An update on Mom's health

July 19. 2006

2008-07-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm home for the weekend from my pediatrics rotation. Enjoyed a relaxing weekend with my Dad - went window shopping and watched some movies, and played chess. It's been a very long time since I've had the chance to relax with Dad like this. I've successfully passed my second year of medical school; just got the final exam results today. It's such a relief to know that finally, hard work has payed off and things are moving in the right direction. I am really enjoying my clinical rotations. It's overwhelming to think of the friends and family who have played a huge part in my getting to this place and how they will continue to support and encourage me in so many different ways as I move forward through medical school and on. The support that Dad and I have received from all you friends and family is tremendous. Thank you! You love you'all dearly.

April 8, 2008

2008-04-08T19:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday marked the end of year two - April 7, 2008. Time is so subjective. I realize this most when I talk to others. Family and Friends sometimes ask us - "what's it been? three years, four years?" "No," I say, "It will be two years on the 7th." So the 7th of April has come and has gone. I spent the day at home with my father and his friends who are visiting from Canada. I asked Mom's best friend to visit us in the afternoon the way she used to when my Mom was here. Usha aunty would come over a little past noon, have lunch with my parents and chit chat with Mom for hours. So, thats what we did yesterday - Usha aunty came over for lunch and coffee. We laughed about things my Mom had said and reminisced about the long conversations we had with her. Surprisingly, both her and I have a hard time recollecting what exactly we spent hours talking to Mom about. Whatever we talked about, we do remember that it was all fun. My cousins were visiting Augusta so I got to visit with them for a little while in the afternoon. We talked about how my mom grew cotton in her yard. Laughed at how mom was always herself; how she made the ICU nurses try her interesting flavored home made juice - carrots, celery, apples (eww, I know).
So full of life...
In the evening we went to temple for monday pooja. I took prasad and a rose that grew on our rose bush. Last year, there was only one flower on my Mom's rose bush on the morning of the 7th of april. The same was true this year: the first rose of the season bloomed on the 7th of April. Maybe nature's way of showing us she's still with us.
Temple was beautiful: everyone chanted in unison, sang bhajans from their heart. Indrani aunty and I led everyone in singing mom's favorite bhajan. The whole time I imagined her sitting next to me and singing at the top of her lungs out of devotion, not minding that her voice of completely off-key. Mom's friends told me how they felt her presence on monday poojas. Mom's laughter, craziness and more than anything her strength is amongst us all. It is amazing how one life, lived well brings such happiness to so many. All day we got phone calls from friends and family in the US and in India - remembering mom and seeing how Dad and I were doing. One can only hope and pray that we all can spread such warmth and love in the world as well.
Hope everyone is doing well. Just wanted to share a little of my day with you all.

March 30, 2008

2008-03-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Birthdays are such interesting days. When you're a baby its a day of celebration more for your parents and friends. As you grow older it becomes a day that you cherish more with your friends - first through pool parties, playing games and later through fancy dinners, house parties and late nights. For me, birthdays have always been a day that I spent more with friends; topped off with a token of time spent with my parents. I cherished that token and today I think I realize why. Birthdays are exciting and fun for the individual but they must be a million more times exciting for the parents who brought you into this world. The work they put into rearing a child and the progress they see on a year to year basis must be incredible. This is the second year I spent my birthday without my mom. It was such a special day - my friends are all so so incredible. I had an amazing time relaxing and catching up with ALL my friends from medical school, high school and undergrad. I'm so blessed to have such amazing friends. At the same time I realize what a special day it was for me and my mom. She would call me in the morning and sing my happy birthday in the most be-sura (out of tune) voice possible. It's the little things I miss more than anything! I'm not complaining I'm just maybe sending a message out there - thank/think of your mom on your birthday; you're her dream come true and she deserves it!
I miss you mom, you're the best!

Feb 18, 2008

2008-02-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to will time to stop moving? I know the answer to that question is NO; but this time of year I find myself wishing the next day would not come. Mainly because it means that the month of April is coming closer; which means it will be that many more days since I last spoke to my best friend. 1 year, 10 months later - I am not a second year medical student, well settled in my life in Atlanta. I have amazing friends at medical school and am living with my best friend from high school; I get to spent time with Dad on a monthly basis; he even visited me in Atlanta for a week this January. Yes, Life is doing more than "seeming" to move along, it's actually moving along. I think of my mom daily, miss her daily but being all wrapped up in the routine of surviving my second year of medical school I don't let myself remember how much I miss her. I'm not sure when one comes to term with the silence that falls upon you when one of your parents leaves this world. The love, ofcourse, is always there and is something you can almost feel when you close your eyes or rest your head on your pillow. But, what about the conversations, the arguments, the annoying each other - how to you make yourself remember those forever. One wants to believe that you won't forget but anythings possible when you barely have space for the 10000 neurotransmitters, drugs and microbiology facts you need to stick in your head as a second year medical student. And just to throw this out there into the internet world- I will truly be surprised the day I meet someone that I can fight with the way I argued with my mom. I'm pretty sure that is something that will never be recreated but maybe life will surprise me.

school is quite hectic these days and many are frantic about boards and studying for step-1. I find myself constantly reminding myself why I came here and what my end purpose is - to genuinely better the quality of life of others. I was home this weekend and was looking through my parents closet. On the floor are two spirometers - the things you blow into to increase your lung capacity after an open heart surgery. One belonged to my mother; the other to my father. Mom and Dad used to hard and worked hard at gaining their lung capacity back after surgery. I looked at those and wondered to myself why had I saved them all these months. It's another reminder, dummy, I said to myself. A reminder of two patients - you supported, prayed for, and cared for with all your heart. A reminder of two people who worked hard to get better. I want to believe that the prayers and hard work payed off for both even though Mom's outcome isn't something I will ever get over. Those spirometers sit on the closet floor reminding me that one of the reasons why I am here is to help people realize their potential to fight; to fight for their health; to stay positive and give this fight their best. My mom told me "vahan dubadvanu nathi" : you can't let the ship sink. sooo...here i am trying desperately to stay in my own fight - the fight to get through medical school; pass all these silly exams and constantly remind myself that I am in this for a reason, a reason that I am certain will be worth all the sacrifice I am making now. fight, work hard, work harder - is probably wht my mom would've said. (and stop complaining) :o)

October 13th, 2007

2007-10-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

My first garba in 2 years.

