Mara has moved to a different room where she is looking forward to fewer intrusions and more sleep. The telemetry cords have been removed from her body. Dr. Gutin dropped by and asked Mara what she still has trouble with. Today once again things are better than before, but speaking, reading, simple arithmetic, arm/hand motor functions all are at a very basic level. Hannah, the occupational therapist, worked with Mara again. One of the exercises was stacking styrofoam cups in the little kitchen of the seventh floor. Cards were used to do numbers exercises. David Galaty said good bye to Mara. He is heading back to Oregon.
.jpg)
28 comments:
Dearest Mara,
I have been thinking about you non-stop for the past week. I check this blog several times a day for updates on your progress. Each time, I’m left in awe of your courage and strength. When I think of you, I think of your wonderful laugh and your radiant smile that so signify for me the beauty of your spirit. Despite everything that you have been through, your spirit continues to shine. You continue, as you always have, to inspire me to be a better person: to be more accepting of others, to be more free-spirited, to be curious, to look for the positive, to never give up. You truly bless my life.
I send you all of my love and every ounce of positive energy I can muster. Take extra special care of yourself!
I love you, Mara.
Your cousin Lauren (aka Laurie)
Hi Mara,
Just woke up here in Dhaka, and of course the first thing we do is check in with you via the blog to see how yesterday (still your today) went. Glad to hear you have moved into a calmer room and I hope you are getting more sleep now. Know that our thoughts are always with you. (In fact, I'm just waiting for the IT people to come in and ask why I'm always logged into a blog at work....)
Love,
Luke and Chris
Dear Mara,
What wonderful news that you are in a quieter room. If anyone is watching my internet use at my office they will see that I too am frequently checking for updates on your blog! I know this is a frustrating time, but you are making progress, and will continue to do so. While I know it is in your nature to want to be at 100% quickly, please be kind and forgiving to yourself amidst the frustrations. Your body and mind will restore themselves in between your work. I am flying to the Netherlands Wednesday night, and looking forward to being able to bring back to the States the talismans from your loved ones overseas.
Love and hugs (and laughter!),
Claudia
Hey Mara - Luke wakes up just in time for me to hit the hay. All makes perfect sense huh? Signs like these should only indicate to you that around the world at any given hour, someone is checking in on you, saying a prayer, imagining your presence.
Marathons of marathoughts around the universe.
Love you my friend,
LizMcK
Mara,
I'm hoping that I finally figured out how to sign on to Google. Maybe when you're done with Hannah you could send her my way! Nathaniel and I will be in Washington the weekend after this and hope to see you there then along with little Flo, who can't help but cheer you up. We're going to want a blow by blow on how you cleaned up on Halloween. No number of Goths can beat you on the body piercings department!
We, too, are finding your progress so amazing, although with the way you learn everything else almost by inhaling it, I can imagine how frustrating it is for you. But you've moved mountains already in just a few days, and none of us have any doubt as to the rest of your recuperating. And just being out of that buzzing booming confusion of the ICU and telemetry unit should cause a jump in recovery right there.
I think that Lewis and I may be the only Midwest elements of your global chain of love, so we're doing double duty by pumping out healing energy by the bucketful.
Love, Sally and Lewis
Hi Mara,
It's great to hear about the progress you are making just days after the operation and it must be exhausting to say the least. Baby steps to big results.. We are thinking about you every day and sending you lots of positve, healing energy.
love and hugs,
Blanche
HI Sweet cheeks. That is my new name for you....in your pictures I just want to pinch your cheeks.
Glad to hear you are doing better today. Tell us what the special significance is of the scarf around your neck! Been looking that for a couple days now wondering about it.
You look like you are putting your efforts into relearning some important skills, glad to hear it.
