Bebe

Before school started Wednesday morning I was told by my Mom that Bebe, my great-grandmother, was being taken to the hospital because her leg "wouldn't work". She awakened and found that she couldn't move her leg so she called out to my grandmother, Baba, for help. Since Bebe could speak well no one was really concerned about a stroke. Shannion, my aunt, kept Bebe talking the whole way to Lufkin. Once there, she began to progressively get worse. Her speach slowed and she began having trouble finding her words. Doctors conducted a CT Scan and found nothing, a sonogram and found nothing...finally an MRI showed that she had had a stroke sometime Tuesday night. Strokes have a ripple effect so her brain was slowly shutting down. At 12:30 pm Kyle, my uncle, came up to the high school to tell Mom, Bek and I that Bebe was "gone" meaning that 75% of the left side of her brain was dead. The family had signed DNR papers and began to make arrangements. I broke down, feeling faint with shock. This came completely unexpected. Bebe is invincible! She's survived quadruple bypass surgery and has run her suburban off the road into a tree. She's the TOUGHEST woman I know. We planned on all going to Lufkin Wednesday night to see Bebe. At this time, she was still conscious but could not speak. After school, I drove home and talked out loud to Bebe the entire time. I had accepted the fact that my 88 year old great-grandmother was dying. Then, I had the fleeting thought that I should have more faith. At 6:00 pm the same day, I received a phone call from several of my family members. BEBE came back from the dead. She'd suffered three strokes, two in the last day and seriously, she sat up and started to talk. Doctors explained that her strokes did not occur in the middle of the left and right lobes of the brain but rather in the back. With rehab, she is expected to be able to make some recovery. I saw Bebe Thursday and again today, Sunday. She looks different and has greatly been affected by this massive stroke. Her right eye, arm and leg are not working well. She has to look at her hand to tell it to move. She can speak, but her words are all mixed up. She knows who I am but can only repeat my name and can't say it on her own. She knows what I'm saying and I can read her face and tell that she wants to respond but can't find her words. The words are lost. Today, I left the hospital in tears, fearful that she may never speak again.

Please pray with me that God will heal Bebe. Lord, ease her frustration in not being able to communicate. Allow her brain to rest and to recover as fully as possible. Give her determination during her therapy. Let her know that we all love her and want the best for her the remainder of her life. In your power, heal her brain. Allow her to recall common vocabulary, recognize and name familiar faces, become more mobile and speak her mind. I can't imagine how lost or trapped in her own mind she must feel... Jesus, please provide hope and strength to Bebe. She can fight through this.


Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.