January 2003

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I love good news, especially when the chance of bad news on the same subject is roughly equal.

I love sharing good news, so I'm going to tell you about news I got tonight. First the backstory: on November 27, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, one of my distant cousins was seriously injured in an automobile accident. The injury was to her head, and she remained unconscious for several weeks. Her husband used the family e-mail list to let all of us know about the accident, and to keep us updated.

When she began to regain consciousness, the doctors told her immediate family that she would need to be sent to a nursing home for rehabilitation, if such were possible. That move was made on December 27, to a facility in her hometown that had an excellent reputation for patient care. She was set up for therapies, and we pretty much settled down for a long wait, to see if further improvement would happen.

Turned out it wasn't so long a wait. This weekend, any question about whether or not she was fully conscious was answered resoundingly---she began to talk again. Making complete sentences (umm, not like this one). Answering questions. Participating in conversations. Laughing. The voice may be a little hoarse and whispery (after all, she hasn't used it in a while), but the speech is clear and unmistakable. So, by the way, is her husband's joy.

The prognosis for her is excellent.

She's a cousin on my mother's side of the family. That's the side I think of as the stubborn, determined side. I think this cousin is proving my point.