Crosswords and a cup of tea

By Max and Ben

A day without laughter is a day wasted – Charlie Chaplin

For many of us, an afternoon playing cryptic crosswords without actually being able to see the words, read the clues or fill in the blanks sound like torture.

For one ‘Genny Ensor’ this sounds like a perfect Sunday!

Despite the nurses insisting she needed some rest on the days between therapies, Mum was delighting in a few mental challenges – most of which kept us mere mortals reeling.

As stated in numerous other blog posts, Mum’s primary deficiency is her “left hand side neglect” – the Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Pathologists are all working on building new neural connections as well as exercising and strengthening those that can be reengaged in an effort to minimise the impact of this “phantom side”.

Benjamin and I spent a good deal of Sunday afternoon with Mum playing cryptic crosswords on her white board – focusing on drawing her attention to the left and insisting that she read the words, spaces and decipher the clues herself. She made enormous progress (even in a short exercise!) and – like anyone, loves being told she is “brilliant!”

Another important step towards Mum’s mobility is being able to “lock” her knee in place when she’s standing.

The physio team have shown us some simple exercises we can help Mum with when she’s in her bed or her chair which help strengthen her “bad” knee.

She is getting stronger each day – we’re sure that any day now she’ll push too hard and send herself flying backwards through the wall!! 

Deidre and Warren arrived on Sunday evening and stopped in for a quick visit before bed.

Having family around really encourages Mum and the change in her enthusiasm and commitment is really evident with each new visitor.

They say laughter is the best medicine and with a team of comedians in one room Mum’s nurses don’t stand a chance!

Monday morning saw a huge schedule of Speech Therapy, followed by a quick cup of tea in the gazebo with her boys, followed by Physio in the gym – with a visit from Sonia.

Both Deidre and Sonia were thrilled to see Mum’s strength in standing, “ponking” (hopping on your bum from one position to another) and balancing on the edge of the bed unassisted.

These are all really crucial steps towards independence and mobility – our girl is kicking goals!

Sandy joined the ranks in the afternoon – while Mum went through some further Occupational Therapy assessments and Speech Therapy challenges.

One of these tests included having Mum write a sentence of her own choosing and I am ashamed to say that even AFTER a brain attack her handwriting still looks better than mine!

 Around 3:30 Benjamin and I made our way out to the airport and home to Melbourne.

We’re not sure of our plans just yet, but we’re hoping to get back to Brisbane very soon to see even more progress.

Lance has gone back to work now and is chuffed with the support and generosity of his colleagues during this tough time.

Deidre and Warren are staying in Brisbane for “as long as it takes” so we can all rest easy knowing Mum has someone to gossip with.

If nothing else, I’m certain Deidre will be roped in to helping plan the C-Day Party – an event not to be missed!

More information has come forward and it seems things on the menu will include Chocolate, Champagne, Cup Cakes (two points!), Caviar, Cheese, Canapes… I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

Mum wanted me to thank you all for your ongoing support and affection – she particularly likes to read the comments and well wishes on the blog, so please, if you have time – say “hello!”, she will love to hear from you all.