Hope Day 26

How can it be so much fun to visit someone in the hospital? It's crazy, but my sister is so good humored even when she's sitting in a hospital bed with a big uncomfortable collar around her neck. Last night I came with an "old friend" Helen Trask  (as Hope introduced her to her much younger friends). We met up with these two friends (Bertha and Grace and a little daughter) in the hallway and entered her room together. Instant party! I am really enjoying meeting and getting to know some of her friends.

I was prepared to tease whoever sent me the text I had just received from her phone that said, "In room four forty me". What is room four forty me? Turned out she had been moved to Room 440, and the "me" meant she had actually sent the text herself! I was so excited that her fingers were working well enough to text that I forgave myself for being too dimwitted to catch on! She said it was difficult and it took awhile, but wow, what progress!

Eventually her friends got out some lotion and started massaging her feet. I got lotion, grabbed her left hand and started vigorously massaging it. She yelled at me. Ok, she didn't yell, but she yelped in pain. She just acts so normal that I kinda forgot that her hand still hurts and I needed to be much more gentle! She said her therapist said that it's really good for her to get hand and finger massages. Her fingers were looking much straighter after I spent hours bent over her bed massaging them. I made sure she knew that the back ache I developed from this long massage session was well worth it since I could help speed her recovery so much. (Just kidding in case you don't know me!)  It was funny to notice how lily white and soft her hands are, and I got a little jealous realizing that she doesn't have the square hand and short Troyer fingers like I do. Oh well, at least my hands are tanned even if they look WAY older than hers! What's the deal with that, she is a hard working woman but her hands look amazingly young. It really was nice to see how straight those fingers were laying, even though the straightness was temporary. I can't wait until they are strong hardworking hands again, hands that can email her daughters and change the diapers on her grandbabies!

The picture shows her binder of emails on the bed next to her, with a picture of her girls on the cover. She has really enjoyed hearing from so many people.

She said she's been told she should be drinking more water. What a great excuse for me to boss her around and make her drink some sips of water even though she's all picky and thinks it has to have ice. I did find out where to get the ice water and brought her some. (And of course when I got home I sent a bossy email to little sister Jean telling her to be sure to get her ice water and make her drink lots of it tonight when she's visiting!)

Today I got a text from her that she worked on signing her name. "Not beautiful but very readable:)" Good for her!

Today's local paper, the Albany Democrat-Herald had a nice article about the upcoming auction for her medical expenses. Click here to read it.

Only nine more days until her target release date of February 15!

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of a the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)