Thank You All

Well,

I'm not sure if people are still looking at Pink's blog now that she is there, but I wanted to take a minute and tell all of the wonderful people who have been so supportive, THANK YOU. Pinky has some wonderful friends and now that I know her, I see why. She really is an awesome person and an amazing spirit to be around.
Pinky was fortunate enough to have a very good situation for healing and strengthening and that is because of all the support you guys gave. What we were able to do for her simply would not have been possible without all of her friends support. During the 16 months she was here, I never ceased to be amazed at not just the support being offered, but the consistency of the support. It was simply amazing and I learned a lot about life and relationships by just being near the Pink. You all rock and a BIG thank you again. Take good care of the Queen! The Beaver is Out.

Pinky is returning to New Jersey

Sound the trumpets and alert the media, Pinky is coming home. Air plane tickets have been bought!!! She is doing much better, she is back to re-hab and swimming, but more important than that she knows that she needs to heal both physically and spiritually. For the spiritual part she needs all her wonderful friends around her.
Holly and Steve are going to fly her home in mid February. They will be staying in New Jersey for a week to help with the transition.

Hello Everyone,

Pinky has been a bit better since she started the Antibiotics. Yesterday and today she went outside in the sun and called some old friends and worked out a bit. She is not were she was with her strength in October but hopefully she can get back to were she was and beyond quickly. The plans still are to come back soon. Gene is waiting with the house all ready. We will keep you informed as we all know it.
Sincerely, Beth

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it has been so long since anyone has updated this. I(Beth) was here is October and when I left I didn't think I would be returning to Albuquerque to visit mom, Holly and Steve again. If I was back it was to pick her up or help her get packed, but I am back for a visit, this time I brought Page along.
Pinky wanted you all to know that she has had a major set back for the last 3 months. She has had a recurring bladder infection that she had to be hospitalized this past week for. The hospital sent her home after 3 days but she still is getting a intravenous drip for at least one full week maybe two. Her spirits have been really down for the last few months along with her health, she has been experiencing unbearable pain. This is why she has not called any of you and this is also why she has not come back to New Jersey. We are all hoping that she will be coming home in a month, if this round of anti-bio tics works then she will be starting her journey back.
We all would like to wish you a great New Year. We are praying for a better 2010 than 2009 for our-selves.
Pinky wants you to know that she loves you all, and thanks you for the prayer and love you send her. She would also like to know if the grand-children could please stop growing until her return.
Sincerely, Beth

Dear Friends

Dear, Dear friends...Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged. I haven't been feeling up to par due to my urinary tract infections. I am getting so sick of being sick. It makes me beyond uncomfortable and very depressed. That is why i haven't called much. On a brighter side, I still am fighting like crazy to beat this tone thanks to steve and hollys hard work. For fun, I started driving the truck. I can do it. It was so exciting. I still don't want to drive where there is a lot of trafic. I am afraid after the fall. I have a lot of fears i'll have to overcome. Gene is coming out next week to help out. Steve's mom needs an operation. It will be a good test to see how well he can cope with my body. I want to come home soon but until i can handle this pain i have to stay here. I am seeing a doctor tomorrow to see if there is some medicine i can take to help me out. I am starting to use canes to walk instead of the walker. It is so much easier for me. Steve has been working realy hard to get my etsy store up and working so please forward it along to all our friends. I like to work when I can.

Update: (Steve's writing now) Pinky's made 3 days without significant pain. That's a really big deal for her. Her current UTI is responding to antibiotics now and we will begin a preventative measure when she's all cleared up. The doctors and all of us have strong hopes this will prevent the frequency of the UTI's. More than half of her battle has been overcoming the Tone which greatly increases when she has any sort of infection or really any irritation at all. She works really hard and makes truly incredible progress when all is well. When it's not, it's not and we focus most efforts on pain management and although she continues to work while sick, the Tone really hinders all efforts. It's a stubborn thing. The past few days have been amazing. It seems the new efforts to to tackle the tone may be paying dividends. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and remain optimistic. We were able to adjust her occupational therapy exercises today as her body was different than it has been...in a very good way. Her muscle position literally changes when things improve. She completed other exercises that were simply out of the question just days ago. And she's a really good driver.

A quick note to all of you supporting Pinky's efforts. Thank you, Thank you. I can't think of a better spirit to be helping. She has incredible will and gives it her all always. She inspires me daily and all of ya'lls thoughts and prayers inspire me as well. It's not always easy to keep people close to your hearts when they're away, so for all the die hard Pinky supporters, a big hug and thank you. I see your letters weekly and it amazes me and in many ways gives us all the strength and fortitude that's neccessary. It's easier when you're caring for angels.
SK

Regarding the etsy site: It's up and running at www.pinkyart.etsy.com. We are adding new things every chance we get. Please take a look and let all of her friends know. There is some pretty fun stuff there.

