My Visit

I drove up to see Natalie and the family on Friday, October 6th. While the family looked both emotionally and physically drained Natalie looked much better than I had remembered. At first sight I was absolutley amazed at the amount of movement she has regained. She was moving her right arm and leg with ease, scratching her nose, putting her glasses on, and putting on hats. She also makes a lot of noise suggesting that she is preparing herself to start talking again.

That first night Rebecca and I stayed in her room in order to give Tina a break. She slept for a total of 5 hours occasionally waking up in discomfort. When asked what was bothering her she would continually point to her right leg. Both legs have heavy casts on them that cover her from the heel up to just below her knees. These casts should be removed soon now that Nat has been moved to rehab.

The morning of the move was very nerveracking at first because the trip was almost postponed again. Luckily Sunnyview was eager to take her that day.

The drive took about two hours - the facility is almost 180 miles from Syracuse. We had quite the 'convoy': Rebecca, me, Al, and Paul all drove separate cars while Jane and Kai drove together as well as Ann and Marc. A total of 6 cars made the trip, two of which headed back home a few hours after arrival. Tina drove up in the ambulance and was already in the room answering medical questions about Natalie when we arrived.

I, personally, was shocked to see how nice the hospital was on the inside. It does not look like a hospital but a dormitory instead. The hallways are carpeted and Natalie's room has beautiful wood floors and two large windows for her to look out of. There are cushions on either side of the bed that have built in alarms in case Nat were to try and run off. The staff seemed very courteous and pleasant, as well. In my opinion I feel the family made the right decision in coming to Sunnyview. They, too, seemed very content with the decision.

The family is currently staying at a nearby Holiday Inn but will be moving in to an apartment 1.5 miles from the hospital! Their move-in day is Friday.

Today Natalie had her first day of rehab. Different teams came in to take notes on her status. She did not do too much physically today other than stretching but will start with her normal therapy sessions as soon as possible. Her days consist of six half hour sessions, in which Nat is visited by a variety of specialized doctors.

All in all I feel Natalie will improve quickly at this hospital. It seems the doctors will be working her very hard to regain her functionality but I can't see her anywhere else!

More updates to come!