Here's to the next "step" in my journey......

I'm going home tomorrow!  Going home tomorrow.   Home tomorrow..  Tomorrow.....

I sit in my hospital bed looking around my room, surrounded by the light blue walls, posters/pictures, walker and wheelchair....it's getting more and more bare.  Family members have been slowly taking items home, helping to minimize what needs to be packed up when Nash arrives tomorrow.  I've waited since Saturday and boy am I so eager to see him!

I expected to be running (figuratively) from this place.  I've spent the last 30 days here and faced, quite possibly, the scariest thing that's ever happened in my life.  I've been frustrated, angry, disappointed, and scared about things I may have learned, seen, felt, or observed.  So why on earth would I have reservations about facing tomorrow?

After a lot of thought and soul searching let me share with you some of what I've learned about being here:
1) The people here are tremendous.  They are a team who show such heart and dedication for the patients here.  And I mean everyone.  Therapists, rehab attendants, nurses, doctors PCA's, staff in environmental and food services, and more.  Everyone has been so encouraging and some have really helped me to work through emotions that were tugging at me.
2) My routine here has been very focused, predicable, and safe.  I know what to expect from moment to moment and that feels very comfortable.
3) Let's face it.....expectations here are that you're sick or recovering from something.  There are plenty of us here using walkers, wearing gait belts, and/or looking a little different and well, that's just the norm.
4) Many pressures of daily life are lifted.  Things such as making your own meals, grocery shopping, managing your own medications, and cleaning your own room are just a few of the tasks patients don't have to "worry about" while recovering in the hospital.
5) The value of daily intensive therapies aiding in my recovery.  Need I say more?

In my heart I believe that the feelings I'm experiencing are very normal.  I don't apologize for my feelings of reservation but must rather acknowledge them in order to accept this change that is about to happen.  I am 100% confident that I have the family support, friends support, church support, and this Thursday will meet a new team of therapists who will support me on this "next step journey" I'm about to embark on.  Am I fearful or scared?  No, I'm not.  Do I think I will have many frustrations and challenges?  Yes, I do.  Am I ready to accept this next stage in my recovery?  Absolutely, I am.

And most importantly, regardless of the "level of function" I'm at when I leave this rehab unit, I am so ready to be back in my loving home as wife and mother again!  I miss Nash, Ella, and William so much!

Tonight I send my love to you all with many thanks for helping me get through this hospitalization.  I will leave here with many great memories and remembrance of some of the most kind and thoughtful words.  Love to you all!
Kelly