Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: BEGIN (01/06/22)
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TITLE: Information Overload | Previous Challenge Entry
By Corinne Smelker
01/12/22 -
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“Who are you?” I asked. At least, that’s what I tried to say. I opened my mouth, my tongue moved, but absolutely nothing came out. I tried again. Still nothing. I ripped my hand away from him.
Suddenly the room filled with people – and I didn’t recognise any of them. They spoke, to me, to each other, to the man. They checked the machines I realised I was hooked up to, and one of them, a woman, started touching my legs, my arms, and my torso. “Can you feel this?”
“Yes, Maddie, can you feel her touch your leg?”
Once again, I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing, absolutely nothing emerged. What is going on? As I tried to make my mouth work, I thrashed around the bed.
“Everybody out,” the woman said. “That’s better,” she smiled once the room was empty. “OK. Introductions – I am Dr Gaines, but you can call me Mary. There’s no easy way to say this, but you’ve had a massive stroke. She took my right hand in hers. “Before I go any further, can you understand what I’m saying? If you can, squeeze my hand.”
“Understand? Of course I understand!” I yelled. Well, I tried. Once again, my brain had the words, but my mouth refused to cooperate. In defeat I squeezed her hand.
“Good. All right. So, your husband, Jon, rushed you here a couple of days ago after he found you unconscious on your bathroom floor. We had to operate quickly because you also had a massive brain bleed.”
I stared at her as her words washed over me. Brain bleed. Stroke. Unconscious. Husband? I’m married?
“Maddie, you’re lucky to be alive. Five minutes longer and you likely wouldn’t be. That’s the good news. Now the bad – the stroke has paralysed your left side; and it seems like you have speech apraxia; which means your brain is having a hard time making the connection to your mouth, and tongue. Hopefully this is a short-term thing, but we don’t know.”
She squeezed my hand. “This is a lot to take in all at one time, and I know you just woke up. But you’re in the best hospital, with the finest staff to care for you, and you have a family that loves you very much.” Her eyes twinkled, “I have not seen so many people in a waiting room for one person before!”
Family? I have a family?
I was overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information being thrown at me. Unchecked, a tear rolled down my cheek. Dr Gaines, Mary, stopped speaking. “Oh, my gracious. I am sorry. Too much too soon, right?”
I nodded.
“Well, I’m going to leave you now, but will be back later so we can go over next steps. I’m going to let Jon, your husband, into the room now.”
The door shut softly behind her, and I could hear murmuring on the other side. I lay my head back on the pillow as exhaustion swept over me and closed my eyes as I tried to process what I had been told.
“Maddie?” A voice encroached on my thoughts, and I reluctantly opened my eyes. The man who had held my hand earlier stood off to the side, running his hands through short salt-and-pepper hair. This must be Jon. I gestured for him to approach, and as I did, I could see pain etched on his face, his aquiline features pinched with a lack of sleep. My heart swelled for a moment and a fragment of memory surfaced, me laughing at this man as we walked through a mall together, holding hands and sipping on coffee.
My face must have shown my recognition because his grey eyes lit up, and he grabbed my good hand. “We’ve got this babe,” he whispered. “We can beat this together, with God’s help. This is the beginning of our good fight of faith.”
I pressed his hand in much the same way I had squeezed Dr Gaines’ earlier and tried to smile. I had no idea what my future looked like, but I knew with this man next to me, I could face the unknown, and whatever my ‘new normal’ might look like.
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My grandmother was one such individual, although she never got her speech back, she lived for many years communicating with her eyes, and a blackboard.
A powerful entry and close, showing an alignment with God's love and a confidence of what is to come.
Well done,
Blessings~