Having been "home" for a couple weeks now, I'm beginning to feel more comfortable. I think I was feeling a little overwhelmed at first. As well, let me make sure that you know that "home" is staying with my friends, Vickie, and her husband Steve.

Staying with Steve and Vickie has been a tremendous blessing. Their home is very comfortable and quiet. (Staying at the hospital  wasn't always quiet. Needless to say, I am sleeping very well.) I've been very well taken care of. Vickie is a great cook, but we've also enjoyed delicious meals that have been made for us by some of you.

My body is continuing to heal, though I have not begun rehabilitation yet. The good news is that I have an appointment this week at an outpatient facility located in the Sacramento-area city of Roseville. I'm also walking a lot better and my leg has been doing fine.  Please pray that will go well. Thank you.

The other area you can continue to pray for is my memory. It is getting better, but I still have a little ways to go. I'm remembering quite a bit, but still have some lapses (which I hear is normal.) Memory-wise I tend to forget the short term stuff and people's names, but it is getting better.

I'm very grateful for God's provision of you all in my life! The fact that you're praying for me is huge. Though it may not totally look like it, but God has done so much good: healing, encouragement, stamina, provision for needs. I'm very grateful. God has used many of you to meet my needs and answer our prayers. Thanks for being willing participants.

Take care and have a great week.

God's richest blessings, Kathi

Editor's Note: We are opening up visitation for Kathi at this time. If you would like to come by and chat with her, please contact Vickie at svdarcy@comcast.net. Some of the things to consider for visitation is keep it to no more that 30 minutes, talk in your "inside" voice," and only two people at a time. She is greatly encouraged by visiting with people and we will do everything we can to accommodate you!

Steve & Vickie

Words from Ms. Kathi Sturgeon - herself!

Hi family and friends!

I know you haven't heard from us in a little while, so here is your latest update on Kathi (me). Yes folks, I'm doing my own blog today.

It has been two weeks since being released from the hospital! Though I was treated well there, it sure was nice to leave. I am very grateful for my friends, Steve and Vickie! They have been taking very good care of me. They have a comfortable home, have encouraged me on this journey, and have fed me some great food. (That is a big "thank you" to many of you who have provided some wonderful meals.)

Even though I am doing quite well, I still have a ways to go on my recovery. I am feeling well physically and my injuries are healing nicely. I am posting a picture from the I.C.U. along with a picture from today. I think it is evidence of God's tremendous power and grace.

Before closing this note, I'd to share of few "thank yous":

First, I would like to thank and praise God for all He has done for me. I continue to hear stories of God's working things for good out of a bad situation. Romans 8:28 has been very evident. God has been healing me; He has been providing for me in a variety of areas,  He has been working in other people's lives, and He has been filling my mind and heart with peace.

Next I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff at Sutter Roseville TNICU and Mercy Hospital Rehabilitation Center for the incredible job they did while I was with them. And not just with me, but it was interesting to watch them care for the other patients on our floor. 

I would like to thank you for your prayers (God has been answering them!) Also for your words of encouragement and support. The emails, letters, and calls I have received had been tremendously encouraging. And there was more than once when the words were received by me at just the right time -- right when I needed them!

I would like to thank my sister, Theresa, and my brother, Jack. They have been a huge help, even though they live Washington state. They have been incredibly supportive in so many ways.

I love them so much! And my niece, Emma, was able to come down with Theresa and it was great to have her here, too.

Others that have been doing some great things: Steve and Vickie for their hospitality, care, taking care of me and their support. It has been huge! 

Thanks Debby for all you have done for me and my family! Your words of encouragement and acts of kindness have meant so much.

Thanks Veo for taking care of Spike (my cat) and checking on my place. 

Thanks to the staff at Lakeside Church (my place of employment) for all that you have done for me!

  

I know I'm probably forgetting someone, so please forgive me. But I'll just blame it tonight on the traumatic brain injury and thank you in another email.

God has reinforced to me during these couple of months that life is not to be lived alone. We really do need others (sometimes it is more evident then at other times.) Thank each of you for being a part of my life. 

I love you all and will check back in next week.

~ Kathi

First Week Home!

Well, it's been a week and a day since Kathi came home from the hospital. Being in a quiet environment, especially at night, has helped Kathi sleep better, and therefore, have more energy. We have tried taking short walks outside until the heat drove us back inside. Her ability to walk and have good balance is getting better everyday. We hope to get the out-patient therapy locked in by next week, and we are still waiting to hear about the insurance decision on the Bakersfield Rehab facility.

Yesterday her sister, Theresa, and niece, Emma, took her out to lunch (first time out for a meal!) and then we drove to Lakeside to pickup some paperwork, and Kathi had the opportunity to see some of her co-workers. What a treat to see her eyes light up as she walked into the office and saw familiar faces. Then we came home and took a nap!

Theresa and Emma flew back to Seattle last night, so Kathi said her good-byes. It makes her a little sad to see them go, but Theresa will be back in a month or so. 

Please continue to pray for healing of her mind - thinking, memory and reasoning. Also pray for continued stamina and strength. And praise God for the miraculous healing we have seen!

D-Day!