Last night I went to garba with my med school friends. Its a nine day dance festival celebrating Goddess Durga. It was my first garba in two years. Last time I went was in 2005 with my mom in Augusta. Garba was always a very special time for my family as I ran around the house getting ready and making my mom dress me up in the traditional way. I was fiddle around and she would yell at me to stand still and let her finish the job of fixing my dress properly. Mom wouldnt dance as she would get dizzy but she loved to watch; so she would sit in the bleachers with all the older aunties and watch. The minute I stepped out from the dancing circles she would look at me and mouth and motion for me to go back in and continue dancing. She would push me and my friends to get back in the circle and dance to our hearts content. Last night, I danced to my hearts content with my friends. At the end of the night, all drenched in sweat, I closed my eyes and felt content. I have been looking forward to garba all year and had an itch to dance and pray the way I used to with my mom. As I sang the arti with my friends, I closed my eyes and was transposed to a scene where my mother stood beside me singing all the words to the arti, head bowed down, praying to Amba ma for strength and courage. I miss her physical presence all the time, particularly when I am at the temple or any religious event. She instilled those values in me and I hope to carry them on. I have realized all it takes is for me to close my eyes and I feel her sitting/standing right next to me.

just wanted to write a little blurb, now must study for I am a second year medical student now! :o)

May 26, 2007

2007-05-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I've had the chance to post a message. A year ago today, we performed that last and final rites for my mom; we spread her ashes in a place where she would be at peace. Its hard to imagine that a whole year has gone by. Coincidently, with a little encouragement from an uncle of mine, I am spending the weekend volunteering at the Special Olympics held at Emory University. My mom had a special thing for people who overcame physical and mental adversities. She didn't say much about it; it's not like we had great scholarly/philosophical discussions about what life was like for people with chronic health problems. But her actions and her facial expressions were worth a thousand words. I remember visiting Yosemite National Park with my parents about 8 years ago. We spent a week touring the park and enjoying nature and puting our feet in every body of water we could find. One morning as we were walking around taking pictures with my father, when mom and I noticed a group of mountain climbers. We were both pretty excited and walked towards them so that we could get a better glimpse of these adventurous individuals. Mom and I realized that there was a paraplegic mountain climbers amongst the group and we both were so excited and curious. Most of you who know my mother know can imagine her reaction..."Ehh, RAJ, jo to..loook mountaineering people over up there!!" We had Dad zoom in on the group as they were pretty far up the mountain and not visible to the naked eye. We saw a man climbing several thousand feet above group using mainly his upper body strength. All three of us were pretty amazed at his skill and inspired by what one could achieve despite some significant physical challenges. When I signed up to volunteer this weekend, I didn't realize that it was this particular weekend that last year, I said my final goodbye. It must have been her wish from up above that I take this opportunity to be amazed and inspired by some awesome atheletes.

March 23rd, 2007

2007-03-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since I started this blog. I got on the blog earlier this morning and realized that it has been exactly a year to this date when I decided to make the blog. It was a portal for me to let everyone know how mom was doing. Now it's become a place where I update friends and family on how dad and I are doing. I'm home for spring break. I've been home for a week now and have successfully not touched a book. I have a lot of studying to do but haven't done much yet. Dad is enjoying his time with me. We've planted a few flowers in the front yard. with his knee bothering him, I don't know if we will get around to doing the vegetable garden this year. I wonder if some of the plants will grow by themselves like they did last year. Besides that, everything is going well. We are trying to enjoy ourselves as much as possible.

a happy memory

2007-03-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

hajra and i were talking the other night and a few happy memories popped in our heads so i thought i'd share. During high school and undergrad, when she called my house, often times my mom would pick up the phone. "Hi aunty, this is hajra" ...
mom: "ohhh huhjra, how are you? you want talk shaylee. shaylee to hamra, just step in house and i knew the phone going to start ringing. you friends......." I don't even know what else she used to talk to hajra about, complain about me and how i didnt do anything in the house, talk about her garden or i don't even know.
but eventually like 5-6 minutes later.
hajra would be like: "ok aunty, is shaylee there?"
mom: yea...she's riht here......something something something
hajra: "yea aunty.....is shaylee there?"
lol..

March 4th, 2006

2007-03-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

Hi,
This coming Wednesday will be exactly a year since my grandmother took her leave from this world. Who knew then that only 4 weeks later, Mom would go too. I'm blogging right now because I'm not going to have time during the week. I have an exam in a week and will be studying a lot during the week. I'm listening to my grandparents on I-tunes right now; last year mom helped me convert these religious hymns that my grandparents sand many years ago, from tape to mp3 format. A year ago this time, I was at home spending the weekend with my parents. I was spending the weekend with Mom as it was the first weekend I could come home since we had found out that she would be having an operation. We talked about the operation a little but it wasn't the main topic of conversation. On saturday evening, I talked to my uncle and he told me in a round about way that my grandmother was leaving. So, I was preparing myself, and mom was helping me. My grandmother had been getting worse over the previous months but I didnt expect her to leave only 4 days after I had the talk with my uncle and mom. We spent some time finding old videos and tapes of times I had spent with my grandmother. Mom and I talked about my upcoming spring break trip that she had agreed and encouraged me to go on. What a weekend, I can remember parts of it vividly.
After my grandmother passed away, I went on my trip, and I came back and talked to mom about my trip a little. To ease the tension and make her laugh, I told her there was nothing for her to worry about, there was no room for her up there in heaven cause my grandmother was a handfull and they needed to adjust to hosting her before mom could be allowed in. We had a good laugh. I can't believe a year has gone by since ben left. And even more than that, I cant believe that it will soon be a year since that dreaded day.

This weekend, in 2007, fell on Holi, one of my favorite hindu festivals. I chose not to play last year because Mom was in the hospital and that was more important to me. I chose not to play this year because i had to study. priorities :o) but one of these days, I'll play and she'll play with me wherever she is. Dad stayed busy with weekend, with taking pictures at the temple. I was pretty proud of him.

2007-02-22T06:31:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

I keep saying I won't write more and every now and then I'll feel the urge to post something. Oh well, I hope things are going well with everyone. I finished my second term of medical school and we just started our third term this week. We're studying pathophysiology this term. The schedule seems pretty intense but hopefully I'll be able to focus and get through it.

