Mary again! Aug 23

Times is flying by so fast.  My intention was to get back on here and it has been another week.  Mary.
 Mary.  Mary.  A lot of my thoughts have been around this sister.

Mary had her surgery a week ago and they took out tumors weighing about 28 pounds and the size of a beach ball.  Kate called and told us they were definitely malignant.  Because she is in the hospital in intensive care in Carmel, we were not able to go and see her for several days, and by that time she was sitting in a chair and had just gotten her IV's out that morning.

Sitting in a chair she was quietly pondering something and didn't hear us enter her room until we were standing in front of her.  Then we saw a wide smile.  Mary loves to have people come and care about her.
We visited for a few minutes and then I handed her the get well card we had purchased.  She thanked us and set it down.  I looked and her and told her she needed to open it now!  So she picked it up and opened it.  As she looked at the card she began to giggle and laugh.  We were glad we could bring that laugh into her day.

We had found a card with a huge cat on the front lying in bed in traction and some of his appendages were all wrapped up.  Since Mary loves cats, it was a natural for her.  I think she will enjoy that card for some time,  We realized after we had been there a few minutes that Mary didn't know her prognosis and thought she was going straight home from the hospital in a couple of days.  She expressed often that she was anxious to go home.  Of course, we didn't know her exact prognosis either, and we just tried to be loving and kind and caring with her.  We want to represent Christ in all that we do and want people to know that his love is unconditional.

When we left, Mary was in good spirits and Sister Whiting gave her a huge hug and we walked out of her 5th floor room inside of CCU.

We came home and Sister Whiting called Kate and shared with her our experience.  Comfirming that Kate probably didn't know, Kate shared her concern about Mary thinking that she was going right to her home.  The Dr's and case worker had said she would definitely have to go to a rehabilitation center for a while as she had no one to take care of her.  So far Kate had refused that.

Four days later, Kate called to tell me that Kate was enroute to the rehabilitation center.  They had given her all of the news and she had finally agreed that it would be the best thing.  The caseworker had said that the Dr's gave Mary a prognosis of 24 months or less.  She would need to be in the rehab. center only for a week or so, then she could return to her home where she lives alone.

We told Kate that we wanted to help in every way we can too.  The caseworker had also visited with the Bishop who came to visit Mary and gave him all of the information so that the ward can decided how best to support her with visits, food, etc.    We are going down to visit Mary this next Monday for her birthday.  Kate told me it was her birthday and that she would not be going.  So we will go down and take her some balloons and a chocolate milk shake that she loves.  It is about a 50-60 mile drive, one way.

Kate has never been super active in her life and will need a lot of love and support from people with testimonies that can assure of God's love and plan for her.  We will help the ward in trying to do that, even though we are not assigned to that ward.  It will be a blessing to us too.