❤️ 21 years ❤️

21 years ago, a couple of babies said “I do.” Ian literally is the answer to my prayers and we are at a point that I’ve been lucky enough to have him in my life longer than I’ve been without him. One of the many qualities that I love about this man is his optimism and after today’s appointments, that trait continues to define his character. Cutting right to it- his hearing is his right side is gone. His response to that? “Well, we knew it was a risk going in. Progress is not linear but it is happening and I’m holding onto that!” 

We sat down with the whole team today, our last appointments before flying home tomorrow. And once you get past the hearing news, it’s good news across the board.

The staples came out and his incision looks perfect. No leaking, no CSF risk anymore, which was the thing we watched hardest for all week. (No more wedge pillow- this man is psyched for a good night’s sleep!) There’s a little dryness and slight slowness to his right eye blinks, nothing major and you REALLY have to look for it, expected to resolve on its own in the coming weeks.

Even though the hearing signal is gone, both surgeons believe the nerve underneath it might still be intact…that this may have been more of a vascular issue than actual nerve damage. Which means a cochlear implant is genuinely on the table down the road. Not today, not next week… it’s a big decision that deserves thought and Ian’s not anywhere near ready to even think about anesthesia again. But it’s a door that’s still open, and Ian is going to take some time to think it over and talk to Dr. Roberts at home. 

The other project right now is balance. Ian describes it as a “swimmy” feeling, especially turning his head quickly, which is just his brain figuring out how to navigate the world with one less signal feeding it. PT had him doing exercises today that looked deceptively simple and clearly weren’t (eyes closed, head turns, the whole nine yards), and he was already ahead of where they expected him to be. Classic Ian! 

A few weeks out, he’ll hopefully be driving again. Running by two months. Back on the bike and in the gym even sooner than that.

He’s right. Progress is not linear. But six days after they opened up his skull to remove a tumor, my husband stood in a gym doing balance drills, took it all in stride, and just kept holding onto the progress that is happening. I’ll take it- and him- for forever.​​​​​​​​ ❤️