It's already the end of Feb. 2007. I was hoping that I could just somehow skip this part of the year. I don't think I've lived through a year that went by more fast yet extremely slow at the same time. I can recount every single month of this year and remember what it was like. I'm really dreading March and April. Dad is doing alright but his knee bothers him and I can't imagine what its going to be like for him to be alone during these months. I'm going to try to go home as often as possible and make sure we stay on the right track. I don't know what it is about being almost a year since mom took her leave. It makes it all the more real not that it's not real every single day. But I guess its the way it goes, after the first year is gone then the other years will just follow through and before I know it Mom will seem like a part of my distant past even though she is part of my daily life. It's my goal to keep her spirit and her memory alive. After months of talking about her to my new friends, it now comes out so naturally and painlessly. I can joke around about things she used to do and have a good laugh with people who don't even know her or have never met her. I'm really happy about that and I hope that I can continue to do that for the rest of my life.
Obviously, these next couple of months aren't going to be easy for me or dad. A few months ago I asked people to jot down little annecdotes about their experiences with my mother. I got a few nice responses but seriously, if you guys have any time to write a few funny memories or really any memories of my mother it would be really fun and nice for me and dad to read them and reminese about the good times.
lots of love,
shaylee

Jan. something 2007

2007-01-27T21:43:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
I don't really update this page much anymore. There isn't much to say anymore. It's the middle of January and I hope the beginning of everyone's year is going well. Things are going well for both Dad and I. School is going a little better than before. I have made some great friends and we're studying neuroscience at the moment so it's all very interesting. I'm home for the weekend and just spending some time unwinding and relaxing before having to get back to the grind starting monday. Dad made me and jagdish kaka and bharti aunty dinner on friday night. It was so nice to spend some time with family and relax. Besides that nothing much is new. I've discovered a Trader Joes that is 30-40 minutes from my place and have been telling everyone about it so it would be probably appropriate for me to mention that on my blogg. I'm not going to have to stock up on Trader Joe's food every time I visit Michigan or Baltimore anymore. It was quite thrilling. :o) Besides that, life is pretty much as normal as it's going to get.

December 13, 2006

2006-12-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

Hey,
I had my first big neuroscience test and have been unwinding since the test this past monday. I picked up a book yesterday called "For One More Day" by the same author that wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie." Pretty depressing book but as one of my friends, prerana, pointed out, I could extrapolate a happy, not so depressing meaning out of the book. It was pretty well written and I highly recommend it to anyone who has lost a loved one. Its about getting a chance to meet your loved one for one more day, in addition to having other meanings and messages.
The holidays are coming up and although last year was the official end of my family celebrating christmas, it's still a time that the three of us spent together. A few years ago, my dad was recovering from some health issues and I postponed a trip to see my aunt,uncle, and grandmother till after christmas so that I could be with him for Christmas. A few christmas's ago was pretty special as I hadn't spent an extended period of time with my mom during the entire year of 2004 except for that break. It was always nice to go home for winter break as the last few weeks of the semester were always so hectic with exams; it was usually the anticipation of going home and getting some great home cooked meals, family time and friend time that got me through those horrendous exam weeks. This Christmas, for obvious reasons, is pretty bitter sweet. I was just on the phone with my father and we were making plans for winter break; I just can't seem to decide what I want to do. I know my mom would want us to spend some time at home and I want to be at home because it the place tht I feel closest to her, amongst her belongings and her love. So I think my dad and I will take short trip here or there but spend most of Christmas at home. We have some close family friends visiting us in the middle of break which will be quite nice.
The past couple of weeks have been hectic. I've been working real hard for that exam and things didn't go off as well as planned. But thats the story of medical school. Its been 9 months and a few days since my mom passed away and for many, it may seem like "last year" or a real long time ago. At times for me though, it's like yesterday. I've moved on a lot, life has to go on she would've said and it has in many respects. I keep myself occupied with school and dad keeps himself busy with his activities but every so often, it catches up with me. I'm so grateful for friends and family that I have. The cheerleaders that keep chearing me on from every part of my life and I know deep down that the main cheerleader is cheering me on too, from up above..but sometimes all that just seems like words, words to comfort myself and to comfort others.

Thanksgiving evening 2006

2006-11-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

Many weeks have past since I last wrote an entry on this blog. I've thought about writing now and then but school keeps me busy and I was a little tired of whining about life. A month ago, Dad and I spent our first Diwali without Mom. He made Gughras and we prayed at the temple together and met all the aunties and uncles in the community. It was as pleasant a Diwali as I could have hoped for without my mother. Now, fourish weeks later it's Thanksgiving. My mom and dad kind down scaled our thanksgiving celebrations last year as mom was recovering from having a pacemaker put in. So, this thanksgiving wasn't very different from the last in terms of our actual meal. Coming home was kind of normal. The minute I stepped in the house, I sat in front of the TV for a long time and the minute day light broke I had friends calling and friends coming over. My parents used to always refere to my coming home from college as "The horses have been let out of the stable." (its a saying in Gujarati "Ghoda chuthya") Yesterday evening, Dad and I were shopping when we ran into some very close family friends and surprisingly my dad refered to my coming home with the same phrase. He said, "The horse has been let out of captivity, it's like a tornado in my house." hehe.. I love it. My friends came over and like my mom would've , he asked each how their semester/work was going and got really excited and made them laugh.
Today, I made my favorite meal of all time - cabbage and peas nu shak. It was my favorite dish and my mom made it the best. I've been trying to reproduce it or have it reproduced by others since she passed away but it just hasnt satisfied me. Today, I really wanted to make it right and surprisingly I think it came very close to my mom's. So Dad and I had a great, very simple, thanksgiving night meal of simple indian roti and sabji. So life is moving...mom's still with us and its her spirit that keeps us going.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

October 9th, 2006

2006-10-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I just got back to atlanta after spending the weekend with Dad. I must say, I'm really proud of him. The house is as clean as it used to be when Mom was around and his cooking is really shaping up. My dad was always a good cook but now he is more than just a gourmet cook, but a good every day normal cooking cook. :o) We had a pleasant weekend, went to the temple for a Satyanaran katha on Friday as it was Sharad poornima, met a few friends and family friends. Dad and Usha aunty stocked me up on food for the next two weeks. I have another big test coming up in two weeks but this time with all this food I won't be eating out as much. Diwali is in two weeks and I got lucky this time, Bharti aunty and Usha aunty made snacks so I've got diwali snacks too. I've encouraged Dad to keep mom's tradition up and make a special sweet called ghughras for diwali. It used to be a project that my parents used to do together. My mom would make the filling and my Dad would wrap the filling in a fillo-like wrap and make the little ripples on it for decoration. He's pretty excited about it so I think he's going to do it. He made a lot of khari sing for diwali (dried salty peanuts) for Bharti aunty but I stole a considerable amount. It seems as though most of this entry is going to be about food. Mom used to always cook up a storm for diwali and I always got to bring back snacks to college. I think we're going to keep up the tradition to the best of our abilities this time. (by we, I mean Dad..I'm not doing any cooking these days...;o) )

