Elder Ramirez and Elder Ferwerda
Busy morning. Almost the first thing he said was that he wanted me to remove the straps. Babcock Elder's hands were tied at night. He said the prayer and blessing on the food. We can hold a conversation. He thought that the gold wall hooks were lizards, but understood when I showed him. He cooperated with the physiical therapist.
Dr. Rivas did another doppler scan. It was the most normal so far. Elder Babcock could not remember his age today, but could calculate it from the year. The doctor wanted Elder Babcock to do things to recover the memory.
We
talked a bit about the Elder Babcock’s invisible people. He thinks his mom was
here. Later I realized that maybe she was here on a mission from the spirit
world to help her son through a difficult time. He wanted me to go for a walk
with invisible people and then gave me a welcome as if I had returned.
He
was writing a book in his mind. This Sunday was better that I stay here for
meals and tests and to talk to him instead of going to the chapel for sacrament
meeting.
They
moved him to a chair and helped him get out and stand in front of a bar. His
legs were very stiff and sore from being in bed so long. But he wanted to sit
on the couch and was able to sit up straight. He was very tired. He had become
increasingly stubborn, but he cooperated.
He
was beginning to worry about me walking alone. I did not know how long I could
hide the fact that I walked home alone at night. He didn’t like that I walked
alone in the day. I would tell him that there are plenty of people around.
He
was very weak. They pushed him to exercise and he got very tired. Getting to
the bathroom at night remained a major challenge. That was his great
motivation. He had been so bad in recent days that nurses didn’t help him get
out of bed, but today they did. We were starting again.
He
was very weak. They pushed him to exercise and he was very tired. Getting to
the bathroom at night was still a great challenge. That was his great
motivation. He had been so bad in recent days that nurses did not help getting
out of bed, but they did today. We were beginning again.
President
Martinez wanted him to be able to go to the conference on April 17. This prayer
wasn't answered, but the Lord gave us other blessings. Now it took about three people to help him
instead of five. I was trying to learn
as much about patient care as I could. I
still didn't know what the options were. A nursing home in Salt Lake City
didn't seem right. A miracle would be
better.
I
learned that Elder Babcock's memory didn't include some purchases we had made
before our mission. He asked me to bring his shaving kit, and he expected his
brown bag. I told him the zipper broke and he had a new one. He wanted his
sleeping mask, and was surprised to see the fluorescent pink one that he had
been using in Chile.
I
made a quick trip to Victoria tonight to pick up clothes. I called the Elders
to be with him while I was gone. Elder White who was here two days ago was
overwhelmed by the improvement. We all are.
He
wanted to keep the computer with him to work on a database. I told him that I
kept it with me for safety. He said he would put it under the covers. I said, “You
have a busy bed and your only job now is to remember.” He said he was working
on it. Hard work.
Elder
Babcock was happy that the elders were going to walk me home tonight. I hoped I
could avoid getting him stressed. It would be difficult because doctors often
make their final rounds quite late. The research I had done spoke of with a
wide range of outcomes from death to full recovery with lots in between. We would
live one day at a time with faith and hope and wait patiently.
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