Recent Photos From Tom Bray

Current Hospital

Craig Hospital Room 210 West

If you want to send cards...etc. the address is

Craig Hospital Patricia Schmidt 3425 South Clarkson St. Englewood, CO 80110
(303)789-8254

E-mail's, cards and notes will all go in Pat's new scrapbook.

We know your love is here. Debra

Mailing List Subscription Information The Aunt Pat Mail List

When I arrived she was with a physical therapist who was measuring her stretching mobility. Pat had made improvements in all ranges of motion of her arms and head. This was good.

Pat's eye lit up and she smiled when she saw me. I introduced myself to the therapist as Pat's friend Kathy or KK as most people know me. Pat kept smiling and nodding in agreement that she knew who I was. I joined Pat for lunch, which was next where Pat ate some of her vegetable soup, a bit of the mystery meat and potatoes and all of her fresh strawberries for desert. During lunch we didn't talk much, but after lunch she waited for me as I had to learn where the dirty plates were to be put. We went back to her room and chatted for an hour. Pat should have been napping during this time, but she did not want to lie down, wanting to stay up and visit with me instead.

She right away was looking for something around the room, and before I was able to figure out what she needed she proudly put a Mozart Ball candy in my hand. Yahoo!! We looked at a couple books and some pictures I brought from home. Pat's words are still jumbled, but we were able to talk about her recent visitors. I told her Larry had told me she had some visitors last night. And she said "Yes, Sue ," just as clear as could be. I needed to remind her of Trish's name, but she was quite pleased they had come for a visit.

Pat next had speech therapy, where she had made improvements from 2 weeks earlier, in her ability to say names of the week and numbers. She was also able to say Larry's name and that he was her husband. Next we went to mat class, where all the patients on her floor gather at the same time for stretching for an hour. It looked quite demanding, I know some of the stretches would have been difficult for me to do. Before the mat class started we were sitting together with her nurse Sylvia, who was commenting how pleasant Pat is all the time. She has never had any trouble from Pat at all. I added how Pat never had a mean thing to say about anyone, except once in a while when we might be gossiping just a little and I looked at Pat and she was making a big frowning, exaggerated no, no , no look, at the gossipy comment, joining in on the joke that Pat and I would never, ever gossip about anyone! It was a great moment, and once again emphasizes the level at which Pat is so able to understand what's going on - its just the speech that is the difficulty.

During mat class it was time for me to come home as Megen had an appointment to get contacts. How about that 13 going on 14, gets her braces off and fitted for contacts. Life is good! So said a quick good-bye to Pat, who blessed me with a big smile and was off, feeling once again full of love and happiness from being with my strong, persistent, funny friend.

Love,KK

Hello to Everyone!!!

This is Pat (with some help from Dan).

I feel better. Dan has been reading me your emails. Thank you. They mean so much to me.

I look forward to getting better so I can talk to you.

Love, Pat.

So there I was, dragging my bags along the front walk of the Denver airport trying to remember if Larry said he would pick me up on the lower level or on the upper level. I saw a car that sorta looked like theirs, then I saw a bit of glare bounce off the driver's pate, so I knew it was the right one. As I neared, I realized there was a passenger, too, and I walked up to see a shaggy haired young woman with a big smile turning around in her seat to get a better look at me.

What a thrill! A few hugs later, I asked if she had escaped again, or if this was all legit. Larry said, no, they had gotten an official hallway pass for her to come along to pick me up.

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Pat is back.

She is exactly the same now as she was last July when I saw her at the Winter Park show. Same facial expressions. Same bounce. Same personality. Same good humor. She just keeps speaking some other language that few others can understand.

As with every kid on a hallway pass, we took a few detours and drove over to Red Rock park to catch some fresh air and the view over Denver.

Back at the hospital, she walked all the way from her room to the cafeteria and back using her walker.

This evening, I have been showing her pictures of Salt Lake, the hospital staff there, and some of her with all those tubes. I've been reading her some of the past emails from you all.

Long term memory is intact. She knows who everyone is and your references to daily life, people, and events. She remembers nothing of Salt Lake and her first few weeks here, but everything before the tornado is clear as the blue Minnesota sky on a frosty sunny morn.

I asked if she was frustrated for not being able to communicate. She shook her head no, it would all come in good time. When she tries a sentence, then has to give up, she gives the Pat Grin and arches her eyebrows into an Oh Well and giggles.

Give her a call. She'll answer the phone and will undoubtedly know who you are. She knows that she isn't obligated to be verbose in her responses to you; she just wants to hear your voice and how you're doing.

Lots more emails are good too. She's alert enough now to catch it all, when read aloud. Plus there's the complete collection of past emails to keep going thru.

Quite an excellent Saturday. Dan