Day One at Home

Faina said her spirits are 100% better since coming home. She took two good walks around the neighborhood and thoroughly enjoyed the incredible weather.

The morning was our first foray into closing down the TPN, nutrition package. In the afternoon was our first, with a clearly fantastic example of adult ADHD, Nurse Lisa looking over my shoulder, as we added in the secret ingredients. She gave me a heads up that when you pull off the cap from the syringe pull it like you want to clear the end by about two feet, because there is a natural reaction to jerk back. No sticks, but I could feel the tendency to return back with the cap.

Faina's sister has been spending the last few weeks with us, helping out. She flew over from Israel and had booked her flight well before the August 12th surgery with the intention of helping Faina around the house after she had been discharged. The fickle finger of fate had other plans, but Maya was a great help in the hospital, spending many night shifts at Hopkins. Maya is 15 years older than Faina and had to graciously endure well intended assumptions that she was Faina's mother. In the East Baltimore neighborhood surrounding Hopkins, that not so fantastic a concept. Adding to this bit of angst was that the sisters had to concoct a ruse for Maya to come to the States. Their mother turned 90 at the beginning of August and, by everyone's judgment, Faina's health crisis would be best kept on the down low. Mom lives in Haifa and they called her regularly, maintaining the story line that Maya came for Faina to do some dental work on her.

At this moment in time, Maya is a few hours into her flight home. Thank you for all of your help, Maya.