Mandyworld

Amazing Grace

I just wanted to let you know how Grace, my neice is doing. She has been allowed home for the weekend and I just had a call from my sister to say that she is doing really well. She is talking more and more each day and eating really well. She isn't able to walk yet but this seems more due to the fact that she is still quite weak rather than anything neurological. She has of course had a stroke and I think there are bound to be a few problems associated with that but hopefully Grace is young enough to be able to work around those problems so that they don't affect her long term. Julie said there was a moment today when Grace was watching TV that it felt like it could of been back in November before the nightmare began. I am so happy for them all. I think we can all be very thankful that we live in a time when a child who gets that ill can make a recovery. Tommy's and GOSH we owe you.

Kitchen Safari

Ijust found this really weird spider in the utility room so I took his portrait. I looked him up on this site and he seems to be a walnut orb weaver. Apparently usually found under dead tree bark, here he is on my tack cleaning sponge. I don't know what that says about my housekeeping! They are supposed to be quite common but I'd never seen one before even when I have been rooting around in dead tree bark.

I put him outside where he belongs. Now I feel like there's things crawling on me.

Happy New Year

To be honest I'm not sure if it's a happy one or not. Here at home everything is good and we have had a fairly nice holiday season but I think for everyone else it has been a real mixed bag. We seem to get one bit of good news and then one bit of bad. It's a bit of a rollercoaster really.
The main thing is that Grace is improving and is off the ECMO machine now. She is back at Tommy's but unfortunately it seems that she has had a stroke at some point during her treatment. She is awake now and her movement is improving with physiotherapy but she hasn't spoken yet. They don't really know to what extent the stroke will effect her but have said that they don't think she will get away completely symptom free. My sister and her husband have been amazing. You can read Julie's story here.  I will warn you, it is a fascinating but harrowing tale and some what terrifying for anyone who has children. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for them.