It is a beautiful oregon fall day today, you remember them I am sure. I took a long walk in the woods and really connected with the sweet wonderful aliveness life offers us. You too have been reminding me of this. I hope you and your loved ones are seeing that in all your are doing now.
we are with you dearest.
xxoo Kathleen & Susie
Dear Mara,
I know how frustrating it is to have a "right" broken arm as I had for two months in the summer. My first reaction was to get depressed and then after two days I started thinking "I was lucky that it was not something else more serious and that I just needed to accept the situation and ride with it until it was over". Positive thinking is not usually my approach to things, but lo and behold when I switched my attitude I was able to learn that sometimes life might deal me some unaccepted blows but the important thing that is conducive to personal growth is one's ability to deal with life. I always had a theory that the greatest people on this earth are the ones who go through the toughest challenges in life...and you are one of them. I am thinking of you always and I wish you the gift of hope and patience as this is what you need right now to walk you through this recuperation time. If I may share with you a small serenity prayer that I learned in 1992 in one of the personal growth workshops I attended, which helped me a lot in my life: "God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference." I do not know if this applies to your life right now, but I just felt like sharing. That's it from guru um samia for now...stay tuned. Take care.
Hi Mara, You are beautiful. It is so nice to start my day with you. Today styrofoam cups, tomorrow martini glasses! Keep it up, my friend. You are amazing. Love, Rob
Dear Mara,
It's so great to see your progress! I know it must be frustrating, but keep at it! Your blog is the first thing I read in the morning and the last thing I read at night. Know that we're thinking about you often and are one more dot on the Mara world map of love and support.
Love,
Cressy and Ben
mara, so glad to hear that you are in a quieter place. more sleep should help your mood and your state of mind. once again, i'm so impressed with your bravery and your steadfast improvement. you are a miracle -- and we all stand in awe. we love you very much, and our thoughts are always with you. xo,kristina (in belgrade).
Hi Mara
What a brave woman. You are a hero and my role model. God bless you and be with you all the way. You are forever in my daily prayers.
David - my endless thanks to God for sending such a precious gift for Mara (YOU)and many thanks for keeping us all updated with Mara's developments. You really make me feel as if I am with her all the time.
God bless. Miss you both so much.
Maha
Darling Mara,
This is Joachim writing although I guess it will be posted as Elise. This blog is turnning into a real fan club! I haven't been able to read your blog for a couple of days, as trying to juggle a job, two sick kids and various work dinners leaves me with just about enough time to get my shoes off before collapsing in bed at night... But I'm amazed at the following you have around the world, and it seems to be growing by the hour. You'll have enough of a supporter base to run for president soon...
Today I'm home with Anna as she has the stomach flu. I get daily updates from Elise on the phone, and I can't tell you how glad and relieved I am that you are recovering so well. You have an amazing fighting spirit that never seizes to amaze me. Truly. I don't know anyone with your optimism and strength. You are an inspiration to me, and obviously to many more.
Anna just saw the most recent pictures of you on the blog. And she said "that's aunt mala! why she has no hair? i want no hair too. i miss aunt mala!"
We all miss you here in Stockholm Mara and we talk about you a lot. Keep on fighting and we will keep on sending all our positive energy your way.
All our love,
Anna, David, Joachim
Hi Mara,
great to read that you'll have more piece and quiet now!
Does David help in stacking those cups ? Or is it just you slaving behind the sink ?..Anyway, keep 'm stacking!!! It's a grey, cold and stormy day here, so the dogs and I will have autumny walks, which should be "rewarding" after returning home.I'm sure this is no proper english. Will have been worth the trouble, something like that. But as you know, : when the going gets tough, the tough get going , and tha'ts exactly what you are doing now, Mara.
Cups or nu cups.(martini glasses sounding infenitely better indeed)
Love and hugs, also for neef David, kiss Ems
Mara, my darling, please make the best of your quiet room! You used to love sleeping - I hope you enjoy it again now! Relax and take as much rest as possible, my love! Sleep to heal and wake up a day stronger!
Hugs and kisses,
Zlatna
Hey Mara! I hear that cup stacking is a sport in some parts of the US now, so maybe you can get in on that action! (As Dave Barry says, I am not making this up!)
