Shop 'Til You Walk

Kristine's mother left for Michigan on Thursday to help Jim (Kristine's father) close up their home. They will be coming back to Philadelphia in a little over a week before their annual migration to Houston for the winter months. It will be good for Connie to get a little break from her daily ritual attending to Kristine at the rehab center. Collectively, the days can take their mental toll.

It will not be easy for Kristine to adjust to the absence of her mother who has played the role of full time day-nurse for several weeks now. Simple tasks like getting dressed or going to the bathroom require assistance as she has still not gained any movement in her left arm. Her arm must be supported due to subluxation (partial dislocation) at the shoulder joint. This is a source of discomfort and frustration for Kristine as she struggles to keep it in position without someone's help. Additionally, most of the options that have been explored (different types of slings and tapes) are only partially successful and quickly become uncomfortable.

To ease Kristine's anxiety we have a transition team lined up. Her cousin Cris came in from Texas this weekend (although "cousin" doesn't begin to describe a relationship that is better characterized as a close friendship). She has been keeping Kristine entertained all weekend with laughter, companionship and massage to her paralytic limbs. Next weekend two of her good friends, one from San Francisco and another from Maine, will be in town to keep her spirits high and provide encouragement. Both Alison and Leigh are longtime supportive and positive forces in Kristine's life.

Of course, in addition to those traveling in from out of town, Kristine's free time during the week is pretty well occupied by visits from her loyal supporters and friends from the area -- visitors that will be especially important this week. Friends have established their time blocks for weekly one-on-one meet ups. And before anyone leaves they are sure to confirm their next visit for fear of losing their time slot. It is ironic that while we attempt to show our support for Kristine, and people in situations like her's, through visitation and a display of compassion, we often have as much if not more to gain from the experience in the sense of humility and purpose that it provides us.


The movement in Kristine's leg is slow but progressing well. Her physical therapy sessions focus largely on leg strengthening exercises, standing balance and assisted walking. She has made great progress in her ability to swing her leg out and, with some help, has even been practicing on stairs. This weekend, after mentioning that her therapist thought a shopping cart would be a helpful tool as a walking aid, our friend Simone disappeared only to return a couple hours later with a shopping cart donated by the Home Depot. The cart was put to use right away helping Kristine to rack up some rapid walking distance that a traditional walker would not have allowed. I shutter to imagine the additional progress she could have made had the shopping cart been in a mall or DSW.

This week we should have some more details on timing of the next phases of Kristine's physical therapy. This includes how long we can expect Kristine to remain in in-patient care before she transitions home and to out-patient therapy. It is this transition that will undoubtedly be the most difficult. Next Monday the 24th we have back to back appointments with our oncologist and neurosurgeon. These meetings will provide more detail around Kristine's potential next steps for treatment, tackling some of the other medical concerns that have taken a back seat to more immediate issues.