September 23, 2006

2006-09-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

It's September 23rd, 2006, the first night of navratri (actually, I don't know if it's the first night but it's the first night that people in America get to dance). Navratri is a nine day dance festival for Hindus in celebration of the Goddess Durga killing a demon. It's a very special time of the year when kids, like me, get dressed up in traditional indian cloths and dance in a circle and make a full of themselves. Having grown up in Augusta, it's a real special time because most everyone who's grown up in Augusta tries to come back from their undergraduate institutions and it's a time when the kids (who are now not kids anymore) get to catch up, meet aunties, old friends that they grew up with, uncles, old members of the community and just have a great time. All the little traditions of navratri in AUG: dancing in a High school gymnasium, eating food served by uncles in the community, running in circle's doing the train as Bhanu aunty sings the Gadi song, and most importantly, dancing with my friends, Kinj, Kavita, Preefs, etc--bring back such good memories. This year, I'm sitting in Atlanta studying for an Exam I'm going to have on Monday. It's the first year spending a official hindu holiday without my mom. My mom was a big part of Garba--she helped me get ready, allowed me to fuss around about what I wanted to wear, got my outfits together, fixed my clothing for me, sat on the benches and watched me dance, taught me how to sing the arti, did aarti with me at the end, and stayed till the end with me every year. Last year, my dad didnt want to come so it was just me and mom. I was only able to come home for one weekend and we went both nights. She dressed up in a sari and got me ready and we spent the whole night there. Pooja and Kishen and a few of the med school students were there and we had a great time. I remember walking home at the end of the night laughing and giggling about something. Just her and I, I think we were smiling about a friends little brother who had just started driving and were gigling about something or the other. We had some great navratris. In India we used to go around town to watch all the good garba places. When I was a kid, I used to beg mom to let me stay till late. We had a deal, if I finished my homework at school then I was allowed to stay till the end. For 9 days, the home work would always be done before I stepped into the house after school and there was never ever a complaint about not wanting to do homework or not being prepared for a test, etc. Some fun times. :o) This time of year, brings out those memories of all the times I bothered my mom and fussed around with her and made deals with her so that we both could enjoy Navratri. It's never going to be the same without her but atleast I got those memories.

2006-09-06T22:37:00.001-07:00

Its pretty early in the morning on the 7th. I have my first medical school exam on Friday and just returned to my apartment from the library. As I was driving home, I was trying to think of all the muscles in my arm that I was using while stearing the wheel but it was just too late in the night be be thinking just complex thoughts. Suddenly, I thought about what the date was going to be tomorrow: its the 7th of September. Wow! 5 months. I've spent five months without my mom. I've started medical school, am officially in up to my neck and trying to keep my head above the waters. I've spent a month in anatomy lab, dissecting bodies of individuals who so gracially donated their bodies to medical science. I now know all the muscles in the back, arm and forearm, and maybe the hand. And tomorrow, I am going to spend the day cramming for my test on Friday. Five months ago, I started out the day..well you know what happened. It's just so surreal how life changes so fast from life, to death, to life again.
I miss mom every single day. It's not easy. Life doesn't stop. (I wouldn't mind if mom could get that guy up there to add a few more hours to the day tomorrow so I can study more for this test. ;o) )

2006-08-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

I've been in medical school for 3 weeks now. It's still pretty surreal and at times I have to remind myself that this is "for real" but I'm having a good time. My classmates are all pretty great and have come from a million different backgrounds which really makes things exciting. Everyone is pretty friendly and I've made many friends. The transition to medical school has been kind of hard for me. I've been a little apprehensive about everything: school, how my dad is doing, making new friends, telling new friends about myself, being in a new place, getting back into studying, getting ready for tests, etc. But I'm sticking to my personality and not giving up. I'm hanging in there. I finally caved in and told a professor about mom early last week. I hadn't told any of my professors before as it all happened so fast and I didn't know any of them by name. It was incredibly hard but he was very kind and I had a great conversation with him. Today I was able to tell two more people.
I wasn't that excited about studying during the first two weeks of school. But one of my good friends from UGA just transfered to my school and since then I've been slowly building up my excitment and getting back into my old study modes. It's been really great for me. I have a postcard that my mom wrote me when I was a freshman in college. I was going through a similar phase during that time, where I was apprehensive about a new beginning. Mom wrote me a postcard where she tells me that hard work pays off. There have been times in my life where I didn't believe that statement at all. But right now, I have the postcard framed and put on my kitchen counter. I look at it every day. I know she would've said that to me today, if she were here, and I know she's saying it to me from wherever she is..so I'm trying hard to stay focused, work hard, and hopefully it'll pay off. I have to admit, it's not easy and so far I haven't worked the hardest I could..but I'm getting there.

Sunday August, 20th

2006-08-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
The last month went by pretty fast. The end of July and beginning of August were spent in finishing up preparations for me to move to Atlanta. I'm in Atlanta now, living in one bedroom. One of my friends is staying with me for a few weeks and after that I'll be on my own for real. So far, I just finished up my first week of medical school. It was intense, surreal, exciting, and scary all at the same time. My classmates are all great and come from very diverse academic, professional, and cultural backgrounds. I'm going to have a good time getting to know them. It's been a little hard adjusting to life over here. Living alone and being in a new environment, I'm facing the usual challenges one faces when starting something new. It's harder since mom isn't with me, physically and I'm away from my father. I am fully aware of all the positive notes: he's not really that far away and I talk to him multiple times everyday but it doesn't make the adjustment any easier. I'm taking the harder road, living away from him and doing something on my own. I know I'll succeed and everything will work out but it's going to take a little while before I'm adjusted completely. I just have to be patient with myself. Dad is doing alright, going through similar motions but keeping himself occupied. Our friends and family have ofcourse been amazing through-out this new phase in our lives. I have so much support from friends from high school and undergrad. who live around this area. Dad has been spending time with his friends in Augusta too and has had many homes to go over to and hang out. So, support is endless, for which we are so thankful. But adjusting ourselves is going to take time and we're trying to be as patient as possible with ourselves.

July 20, 2006

2006-07-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

I was going to sit down and journal on my own but thought I might share my day with everyone. I just realized that it has been exactly 4 months to the date since Mom was admitted to the hospital. Mom and I went to the hospital very early in the morning with Dad and Jagdish kaka on March 20th, 2006. That is quite a coincidence since I just happened to go visit the hospital again this morning. I had wanted to go thank the nurses and staff members of the open-heart ICU for several months now. The gentleness and compassion with which they took care of mom was really out of this world. They were so very gentle when talking to Dad and I. I know it must be really hard to exactly know how serious a patient's condition is and at the same time say something positive to their family members and give them a ray of hope without completly lying to them about the patient's health status. I wanted to thank them for trying everything they could to save mom. For many months, I carried a thank you note I wrote to them with me in the car. I would set out to go give it to them and then turn the car around and run another errand. A few weeks ago, I talked about this with Sheila aunty and she said we should bake some brownies and she and i could go give them to the ICU. So, that's what I did. I baked some brownies yesterday and put some kaju katri in the box (I had to add a little indian touch to it for mom's sake) and Sheila aunty and I walked it up there this morning. I handed it to Debra, the only nurse I recognized there. Debra took care of mom during her first few hours out of the OR. She was so so very gentle with Mom and comforted us during those first critical hours after mom's surgery. She is a face and a person I will never forget. I tried very hard to maintain my composure but it didn't happen. I ended up making her shed a few tears. The lights, smell, and sound of the ICU were just all overwhelming. It brought back memories of my mom's last days and those last few hours. Debra said to me, "you know, your mom was a trooper. she tried really hard. she's resting peacefully now." I know it.
Mom was a really special person even to these nurses who only knew her for a few days. They still remembered who she was and were able to take to me about her. Think about how many patients they must've taken care of before, during, and after mom. It makes me feel good that she had such a positive impact on people even when she was so sick. Mom's always sending me so many lessons. She may not be physically around to joke around with and laugh with but its times like this when I know she's helping me do whatever I need to do in life. Thanks to Sheila aunty I gathered the courage to go up to the ICU. I'm so glad I did it.

