Hope for Japan

Since the last update, my mom has been transferred back to Des Moines from Iowa City (which is 2 hours away). This has been great for my family to be close by (and for my dad to have his own bed and shower to use). For those in Des Moines, she is at Mercy Hospital.

Her surgery has been postponed much longer than expected. It seems like it might be 3 months until they operate on her neck, which seems due to concern about her recovery. They chose not to do the second skin graft due to potential complications. But, it sounds like she is recovering from the burns, though I am not sure what the permanent damage might look like.

Due to the stroke, she is still unable to move her left side. She is undergoing rehab with a number of different therapies. With time, it appears like she should be able to walk and move her arm, though her brain is not sending the signals to move them at the moment. She is confined to a wheelchair and the hospital bed. Now that my dad is retired (literally a week ago), he is constantly there with her, which is comforting.

My mom’s speech is back to normal, along with other mental functions and memory. She even asked how my Japanese language study is going. Though it will be a long and difficult road ahead for her, we are amazed at her recovery so far and  how your prayers and God’s hand have pulled her through what we thought might be the end.