Documenting Debs journey

day 40 tomorrow....

Man can live for about forty days without food, and about three days without water, about eight minutes without air ... but only for one second without hope. 
-Hal Lindsey 

Tomorrow will mark 40 days since this journey began withDebbie Cordes and we have never been without hope! Her biggest achievement being moved to the Neuro step down unit on Saturday, her first stop after surgery many days ago. Finally off the blood pressure meds and reduced some of the others they felt it safe to take this step and while this is a huge step towards her recovery, we still have a long road ahead.

The brain is a much complicated organ and will take a long time to heal. It cannot repair the damaged areas, but can grow new pathways. Yet trying to comprehend the intricate operations of the brain can be overwhelming for us all.

Each day we spend with Deb we search for glimpses of the Debbie we all know and love. Some days we get those gifts, other days it is just marked as another on the road to recovery. I miss my sister, I'm sad that she still does not recognize me and I hate that she is still in the hospital. I have so many stories to tell her, good, bad and funny, I want to hear her laugh, hear from her all the exciting things the boys are doing and start making our Christmas plans, because you know Deb... she's always been the planner that kept us all on schedule.

So tomorrow I will head back down to the Cleveland Clinic with the hope I've carried for the past 39 days and be pleased with the gifts we receive...