2006-07-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

hi everyone,

I got your comment, Joe. I'll definetly try to post more often. I've just been in the summer-mode these days. Dad and I are doing alright. We had guests these past two weeks and enjoyed spending time with them. It was nice having the house full for a few days. We're taking a short trip up to Detroit at the end of this week and then when I come back, I'll be winding things up to move to Atlanta.
I think I'll start a new blog or just send massive e-mails out every now and then. My e-mail address is shaylee.dave@gmail.com, if you want to send me an e-mail. I hope everyone is having a nice summer.

lots of love,
shaylee

july 3rd

2006-07-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to write much on the blog lately. The summer has been going by so fast for both me and my Dad. We have been busy getting ready for me to move to Atlanta in August. We've also been taking time to relax and try to get stuff organized around the house. We've spent a lot of time with several close family friends that have visited/are visiting this summer. Dad and I took a trip to Washington DC in the middle of June. We drove up there to visit one of Dad's very old friends, Shankar Rao. We had a very nice time there and I was able to spend some time with my cousins and friends as well. We're back in Augusta now and have a few family friends visiting us till the second week of July. I hope to be able to go on another short trip before medical school starts.
Our vegetable garden is blooming well. Some of the plants grew from seeds that had fallen last year. So we're keeping up the gardening tradition. Dad knows a lot more about the garden and such than I and it's mostly his job to take care of that. We're trading off kitchen duty's and I've learnt a lot of recipes from my Dad as well as family and friends. I'm becoming pretty domestic although all that will end pretty soon when school starts.
So, there's an update on what's been going on down here. I hope things are going well with all of you.
lots of love,
shaylee

May 19th, 2006

2006-05-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone even visits this blog anymore but I decided to post a new blog anyhow. I graduated from the University of Georgia last Saturday, May 13th. I majored in Chemistry and now, officially have a Bachelors in Science. I worked really hard the last few weeks to complete my degree and just get out of Athens. Three and a half of the four years that I spent in Athens, GA were fabulous. I made many good friends who supported me through-out and helped me pass my classes this semester.
Graduation went much better than I expected. Obviously, I was not very excited about the whole deal as I was missing one of my biggest fan/cheerleader, my mom. However, the small family get-together we had for my graduation really made the world of a difference for me. My cousins Nisha and Ketan ben drove down from the DC area; my old roommate, Namrata, came from Wisconsi; Kinj drove from Atlanta; my kaka and kaki came from NJ; Girdhar Uncle and Bhanu aunty flew in from California; ofcourse Bharti Aunty and Jagdish kaka came to Athens with my Dad; and Bhau mama gave me a huge surprise and flew down (which was just awesome). My mom really loved family gatherings and had especially wanted to arrange one for my graduation. We never got around to doing anything because of her health, but turns out we had a little gathering anyhow. I'm sure whereever she is, she was very pleased and happy.

The ceremony turned out not to be that boring either. I went to a very large university and was worried that it would be incredibly boring but the speaker was actually pretty funny. We had lunch at a Thai place which was nice and quite, which allowed my family and friends to enjoy good conversations without any distractions. We drove back to Augusta and relaxed and had a light dinner at the house with more good conversations. :o) I'll try to post pictures somewhere when I get a chance.
All in all, my family and friends made graduation really special. We definetly celebrated Mom-style: with family, friends, good food, good conversations, and laughter. It's been an incredibly tough year for me and I wouldn't have made it through without my wonderful friends and family. Thanks everyone for your love and support!

a story

2006-04-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
A few days ago I sent out an e-mail to some family and friends to propose a project for them this summer. I propose that people take a few minutes this summer to write a story about a time they spent with my mother. I'm sure many of you have so many good stories of times you've spent with mom: funny, serious, but I bet most of them have something funny and positive associated with the annecdote. So, Send your stories to me at indimasti22@yahoo.com!! I'll compile them and put them on the web or something.
Heres a story to start out. Tonight (April 25th, 2006), as I was walking barefood from my neighbors apartment back to my apartment I steped on a tiny tiny piece of glass. I could barely feel it initially but after a few seconds I felt a little prick with every step. I hopped through my living room and sat on my bed. I was like "shoot. now what". I pinched the heal of my foot and a tried to focus on the miniscule piece of glass. I couldn't see it but I could feel it. The first thought that popped in my head was call mom and figure out what to do. Then I was like..what would mom do in this situation. I reached for the needle and then suddenly I also realized that I had a little magnifying glass that mom had given me a few months ago. After messing around for a few minutes, I used both instruments to take the little piece of glass out successfully. As I was putting the magnifying glass away I remembered why my mother had insisted that I take the little device to school. In hindu custom, your head is supposed to face a particular direction when sleeping on a bed. I don't exactly remember which direction but at the beginning of the school year mom insisted that I take this little toy that had a magifying class, binoculars and a compass all in it to school and figure out whether or not I was sleeping in the right direction. Most of my furniture is quite bulky and hard to shift around so I wasn't going to mess with moving furniture around and doing stuff if I found out that I wasn't sleeping in the right direction. For a while I never looked and mom asked me each day whether I had used the compass and figured out if I was sleeping in the right direction. I don't actually remember whether I looked and she stopped asking or she gave up on me. But one of the two happened and she stopped questioning what direction I was sleeping in. I think she made sure I was doing it right when she visited for the first and last time earlier this semester. At any rate, the toy she insisted I take to school was quite handy today. :o) Hope the story makes you guys smile.