Hello Everyone,

I (Beth) am back at Red Neck Rehab. I have been here for a few days, mom has another urinary track infection and it really hits her hard, both her body and her spirits. I and Steve are a little under the weather so the feeling is pretty grey, but mom still managed a 'Pinky Party' today she had 5 women over plus Holly and I we made a colage of who we are now and who we will be, it was very nice, I think all the ladies had fun.
What I can tell about her progress, is that she is building more stamina she can walk a lot better than last time and she can even take steps without any assistance (no walker, or person holding her). but the best news is that she has been talking about coming home for Christmas. WOW that would really be a great Christmas for me, hopefully some of you too.
Another note, on Nov 29th some of Holly's old friends and the family's, are gonna having a benefit concert for mom. The group 'Lizard Music' is going to have a re-union concert at the 'Down Town Cafe' in Red bank and our other friend John Kleiman's band 'The Rib Eye Brother's' is opening for them. It should be a great deal of fun. Mom is very moved that she has had such an affect on Holly's friends that they would think of her this way.

Pinky Encore

Hi my dear friends. Thought you would like to hear what I have been up to. Not too much except working hard to get strong enoughto come home. I am getting depressed because I am not geting better faster. Today I pooped in my pants and I know I can not come home till I can get this under control. Holly and steve are so good to me. This past weekend we ventured out for a small day trip. We went to an artist town about fourty min away. We brought the poty with us...I hate wearing dippers, so it was fun pulling over four times. You will see from the pictures that the old pinky is back. I have made my coloring book. It will soon be up for all of you to see. I am really proud of it. I can not believe it has been almost a year since i have seen all of you. Some times it seems like it has been ten min and some times like ten years. i keep thinking it is still some bad dream i am caught in. i am very lucky though because with my injury i should only be able to move my head. It is all your prayers that have got me this far. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have to go and get to work. I have to practicing standing for longer periods of time. talk soon ,love to all

Pinky Live In Person

Dear friends of mine,
This is a first for me. Steve thought it was about time I started to tackle something new for myself even though my hands feel like steel belts are crimping down on the joints I shall persevere because it is so good for me. I am tackeling new things every day so i can come home to the best life I have created thanks to all of you that have filled me with such awe. There is not a day that goes by where I still get a least five cards. I find that amazing. I am not the best writter in the world so I will just ramble on. Today started out strange for the first time in months I actually slept. Holly had to wake me up to give me my five oclock pain pill, it is a pill I still need to help control the spasms I hate taking any pills but i still need them. Ican not stand how long this body of mine is taking to heal. The doctors say it takes two years for the spine to get back. Every one thinks I am making great progres, but for me it is way to slow. I still am waiting to figure why this happened to me. I know that in rehab I am an inspiration to so many people and when I see some of them who are so worse than me I am grateful. I fell and hit my head really badly and i am lucky i did not get brain damage. I am setting my goal to try to come home by christmas. I will require alot of help. I still need alot of hands on stretching and i will need help going to the pool alot. I am hoping I can enroll alot of you to take turns to help me out. I have been a tremendious alot of work for holly and steve. I want them to get back to their lives. They have been in school for 6 years and then taking care of his dad while he was recovering from a neck surgery for almost a year. I started making a coloring book to help raise ssome extra cash. Pretty soon you can see what i am up to. Steve is working hard to get it up and working. I am doing my pet pictures in water color because that is all i can handle with the strength i have in my hands. once you all see whats available i am asking for you to pay it forward by emailing it to ten of your pet loving friends and then ask them to pay it forward. I got the idea from a dream what else is new. My hands are constantly feeling like they are being in a vice that is squezing my joints i hate it i need to work alot on getting my strength back i can barely pick up my pills . oh well time and hard work will over come this also. i am saying good by for now my arms are starting to hurt. know i love you all and i am working like crazy to return.