Seriously, step by step, habeebatee. And David, stop moving the cups when she puts them down! (David, my friend, you are a wonderful guy and I truly appreciate your posts. There was a picture of everyone, with Mara looking at you, a few days ago and it made me cry ;->) Love to all, Jennifer, Matt, Radhika and Rhys
Dear Mara - We are sure that you have reflected on numerous aspects of your life over the past several weeks. Here's another one to reflect on, just in case you've forgotten it. It was a cool September evening in Bonn in 1996. The entire Boschie XIII headed out for a night on the town for some beers....AND DANCING. It turned into DISCO ABEND!!!! Remember that??? The German band dressed in funky 70's wear. And they gave us those yellow T-shirts to wear. (What was their name??? Do you remember???) We still can see Morgan on the stage dancing with the band members.
Afterwards, we all spilled out onto the sleepy streets of downtown Bonn (2am?) Was it the same night that Berner took a shower at the nearby hotel, only to have his clothes stolen...and he was running through the streets with nothing but a towel on???
Damn, that was some funny shit!!!
Hey - We love you lots. We are many miles away here in St. Paul, but we are thinking about you every day! We are looking forward to connecting with you soon in person. Not sure when that will be...but it WILL happen!
Cheers from the Maus Kosirs!!!
-Mary and Michael (and Margaret and Max)
Dear Mara, It must be frustrating but your progress is monumental to date. Glad to hear that you will be getting some peace and quiet in between the OT and PT. Your courage and perserverance is truly inspiring. Have a good day-- thoughts and prayers with you. Sarah
Mara, a quick check in and some fervent hugs from Istanbul. Arrived this afternoon and as soon as I unpacked, Julia and I set up my Buddha (who came in my suitcase) overlooking a beautiful sun-shaped Nazar with reflective mirror=rays, around which we lit a circle of candles, each bearing our prayers for you/ One of them, of course, is that you enjoy a deep and restorative sleep in your new room! xoxox
Deareest Mara - We have all been thinking of you since you left Jordan, and miss you terribly here. Your countless friends at USAID, the Government of Jordan, and our partners ask about you, send messages for you, and have put together a lovely set of cards, gifts, and candies (yay!) for you that I plan to take with me when I travel to the US this weekend. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday. I love you dearly, Mara, and can't wait to see you soon. Love, Peter :)
Hi Mara,
Wow, day by day in every way you are continuing to amaze! I'm so glad you are in a quiet room and, hopefully, getting more much- needed sleep! Keep on keeping on and know our love and prayers are with you.
Hugs and much love, Karen
Dearest Mara,
We are so happy you are making so good progress and now you will be able to rest a bit more in the new room! We are always with you in our thoughts and are sure that you will be learning very quickly all what they are teaching you at the moment. You have always been fast...so why not this time?
We send you all our love and lots of hugs.
Gadi and Lilly
Hi Mara,
I’ve been on TDY in Ukraine, so add Kyiv to the list of locations around the world where people have been checking your blog. I’m back in DC now, and Julie and I look forward to seeing you here. Hey, thanks so much for doing this blog for everyone-- I think it’s great that you’re opening a window on a type of experience that is too often, for various reasons, kept mostly private, so, really, thank you for sharing this with us.
David B.
Yay, Mara, keep up the OT! Katherine saw the cup stacking exercise and thought that you might like playing jacks instead...?
Question for anyone to answer to my email (andrew AT dgmetrics.net):
Where will the package be in the next week or so? I have something fun to add, but I won't have it until Friday. I live in the Baltimore area, but am in DC at least twice per week.
Think happy, Mara, and bleib stark,
ADTK
Mara, you are so beautiful and your arms look so strong. We are cheering for you. We will take good care of "Daddy Dave", Deb, and your sisters.
We send love from the green,green,rainy Northwest and the Gulch.
Dear Mara,
HOORAY!!!! Cannot believe you're actually OUT of the hospital. but you have been beyond unbelievable during this whole time!
POWER ON!!!! Love, Karen
I think it should have been 'peace"and ''infinetely' , after all...
wow, even I should have known...
love ems
p.s. " martini glasses " was the correct spelling, huh ?
Hi Mara,
Greetings from Serbia. Julia and I are both thinking of you and sending you positive energy to keep strong. You are a great colleague and friend, and appreciate everything you've done like helping me get this Serbia job :) Stay tough! Love, Enrique & Julia Roig
Post a Comment