Day 82 | DECEMBER 01, 2021
Good Evening Friends, today is day 82 of our new and amazing life!
Today was a good day!
Charlie is into her new routine starting at 5:30a, she had a busy day today, she did a good amount of PT exercises, she also had her first psychological evaluation and it went very well, Charlie really like her therapist and is looking forward for her weekly sessions and I am so grateful for this therapy, now Charlie can start to heal her mind.
I arrived a little later today, since her therapy was at 2:30p , but I made use of the time to make calls and connect with the right people, as you know by now when Charlie is discharged from the hospital, she will have to make a stop at the Rehabilitation facility before coming home, so today I was blessed to talk with a person responsible for admission in there, so I am very grateful for this connection via mutual friends, it is important to provide Charlie with the best possible care and having a friendly face inside can only help .
Today was a day for me to cut Charlie’s nails, toe and fingers. I am the worst person to cut nails , poor Charlie has no choice , so I have been cutting her nails every couple weeks or so, it is sad to see her nails so frail and actually somewhat burned, but at least she has all of her nails in place, it is hard to describe the smell of burn nails, a mix between sulfur and burnt hair, but I am so grateful to have the opportunity to serve my wife on this role, it makes her feel human, it was beautiful to see her nurse detangled and brush her hair, the small touches have such a positive impact on Charlie’s well being, as you may remember this coming Friday they are planning to shave her hair and use some of her scalp skin as the base for the new CEA application.
Today we actually talked quite a bit, Charlie was very alert and we talked about the accident and for the first time she talked about how hard and painful her hospital stay is, she had tears in her eyes as she described to me how painful it is , and how the pain is 24/7, she said it is a living hell, but she understands that is the price she has to pay to be alive, Charlie is very aware of her miraculous recovery, and she is grateful for it, but she wanted to make sure that I knew how hard and painful her journey is, it breaks my heart to see her in so much pain, and I told her that if I could I would trade places with her, to which she replied you could not handle it with a smile, she as on a funny mood today, and she is probably right.
Today Charlie had a very low pain level, she said her pain was at 2, that would explain her good mood, it did make me a little sad to see her verbalizing her struggle, but also made me happy to see her processing her feelings, it is a step in the right direction, but also a reminder on how hard this journey is!
It is absolutely inspiring to see Charlie’s outlook on her suffering and her ability to stay positive and strong, yet being Vulnerable by admitting that she is in a living hell, the most accurate description of her pain, The pain of a burn injury is the most painful pain and also the most painful to recover it from, I am absolutely heartbroken to see her in so much pain, but also so grateful to see her alive, this is the highest price one can pay to be alive and Charlie is paying it, in the most gracious way, I feel privileged to be her husband and caretaker.
I am going to bed with a grateful heart, even though the thought of looking for the why, and the thought of wishing to be able to turn back in time has crossed my mind , I refused to spend any time with those , since they can’t make any positive impact in our journey, let me focus on the gratitude of having Charlie here with us .
Today I did a quick interview with the talented Courteney Blum Stuart at the Charlottesville Right Now podcast on WINA, please take a moment to listen to it, it will air tomorrow. She was very kind to give me the space to share Charlie’s story, check it out tomorrow.
https://wina.com/.../podcasts-charlottesville-right-now/
I wish you a good night!
May God Bless You !
André
