Celebrations!

[Katie H]

Every Friday evening we talk to Buck's mother in Pennsylvania. After our conversation last night, I think, more and more, something she said comes under the heading of "celebration."

First, back up a few years. I was in a serious vehicle accident in which I was nearly killed. Fortunately I survived with little physical injuries. It wasn't until about 6 weeks after the accident that I realized there was something very, very wrong. I had suffered a closed head injury during the accident. Think of it along the lines of shaken baby syndrome. My brain was shaken around inside my skull pretty severely during the accident.

As a result, I ended up with very serious short term memory loss. I felt as though I was in prison or some sort of living he!!. I would be getting ready for the day in the bathroom. I'd reach for my hairbrush, put it down on the counter and, then, look at it wondering why it was on the counter. I never knew what day it was and, as a result, had calendars in every room of the house (including the bathroom) and my car. I used the daily paper to tell me what each day was as a foundation for my calendar use.

I couldn't read. I'd get to the bottom of a page and not even know what I'd read. I'd read the page again and again. Still no comprehension. I couldn't knit or crochet any more. I couldn't follow recipes to cook. Housework went undone because I'd forget to do it. Or think I'd done it.

When it came to doing some of my design work, I would sit down to create a design and do the necessary calculations and everything on the page would seem as though it came from Mars. Things I'd done hundreds, thousands of times were foreign to me.

Okay, long story short. Through a quirky series of events, I became part of a clinical study investigating an Alzheimer's drug to treat memory loss after head injury. Bingo!

Since participating in the study I've been taking Aricept and have regained my memory 100%. I fell as though I've been given my life back. No more memory prison.

During our conversations over the last couple of months, Buck's mother discussed some memory problems she'd been experiencing and asked about the drug I take. She also said her boyfriend was having similar difficulties.

Fast forward to last night. Buck's mother told us she'd been taking Aricept for several weeks and was seeing improvement. She said Elliott, her boyfriend, was also responding to treatment. All this made me very happy.

So my celebrations is, from my awful accident, two people other than myself are receiving treatment for and relief of their memory problems. Just proves a silver lining can always be found in an ugly cloud. I'm so happy for both of them.

[JoAnn L.]

Our 4 year old grandson Joshua was bowling and got 2 strikes and a spare.Yeah!!

[Claire]

Just when I was feeling down & out & depressed, my freinds rallied 'round. I will say I started it. I determined that storm or no, I was walking to friends' house to say hello. We went for drinks after, and ate (burnt!) chili here after that. Then yesterday another friend asked if we'd meet her at the local Mexican joint for dinner, and she bought because our birthdays are next week. When I called my mom (in the hospital, scheduled for bypass surgery in a few days) she sounded good.

As they say, we get by with a little help from our friends.

[Alix]

Katie, just makes you realize that to every thing there is a purpose huh? What a very cool story. I'm so glad you got your life back. And I'm glad your MIL is getting hers back too.

JoAnn, woohoo!

Claire, way to go. Friends are so important come rain or shine (or OTHER crappy weather). Hang in there, we're all here for you about your Mom.

[Alix]

Once again, Ken saves my butt! Even though he is busier than a one armed lion tamer he found time to get to the site I needed to get to and to print off the forms I needed. What a guy. I can hardly wait to see him to smooch the stuffing out of him.

Did I mention that he brings me flowers just cuz? Sigh.

[mudbug]

I caught daughter's cold late last week and spent the entire weekend on the couch, coughing and sniffing. HH not only did all the laundry but folded it as well.

I believe in miracles.

[Alix]

Is anything now the size of a Barbie outfit mudbug? What a wonderful hubby you have. Sounds like we need to raise a glass to our respective husbands this week.

[mudbug]

HA HA HA, Alix!!! He did good - not even any Ken outfits (no offense, real Ken).

The miraculous part is that usually when HH "does" the laundry, it means that he takes it to the basement, separates whites from the rest, etc., throws one load in, and walks away. Repeat, walks away.

First husband committed the unforgivable laundry sin several decades ago, though. Actually, two unforgivables.

First, washed my only good white blouse in with the jeans he had worn feeding pigs. Tie-dye gray wasn't cool even back in the early 70s.

Second, got tired of hanging around the laundromat so put some of my harder-to-dry pants over the oil heater gizmo in the living room at home. Burn stripes from the screens on top of the heater across the behinds of my only non-jeans also was not cool back then.

Think I kinda knew it was over then.

[Ken]

I'm going to the Rod Stewart concert tonight with my Cutie....hope the old guy doesn't slip a disc on stage.

[Barbara L]

I have had ideas for a few books in my head for a few years now but have never taken the time to really work much on them. One of them is a "chapter book" for kids around 3rd or 4th grade. I finally pulled the ideas off the "shelf" a week or so ago, and tonight I got the first chapter written! Yay!! It is really short, but for that age group it is fine. I can't wait to do Chapter Two! I would start on it now, but I have to get to bed.

Barbara