Hello, and happy Independence Day! We’ve had several phone calls and emails in the last week or so asking about how well Lea survived the wedding trip to Texas, so I thought should take a few moments to give you an update. Overall, we are very encouraged by her ability to bounce back from the travel.

We flew to Austin on a Thursday evening, so we could have a chance to rest before the Friday evening rehearsal dinner. We were met at the airport by the bride’s parents, who chauffeured us to the hotel. Lea went to bed promptly after arrival, and was able to sleep in the next morning, and have a leisurely lunch in the early afternoon., as planned We spent the day resting and visiting with Link and his family, who arrived from Hawaii early afternoon.

Granddaughters, Megan and Lyndi, were great morale boosters, and helped Lea get ready to go to the various events during the weekend. The rehearsal dinner was delightful. It was held on the lawn, downtown Austin, at a location where we could watch the millions of bats come out from under the bridge at dusk to feed on mosquitoes and other flying insects.

It was quite an event for us, since we were able to meet so many folks who had sent emails and eGreetings during her ordeal. I knew many of the folks by name, but hadn’t met most of them. It was a delight for me to put faces with names, and Lea, of course, hasn’t even read the emails, so she didn’t even know names. She just knew that she was going to meet a lot of folks who knew about her ordeal, and she got lots of hugs from a lot of new friends.

The whole wedding weekend was spectacular. The weather was very hot, but the wedding planner handled everything quite well. There are a lot of interesting photos of the rehearsal, wedding and reception taken by Doug Milewski at http://pics.livejournal.com/dacuteturtle/gallery/0001tbpw , including a couple of Lea enjoying conversations with a number of new friends. The wedding collection has a shot of Lea, mother of the groom, being escorted to her seat by our son Link, with me trailing a few steps behind. She looks delightful! I couldn’t help thinking, as she walked down the aisle, “Thank you, Dr. Mah, for this moment.” Thank you, Lord, for giving Dr Mah your divine guidance.

We spent a few days in the South Texas area, with friends, to let Lea rest up before making the trip back home. We made a couple of short day trips with Link and his family. Lea would sleep the following day while they ran off to do another trip. We flew back home the following weekend, and she slept for almost three days solid. She had me a little concerned, but seemed to regain her energy mid-week.

We are still taking life day by day, and handling those issues that need to be dealt with on a case by case basis. I continue to compile the journal of her Hartford ordeal, and giving Lea as much support as I can, helping with household chores, and escorting her to appointments.

Getting her out of bed is an important event each day. I think she would stay in bed 16 hours a day if I didn’t keep coming up with things to do, places to go, and people to see. This tendency isn’t new, however. She has always been an Olympic class recreational sleeper.    

We continue to dress the wound in her abdomen, because she needs the strength of the dressing to give some support to her abdominal wall. When she stands, the very thin layer of tissue covering the wound is so thin it lets her organs stretch the skin substantially, and protrudes very noticeably. The dressing gives the area a little protection, supports her abdomen, and lets her feel better about how she looks.

She continues to use the cane to get around, mostly because of the deteriorated right knee, which we won’t be able to get replaced until next year after her recovery from her Hartford stay is much further along. She is still very weak and unsteady, though I can see little bits of progress all the time. The physical therapy is helping her regain some muscle, which is helping her overall strength, and I believe her mental state is improving somewhat, although the pain medication keeps her from regaining her alertness and mental acuity.

In short, we continue to make progress, and are very grateful to every one who continues to provide so much encouragement and support. We have been so very blessed to have received your prayer support, cards and eGreetings while in Hartford, and we are very blessed to receive phone calls and visits from supporters as we make our way through day to day events here in Noblesville.

Thank you for all you have done for us. We continue to pray that your kindnesses will be returned many times over, and we have faith that the Lord is working in you through us, and that you will receive many blessings according to His plan.