progress.
She is not able to speak because of her tube and because she is sedated most of the time. She is conscious and can hear everything, and when she is awake and alert she can communicate her needs and answer questions. All things considering, she is in good spirits and handling the entire situation with strength, courage and bravery. She has expressed that all prayers are welcome and knowing that so many people care for her gives her strength and courage to keep fighting. She has asked to call her mother, listen to Harry Potter audio books, and to have someone call her work to make sure they had a sub for her classes - so she is definitely still the same Mary we all know and love!
All five of her kids are currently in Alma at her side, helping keep her strong and ensuring she has everything she needs.
Thank you all for your ongoing love and support. Mary is back at home and feeling her best yet. She continues to recover a little more each day and is very grateful for each and every one of you.
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