Yes, folks, today was D-Day, as in DISCHARGE! YEAH! Kathi's sister, Theresa, and niece, Emma, flew down to Sacramento on Wednesday. We have spent a few whirlwind days being educated, buying supplies and cleaning the bedroom where Kathi is going to stay for a while. It has been such a sweet and precious time, filled with anticipation, and then today . . . we brought her home. We arrived about lunch time, and after eating, Kathi went to bed for a nap and is still asleep as I'm writing this blog (2 hours). She told us that her body was in shock from the ride home and not being in the hospital anymore. I believe it!

She is still having difficulty with her memory and confabulation (verbalizations with no basis in reality) but we expect that to get better with time. To help her with this, she has a "memory journal" where she keeps information to refer to when she is confused. She is walking, but is unstable from weakness and dizziness, so she is using a walker. That, too, should get better in time.

At this point, we will start out-patient speech, physical and occupational therapy sometime next week. We are still waiting to hear about the facility in Bakersfield - there is still a possibility that Kathi will still go there for some "fine tuning" if it all works out with her insurance. 

Kathi is desperate to shave her legs, and we hope to get her hair cut!

When I look back at pictures of Kathi taken in the hours and days after her accident, I still audibly groan. Personally, I confess that I was not hopeful that my sweet friend was ever going to make it. But God gave us a miracle - His power and grace is so evident when I watch my friend smile, crack a joke or share some thoughts on her relationship with God.

"To God be the glory,

Great things He hath done!"

Thank you for surrounding Kathi (and us) with your love and prayers. Blessings to all of you!

French Fries!

                                                I received a call from the rehab team where Kathi is -- they told me that she wasn't eating well. A little tired of hospital food? They put her on the phone and I asked what she would like to eat and she said french fries. I made a run to McDonald's, joined by our friend, Susan, and we dined on our fine cuisine OUTSIDE on the patio of the rehab unit. Fast food and a little fresh air!

Rules, Rules, Rules

"There are too many rules!" That's Kathi's latest complaint. Today I found that Kathi has been transferred to a new bed - a mattress on the floor. This is because our dear friend keeps getting out of bed and sometimes falling. To prevent injury, the staff felt a six-inch fall off a mattress wouldn't be too bad. Either today, or tomorrow, they plan on trying a regular "lo-boy" bed. Kathi just laughs.

She was pretty alert today and commented that she is a little frustrated that she can't just do what she wants to do, when she wants to do it. I think we have heard that before. She said this was especially true last Sunday - she really misses being at Lakeside and doing her job.

When the PT person came in, I asked Kathi to let me see her walk. So here are the pictures that show how well she is doing in that area. I praised her on how well she is walking. She said, "You know, everyone says that to me. But I don't feel like I walk well at all!"

The wound on left leg is well healed. The skin donor site causes her some discomfort as it itches. There is a little discomfort on the side of her knee when she is doing some of her exercises. But nothing too awful. 

By her own account, her dizziness is getting better, and the nausea is pretty much gone. (Yikes! We didn't even know she was nauseated.)

My general assessment after todays visit: Kathi is pretty tired of being in the hospital. "Too many rules!"

Phone Chat

So . . . I was sitting in the break room on Wednesday, grabbing a quick lunch, when my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number and answered with that hesitant voice we all have when we are afraid it's a sales call.

"Hi! It's Kathi." It took me a moment to do the mental puzzle to realize it was KATHI! It was just the sweetest thing in the world. Two other friends were sitting with me, and Kathi said hello to them, too. She told me that they are allowing her two calls a week now, and she "hoped she wasn't bothering me."  We chatted a bit, said good-bye and hung up, and then I cried. Not given to much emotion, and having not really cried much during this journey, I was overcome by the miracle that God has blessed us all with. OK - enough sentimentality.

Last night, Spike made an appearance and Kathi had the chance to hold him and see him. She told me it was "good for him to see her." When my husband asked if Spike seemed glad to see her, she said "he's not exactly a warm and fuzzy cat." Which we all know is true!

You see in this picture that she is looking at her most recent mail. To her classmates in Washington - celebrating a 30-year class reunion - she was amazed and touched by your card and picture. She remembered each and every one of you. Once again, she is still awed by the people who have encouraged and inquired about her.

There are once again specific areas of prayer. First, even though you can see the normal sparkle in her eyes, Kathi still struggles with memory and dealing with thoughts that she thinks are reality. Sometimes she is right on the money, sometimes she's way off the mark! So pray for continued healing in her brain. 

There is a possibility, only a possibility at this point, that Kathi may be going to another more intense rehab facility in the next couple of weeks. There are many issues to be worked out, but if she could go, it would be the best thing in the world for her recovery. This is a facility that simulates real life and helps her begin to learn basic skills of daily living. Pray that God will make perfectly clear his plan for her immediate future.

Her one complaint is fatigue - pray for increasing strength and stamina. 

Wrapping up this week's blog, I'll close with some of Kathi's humor - which by the way, is so very present. While meeting with some people last week from another rehab facility, they asked what her work hours were like as the Director of Women's Ministries. She said about five and 1/2 days a week. One of the people joked that they thought pastors only worked on Sundays. Kathy responded with "Yeah, that's just the "guy" pastors."