Sunday, December 30, 2007

Great Grandma


So Great Grandma had a stroke, or more specifically, one of a number of TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks) that she's evidently been having. It turns out she has arthlesclerosis disease, which means her brain's small arteries are too thin, and clot too easily, cutting off the blood flow to certain areas. Nana and Pop Pop had to rush her to the hospital (doing 85mph), and decided to wait with her while all the tests were being run. Meanwhile, at the insistence of the family, we loaded up the triplets in the car to take them to their baptism on the other side of the state in Richmond. Since we wouldn't know the results of the battery of tests for a while, and there wasn't anything we could do for Great Grandma, they felt the church service in the morning should not be cancelled.

The damage done by the stroke, and the recurring mental confusion is especially upsetting, as their other great grandmother on this side of the family has end stage Alzheimer's. The possibility of losing another loved one in a similar manner that strips them of their cherished identity is almost unthinkable. She will remain in our prayers (and be with us for another week before flying back to her home in Florida), and we hope that her symptoms will resolve themselves in time.

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