Palm Sunday, Strokes, Reminiscences

Dear Mr Postman .. again you come on a Sunday - thank you so much .. my mother will enjoy these snippets - especially as it is Palm Sunday ..

Palms survive in all sorts of warmer climates .. and surprisingly are to be found as far north as Cornwall, eg in Morrab Gardens, in Penzance - which has a sub-tropical climate regulated by the Gulf Stream (now at the forefront of the global warming debate) - and is where my mother comes from.

Today is a special day for my mother .. as it is now her 3rd Palm Sunday in a hospital; three years ago she was in the Acute Brain Injury Unit in London, where the nurses very kindly made sure she could get down stairs to the Chapel within Queen Charlotte's Hospital (the original name of the old building) to attend the service. In fact the Chaplains were wonderful - as my mother was so late .. as she needed a lot of attention to be put into her wheelchair .. that they actually started the service again - making it shorter.

They also gave her a Palm Cross .. which I kept and mounted on black paper -so that when she came down to Eastbourne, I was able to put it in her eyeline on the wall at the end of her bed.

At present she is in the local hospital and I sincerely hope they sort her treatment out a.s.a.p. so we can get back to the Nursing Centre, where I can visit whenever I want, rather than at the hospital from 2.00 pm onwards. I just like to keep an eye on her and know what she wants and needs - and know she feels reassured when I'm around - in the morning as well as the afternoon.

It's been an interesting experience down at the hospital .. there's always something to learn .. even if the outcome is so unsettled. The other patients seem to have taken to her ... and have realised from the conversations she has - often with herself!!!! - that she's going through her life .. somethings (across her 88 years of time frame) being weaved together - but that it is still pretty intelligible.

It's been quite interesting explaining to people that strokes can affect patients in so many different ways .. but I think my mother must be almost unique .. she can span all of her life - yes, she now forgets somethings, but if I prompt her - she'll remember. I posted two other snippets back in January on "She's gone Cuckoo" and "Emanuensis", which emphasises how well her brain is working .. yesterday when I was with her .. she suddenly came up with two words 'delinquent' and 'decadence' .. so I asked why! "I was thinking of words beginning with 'D' ".. so I said 'delicate' ... no - "too easy" says my Ma!!?? Well - you please tell me what's wrong here? .. her left side may be stroked .. but not her brain.

These positive letters, Hilary's snippets or tales are stories she would like to hear and she said to me "you're having fun doing these?" - yes I am!! It's a difficult time .. but my mother has been an exemplar as a patient .. and quite extraordinary in her mental capacity to overcome the tribulations she has faced - with acceptance, working out for herself the best way to deal with things and hardly ever worrying me - and positive letters are a release for me ... and generate lots of response from family and friends, and now from you too kind readers.

We wish you a blessed Easter week 2009.

Thank you Mr Postman for reminding me of our times together .. and I know you'll have more interesting tales for us tomorrow ..

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters