An Update as of 8-30-13

One year ago today, Bob slept late – which is usual for him. The day before, he had been so tired that he fell asleep while we were stopped at a stoplight while driving home from a workshop we’d given. So I was glad he was getting a little extra sleep. By 9:00 AM, however, I began to worry a little and decided to check on him. So I made him some tea and grabbed the newspaper to take in to him. I found him already up and standing in the bathroom. I offered him his tea but he refused to take the cup, saying that he felt strange and unsteady and that was afraid he might drop it.  

Little did we realize the terrifying and mysterious adventure that was about to begin. How could we know that that cup of tea would play a starring role in saving his life. As Bob carried his tea and paper to the kitchen, he must have felt something coming on. He bent to set that cup gently on the floor just before he began to seize. Because he was already so low to the ground, he slid down those stairs, rather than tumbling down from a standing position which could resulted in much more serious injuries.  

We could not have anticipated, on that bright sunny morning, that just two days later Bob would pass a terrifying night in which his breathing and heart would stop five times. We would never have guessed that he would soon have to be put into a medically-induced coma, and that he would end up teetering for days on the brink between life and death for three long weeks. And certainly we could not have seen the mysterious power of God played out in small serendipities and amazing convergences that have surprised and delighted us throughout this year.

I find myself with a jumble of many emotions as I reflect on the past year. The most prominent emotion, of course, is gratitude: gratitude for the gift of life, gratitude that we have each other as well as our children, and gratitude for all the ways that we have been cared for and held in prayer by such a large and amazing circle of family and friends. We are grateful for the doctors and nurses whose knowledge and skill has directed the course of this healing journey, as well as for all of the medical technicians who have run respirators and MRI machines, checked blood work, and administered all of the myriad tasks it has taken to keep Bob alive. It is truly awe-inspiring to remember and to celebrate all of the people who have contributed to Bob’s progress back to health. For each of you, we give thanks.  

I also feel a measure of concern.  Ten weeks into our 12-week experiment of aggressive immune suppression from the Mayo Clinic, Bob’s progress is modest. Bob continues to have one or two small seizures almost every day. Yesterday, he had three. Although these seizures have mostly diminished in intensity, there are still occasional bouts when they become more severe, especially when Bob gets engaged in something he cares about and overdoes it. After a lifetime of pushing through feelings of fatigue to accomplish many amazing things, including running more than 40 marathons or writing his weekly newsletter, it is hard now for Bob to develop a regular pattern of rest and recovery or to pull back and rest when he’s feeling tired. 

We head back to the Mayo Clinic on September 15 and we would ask for your prayers for the wisdom for our doctors as they make the decisions that will continue to guide Bob on a path that will we hope will lead to a full recovery.

For now, we are ready to celebrate! We are throwing a “Happy to Be Alive” party at our house this Sunday afternoon, September 1, from 3-8 PM. If you are nearby, we’d love to have you stop in and say hello. We are truly happy to alive! 

-Megan

A Celebration of Life

Friends and Family! On Labor Day weekend, we will be helping Bob and Megan celebrate a year of new life. In order to include all of you in this wonderful celebration, we're inviting you to send in e-mails with stories, pictures, or videos that you'd like to share with Bob and Megan. These can be personal messages of hope, inspiration, or gratitude. Use your talents to help us celebrate a year of healing and love for Bob and Megan. All of you were and continue to be a source of great hope and strength for them. 

Please keep your messages brief and focused on celebrating all that is wonderful with the world, in particular in Bob's health and good spirits. This will be a surprise for them that we'll video-tape their reaction to and post here on the blog for you to experience. All e-mails should be sent to Michelle Tschannen at METschannen @ gmail dot com by Friday, August 30, 2013.

Thank you for all the ways you have blessed our family this past year!

-Michelle

An Update as of 8/13/13

My favorite part of our time at the Mayo Clinic in June was when our neurologist told us not to work so hard at trying to avoid seizures so as to stop doing the things that give our life a sense of meaning and purpose. We have really taken that advice to heart and have had a fun summer spending time with so many of the people we love.

In May we celebrated our niece Rebekah’s graduation from Eckert College in Florida and spent a week at the beach with our extended family, including time with Bryn and Evan. Then in June, after spending two weeks at the Mayo Clinic, we spent a week at the Chautauqua Institution with 17 members of our extended family ranging in age from 6 months to 90 years old (including our grandson Everest, our great niece Cora, her brother Tristan, the Jackson kids, as well as Bob’s Dad and Uncle Jim, his last remaining brother).

We were home for the month of July while I taught a course at William & Mary, and enjoyed engaging with my students. Then we were visited by our dear friend Jim, who made the mistake of mentioning that he wanted to come “help out”, and ended up washing every window in our house! (This, having just washed every window in his own house!). Then Jennie and two of the three kids that she adopted from Russia arrived and we celebrated the six-year anniversary of their adoption. On the heels of that visit, we got a call that Bob’s dad had been hospitalized for a case of Cellulites and we knew that Bob’s sister Laurel had to be out of town, so we hopped in the car and headed for Cleveland. We had a lovely visit there for almost two weeks as Dad daily progressed. At one point, I had to fly back to DC overnight for a speaking engagement and Bob and Dad looked out for one another.

We took the long way home from Cleveland, stopping in Toledo for another speaking engagement, and while we were there we popped in to see my cousin Alix and my Aunt Lois and Uncle Phil. Then we headed to Columbus for more time relaxing with the Jackson’s in their lovely new home before soaking up some of the good farm energy at Maura and Dave’s. Finally we headed back home again.

It is good to be home. We are filled with gratitude for the people we love and those who love us, those who we’ve spent time with and those who we have connected with virtually through this blog. Bob’s progress is very gradual, as they told us it might be. He has still been having nearly daily seizures, although the intensity and duration of them is less severe. Occasionally the more optimistic narrative of steady progress we are telling ourselves is interrupted by a more significant seizure or memory lapse. In those moments, we have to take a deep breath and steady ourselves, and then get right back to the things that give our lives a sense of meaning and purpose.

 It helps so much to feel that we are held in a warm circle of care. Thank you. 

-Megan