[Epley Update] April 28, 2006

[Russ and Flossie Epley]

It was great to visit Russ and see his unmasked face! He no longer 
needs the oxygen mask and gets by with a little tiny plastic nose ring 
attached to a thin tube that administers low dosages of oxygen. Who 
would have ever guessed Russ would wear a nose ring?! He's just not the 
type. The nurse said that after he gets totally free from the tube 
they'll be able to get him in a wheelchair. Of course he has to be able 
to sit up before he's ready for wheels. The nurses change his position 
frequently but his head has not been raised much yet.

Russ' progress is amazing. I was prepared for much slower progress in 
communication. Years ago Russ and I (with lots of help from others) 
worked each day to try to give our deaf daughter Christie the gift of 
language. Having had that experience I honestly thought helping Russ 
communicate would take longer than it is. It's not that Russ can really 
talk much yet, but the fact that he can learn several words a day is 
very encouraging to me.  Thank you Jesus!

Today he was able to say the following words:
yes, hi, um, well, yeah, I, and hai (Japanese for "yes").
He also signed the letter "Y" to say "yes" and the letter "O" to mean 
"no." (Close enough for now.)

He tried so hard to get me to turn on the light. I didn't understand 
what he was gesturing about for a long time. When Jeannie (my 
sister-in-law who was with me) and I finally figured out what he wanted 
we taught him the sign for "light." He was very pleased that we finally 
figured out what he wanted. I asked him to please be patient with me as 
it takes me time to understand what he wants. How grateful I am that 
Russ is a plodder. His persistence is an inspiration to me.

I read Russ a letter from his mom. He was so pleased to receive it. I 
asked if he wanted to tell her thank you and reviewed how to sign 
"thank you" and "mother." He grinned and signed "Thanks, Mom." It will 
be fun to tell her that on the phone! That was his first time to put 
two signs together. ("I love you" can be signed with one sign.)

I've discovered that he remembers many things but can't make decisions 
yet. Russ has over 100 first cousins so I can't honestly say I have 
them all straight in my mind. When I read him a card and asked him if 
that was a cousin, he nodded that she was. Several times I asked him to 
choose between two options and he wasn't able to respond. Maybe that's 
because I don't give him the right options! Early in the afternoon I 
asked him if I should plan on going to our friends Nate and YooRan's 
wedding or visit him in the hospital since the wedding is scheduled 
during visiting hours. He looked puzzled and couldn't respond. Later it 
came up in conversation again and I asked if he wanted to go to the 
wedding and he nodded vigorously. That option hadn't occur to me 
earlier but apparently it had to him. We have no idea where he'll be 
June 9 or June 10 but if Russ has his way he'd like to attend his 
niece's graduation at Christian Academy on June 9 and the Rudd wedding 
on June 10. It doesn't hurt to dream.

I usually go to the hospital by public transportation. Various friends 
pick me up in the early evening to see Russ, have supper with me, and 
take me home. I really appreciate this since eating alone and going 
home alone at night are two of my least favorite activities. To get to 
the hospital I take a bus from our house and then transfer to the Chuo 
train line to go out to Tachikawa. It takes me just over an hour to get 
to Saigai Iryo Center (Disaster Medical Center) if I make good 
connections and traffic for the bus is light. It took me almost 1 hour 
and 45 minutes one day, so I've been more careful since then about 
which bus I take. The ten-minute walk to the hospital from the train 
station is invigorating and gives me time to pray that I'll be prepared 
for whatever I find in the hospital and ready to minister to Russ for 
what he needs that day.

Rejoicing in God's goodness and thankful for your prayers,
Flossie