A Great Day in … Richmond!
September 24, 2008
Mariah returned to Richmond’s McGuire VA Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon to resume her rehab therapies. And to get reacquainted with sorely-missed privileges such as listening to the radio, watching TV, wearing her own clothes, and moving about the hospital and grounds at will. Freedom’s not just another word for nothin’ left to lose. (Sorry, Janice.) On her new bulletin board are posted the goals she set for herself, including: brush hair, brush teeth, walk, speak clearly, and eat without assistance.
Today (Wednesday) she started her first full day back at work a little sleepy but with renewed enthusiasm. In the care of a new therapy team she asked to be taken outdoors several times, propelled herself in her wheelchair (see below), walked about 300 feet using a walker, and stood without any support! During one assessment, she was asked questions like “If you got a flat tire on the highway, what would you do?” Her response was, “Call AAA.” To the question, “Why might you be late?” she responded, “You might be pregnant.” 🙂
Here are some pics from this new chapter in the book of Mariah’s Reemergence. (Click to enlarge.)
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- Meditating on the Roof (McGuire VAMC, 9/24/08)
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- Pizza Party (McGuire VAMC, 9/24/08)
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- Captain Interstate (McGuire VAMC, 9/24/08)
Student Driver (McGuire VAMC, 9/24/08)
– Mark
Mariah's Reemergence 
Whoo-hoo, Mariah! Congratulations on your return to Richmond. And very best wishes for continued good progress. (And with rainy weather predicted up and down the eastern seabord this weekend, it will be a great op for practicing indoor ‘driving’ in the hallways, I bet! :>)
Way to go, sweetie.
I knew you’d be back to work soon. Great to see how you propel that chair. You do better than I used to with both feet and hands.
Beautiful weather here right now. Hope it lasts.
Love you. Grandma