My mom suffered her stroke last April at a Midas muffler shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was a massive stroke and when I received a call from my step-father, I was told she had hours to live. The doctors has said there was really no hope for her. When I awoke, I lamented that my mom was dead. Miraculously, she lived thorugh the night. But doctors still held out no hope for her to make it through the weekend. They were wrong again.

Over the next couple months, I was told she was improving. She could communicate some. She was improving physically. By the time we were able to visit, three months after her stroke, thanks to the help of some churches I contacted helping us out with gas and other costs, she was at home but not communicating well at all. She could say some sentences but they rarely made sense. However, I did understand her wishes to be dead.

After our return home, I would speak to her on the phone sometimes, but she was very frustrated at my not being able to understand her. She would say sentences and if I said “Uh huh or yes,” when she talked, she’d wonder why and I guess I said yes to something for which I should’ve said no. After every phone call, I wound up in tears. I just wanted my mom back to the way she was. One afternoon, she called me out of the blue and most of the phone call was filled with her frustration and crying. I tried to do something to make it better and asked her if she’d listen to me sing a song. I had told her an untruth, a lie and said I had to practice this song and wanted her advice. I have no idea if she understood me, but she listened patiently while I sang a pretty bad version of Jesus Loves Me. She mumbled something afterward I took as a compliment. No longer was her frustration there and gone were the tears. I was thankful.

I hope my step-father is correct and our going up there to visit will do her more good. I’m not sure if she’s getting enough speech therapy, but I wish I could go there and do that with her each day. I know God can allow her to communicate again, but it’s going to take some time.

Please pray for my mom as she continues to struggle to talk coherently. It is still very frustrating for her. Also, thank you for any help you can provide our family as we try to earn and raise the extra money needed to get to Wyoming. If you already read our “help needed” post, I thank you, if not, you can click here to read about our needs to make this trip happen.

Thank you,
Brian