Home Sweet Home

We are home...and it's so good to be here. We were both going CRAZY being in the hospital on Wednesday and then it took until 530pm to be released on Thursday, so that was a long day too. BUT, we made it home and not that Kenny is running right now, but he moved as fast as he could in the house, up the stairs and straight to Charlie. He just couldn't wait to see that sweet boy of ours and Charlie looked up at him and grinned his big old gummy grin. I think that alone healed Kenny...that and sleeping in is own bed.

Kenny has a long way to go, but I can see a difference in him already and we haven't even been home 24 hours. The next few weeks will be filled with lots of doctors appointments, physical and occupational therapy and blood work. As much as those will be exhausting for Kenny, they will also heal him, giving him things to do to keep moving down the path to recovery.

Since I haven't posted pictures in awhile...I thought I would add a few now.


Wednesday, August 27 at Northern Illinois Medical Center. We were just waiting for a bed to open up at Northwestern in the Neuro ICU. A short visit with Charlie each day always made Kenny smile.


Thursday, August 28: I left the hospital in McHenry a different way for some reason that day when I was driving Lauren and Charlie back to our house after a visit with Kenny. Right across the street from the hospital sat this Bluesmobile...I wish that Kenny could have seen it. This is his all time favorite movie...he and Dominick even own a Bluesmobile. So, I figured I would stop and take a picture or two of it on the way back to the hospital. While I was home dropping Lauren and Charlie off, I got the call that they were ready to transfer Kenny. I knew it would cheer Kenny to see the car, so I still stopped for the pictures on the way back to the hospital to meet him to transfer to Northwestern.

Sweet Home Chicago is right...we are so thankful we live so close to an amazing medical community like Chicago, with talented doctors, ready to do amazing procedures on people to help them.

A close up..."we're on a mission from God." I'm a person that believes in signs...and I looked for many in the last 10 days or so. Signs that everything would be alright...signs that would calm my fears. For some reason, finding this car, right across the street from the first hospital that Kenny was treated at, just an hour before getting the call to transfer him to Northwestern...it was a sign to me. I ran in the hospital, showed Kenny the pictures and couldn't contain my excitement to be moving to Northwestern and getting ready for another surgery that I knew would heal him the following day. He loved that the car was there and that I took pictures for him to see. I promised him a visit to the car after we were home again. But I knew...everything would be alright.

Kenny's ride to the City...

Kenny, strapped in and ready to go to Northwestern.


Wednesday, September 3: Kenny looked tired...tired of being woken up by nurses alot, tried of being a human pin cushion...tired of being away from Charlie...just ready to go home.

Now why...tell me why...would a surgeon only shave half of his head (after the 1st surgery). No one will walk around like this. The nurses and I thought it was nuts that the first surgeon wouldn't just shave his whole head. His neurosurgeon at Northwestern finally said, "get this man a haircut!! His hair is driving me crazy! I can't believe they didn't just shave your whole head the first time." So, we found out they had a barber at Northwestern that does haircuts in the hospital.

Here's Kenny's haircut the next morning. He loved it!!

Kenny and I hanging out on Thursday, September 4, just waiting to leave the hospital. Those of you who really know Kenny, know that he HATES the city...he is just not one to enjoy the fast pace. BUT...he was NEVER so happy to see downtown Chicago in the middle of rush hour during a horrible rainy day (thanks to Gustav) as he was yesterday.

There's my handsome husband with a great new haircut that I happen to love on him. And he's healthy...that's the best part. And now we are home...and he is healthy and on the road to recovery.