Fiercely Independent Pam

Category: Memories

  • The Legacy of An Amazing Grandmother- Francis! She Was Always A Guiding Light!

    So I am trying my hand at Crocheting again- trying a Woobles kit. This time it is Grumpy bear! It’s not the easiest but keeps me doing something. I still have quite the vision of my grandmother ripping stitches out of my crocheting when I was a young girl. She was kinda fearless and made so many great creations including my favorite tree skirt that I thought I lost. She also created a lot of special afghan blankets for everyone- Liked to call them “Nanny Blankets.” They were warm and cozy for anyone to use.

    The legacy of my grandmother is big! She like I said was a force of nature and always just knew where things belonged even if she didn’t see them for a while. It never ceases to amaze that she knew exactly where things were in the upstairs bedroom even if she wasn’t there for many years.

    My Grandmother, Francis, was always getting us to buy yarn so that she could crochet, at the time it wasn’t too expensive so it kept her busy, but now it would be a very expensive hobby. I remember that I brought one of her blankets to Russia to give as a gift to my host family. I wish I had a picture of one of her blankets/afghans to demonstrate her fine detail work.

  • I’m Working So Hard Independently And Making Progress But Hopefully I am Not Running Out of Time!

    So much attention has been spent on making sure I can stand without much support, I am exhausted I did not realize how much my abs are working. I am sore and tired, but moving along to be able to stand independently. In the meantime, I am still using a slide board at times to move myself since standing isn’t fully happening. I will continue to practice lifting my booty up and off the wheelchair seat. My arms are tired and fear is running high.

    I wish I never lost so much strength. I kept telling the folks at the hospital that I was losing strength and needed to be evaluated for rehab or even just PT/OT, but they did not listen to me.

    Today I was able to complete 10 minutes on the Nustep independently, which felt wonderful. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stand and pivot to get on the NuStep independently. This needs to happen before I get home. The weekend is coming up, which means less therapy, but I am “owed” some therapy, so I am hoping that happens.

    In other words- I am working hard at growing my audience online through Facebook, Instagram, and even Tik- Tok. I completed a few online courses to help me figure out the allorgrithms to grow my followers. If you see my accounts, please follow them- it would mean the world to me! I am thinking I finally got a hold of what I am doing with the various accounts.All of this is being done Independently!

    I am also enjoying the Winter Olympics tonight is the opening ceremony and I am watching it carefully. It’s enjoyable and hopefully better than the Paris Summer Olympics.

    I’ve managed to figure out how to charge my various devices, including my visible armband. Thank goodness for Amazon deliveries even here!

  • The Hard Work Begins Today: A First Day of Inpatient Rehab!

    So it begins.. I arrived at inpatient rehab yesterday after a few delays mostly because of the weather (crazy snow storm!) I ended up paying for transportation and it was a good decision since I am still having problems standing up and transferring.

    I was beyond welcomed by the staff here for rehab and they have been wonderful! I am confident that I forgot a few things, but hopefully I can have some help from my family. I am super excited to start working hard- I will receive at least 3 hours of pt/ot each day, which is exactly what I need. Right now I am finishing my Bible in a Year Podcast, which is nice to be able to stay up on.

    I am looking forward to unpacking my stuff and setting up for rehab, as I packed up pretty decently including lots of pants and t-shirts, but missing catheters and a watch charger! All in good time! For my first night I am wearing my special Buckee’s pjs that I picked up when I was there for my interview. It was a fun nod to what I have accomplished already.

    I think I have said this before, but wanted to update people about the progress of the service dog. In addition to the service dog, I am continuing with rehab. The next steps is to have a site visit here at my apartment and they will also be bringing a dog to help me demonstrate some skills, hopefully at the grocery store. This should be taking place after the committee meets- around late March/ Early April. I am thankful that they are willing to come here. From there, the next steps would be to be accepted as a formal client and begin fundraising for team training and similar. Then begins the “Fun” part!- Something special PAALS calls “Speed Dating” where we make sure the right connection is made between a dog and the “handler.” Eventually, team training will take place, but this is a far way off. All of this is super exciting!

    In the meantime, I will be working hard at standing and completing rehab goals. I am not sure exactly what it means to finish my antibiotics and future doctor’s appointments, but I moved as many appointments as possible. Time to track down what I am missing!