Ammon is beginning to get restless. Hooray! He has been in the hospital in Chile for three and a half weeks now and the hospital walls are closing in a little bit. He is eager to put his missionary shoes on and go on a little walk with the physical therapist a few times each day. He looks back and waves his hand and I am overjoyed to see him in the hallway outside of his hospital room!
Last night, before we put him to bed, he said, “Can’t we go on a family outing, like walking in the park?” He still asks why he is here, in the hospital. It takes a long time for the brain to heal. I read Huck Finn to him instead of the walk in the park, and we enjoyed that.
Ammon has made enormous progress! The more time pases, the bigger this miracle grows. Every detail happened just right for Ammon’s survival, and we still marvel! The survival rate for Sudden Death Syndrome is 1 in 100. Thank you Lord!
My husband and I are getting used to Chileno culture. We walked to the bakery near the hospital and bought empanadas to pack in our lunch today. I’ve learned enough Spanish to get by… barely. We’ve fallen in love with the people, and their kindness and eagerness to help and smile and laugh and talk. We’ve become accustomed to being kissed by everyone, from the doctor and nurse to the 20 year old physical therapist intern student. We hung our family picture in the room and every hospital worker that enters stands and looks at it and comments on our precious (and enormous) family. In Chile, they love their families so very much. Even the taxi driver has his rear view mirror plastered with little photos of his children.
And the cleanliness of this city is amazing! They wash out their fountains, they scrub the public garbage cans, they sweep their sidewalks, they wash their porches–and here in the hospital, they mop the hospital room floor 3 x day, they scrub out the soap dispenser and the crevices in a bucket lid and the windows and everything else washable. They are so cleanly that I am wondering if they are scrubbing the paint off things. The street curbs are patchy paint and crumbling concrete, but they are clean!
The doctor in the USA and the doctor in Chile are collaborating over the phone. Unfortunately, the phone call dropped after 20 seconds, so hopefully they will connect today. They are discussing possible transport to the USA soon, so we might be coming home! Just the thought is enough to live on happily for a few more days.
My son is recovering!
Life is good!
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