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After being away just over two months helping my daughter, I returned home from Seattle on the evening of May 5, where I was greeted at the airport by my husband and son. I have to admit it was a disorienting drive home. I left in winter and returned to the heat of an early Arkansas summer (though the moderate temperatures have been absolutely perfect for the past few days). All during the drive home, I saw signs of the stormy spring I’d missed — mud lines on the foliage where flood waters had risen, huge trees uprooted by tornadoes, scraps of insulation still caught in treetops from the houses that were hit on the Little Rock Air Force Base, which is less than a mile from our home. The tornado that hit the base went directly over our rooftop, depositing debris in our yard. My husband said he heard the twister go over, but fortunately we sustained no damage. Several in the storm’s path the next time it touched down were not so fortunate. The nearby town of Vilonia was hit hard, and lives were tragically lost.

The day after I arrived home, my husband and I made the forty-minute drive to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway for our son David’s presentation of his UCA Honors College senior thesis, followed by the Honors College banquet honoring the graduating seniors. We returned to Conway again the next day for the graduation, itself. More disorientation — my youngest child is now a college graduate. He will begin medical school in the fall, and is even now beginning the search for an apartment. The nest will truly be empty.

Immediately following the graduation activities I had to get back to work, finishing and polishing a book that was due for Special Edition (more about that in the next post). Along with laundry and grocery shopping and dusting (my husband kept the house tidy and vacuumed while I was gone, but dusting is not his strong point) and other catch-up chores, I hardly had time to even look out a window. Needless to say, I feel like I’ve been running hard for the past few months!

So, after I finally delivered the book, folded the last clean towel and put away the dust cloth earlier this week, I realized to my surprise that May was already half over! Before it’s gone completely, I want to make sure you all know that May is National Stroke Awareness Month.

According to the American Stroke Association website, stroke is the number three cause of death and the number one cause of adult disability in the United States. Those of you who read this blog know that our older daughter suffered a stroke on October 30 of last year at the age of 30. Almost seven months later, she still has to use a power wheelchair for traveling more than about a hundred feet (her maximum distance with a walker at this point), and she has still not recovered the use of her right hand. She was extremely fortunate in many ways, especially in that she has no cognitive deficits, but she still has a long way to go toward full recovery. She is documenting her journey in a blog, mostly for the benefit of other young stroke survivors and their caregivers. I’ve put a link to her blog here.

Courtney had extremely low risk factors for stroke; no definitive cause has yet been determined for the clot that caused her attack. She was a healthy, slender, active nonsmoker who did not drink and had never done recreational drugs, and she seemed like the least likely candidate for an ischemic stroke. Still, it is important for everyone to be aware of the known risk factors and to minimize those risks as much as possible. Many of those risks can be modified or treated — by losing weight, quitting smoking and managing cholesterol, among other measures. Having seen what Courtney has been through, as well as all the other stroke survivors we’ve met during the past seven months, trust me, it’s worth the effort!

Courtney was at her apartment alone when she became aware that something was wrong. As a medical researcher, she knew some of the warning signs, yet even then she hesitated before calling for help, telling herself she couldn’t possibly be having a stroke. Looking in the mirror, she saw that her pupils were different sizes and one side of her face was drooping. We are all so grateful now that she took those signs seriously and called a friend immediately to take her to the hospital. Her heart rate crashed after she arrived at the emergency room. Had she still been at home alone, I don’t even want to think about what might have happened.

For Stroke Awareness Month, please familiarize yourself with the warning signs of stroke:

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.

Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

Much more information is available at http://www.strokeassociation.org. I highly recommend you check out this great site.

The winner of the drawing for May was Robin Carroll-Mann of New Jersey. Congratulations, Robin!

I’ll be back at home next week, and I’ll make an announcement for the next contest along with an update on my next book  when I’ve settled back in. In the meantime, I hope you find a few moments of tranquility in this spring which has proven to be so stormy and dangerous across the country.

My thoughts and prayers are with all who have suffered from the tornadoes and floods of the past few weeks, both in my home state of Arkansas and across the midwest and the South.

I’ll admit I know very little about astrology, though I find it interesting. I’ve heard people joke that “Mercury must be in retrograde” whenever anything breaks down, but that didn’t mean much to me.

Since I arrived in Seattle with my daughter at the beginning of March, we’ve been hit with a series of mechanical malfunctions. Her car wouldn’t start the first day I tried to drive it, leading to her having to buy a new battery and a couple of belts. Her car tags were due and I had to take the car for an emissions test, which was never properly reported to the DMV, causing additional problems. The elevator in her apartment building broke down, stranding us in her apartment for several hours (while she’s recovering well, she’s not quite up to using the stairs yet after her stroke). My cell phone touch screen froze, so that I couldn’t make outgoing calls, forcing me to purchase a new one (fortunately, it was time for an upgrade!). Courtney’s printer stopped working, requiring yet another purchase. And then, two days ago, her two-year-old laptop made a funny popping sound, emitted a noxious odor and died without any warning. Because so much of her research work is computer based, she had to make a frantic trip to the big-box electronics store for yet another expensive purchase.

