11 November (Sunday) - 2pm

This is a quick update and is a reflection of my FaceTime visit with Jeannette this afternoon. I also had a chance to say "hello" to Rich and to Sam, both who were in the room while Jeannette and I were chatting. The cell phones were ringing, with lots of well wishers and concerned friends calling in to say "hi" as well. For a Sunday afternoon, things seemed busy to me.

The big news of course is that her move to St Elias is over, and she had a warm greeting and a "welcome home" from the hospital staff. This being the weekend, there is no scheduled PT or OT, so she has a chance to get some rest and to concentrate on the recovery from the surgery. As for her new bionic knee, it seems to be healing well, and as I chatted with her a machine was keeping it in motion, bending it continuously to make sure it heals right. With the big neck brace gone she looked grand, and seemed to me to be in great sprits and doing oh-so-well.

The tracheostomy tube that has been there for a while is due to come out early in the week. The doctors that visited said it is no longer necessary, so that's another mark that things are moving where we want them to go.  From my perspective it's is yet another step in the "less is more" getting well checklist! There is also now real talk of "getting out", with Sam's guess Dec 7 (Pearl Harbor Day), and the more conservative guessers are saying "for sure" by Christmas.   No matter the actual date,  it is just a wonderful feeling to be talking about the "when" and not the "if" and you can sense the excitement. Still, she needs to build her strength, work on eating more, and doing the exercises that will be the key to being able to stand and to walk again. But all the news for this weekend is positive, and those are the updates I like to make.-John