April 20th

2006-04-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This time last month I was spending the day unpacking from a trip and talking to my mom. We were laughing and joking about the difficulties we would be facing in the coming days. It was a very peaceful day. Thankfully, I have a short 5 minute clip of that day on video which I will definetly try to share with everyone. It's been 14 days since I last talked to my mom and 19 days since she talked to me. I have my mom's strength to face all this with a smiling face. Some days are harder than others but that's how life goes. We had a beautiful set of bhajans last Friday. A few close friends came to the house and sang with much devotion. Yesterday, the 19th of April we had a pooja at the house for mom's "termu" (13th day) as it is called. It was a very nice pooja with close family from out of town and a few close friends. At night we had bhajans at the temple. I sang a bhajan and ofcourse had to mess up for my mother. Mom and Dad used to always get on my case to make me sing at the temple when I was younger. I dislike singing in big crowds and haven't practiced in a long time. So yesterdays program went well and dad and I are staying in good spirits. I'll update this blog with news about Dad and I occassionally. We're hanging in there and laughing and smiling as my mother would want us to do.

April 9th, 2006

2006-04-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Dear dear friends and family. The blog post from Friday/Saturday was written by my best friends Hajra and Kinjal. The past few days have been very hard for my father and I but we have been able to feel the strength and love mom left us with. Her funeral was held today. Mom looked like she was at peace and resting. I performed the last rites. Dad, myself, a small group of very very close friends and family said goodbye to my mother for the last time. Although she has left us physically, her strength, love, enthusiasm for life, humor surrounds us today. I would like to share with you my eulogy as I hope it will give some closure and support to those who were unable to attend the funeral.
Ohm Namah Shivay
My dear dear family and friends,
I do not know how to talk about my mother without sharing with you one of the many anecdotes she has left us with.
I came home one weekend during my freshman year of college to find the house overflowing with branches and stumps of, what I would later find out, was cedar wood! Apparently an aunty in the community had her cedar tree cut and my mother was so excited she grabbed our next door neighbor, Gunther, and brough the whole tree into our house. "Cedar wood smells sooo good, shaylee" she said to me in that voice of her, full of incredible enthusiasm. Ofcourse, she wouldn't have stopped there; Mom never stopped talking in just one sentence. She listed a whole bunch of reasons why she needed the entire tree in our house. In the coming months, she made coasters, kept chips of cedar wood in her saris and in my cloths. For years, not months, I would bring back laundry from home to find random pieces of wood in my cloths. Mom found joy in the simplest things. (Laughter)
My mother, Rajeshwari Rajnikant Dave, had an incredible enthusiasm for life. Mom's cheerful, loving nature always embraced all that is good in this world, overshadowing anything negative. Mom was/is/and always will be an amazing wife and mother. Dad and her were really one of a kind. Talking at the same time about the same thing in different words and trying to over-talk the other one. Did I say that fast enough? My parents and I had some great family vacations. They always involved stopped at every body of water that came on the road so mom could put her feet in it and taking 3 hour stops for Dad's photography. She was also an amazing sister to her 5 brothers and 2 sisters. She had a very special way of bringing my families together. I'm sure most of you know that I have three sides of family.
If you've ever heard me talk to my mom, you'd know she is my best friend. I talked to her about everything and asked her for advice on anything. Not only was she my friend but she was a friend to my friends too. She made certain that every one of them was fed when they visited. Mummy really had a way of making good friends. As are all gathered here today and I have the opportunity to address you together, I know my mother would want me to tell you that she had an incredible amount of love and respect for each and every one of you.
There is a very special way that my parents and I dealt with the bad times life threw us, we laughed and laughed. We would find a reason to laugh about the silliest things. The day before her surgery the three of us were sitting at breakfast and there was mom, giggling uncontrollably about something incredibly silly. I can't remember what we giggled about but the laughter helped ease the load and the mounting pressure we were all feeling. Today, as you say goodbye to your friend, sister, aunty, I want you to know that she fought very hard to try to be with us physically. And although the outcome wasn't how we wished it would be, she will always be with us. Recently she used to compare our family to a ship. Mom was going to get through these rough times because the ship that is my family had to stay afloat. Vahan Dubadvanu Nathi, she would say in gujarati which means we're not going to let the ship sink. Mom made it through her first open heart surgery and went on to spend 17 wonderful years with Dad and I to make sure that the ship that is my family will not sink. It is because of her strength and her love that I am able to stand here today. Mummy's love, her spirit, her personality will be immortal in our hearts and will that we will find the strength to laugh and to live.

2006-04-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,
Regretably I have to inform everyone that mom passed away yesterday around 5:25 pm April 7, 2006. This has come suddenly and as a shock for everyone. Around 1 o'clock her health drastically declined and became unstable due to a complication regarding her surgery. She was put on life support, and Dad and I were with her the whole way. She passed peacefully and she looks like she is resting. She worked really hard, and was strong throughout, and now she is at rest. She was loved by everyone and will be missed dearly. Please keep us in your prayers, and pray that mom will be at peace.
-Shaylee

2006-04-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
No change since yesterday in Mom's status. Today they gave her a machine that helps her breath a little better. She is still breathing on her own but this machine just helps her. It is similar to the one my Dad uses for his sleep apnea. Her liver and pancreas are pretty much the same and doctors are still working real hard to figure things out. Her spirits are still high. Dad's cousin stayed with him most of today and they had a nice time together. Dad is doing well. I will go home tomorrow and spend the weekend with him. One of my other cousins is going to come spend some time with Dad and help out. So, all I have to say is sit tight and keep praying/sending positive vibrations!!! :o)
lots of love,
shaylee

Wednesday, March 6th

2006-04-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to report today. Mom was a little more calm today and has been able to rest. The doctors have not been able to make a diagnosis with her liver and her pancreas. They are really trying their best and involving some of the best doctors in the field to figure out how to fix the situation. Her heart and lungs are recoverying properly. Ofcourse, we have the continous support of all the community members and family members. Dad is doing fine and was able to relax a little today as one of his cousins came to spend the day with him. At this point all we can do is be thankful for the fact that Mom has a wonderful team of doctors working on her and trying to help her. And, pray that they find a solution and that everyone keeps fighting: the doctors, Mom, and all of us.

