Share. Connect. Love.
Today Bill returned to work for the first time. He's going to start light and see how it goes.
I read to Gracie during her seventh round of plasmapheresis. Last time I read to her was elementary school! Bill has been reading to her since last week, and I enjoyed my time reading to her.[...]
I wanted to let you all know about a benefit lunch coming up on Sunday, January 25th, at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara. The church has graciously directed their annual Feast for the Children fundraiser to be in support of the Fishers. The food is being provided by Via Maestra 42, a local Santa Barbara Italian restaurant, and 100% of the proceeds will be given to the Fishers. This is an amazing blessing for the Fishers, and a great way to have a nice meal while supporting them at the same time.[...]
I was able to spend an extra-special day Thursday with Bill, Debbie, and Gracie. I met Debbie at the hospital mid-afternoon, and we went up to Grace’s room, where I was able to see her. I cannot express the joy of seeing her for the first time since this all started. Even in the midst of this terrible thing, to see her smile, and to have a few words with her was amazing. Bill and I setup the iPad holder, a contraption I built with a music stand and an off-the-shelf iPad holder I got from Amazon (plus some help from the Arroyo Grande High School robotics team to machine an adapter to connect the two)… it worked great, and the iPad can be positioned right in front of Grace so she can watch movies.[...]
Just a quick update: today Gracie can nod yes and no, and even took a few breaths on her own. Not enough to be off the ventilator, but steps in the right direction![...]
After her second plasmapheresis, Gracie is ever so slightly able to nod up and down. We are so grateful for this and also grateful for Gracie's aunt and niece who visited from Texas. They leave this morning, but helped make Grace smile a lot while they were here.[...]
Dear friends,
With school starting up next week, we would like to get meals started for the Fishers. We’ve setup a web site to help manage meals, which you can find at https://mealtrain.com/ovn91. From there you can see what dates are open and sign-up for meals.[...]
Just a quick update tonight, but a bit more good news: Grace will restart plasmapheresis tonight for five treatments. She has had more intense feelings of temperature (feeling cold) in her right arm, and new sensations in her chest. Every little win counts.[...]
On this New Years Day I thank my friends, family and community for their prayer and outpouring of support. I sporadically am able to respond to e-mails, texts and facebook but please forgive me if a thank you isn’t sent, gratitude & appreciation are strong.[...]
Bill brought Gracie's guitar in this morning so they could put it in Gracie's lap with her fingers on the strings. Oh, how she's trying!
I also wanted to share a poem that speaks to Gracie's condition, and to my heart... many of you know it...[...]
I wanted to pass along a conversation I had with Debbie this evening: “A few bits of good news from the past couple of days… Gracie has been feeling deep pressure in her right arm. She’s asked for Bill to massage her, and is intermittently feeling it. She has also asked for ice packs in her hands because she can feel the cold. She is also working on her visualizations… she asked me to put her cell phone in her hand… she can’t feel it or see it, but knows it’s there. It gives her something to focus on, to visualize something that is a normal part of her life. I want to celebrate even the small wins.”[...]
