A Tiny Blob on a Big Day

A short blob:

Where do I start? It was a heck of a day. The Ikea delivery people, to whom we had to pay an extra $85 to deliver at a reasonable time, actually showed up at a reasonable time. They were at Victoria Mews (the new assisted living facility) at 10am. So Jeffrey and David began the ‘assembly required’ process at an early enough hour that they could finish before Jeff left at 5am and David at 6am the next day.

Jeffrey, Iris and the Ikea bound hammer
But the day was not without challenge. For whatever reason, mom’s doctor decided she needed to have help with her medication. One assumes that means that an aide comes in and gives her a pill. Not so. It means that all the pills have to be dispensed from a bubble pack. Where does one get a bubble pack? Not at the VA, which provides all mom’s medication for little or no cost because she is the dependent of a WW2 Veteran. Too bad the Iraqi Vets don’t get the same compensation. Here was the problem. The VA does not dispense in bubble packs. The Assisted Living facility can’t dispense unless there are bubble packs. One has to find a drug store that will take the pills from the VA and bubble pack them. And it wasn’t that simple, but I’m too tired and you would be too bored if I went on with the pill saga. The bottom line was that I found a wonderful druggist (Steve Rosen) who said he could make it all happen.

When I returned to the facility, (wrists in tact—no knife marks), Jeffrey and David had made significant progress with the assembly required. Mom decided she didn’t want to take any furniture from home. I’m not sure if she wanted a new beginning or she wanted to know her things were still at home, but the boys worked very hard to get the place in shape. It’s a great apartment. Mega windows with lots of light and very convenient to all the activities. We think it’s going to be a positive change for her – but it took a while for her to understand it was an apartment not a nursing home.

Jeffrey IN the dumpster, recycling the Ikea cardboard
What we have all forgotten over the years is that mom is the ultimate social being. Even at Merry Heart—the rehab center—she has become the social focus for all of the patients. She makes sure everyone is being attended to and having a good time. She participates in all the activities and has paintings on her walls to prove it. But the most important thing is that she has gained 6 or 7 pounds, has physical therapy every day, and now wants to be a well person. For the last 6 or 7 months she didn’t care. Now she does.

It was a difficult day for oh so many reasons. Mom’s move is not without drama. Jordan is depressed and feeling like her life is without purpose (It’s not), and Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer. I feel confident that everyone will be OK. We will help Jordan to deal with the reality of her life. And that’s not easy when you are 21 and trying to find your way. Mom will be surrounded by people her own age and people who will take care of her. And Karen, who is a most remarkable human being, with an incredible attitude about life, will be OK because, not only does she have a remarkable attitude but she is an integral part of a group people who are the premiere breast care experts in the world. As the CEO of the cutting edge breast health company, with whom she is working said, “There was no need for you to be a test case—it’s above and beyond what we expected you to do.”

But what is, Is, as mom always said. So we need to deal with the cards we’ve been dealt—by the way, mom and I played gin the other day and the cards I was dealt had nothing to do with winning. And if we put on our big girl pants and get on with it, I know we will find a good way to find happier life. And despite the difficult day there was some very good news --Joyce and Seth said they think a baby is pretty close. A ray of sunshine! We’re just sayin...Iris