Hello Pinky's followers,

I(Beth) am back in the ABQ, ready to give an update on the progress I see. As you all know Pinky had a couple of pretty rough weeks with her sprained ankle,but she has turned the corner for the better. Since I left she has been working hard on getting more stamina with her walking, when I left she needed a long board between her feet so that she wouldn't trip herself, and since her hands really didn't have much strength she needed a walker that could go under her elbows. She only could go about 150 feet then she would get light headed and winded. Now she doesn't need a board which is easier on Holly's knees, since she would be the one who was keeping it in place. She also has a low walker now since her hands are strong enough to hold her weight, they still get a little soar but she does it anyway. Pinky can go up and down the stairs at the rehab, she does this with a helper holding her but soon I am hoping she will do it alone. Also as you all know Pinky loves and needs to be in the pool, when I left she needed a life-vest, now she doesn't and she is working on walking in the pool without any walker, if she falls she knows she will not get hurt.
Pinky is getting antsy without working, so I think she is ready to do some animal portraits so get ready to send pictures out, you will be able to get them back in time for Christmas presents.
Hope you all are doing well in your lives,
Beth, (Pinky,s oldest daughter)

Pinky, You look GREAT!

Hi all,

Things have been going pretty good here at RR. I say pretty good because Pinky is making good progress, but unfortunately the TONE monster has returned. Tone has been visiting for a few weeks now and we're all sure that everyone knows a 3 week visit is pushing the limits of hospitality, so we all expect that Tone is on the way out. Tone, by the way, is increased muscle tone to the point where it's not helpful. For example, when you and I lift a leg or arm, we contend with gravity only for the most part. Pinky is overcoming not just gravity, but the resistance of the increased tone within the muscle. She must move this weight first and then do whatever she's doing. It's super frustrating for her because she knows that without it, things would come easier and because it's uncomfortable at best and at worst resembles a charliehorse throughout the body for extended periods. Not fun.
Ok, now the good stuff. She cranked out 300 steps on the stairstepper: beginning with 20 and then 50 and then 70. That's day one. The next day, she stepped up with a bit of help and cranked out the 300. Topping off day one's success, she climbed a flight of stairs. Mean hospital, weird corridor stairs. 12 steps to a landing and then 13 more to the top. She needed a little help for the last run up. Regardless, STAIRS! IvyRose has set up an electrical stimulation program that we do on our own. Ivy has allowed us permission and guidance to use the machine, so we set aside some extra time during our day at the Rehab and have been been seeing some improvements in her hands.
It's a tough road and demands grit. The Pink Lady has grit. She battles for every inch and calls upon some unseen source for patience and fortitude the likes I doubt many of us have. Some days an inch is lost to be fought for again. She has many inches now and many more to gain. We all give thanks to the many wonderful people in our lives and the many we continue to meet. The people here and there have been exemplar and for some bad luck, it's pretty damn good.

HELLO

IF YOUR LOOKIN' YOU CAN COMMENT!!!!
Mom feels people don't care anymore because we don't get comments anymore. Please comment.
Pinky needs her friends and support, this injury is long and hard and we need real long term support. So for crying out loud please write and comment.
Letters to 1125 Dartmouth NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
thanks,
H.

Pinky Party!

Having a little fun.

Pinky has been having Sunday art parties at the house. Last week we had Wendy and Glenn (friends we made from the pool) and Gobind and Jim (the pool therapist "aquatic master" and her husband) over for Pinky fun. She taught them how to made roses out of sculpy and do lots of other groovie things. It's so nice to see Pinky being Pinky and doing Pinky things!!!

We had a wonderful surprise visit from mom's good friend Karen Herrick last week. Karen was on her way to Reno for a wedding and rearranged her flight so she could have a 6 hour layover in Albuquerque to play with mom. We didn't tell mom about about her coming and seeing moms face as Karen approached the front door was priceless. Thank you Karen for giving mom some company and making the visit possible.

Surprise visit!!!

AquaEagle

NoPunking???

TheQueen

Pinky's Angels

Pinky hanging out in 'Old Town' in the Rehab with Holly and her Physical Therapist, Rose. She had to step up onto a curb to get there. Not bad. The other picture is of Ivy Rose, Pinky's Occupational Therapist, visiting us at the pool. Don't let her youthful good looks fool you. She's sharp, well educated, and dedicated. They both bring great energy to Pinky's re-abling. To all of us in fact.

DooDa...GreatDay

Pinky standing around goofing off. You can tell how normal this is becoming by the general lack of enthusiasm from the background crowd. What's not so normal was Pinky walking to the car today to run some errands with us and then walking back into the house. No easy feat as our driveway has given way to tree roots and there's two not so easy ramps to navigate. She made it look pretty easy. And she transfered out of the truck by herself. She continues to amaze me with her strength and go get 'em attitude. Rock on Pink Pink! SK

PeaceOutBB

B...You'll be missed. I guess I'll have to start washing dishes again. Beth rocks out and gave both Holly and I a little time off from our schedule at RR. We will all miss her and will be awaiting her return. SK