Rob/Windsor Ont.
New member
As most of you already know, Grace recently underwent some pretty intensive surgery. I thought I'd share what we found to be a rather "coincidental" circumstance during the course of that eventful week. I'll need to set the table here first in order to give you folks an understanding of how and why we found what I'm about to explain rather peculiar......and comforting at the same time.
Grace was very close to my mother and my sister prior to their passing. Our two girls, Audrey and Abbey, were given, one my mother's, and the other, my sister's name as "middle" names at their birth. Both were alive at the time and it was a tribute to each of them as a sign of our love and appreciation for both of them. My mother has been gone for some fifteen years now and my sis passed two years ago at the age of fifty-two. Since that time, there has been a few instances where Grace has mentioned that she's aware of one or both of them sending their love to her in peculiar little ways. Whether it be a gentle "poke" on the butt while Grace was alone and distressed about something (which was characteristic of them) or even the time when she felt her hair being stroked literally, while alone and resting on our bed pondering a situation that was frightening to her. There have been other instances also but these mentioned will give you the picture. The "hair stroking" was so vivid, in fact, that Grace mentioned to me that she reached over to me across our bed to reciprocate my affection but realized when doing so that I was not there. I was at work, you see. I move on.
When faced with Grace's medical problem, we immediately sought out a second opinion. Toronto, Ontario has a great reputation for hospitals with the latest and greatest technology to deal with Grace's diagnosed condition. Through a series of phone calls, we were blessed enough to be accepted as a patient at one of our leading institutions. We travelled the four hour drive and met with the physician to discuss her options of care. While there, we were able to procur a same day consultation with a second specialist, which was neccessary for the surgery she was to have. This second specialist agreed to "hang around" for us on a Friday afternoon and gave us two hours of her time on a moments notice. We were amazed and thankful. We seized the moment and signed all the neccessary paperwork for the surgery to expedite the process. Three weeks later Grace's surgery was completed. She was under the knife for twelve hours and things went beautifully. Things went so well, in fact, that Grace required morphine for a mere twelve hours. The only painkiller she ingested after that point was Tylenol for a slight headache. That was all. Two days later, in Grace's hospital room, we were eating a dinner that I had went out to buy for us. During this meal, Grace looked over at me startled and said......Rob, I just felt someone gently squeeze and tug at my toes.....again. This is the third time today this has happened. I don't know how to say this Rob but I know that your mom and sister are here with me and this is their way of letting me know. I simply said it wouldn't surprise me. Two days later we're heading home.
We've settled in now and I decided to google our doctor. As I'm reading about her, I discover how much in demand her services are. Some wait two years for a FIRST consultation ! A few, whose doctors work in conjunction with her at the hospital are fortunate enough to see her after only a three month wait. And here was Grace's first consult on Feb. 16th with her surgery completed on Mar. 6th. Remember also that this specialist agreed to "hang around" for us that first trip up. I neglected to mention that Grace's roommate for the week was the daughter of a respiratory physician from Edmonton. They had asked us during the week how long had we waited to see this doctor. When we told them our story, they were flabergasted! He explained to us that he had called on all his connections to get his daughter here and that they had waited since the end of last summer (August). Anyways, as I'm looking up our doctor I notice something most peculiar. I call Grace over and tell her to take notice of this doctor's first two names. They are Joan Elizabeth. My sisters name was Joan and my mothers name was Elizabeth. That brought a smile to our face and a tear to our eyes. We are truly blessed !
Grace was very close to my mother and my sister prior to their passing. Our two girls, Audrey and Abbey, were given, one my mother's, and the other, my sister's name as "middle" names at their birth. Both were alive at the time and it was a tribute to each of them as a sign of our love and appreciation for both of them. My mother has been gone for some fifteen years now and my sis passed two years ago at the age of fifty-two. Since that time, there has been a few instances where Grace has mentioned that she's aware of one or both of them sending their love to her in peculiar little ways. Whether it be a gentle "poke" on the butt while Grace was alone and distressed about something (which was characteristic of them) or even the time when she felt her hair being stroked literally, while alone and resting on our bed pondering a situation that was frightening to her. There have been other instances also but these mentioned will give you the picture. The "hair stroking" was so vivid, in fact, that Grace mentioned to me that she reached over to me across our bed to reciprocate my affection but realized when doing so that I was not there. I was at work, you see. I move on.
When faced with Grace's medical problem, we immediately sought out a second opinion. Toronto, Ontario has a great reputation for hospitals with the latest and greatest technology to deal with Grace's diagnosed condition. Through a series of phone calls, we were blessed enough to be accepted as a patient at one of our leading institutions. We travelled the four hour drive and met with the physician to discuss her options of care. While there, we were able to procur a same day consultation with a second specialist, which was neccessary for the surgery she was to have. This second specialist agreed to "hang around" for us on a Friday afternoon and gave us two hours of her time on a moments notice. We were amazed and thankful. We seized the moment and signed all the neccessary paperwork for the surgery to expedite the process. Three weeks later Grace's surgery was completed. She was under the knife for twelve hours and things went beautifully. Things went so well, in fact, that Grace required morphine for a mere twelve hours. The only painkiller she ingested after that point was Tylenol for a slight headache. That was all. Two days later, in Grace's hospital room, we were eating a dinner that I had went out to buy for us. During this meal, Grace looked over at me startled and said......Rob, I just felt someone gently squeeze and tug at my toes.....again. This is the third time today this has happened. I don't know how to say this Rob but I know that your mom and sister are here with me and this is their way of letting me know. I simply said it wouldn't surprise me. Two days later we're heading home.
We've settled in now and I decided to google our doctor. As I'm reading about her, I discover how much in demand her services are. Some wait two years for a FIRST consultation ! A few, whose doctors work in conjunction with her at the hospital are fortunate enough to see her after only a three month wait. And here was Grace's first consult on Feb. 16th with her surgery completed on Mar. 6th. Remember also that this specialist agreed to "hang around" for us that first trip up. I neglected to mention that Grace's roommate for the week was the daughter of a respiratory physician from Edmonton. They had asked us during the week how long had we waited to see this doctor. When we told them our story, they were flabergasted! He explained to us that he had called on all his connections to get his daughter here and that they had waited since the end of last summer (August). Anyways, as I'm looking up our doctor I notice something most peculiar. I call Grace over and tell her to take notice of this doctor's first two names. They are Joan Elizabeth. My sisters name was Joan and my mothers name was Elizabeth. That brought a smile to our face and a tear to our eyes. We are truly blessed !
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