This latest failure had me shaking my head in bewilderment. “Mercury must be in retrograde,” I said, quoting my friends. And then, just for curiosity, I looked it up. Only to discover that it was, indeed. According to the site I visited, Mercury in retrograde causes problems with cars, computers and cell phones and interferes with other types of communication. Hmm.

Okay, I’m still a skeptic, but I have to admit I was very happy to read that today is the end of this particular planetary phase!

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Don’t forget to enter the drawing for two books from my backlist. Details are on the Enter to Win! tab above.   And watch for my next Special Edition, A HOME FOR THE M.D., coming in June!

I’ve spent the past three weeks in Seattle helping my daughter settle back into her apartment and her job, and I’ll stay a few more weeks until I’m comfortable that she has reintegrated into her life here. She’s having to make adjustments to her former routines, and has to learn to work around the post-stroke deficits she’s still struggling to overcome. She’s back into therapy with the same skilled therapists who worked with her in the month immediately following her stroke – though sadly, her insurance coverage for therapy sessions will run out before her need for them does. Still, her courage and her determination to regain her former independence continue to amaze and impress everyone who knows her. She’s already back at work in her research lab, and although she’ll have to make adjustments there, too, her wonderful boss and coworkers are making the transition so much easier for her. I’ve been spending the hours while she’s at work in a university library working on my next Special Edition (the third in my Doctors in the Family series) and enjoying the energy of being surrounded by undergrads, grad students and medical students.

It has rained almost every day since we arrived at the first of March — more rain than usual even for Seattle. But this weekend has been beautiful. Cool, but not uncomfortably so, and with hours of sunshine now that the days stretch longer. The snow-capped mountains surrounding the city are simply breathtaking against deep blue skies. Daffodils are in full bloom and flowering bushes and trees are just bursting into color. As we drove past the walking trails around beautiful Green Lake on the way to church this morning, we smiled at the sight of all the walkers, runners, bikers and skaters who’d come out to take advantage of the near-perfect weather. One thing about Seattlites, we commented, they appreciate every nice, sunny day. They don’t take such pleasures for granted.

My daughter and I attended a meeting yesterday of stroke survivors, ranging in age from a sweet young teenager to more elderly members and all ages in between. Some of the people we met had their strokes as long as twenty years ago, and are still dealing with deficits. Others, like our daughter, are just learning what it means to have survived a stroke, and still don’t know quite what the future holds for their recovery. During the meeting, they discussed advice they wanted on their website for other stroke survivors and caregivers. Among their tips were to never give up hope, never stop trying. And all agreed that they should always celebrate the small blessings. Friends. Family. Advances in recovery, no matter how seemingly minor. The yummy cookies and cake being served during the meeting. Pleasant outings on pretty days. The little things that make life worth living despite its trials and challenges.

I hope to remember the lessons I’ve learned during our daughter’s recuperation, from her and from the many other brave survivors of stroke and brain injury we’ve met during these five months. I think one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is to celebrate the small pleasures. Like this time with my daughter. The phone calls connecting me to my husband and son back at home, and my other daughter in New England. A cozy library nook in which to write, with a window next to me and bright yellow daffodils just on the other side of the glass. The warm and friendly members of the church congregation who welcomed us with coffee and bagels this morning. A good romantic suspense book waiting for me to relax with it when I finish this post. Maybe I’ll brew a cup of my favorite hot tea to enjoy with the book. There are still a lot of challenges to be faced by our family — as there are in so many families — but those obstacles are so much easier to tackle when balanced with rewards, no matter how small.

May you find your own small things to celebrate in the coming week.

 

It’s no secret that I enjoy stories set in the medical profession. I’ve written quite a few books about doctors and medical students, including my current Special Edition series, Doctors in the Family, three stand-alone books about siblings who all happen to be pursuing medical careers — as well as romance! With one of my “kids” in medical research and the other two both training to practice medicine, I’ve had plenty of research material and heard lots of anecdotes that have inspired story ideas.

Since our daughter’s stroke on October 30 of last year, we’ve become familiar with many others who make their careers out of helping patients recover from serious illnesses and accidents. We’ve encountered many kind and caring nurses and technicians during both in-patient and out-patients treatments and medical testing. And my daughter has been blessed to work with some absolutely wonderful physical, occupational and speech therapists in both Washington and Arkansas.

Therapists are a very special group of professionals. Their jobs require intensive training, physical endurance, and inexhaustible patience. During the past four months, we’ve met so many interesting and courageous survivors of strokes and other traumatic brain injuries, and we’ve heard their stories of how therapists have helped them regain at least a part of their former independence — and they’re grateful for every inch of progress. The therapists celebrate along with their clients, and I’ve seen them cry with them, too. Their jobs aren’t easy, but what a valuable service they offer! My family is especially grateful for the ones we’ve gotten to know since our daughter’s stroke, from which she is still on the mend.

I’m already fantasizing a sizzling romance for a dedicated therapist, so don’t be surprised to see a story like that from me soon. In the meantime, my next doctor book, A HOME FOR THE M.D., will be available in June, 2011. Keep watching here for more details!

Don’t forget to sign up for my next drawing, which will be held on May 1, 2011. Click the Enter to Win! tab above for details.