Tuesday, April 4th

2006-04-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I spoke to Mom's night nurse and he said that she is resting properly now. Mom an interesting day. She was a little anxious about medications and random stuff in the afternoon and got a little tired. Her doctors say that her heart and lungs are recoverying well. But they are still trying to figure out how the problem with her liver and pancreas happened and so are unable to properly address its treatment. The doctors are all wonderful; they have recruited the best in the field and I am confident they will figure something out soon. Mom was a little restless in the ICU today but it's hard to make her comfortable as she doesn't like watching TV or listening to music when she is sick. She is unable to go outside or be moved to a window (the ICU doesn't have windows) right now. We just all have to be patient--whoever coined the word patient was very wise! Patients have to have so much patience. (I know that was a lame joke). Sheila aunty and Dad visited her at night until she kicked them out as she wanted to rest.
So all in all a little rocky day for mom as her liver/pancreas isnt doing well and she got a bit anxious. But she knows everyone loves her and is praying for her and that she has to be patient. Therefore, I know she's doing all she can to keep herself calm and rest as much as possible. Keep up the great prayers/thoughts! :o)

2006-04-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hi!
I'm back at school so I'm just posting what I've heard about Mom from my Dad and Pooja (family friend). Mom was a little short of breath today but they were able to help a little by trying to reduce the amount of fluid buildup in her body. Dad and Pratap kaka went to see her this morning and afternoon. Pratap kaka left today after giving us an amazing amount of support and positive vibrations for 10 days. He's going to be sending Mom positive vibrations from back home now. Dad is doing fine. He spent the rest of the day doing his routine and went to see Mom in the evening. Mom was able to sit in the chair for some time today which is good for her lungs. Sheila aunty visited her at some point. Mom has been pretty good about using her breathing toys. She learned how to use them correctly today too. Jyoti Aunty and Pooja went and visited mom in the evening and rubbed her head for her. All in all, a fair day for Mom.
lots of love,
shaylee

April 2nd, Sunday

2006-04-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Happy Spring Forward everyone. Those of us living in America have had the pleasure of loosing one hour of sleep today. I woke up this morning and was almost proud of myself to have woken up at 7:00 but was dissapointed to find out that it was actually 8:00. We rushed to get ready and made it to the hospital in time to see mom at 9:00. Mom was awake and we did the traditional holding of hands, head massages, etc. Pratap kaka sent some good positive vibrations to mom through out the day through his meditation practices. Today was a long day for mom. They finally put the feeding tube in through the nose and started feeding her sometime this afternoon. She now is is getting some food into her system while giving her pancreas and liver a rest. Let's see how this works to help her problems with her pancreas and liver. Her spirits were still high which is always a good sign. I visited her before leaving to come back to the university and she was resting. Mom had a restful Sunday as she slept most of the day. Her nurse was able to get her to sit in the chair for only a half an hour today. She is continuing her breathing exercises and trying to keep her lungs clear of fluid. So all in all, today was a tiring/restful day for mom.

Saturday, April 1st

2006-04-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

Hi!
Mom was a little tired today as she had to go get some tests done. I think she was able to get out of her little corner in the ICU and travel down the corridors of the hospital today. She has been able to rest in the ICU despite the constant noises, people walking around and lights. I imagine it's really hard to sleep for a significant stretch of time. Dad, Pratap kaka and I found her asleep this morning when we went to visit and managed to not wake her. When I went to visit in the afternoon she was sitting in a chair. She was pretty exhausted from her excursion to the place were they did some tests for her pancreas problem. I rubbed her head and talked to her a little while she listened quietly. In the evening Dad, Pratap Kaka and I were able to go see her again. She was lying back in bed and had all of us do some kind of service to her: rub her head, her feet or hold her hand. She says she's got to take advantage of us being there. :o) She then proceeded to tell Dad and Pratap Uncle not to come in the evening and then turned to me and said that "Tare beeju su kaam che, tu raat na avje." ;o) I sat with mom tonight and I sang a few prayers and she listened. I met her wonderful nurses and friends that she has made while she has been in the ICU. She has been doing her breathing exercises regularly which is really good. Hopefully with God's grace and everyone's prayers, her recovery will continue in this path. :o)
shaylee

Friday, March 31st

2006-03-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody!
Thanks to everyone for leaving us such heart warming comments. :o) I really appreciate your prayers and concern. So I'm home for the weekend as my university is only 2 hours away. As you can imagine, I was really excited to finally get to see my mom off of the ventilator. I was at the university the last time they took her off and so haven't had a chance to talk to her, in person, since right before she went into surgery. It was really great to see her sitting up in bed. She has a real hard time not talking too much. Doctors have said that even though she can now talk she doesn't need to strain her vocal chords too much nor use up her energy chatting it up. So, we're trying to make her continue to use facial expressions and hand gestures to communicate but it's going to take a while before she completely complies with our requests. Parts of my mom's personality are surfacing: she has the nurses warm up the water and orange juice for her as it soothes her throat. She had Dad, Pratap kaka and me rub her head for her. She is working on her breathing and lung strength by using the little breathing toys they have given her. Her doctors have decided to feed her through a tube so as to give her pancreas and liver a rest. She's still a little jaundiced but hopefully it will clear up in time. They have given her a heart shaped pillow which she hugs very tightly when she coughs as it hurts her stitches.
I got her to quietly listen to my stories of stuff happening at school. I've managed to copy my fathers trait in making good friends; I have some of the awesomest friends one could imagine. After talking to mom on the phone yesterday evening, I was able to relax with my closest friends ever over some thai food and tiramisu. So don't worry about me, I'm taking care of myself. :o)
I'm looking forward to spending the next two days with her. Hopefully, with God's grace, progress will continue in this same direction. Thanks again (I think I might say this with every entry on this blog) for all your prayers and keep up the good work! :o)
lots of love,
shaylee

2006-03-30T21:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!
I have more progress to report today. They did some breathing excersices with my mom this morning and were able to take her off of the respirator around 4:00 pm. So far she has been able to have a little clear liquids. She's still in good spirits and is staying calm. Sheila aunty called me after she visited her and told me that Mom was staying calm and letting her body rest. I was able to speak to her very very briefly on the phone: I did most of the talking and mom just listened. So with god's grace I've been able to let you know of some more positive progress. Let's keep praying and hope that mom's recovery continues to move in the right direction. Thanks for all your support.

lots of love,
shaylee

Wednesday, March 29th

2006-03-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

Today has been a good day for Mom. She was able to rest on her own. She is usually very hyper and can get anxious at times but the nurses were able to calm her down. I just got off of the phone with the nurse and she said that Mom breathed on her own for a significant time today. They are letting her rest through the night and still have her hooked up to the respirator. They will try to let her breath on her own again tomorrow. Her blood tests didn't show an infection in the blood so that's a good sign. Her pancreas is doing a little better her kidneys are a little worse. They will look at the blood test numbers again tomorrow and the doctors/nurses will see what they need to do. All in all today has been a good, restful day for mom. They didn't sedate her too much today so she was able to interact a little while Dad and Pratap kaka when they visited.
She's been asking for ice but its not good for her. The nurses explain to her the reason why they cannot give her ice and ask her to be patient and she understands. She nods her head and resumes resting. She's not fighting it and is letting her body rest. It's relatively good days such as this one that we all need to remember and optimistically look forward to when things get a bit rocky. I know everyone keeping my Mum in their prayers/thoughts. So keep up the good work! :o)

