Thursday, September 10th

I slept a full un-interrupted 6 hrs - a first in 11 days. I feel great. I get a lift to Halifax with Marsha, a nurse who works part time at the QE and other Halifax hospitals and commutes from Truro. She is a very up beat person and oozes positive energy. Just what I need. She works in various positions. This week she is the OR.

I get to the hospital at 6:45 AM (Yup! That's right . AM) - In time to meet the night nurse, Eleanor, and see how the night went - Jill and Eleanor are going over your chart - You had a good night. A follow-up CT scan has been ordered - if all is well the drain may come out today! Great - you are going to look a lot better for Tara and Quinn's visit on Saturday.

I journal while I wait for the CT scan. I talk with an another family who had a loved one undergo surgery yesterday. Marsha was part of the team that did the surgery. What an amazing staff. They make miracles happen.

As I wait for you while you rest to awake, I think about how lucky we are. Yes, I said lucky. As much as the apparent bleed in your brain was a freak occurrence, equally freaky are the series of events that followed which saved your life.

What if you were driving a car when you collapsed?

What if you got into the shower before you lost control of your left side and spent 3 hrs in cold running water?

What if you locked the door to the bathroom?

What if you got to the hot tub, as you so often do, after the run?

What if Uncle John and Aunt Shirley didn't find you when they did? You were trying to vomit - you certainly would have aspirated.

What if you hadn't donated your organs - would you have been sent to Halifax?

What if we lived in Cape Breton or Digby or PEI or Edmunston? Would you had the same level of care?

What is the bleed started in any other spot in you brain?

So many 'what if' s. So many right outcomes. Yes, we are lucky - we are incredibly lucky. or it was a miracle.

I get back into your room, the CT scan and chest xrays are done. The ICU doctors are little concerned about an increasing white cell count. Diarrhea is also a bit of a problem. To address this a special tube is placed so the diarrhea can be collected in a bag. More tests are ordered to see if the increase of white cells is significant.

Your hand becomes restless and you start gesturing about something - I ask lots of questions - but not the right ones - I guess because no response from you. A nurse for the patient next door suggests a pen and paper - we give it to you. You write in semi-legible writing "Help up". Stunned, I said "Can you write Tara and Quinn" - you did! I got to add some X and O's for them.

Your eyes are wide open - both of them and I think you see me when I stood to your right, but if I move to the left - your eyes don't follow me. I tell you a little of what's been going on over the last few weeks. I try your ipod on you and you listen to a little music.

You start to gesture more fiercely, Your lips are moving. I give the clipboard again and you wrote. "Catheter out of butt". Just before I leave to come home, you write on more thing. "Is it Christmas yet". Your mind must be time warping about in your head.

I come home and pick up Tara and Quinn from a Katie and Luke's grandparents house.

They don't to leave - they having a good time. Quinn proudly shows me a space in his mouth - the loose tooth that he has had for a few weeks - is finally out! It came out at school.

Upon hearing about our day together, Quinn says with a little relief in his voice. "Daddy still has the funny part in him!".

Juanita BP is still up and she's in the hospital in Truro. Dr says that they need to induce labour. With Juanita at the hospital we eat dinner with Wayne, Maddie and Fran. After dinner, Wayne is off to coach Juanita. As I am getting kids to bed, the phone rings - "Juanita is close" Wayne says.

I get Tara tucked in, She asks if Daddy will be able to speak again, I reassure her that yes I think you will - it may sound odd at first but it will still be you. I lie down with Quinn and the phone goes again. It's Wayne. He has just become the proud father to a baby boy. MacFarlane Gordon was born at 9:03PM Sept 10. The Powell family are all well.

I guess miracles happen every day.