Humbled

This has been a pretty intense week for my family. I've always been a believer in the power of prayer, but I've come as close to witnessing a true miracle this week as I believe I ever will...

My grandmother in Alabama has had her ups and downs in regards to her health recently. Last Tuesday she had surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. (Forgive me if I get my medical terminology wrong, but I'll try my best.)

The aneurysm had grown to a dangerously large size and posed a pretty serious risk of hemorrhaging. The surgeon felt certain he could put in a stent endoscopically so that she wouldn't have to undergo major surgery, but there was a blockage issue once they started the surgery and they had to actually open her abdomen and put in the stent that way. This was obviously a much more complicated procedure than originally planned and not ideal for an 88-year-old.

We knew it would take a couple of days for her to wake up after the surgery because of all the pain medication. But as of Sunday, five days after the surgery, she still had not woken up and had been put back on a ventilator because she wasn't breathing on her own. It was not looking good at all. I had a heart-to-heart with my parents and was preparing for the worst.

On Monday they did a CT scan to check the level of brain activity and to see if there was any brain damage from a possible stroke. Results came back clear. Her vital signs were still strong. She just was not waking up or breathing on her own. Although the doctor didn't classify it as such, it was like she was in a medically-induced coma.

The surgeon still felt like she would come out of this "fog" and to improve her chances, although still a long shot, he wanted to do a tracheotomy so that they could remove the ventilator tube from her throat. He said that was putting a lot of stress on her system after that extended period of time and was painful.

He did the tracheotomy Tuesday afternoon and by Wednesday morning she had opened her eyes and was squeezing hands on command. I cannot tell you how humbled we all were at this recovery. And by yesterday afternoon she was trying to talk and move her hands and feet.

She obviously has an incredibly daunting recovery in front of her and a loooong way to go before she's even close to being as strong as she was before the surgery. But I'll tell you one thing, if anybody can do it, she can. She is THE most strong-willed person I know, and she just wasn't ready to be done with this world yet.

The doctors and nurses have rallied around her because of this miraculous turnaround. She was the underdog to say the least. I am pretty sure she walked "into the light" and then something or someone, maybe my Grandpa, told her it wasn't her time just yet. I can't wait until she's able to speak and tell us where she's been the past week. She is just such an amazing, determined spirit, and I'm beyond grateful that I get to see her again.