The BEST MEDICINE...

Monday, December 21, 2009

The BEST MEDICINE...

LAUGHTER & SMILES

Tyra's Home Health ~~Nurses~~ FRIENDS filled our life with tons

Our very crafty Ms. Deb, always going above and beyond. Taking Tyra on excursions and detouring through puddles just to get a laugh. Putting up with our practical jokes & reciprocating the love. Tyra had quite the sense of humor; a strategically placed whopee cushion, a fake roach in the wipe box, a knife wielding Chuckie image under the toilet lid, just to name a few. Ms. Deb should have gotten hazardous duty pay.

I was not used to sharing Tyra with others. Ms. Deb made it okay for me to accept help - because I knew that Tyra was more than just a patient -

Tyra was LOVED.

She also folds an awesome fitted sheet ;-)

Love also came into our home with Miss Joyce.

Wise & Silly what a unique combination to find in a single person -

not to mention unlimited availabilty for Tyra.

I have no idea when she slept ;-)

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I cannot speak of nurses without mentioning our duPont friends that came into our lives during Tyra's final year. I am reminded of the song Just a Spoonful of Sugar : even though the task is daunting, with a good attitude, it can still be fun.

Our amazing 3F crew and the awesome Holly from the PICU, these ladies gave new meaning to duPont's motto

"Whatever it Takes"

Many of Tyra's nurses continue to gift me with the best medicine...

FRIENDSHIP

1 comment:

AnonymousMarch 3, 2012 at 3:53 PM
Little lady made going to work a thing to look forward to. We never knew what adventure we would have that day. Usually spontaneous, like pushing (running) the stolling buggy thru the water puddles after a downpour. With Tyra's shoes off of course (so the water splashes up on her toogies.):) Ms. Deb

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OUR STORY

During the Fall of 1992 I met & quickly fell in LOVE with the most beautiful brown eyed bundle of JOY. Tyra was just nine months old and was in respite care while her 19yo birth mother, Chelle, was undergoing chemotherapy for Osteosarcoma. Chelle carried Tyra full term but as a result of uterine rupture Tyra was deprived of oxygen which resulted in a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. Chelle died in August of 1993, leaving behind her two daughters Tisha (3yo) & Tyra (18mo).

The evolution of our family was complicated but a family we became and how honored I am to be Tyra's mom.

We had an amazing fun filled 15 years which you will discover as the Blog unfolds. In October of 2008, Tyra was hospitalized with GI issues. Up to this time she had only 2 very short unplanned hospitalizations. We spent 6 weeks at AI duPont that October/November with the GI team working her up from 'end to end'. She was discharged in November on TPN with a dx of Pseudo obstruction. I questioned how at 16 this now presents after she spent so many years with great health. Upon discharge we got connected with an INCREDIBLE Diagnostic Referral Physician in hopes of answering this question.

Tyra was re-admitted to the hospital in early February as she was very lethargic and still not tolerating g-tube feeds. With this admission came many new tests. Tests that were sent to outside labs. While we awaited the results Tyra's condition worsened. She had several seizures on the floor and was ultimately transferred to the PICU in a non-responsive state. An MRI showed devastating injury at the level of her brainstem. Three days after this crisis lab results came back showing Tyra to have a metabolic/mito disorder PDCD. I held my sweet girl in my arms as she took her last breaths on March 6, 2009. To say I miss her is far from adequate.