Dear Dee,
IT OCCURS TO ME THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THE very FEW PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN HEARING my stroke story, so here it goes:
In 2003 I was coming out of one of my Spanish lit classes and was thinking that it had been a good class;Then I thought, No, "it was a brilliant class" !
After that little show of hubris, I LOST USE OF MY LEFT SIDE AND collapsed on the floor. Luckily someone called 911 and the ambulance took me to the ER at our local hospital , 2 blocks away from the college.
They were unsure of what had happened, so they transferred me by the hospital helicopter (only me, since Bob was not allowed to fly with me, as I was not having a baby.).
They took me to NH's largest hospital called Dartmouth Hitchcock .There, they determined that I had suffered a stroke caused by a birth defect which I didn't know I had, called an AVM. (arterial venous malformation.) I was disappointed to learn that the "veinous" had to do with veins and not with Venus, goddess of love.). The AVM It is tangle of arteries and veins, which "exploded" in my brain.
The stroke put me in a coma for 5 months and left me left-side hemiplegic (no use of the left side of my body. the stroke put me in a coma for five months and left me a left side" "hemiplegic" which means I unable to use my LEFT SIDE which means I can only use my right side and leg ,but ,but LUCKILY it also means, in my case anyway, l have no pain. Thanks to many therapists and and care-givers and to my fabulous husband, Bob, I have learned to walk with a brace on my lower left leg and my cane. or a grocery cart .
Only lately I have learned that I am a "cougar", having married younger man( Bob is 13 days younger than I am !).
I was doing great up until last JUNE when my left leg quit working and I fell several times. My psp sent me huge team of therapists and now I'm almost normal again. Luckily ,my falls are never serious since I'm well padded on my behind. Now I think my the problem was psychological . I became very nervous trying to REMBER TO lift up my head while walking with my cane so I could see other people and not look like crippled old lady.
End of story for now.
I have been thinking that if you and David are not up for traveling by yourselves, travel you could go with one of your many world traveler children and grandchildren to visit us here in Plymouth or in our little house in ABQ.In ABQ we have 2 queen sized guest rooms so you could take your pick. The bathrooms in both of our houses have a grab bar and raised bidet toilet.
The best thing about our ABQ house is that is only one floor. The few steps down to the garage has a ramp with railings on both sides so you can use a rolling chair or walk down into the garage.
It only takes a few hours to get adjusted to the altitude and then we can go anywhere in the city which has grown quite a bit ,but it's still possible to get anywhere in less than 45 minutes.
If you want to swim ,we can take you to our club called Defined Fitness. THE best thing about it are the personal changing rooms.
You can also swim every day here in PLYMOUTH. OUR [POOL IS ONY 15 MINUTES AWAY and is free since we have a time-share there.
But my favorite pool is at the Waterville Valley ski club about 30 minutes from here in the White Mountains. IT HAS RAMPs INTO AND OUT OF THE WATER AND BESTof all FOR ME, are THE 2 huge 3FT deep hot tubs with optional pumps.
So both of our 2 houses are perfect for you. The Plymouth house has a stair climber and a raised bidet toilet. Plymouth has a stair climber which I, now remember we had to take out a railing to fit. Maybe you could do that there. It is very nice to be able to access both floors and the rooms up there.
So in conclusion, there is no reason you shouldn't come to visit either here in Plymouth or there in ABQ. So please let us know when to expect you.
You and your family are also invited to our granddaughter Emma's 15th birthday celebration,March 16th, 2026 in Paris. The 15th birthday is very special IN THE Mexican tradition because for theit marks the passage of a girl from her childhood to adulthood. and is celebrated with a huge fiesta called a quinciañera.Our celebration will be much simpler with a meal at a little Mexican resto on the same street where Emma and her family live. If you could come, we could rent an apt together which would be much cheaper than a hotel. Please let me know if you could come. It would be so wonderful to be able to see you and talk in "real life".
with much love,
tu amiga, Virginia
PS, SALUDOS A "Osito"
email Nov 18
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