Meet the Parental Units

First, thank you for all the comments. I know I haven’t been typing any personal e-mails or posts myself, little busy with a brain injury, but I want to quickly comment on a few things.

- First of all, Sara. Who has their story of having their car stolen and dumped at a crackhouse one-upped by their cousin? The story is just too ridiculous that does not even happen in the movies.

- Prograham, it is good to have you back brother.

- Also, a shout out to Casey’s cousin Andrew and his wife who just had a baby girl and to Ben’s cousin Andrew who is about to have twin baby girls. Cannot wait to get back state side and meet all the new additions.

- To everyone out in Colorado, thank you guys, I really miss you. No one here will bring me a vodka tonic.

Updates on Ben’s progress/health so on. He is healthy. There is little question about that everyone that sees him and hears his story just can’t understand how it happened. In fact, one of our teachers came to visit Ben the other day, while a friend of ours and former student of hers was also visiting, and she commented several times on how completely stunned she was about the whole situation. She kept pointing to Farouk (a 6ft. tall big boned but hardly fat Indian-American) and saying ‘YOU, I could see it happening to YOU but not Ben I mean he is so active and healthy and fit, YOU though…’ Got to love that Malaysian tact. Anyway, Ben is still moving forward each and every day (this is quite literally true- I am pretty certain that he will be walking with a walker and abandoning the wheelchair this week!). It is as if another part of him either wakes up or starts to more consistently remember its responsibility every morning. He is not running down halls or serving left-handed but if you ask me (and his parents who have only been able to watch the changes over the past two days) his progress is just as remarkable.

As for the prognosis, everyone seems very interested in the prognosis, it is still a big question mark. Only time and lots of hard work will give us any idea of what’s to come. It is an unsatisfactory answer, I know but it is all we have.

For the near term, we are planning to stay in the hospital for at least another week. Ben still tires easily, is not really mobile yet, and is in physical therapy twice a day so the hospital makes the most sense. Plus, as long as he is an inpatient insurance covers everything, another really good reason to stick around. He is not bed bound any longer though. In fact, I am trying to enforce an in bed for sleeping only rule. It is not easy because we just upgraded his bed to a ‘Alpha’ Mattress so if Ben had his way he would choose to spend his day there in front of the TV or the endless action/war movie DVD collection our friend brought him the other day. He is also not strictly hospital bound either. So we can take him out and about to break up the monotony. We have big plans this week for a movie, some dinners out, strolls in the park (picture this -Ben in the wheelchair, with a floral print blanket across his knees, hat askew, and a paper bag of bird feed in his hand), and chilling in front of his parent’s flat screen TV, which should help to introduce some sense of living into this mess.

After this week, we will see. I am thinking a vacation in KL for a couple of weeks at the ridiculously nice service apartments Cynthia and David are staying in. I mean, our house is too far away, not air conditioned, has stairs, and well, in truth can’t compete with staying in a pimped out apartment for a couple of weeks. Although I am not sure if either Ben or I can get used to city living (the traffic, the expenses, the noise suck), the good food, amenities and friends will be good for us both. After that who knows, we will just have to keep you posted.

Now with updates on our dear old Ben out of the way, I want to get to the main attraction for today’s post – ‘The Parental Units’, a new set of characters in our Malaysian adventure. So far our Malaysian drama has centered around Stacy and Sven, the yin and yang pair that traveled to Malaysia for work, fun, and ha, ha life changing experiences, the unlikely brand obsessed, gay neighbor, and our scene stealing peanut gallery in North America. ‘The Parental Units’ have made cameos before, chiming in now and then. but today is their breakout episode. Not sure if they are actually ready. In fact, I am going ahead without their permission so I will tread lightly and ease them into the picture but having entered our world they have also made themselves central characters in this, our Malaysian saga.

Introducing ‘Big David Hilliard’: After coffee obsessed David has his 4^th or 5^th cup of the day, he grips the back of Ben’s wheelchair like it is a plow determined to sweep all burka clad women out of the way –‘Make way my son had a stroke!’ When the elevator doors open, you must respect his determination because neither the 6 people in the elevator, the back of the elevator, or even the fact that he is busting through all barriers with the assistance of his son’s helpless body are much of a deterrent when he is set on getting to the wrong floor as quickly as possible.

Introducing Cynthia ‘The Interrogator’ Hilliard: So far insurance problems have been working themselves out on their own, but just in case we brought in a ringer from the US, Cynthia. She is a well-oiled question and answer machine, nothing will slip through the cracks with her on point. With pen and tiny notepad in hand, doctors and nurses are forced to earn their keep. If you say there is only a single digit percent chance that a stroke will occur again, you better be prepared for the quick thinking Cynthia to ascertain exactly what you mean – “Is that a one or nine percent, doc?”

We are taking liberties and joking around but life is truly so much easier and comfortable now that the ‘Parental Units’ have arrived. Their very presence, which is so visibly guided by an unconditional love for Ben and concern for his health, has given Ben a special kind of strength and motivation. You could see it in his eyes the first day Ben’s parents joined his physical therapy session- he was walking with the aid of their enthusiastic smiles.

So we are four now and we are slowly figuring out just how to get through this together. No doubt the healing process will be long and challenging but we are ready. With flaky Stacy, bullheaded Sven, no nonsense Cynthia, and no excuses David on the case, recovery is already within our reach. Stay tuned.