lots of love,
shaylee

Tuesday, March 28th

2006-03-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

I got to see Mummy 4 times today as I am home for the day. She is still on the respirator and will be on it for a few days. According to her lung doctor, her lungs look alright. I just got back from the 8:30 visitation half-hour and she looks like she is sleeping and resting right now. Mummy just needs to rest and let her body heal. Doctors are concerned about her liver and her pancreas and they did a few tests and are coming up with a plan. Mom has some jaundice and her pancreas is swollen. The nature of these two things is that it will resolve itself in due time. They are giving her gut rest by not giving her food and switched out a drug that might have been the cause for the swelling of the pancreas. She is sedated and rested most of the day. She is still able to hear us when we come into the room and was able to acknowledge us by opening her eyes a few times and raising her eyebrows and arms. This night Mom and I did Ohm Namah Shivay japs (she in her head and me aloud) for a while and we said a few other stotras. Dad, me, Pratap kaka gave her a head massage earlier as she likes it. We had some support of friends and family friends in the waiting room waiting for us when we arrived at the hospital today. My mom's nurses have all been really great. They do such a great job and are so dedicated to their patients. Mom is a real favorite for some of them. :o) Everyone has really been amazing through this hard time. Please continue your prayers/positive vibrations for my Mom. She is a fighter!!

Monday, March 27th

2006-03-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Today started out alright for Mummy: it was the 3rd day that she was off of the respirator. She wasn't feeling very good when Dad and Pratap Kaka went in to see her this morning. The doctors were thinking about sending her to the regular room as her condition had progressed for the past couple of days. She was able to eat and drink a little but was feeling very uncomfortable and had trouble breathing. Around 5:30 this evening, I got a call from my father telling me they were going to put her back on the respirator. So, mom's back on the respirator. I came home and just sat with mom for 45ish minutes. Her nurse tells me that things like this happens, patients many times have to be put back on the respirator. I know it's not something Mom would want but her body just needs time to heal. There are a lot of things that the doctors are concerned about right now and they are running some tests to figure out what caused her to have to be put back on the respirator. Mom was really anxious this morning and in caring for her the her nurse took a little longer in processing the paper work that would send mom to a room on the floor. Turns out, this was a blessing in disguise: had Mom been on the floor the nurses would probably not have been able to get all the equipment together in time to save her. We can't celebrate too early with Mom. Her recovery is going to take a real long time. She and we both have to be incredibly patient. I know she's a fighter but she might be disheartened to be back on the respirator. Dad is holding up alright thanks to the constant company of Pratap Kaka. He was naturally shooken up a bit when the pager started going off. But thankfully, everything worked out. Mom's body is now taking its on sweet time to rest and heal. Please please continue to pray for her and send her positive vibrations.

Sunday, March 26th

2006-03-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

We are really getting to see the fruit of everyone's prayers and mom's hard work. This morning she was sitting up in bed when my Dad and Pratap kaka went to visit her. She had some clear broth for dinner last night and some ice cream for dessert. Pratap kaka had the honor of feeding her the first spoon of clear broth. This morning she was sipping on some clear broth when my Dad and Pratap kaka visited her. She said that she had been working on drinking the one bowl of soup for an hour. Since she now had visitors, she let Pratap kaka and Dad feed her the soup and let her hand rest a little. She's felt everyones positive vibrations and is now able to obviously show that she is working hard to get back to a healthy lifestyle. She told Pratap kaka today that she was going to work hard for Dad and me. The doctors are still concerned about a few things and are going to take their time before they move her out of the ICU. She is doing a few exercises to build up the strength in her lungs. They have a machine thingy that she blows into every hour.
Dad brought her some of the disgusting flavor fresh juice that my mother likes. It's freshly squeezed juice with apples, carrots, celery, basically a mixture of fruits and vegetables. Mom enjoyed drinking it and was generous enough to insist that her nurse have a sip. Surprisingly, her nurse declined my mom's offer to have a full cup of the juice. lol. ;o) So Mom is showing signs of her own personality again and making people laugh! :o) Hope the day continues to be as good as the morning. :o)

Saturday night

2006-03-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

Yeaee! Guess who just heard her mom's voice after 5 days of silence? MEE! :o) I just spoke to her nurse and he is very pleased with mom's progress. Mom was able to get on the phone and talk for 2 seconds. Made my night!! :o)

Saturday, March 25th

2006-03-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

Great news everyone: Mom's off of the respirator! When I spoke to her nurse this morning she said that they were doing excersices to try to build up Mom's confidence and strength in an attempt to get her off of the respirator. I imagined that it would take atleast another day before she got off of it. However, I got a phone call from Dad around 3:30 pm telling me that he had just returned from visiting mom and that she was off of the ventilator. She is a little more alert that before and is now able to talk a little in a hushed tone. Sheila aunty called me after she visited her today to also break the good news to me. It will probably be a while before Mummy has the strength to talk on the phone. Sheila aunty told me that mom was in no hurry to hear my voice or talk to me. ;o) (we'll have plenty of long conversations/discussions once she gains a little bit of strength) She knows that its better for her to not talk much and rest. Her nurses and doctors have told us of small progresses in her health since Wednesday but today was an enormous achievement. Hopefully she will continue to be able to breath on her own and will not have to be put back on a respirator. Dad and Pratap kaka have made a routine to go to the Y and exercise after seeing mom in the morning. They are also doing well. So overall today has been a good day for Mom. Mom is in good spirits and will continue to fight to get back to a healthy lifestyle. Keep sending the prayers and positive vibrations. :o)

Friday, 23nd of March

2006-03-24T04:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!!
So I decided to create a blog to most easily transmit information to everyone about Mom's status. All three of us are really touched by the number of phone calls and people praying for mom. Please continue your prayers as she needs all the prayers she can get. Mom's open-heart surgery was on Tuesday the 21st. The surgery lasted approximately 8 hours and she almost didn't make it out of the OR. But with my mom's will to live,God's grace, and your prayers, she made it through the surgery. For the past three days she has been in the ICU. She is still on a respirator but is able to use sign language, recognize our voices, and write with her finger on people's hands. She is incredibly strong and knows what she needs to endure and do to get healthy. We saw her open her eyes for the first time on Wednesday morning. Yesterday she opened her eyes for Bhau mama and me when Bhau mama went to say goodbye. Bhau mama was here for the surgery and left yesterday. Dad is hanging in there and doing fine as he and I have a lot of support from Bharti Aunty, Jagdish kaka, Sheila aunty and the Augusta community. One of my Dad's friends is visiting for 10 days to give him company all the time. Mom's health is now moving in the right direction. The improvements are going to be small and incredibly slow but she is a fighter. I am returning to school today and will be coming and going from Athens as often and as my academic schedule permits. Thanks again for all the warm wishes, prayers and positive energy!
lots of love,
shaylee