"Mary the Great"

My niece, Aeva Claire, combined the concept of great-grandmother with Mary & came up with "Mary the Great". Of course, Mary the Great loved it from the get-go and often signs her name that way now. :)

Mary's surgery didn't end until after 11:30 last night. She had about 4.5 feet of her colon removed. (I've heard the colon is about 17 ft.) The doctor said if Mary had waited another hour to come in, she probably wouldn't have made it. Family was finally able to see her around 1:00am and after I spoke with my mom, I went to bed around 2:00 with hopes that she'd be recovering today. Doctors anticipated that Mary would be fully sedated, intubated & in ICU for about three days, in a regular room about ten days, then to a rehab hospital for a few days before going home. That plan changed today.

Considering what she's been through, as of this evening Mary the Great is doing . . . great ! Doctors removed the breathing tube, Mary (when awake) is very alert and talkative. She makes perfect sense and was telling me everything that was on her schedule that needs to change. She remembers last night's nurse telling her how she went into nursing. She was telling my mom and I about company they have coming in after Xmas & how she was upset that there are Xmas decor boxes all over the house. She was her usual self by kidding with us and making smart remarks. Wonder if that's a family trait? :) Tomorrow Mary will get up and move around with help. She'll also start on liquids - yep, the delight of hospital broth, jello & popsicles.

So . . . Mary the Great is on the mend. Last night was very scary, but the light of day shows us a much better picture than anyone anticipated. The things Mary will do to get out of another round of chemo! I love the woman so much I gave her my favorite lip balm before I kissed her goodbye for the night. Seriously, Mary the Great is an amazingly strong & stubborn woman who is truly the matriarch of our crazy family. I know that's how she's made it this far. And I'm glad she has.