Different Strokes for different folks....

How do you write about a event that changes your life?

Just jump in I guess...

One day after Kirstin's knee surgery, on Kai's birthday, Thursday, December 12th, at 9am, I got a call from one of Emil's co-workers. Telling me Emil had lost his vision and was with the EMT's- they were transporting him to Albemarle Hospital. 

I got another call on my way there from Rob Taylor explaining to me exactly what happened. Emil had been leading a meeting when he suddenly heard a loud ringing in his ears, he then got a sharp pain in his head and lost vision in first his left eye and then his right. His co-workers sat him down, calmed him and called the EMT's. Since he works at the Coast Guard Base in Elizabeth City they have medical personal dedicated to the Base and they were there shortly after it began. They quickly assessed that he needed to go to the hospital and put in the call. 

I arrived at the hospital at about 9:40 but he hadn't arrived yet and didn't for another agonizing 20 minutes. I waited with several of Emil's co-workers who had come and beat the ambulance as well. Apparently the driver of the ambulance had a medical emergency of his own and needed to take a bathroom break in the middle of their transport. 

He arrived at the hospital and I was able to see him. Some of his vision had returned. They ran all sorts of test and couldn't find anything wrong -they were telling us he had suffered a severe migraine headache. They decided to do an MRI and after that our Branch President arrived with another priesthood holder to give him a blessing. Emil's parents arrived and we waited most the day to find out what was going on. The Dr. on call was able to read the MRI in early afternoon and determined that Emil had suffered a stroke. They checked us in but we didn't get to talk to the neurologist on call until about 5pm. He decided that Emil needed more test and that Albemarle didn't have the equipment to perform so we needed to be transferred to another hospital. They were saying that Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk didn't have any beds so we would need to go to Greenville, 3 hours away.

We were not ok with this at all. I asked the Dr.'s if there wasn't something they could do to get us into Sentara which is only about 45 minutes away. They said they couldn't so we decided to call our Stake President who is the VP of Sentara. He was able to get us in and informed us that Sentara had several beds open and had not been contacted by Albemarle about Emil. This was such a blessing!

Emil was moved about 10:30pm that night. It was thursday. I went home, told Kirstin and Noah what was happening during the afternoon, while Emil's parents were with him and then went home and showered that night when they transported him to Sentara and then went there and spent the night with him. 

This was how our schedule went. Me staying the nights and part of the mornings and Emil's parents staying during the days. How thankful I am for Emil's amazing parents. Emil remained lucid and alert during the entire experience, well except when they gave him morphine for the headache. His speech has not been affected or his motor skills. His main complaints were on a persistent headache ranging from a 2 to a 8 on a pain scale of 1 to 10 and loss of vision. We were at Sentara from Friday to Monday. It was a long weekend. 

We discovered that Emil has a PFO. Which is a hole in his heart. We all have it before we are born. For 80% of the population it closes but for 20% it doesn't. Typically you live your life without knowing it's even there. However occasionally something will happen and you discover it. From all the test they did they can't determine where the clot came from that traveled to Emil's brain. It is possible that it went from one side of his heart to the other through this hole. We'll talk to the cardiologist more when we have the appt with him in January. They do close up the hole sometimes. If we decided to do that it can be done 6 weeks from his stroke. They do it orthoscopically so it's not as invasive as it could be. We'll decide what to do after the appt. but I think we would both feel better knowing it was closed and that if he does have any more clots then they can't pass through this hole to his brain by that route.

Since he has been home his headaches have gone away but his vision has continued to change. The first few days he had a blind spot that slowly got smaller but since he's been home he's lost colors. He describes it as everything looks washed out. His good time is in the morning when he first wakes up but as the day progresses it gets worse and the lighting seems more dim that it should be. They told us at the hospital his vision would get worse before it got better but we really don't know more than that.  We are working on an appt. with a neuro-opthomologist in Richmond in the beginning of Jan. There was one closer in Va. Beach but the soonest appt. was Feb 22. Way too long for all the questions we have. 

This past week has been full of scheduling doctors appts. Kirstin had the knee surgery on her other knee on Thursday. It went well. She is hobbling around on both of them now. We thought about moving her surgery but wanted her to have the time to heal over Christmas break. Friday I picked up Emil Michael from the airport. It's so nice to have him home. When things like this happen I just want all my kids close to me. Thankfully it worked out that it was possible.

I am so thankful for our amazing friends and family that have been there to help us in any and every way we needed. People have sat with, fed and driven my kids to and from school. I've had friends and family listen to me cry and worry. Others that came to the hospital and visited with us or served us in small and simple ways. We've been blessed to have priesthood holders that have given us both blessings. Once again, I have seen our community pray and serve us. Selflessly, willingly, lovingly. 

I am thankful to know that we are an eternal family. I am grateful to have Emil here with me and our children for this time. None of us know how long our time on this earth will be. We learned when we lost Kai to treasure each day. I have tried to do so but life gets busy and time passes and we lose focus of what is really important. We are so blessed that his side effects weren't more severe. They could have been so much worse.

 So treasure your loved ones. Forget the presents and busyness that so often fills this time of year and just look at those you love next time they are talking to you. Watch them and soak them in. Realize how precious they are, the beauty they bring to your life. Look at how they have touched you and think about the way you touch others. Love one another. 

Merry Christmas!