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Posted by Katy Fielder (205.188.116.12) on 12:18:58 23/11/04

Your message is especially poignant to me this week. Six weeks ago, while traveling with my dad in London, my mother was hospitalized with an acute and severe case of Guillain Barre Syndrome. Within 24 hrs her extreme muscle fatigue escalated to complete bodily paralysis. She has had a harrowing experience - from 10 days of ICU care in London, to a 20-hour air-ambulance journey home, followed by 2 weeks in ICU here in Phoenix, then finally to her current acute extended care hospital in Scottsdale. All this while she breathes through a tracheotomy on a ventillator and eats through a feeding tube surgically implanted in her belly. My lovely and dignified mother who loves literature and ideas has been reduced to making eye blink responses to our yes/no questions aimed at meeting her most basic needs. It will likely be weeks/months/even a year or more before she regains any significant motor control

It would be so easy to be angry at all this, and I certainly am just that at times. However, my mother, my mom, our Oma, continues to teach me about beauty in life. Even through the myriad tubes, medical equipment alarms, and throughout the constant parade of interruptions, she exudes a quiet grace, dignity, and beauty. Without a spoken word, without moving a muscle, my mom touches the hearts and souls of those surrounding her. Nurses have written in her journal about the impact of her presence on their lives. These battle-hardened care givers have taken pause to touch base with the importance of caring for the patient as opposed to managing this "case".

People from literallly all over the world have buffered our family with prayers, encouraging words, meals, and bedside relief duty for family members who maintain a constant and protective vigil over Mom. I hate what is happening to her. I hate to see her suffer. But in this challenge I continue to discover surprising moments of beauty, of hope, of love, of living.

Dr. H...I quote you all the time - "It's not how it comes to you. It's how you come to it." So on this day, this season of Thanksgiving, I choose to "come to it" with an appreciation for the depth and intensity of life's experiences and an eager anticipation for the all that I am learning. I give thanks for my life, for my mother's life - every single meaningful moment of it.

Thank you for your inspiring message.

Fondly,
Katy Fielder

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Comments:	: Your message is especially poignant to me this week. Six weeks ago, while traveling with my dad in London, my mother was hospitalized with an acute and severe case of Guillain Barre Syndrome. Within 24 hrs her extreme muscle fatigue escalated to complete bodily paralysis. She has had a harrowing experience - from 10 days of ICU care in London, to a 20-hour air-ambulance journey home, followed by 2 weeks in ICU here in Phoenix, then finally to her current acute extended care hospital in Scottsdale. All this while she breathes through a tracheotomy on a ventillator and eats through a feeding tube surgically implanted in her belly. My lovely and dignified mother who loves literature and ideas has been reduced to making eye blink responses to our yes/no questions aimed at meeting her most basic needs. It will likely be weeks/months/even a year or more before she regains any significant motor control : : It would be so easy to be angry at all this, and I certainly am just that at times. However, my mother, my mom, our Oma, continues to teach me about beauty in life. Even through the myriad tubes, medical equipment alarms, and throughout the constant parade of interruptions, she exudes a quiet grace, dignity, and beauty. Without a spoken word, without moving a muscle, my mom touches the hearts and souls of those surrounding her. Nurses have written in her journal about the impact of her presence on their lives. These battle-hardened care givers have taken pause to touch base with the importance of caring for the patient as opposed to managing this "case". : : People from literallly all over the world have buffered our family with prayers, encouraging words, meals, and bedside relief duty for family members who maintain a constant and protective vigil over Mom. I hate what is happening to her. I hate to see her suffer. But in this challenge I continue to discover surprising moments of beauty, of hope, of love, of living. : : Dr. H...I quote you all the time - "It's not how it comes to you. It's how you come to it." So on this day, this season of Thanksgiving, I choose to "come to it" with an appreciation for the depth and intensity of life's experiences and an eager anticipation for the all that I am learning. I give thanks for my life, for my mother's life - every single meaningful moment of it. : : Thank you for your inspiring message. : : Fondly, : Katy Fielder
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Dr. Carl A. Hammerschlag, M.D., CPAE, psychiatrist and author, is a professional keynote and motivational speaker. He speaks on a variety of topics including healthcare, mind body and spirit, health and wellness, mental healing and leadership. He has delivered motivational and keynote speaches to corporate and business clients around the world.