tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146415416068117442011-12-25T13:21:13.663-05:00This is my journey, shared with spouse Sophie and her mom, my mother-in-law, Bandar Murad, a tale I never would have expected to tell. It's about my midlife decision to go with the flow. To be of maximum service while gaining a more spiritual life for myself.Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.comBlogger491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-40778891285573236772011-12-25T13:21:00.000-05:002011-12-25T13:21:13.671-05:00

Sophie and I took her nephew David to dinner last night and then returned home to an empty house, save Siegfried and Sheba, our 7- and 5-year-old Jack Russell / children. After David left, we sat together, just the two of us. When was the last time, if ever, that we weren't with others on Christmas Eve? We couldn't answer. And so we opened presents, listened to Handel's Messiah in front of the

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-48930820865517363642011-12-23T09:51:00.000-05:002011-12-23T09:51:57.638-05:00

Season's greetings!

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-44453143858814995392011-12-18T17:57:00.001-05:002011-12-19T10:40:11.909-05:00

Mission accomplished. Today we nervously put Bandar on a plane headed for Norfolk, via Philadelphia. This is the beginning of something special. For five weeks, Sophie's mom will get to stay with Sophie's sister and her family in Virginia Beach. Yippee for Bandar! And her family in Virginia! And for Sophie and Steve!!! Enjoying an adult beverage during our final night out together, this week

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-65516231709583389812011-10-04T21:29:00.007-04:002011-10-16T10:31:08.844-04:00

At a recent dinner, holding court. "I don't have much to say tonight, not like last night," Bandar warns.  She's right. There will be no repeating last night's performance. At 8:30, I light a fire, the second of this young autumn, and begin some work on my laptop, Bandar sitting to my right, in her Bandar chair, a Bandar blanket on her lap. True to her word, she's not talking. At least not much

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-34923002741945103732011-04-03T17:32:00.003-04:002011-04-03T17:41:18.380-04:00

Sophie's new iPad2 got a workout yesterday.Bandar checked out some Lebanese cooking Youtube videos. And wanted to watch a few more. And a few more. Sophie didn't get much time with her new toy."That's not a computer," Bandar said.I don't know what she thought it was. But Steve Jobs made an old Lebanese woman happy.

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-51704093473909178722010-12-18T08:53:00.014-05:002011-01-09T16:01:23.945-05:00

"I'm still living."That's the classic Bandar way of answering any form of, "How are you?"She's still living. And she's fond of reminding friends and family. Especially me.She says it with a twinkle. As if to tweak me. Maybe it's my imagination."I know I'm a pain," she says anytime we're doing something for her like preparing food, taking her someplace or doing any of a dozen routine tasks for her

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-20290817817832530782010-02-06T12:35:00.005-05:002010-02-06T12:59:45.367-05:00

Clarifying my post from yesterday, "Help Wanted":We expect to compensate (pay) the caretaker we hire to help out with "Bandar care" (see post). It won't be a lot. But we can't expect someone to be held accountable and keep an ongoing commitment without payment. We'll even pay in U.S. dollars!Thanks to several good friends who asked for the clarification. Feedback's always good. Well, almost

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-75402513403852642862010-02-05T15:22:00.008-05:002010-02-05T15:54:47.311-05:00

Do you know of someone who might be available to help care for Bandar, up to five days a week for a few hours a day? Read on.Bandar Wants You!They say it takes a village. Somehow, I became the daytime mayor of the village responsible for taking care of Bandar, my dear mother-in-law. (Sophie gets the job every night and weekend, lucky woman!)Now it looks as though the other villagers and I will

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-53142396887857658502010-02-03T21:38:00.006-05:002010-05-10T16:30:58.927-04:00

"Who's that lady?" Bandar asked. "I know her. How do I know her? Why is she up there?"Why this sudden interest? I wondered. As we were en route to Bandar's physical therapy session, the billboard we passed near the Harvard-Dennison bridge had a huge picture of a woman with big hair and a big smile. It said something about a TV show featuring Joy Behar. (I wondered to myself briefly, how do I know

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-33552671229895459502010-01-22T21:53:00.007-05:002010-01-23T07:09:02.324-05:00

Found this interesting: Upon our return home tonight from a Friday night out, Sophie and I found Bandar glued to the TV, intently watching the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs." (Sophie's brother, Morris, was Bandar-sitting for us and had the show on.) The last show she expressed this much excitement for was "Dallas."

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-38088662186340909762009-12-23T13:39:00.003-05:002009-12-23T13:44:39.761-05:00

Thanks to my pal Alan for the title to this post. slcPlease consider subscribing to this blog, or comment. Feedback is good :-)

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-5218163853234683432009-12-19T19:53:00.005-05:002009-12-19T20:28:30.459-05:00

Today at PF Chang's in Beachwood, with daughter Sarah in the background, Bandar sports my gorra, a Guatemalan wool cap. Much like my beloved, late grandmother, Elsie Janes Cadwell, Bandar lives for family. There's nothing more important. She's in her glory these last few days, with a house full of Murads.

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-55555531332617823032009-12-18T19:39:00.007-05:002009-12-18T20:47:20.667-05:00

Bandar has taken some giant leaps this year, measured over months. And she continues her progress, a day at a time. Today, she worked on climbing up and down steps at rehab, one of a host of new, advanced physical therapies she's undertaking. (She tried Wii tennis last month.)Her outlook is upbeat. She says things, like, "You know, I feel better after exercise," and, "I'm not in as much pain

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-34088331804308478572009-12-13T20:19:00.006-05:002009-12-14T08:03:29.719-05:00

Thank God, Bandar has a sense of humor. Sometimes anyway. Just for fun, I mashed together a couple of photos -- Bandar's head on top of the body of Albert Einstein, the latter of which came from a fairly well-known photo. "Is that me?" she asked? "I ride the bicycle at therapy?"No, this wasn't a picture from Metro's therapy room, where she has used a stationery bike for exercise. I explained what

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-13056312617703446652009-12-11T14:46:00.007-05:002009-12-11T16:10:37.226-05:00

"She's on fire today," Roberta said as she handed off Bandar to Deanna. It's been that kind of week. In a good way.Bandar had just completed her hour of occupational therapy and was about to begin her hour with physical therapy. How do we measure progress? Bandar's more alert throughout the day. She's gaining confidence: she can get to and from the bathroom on her own, and occasionally she even

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-36166197749616660372009-11-28T08:35:00.004-05:002009-11-28T12:54:52.521-05:00

"My ankles hurt in my hands," Bandar said in the car on the way home from Thanksgiving dinner at cousin Connie's. I wasn't familiar with this new expression but quickly inferred her meaning: she was in pain due to the osteoarthritis in her wrists. Other than this and one other complaint ("that stuffing give me heartbur-r-r-r-r-n"), Bandar and we, her family, had a fine day. A belated Happy

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-42387563831440841142009-11-18T21:03:00.008-05:002009-11-18T22:53:39.582-05:00

"We're going to do something different today," Roberta said as I wheeled Bandar into the occupational therapy room this afternoon. "Can you play tennis?""I can't do it," came the quick and familiar reply. Add tennis to the long list of activities Bandar has never experienced. Along with badminton, horseshoes, archery, skeet-shooting, shuffle board. Square dancing. The hokey-pokey.Two minutes

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-59006309047691504872009-11-12T15:14:00.018-05:002009-11-12T17:15:26.369-05:00

Bandar lit up when she realized I was parallel parking in front of her favorite restaurant, on West 25th Street. I hadn't told her where we were going. Only that I wanted to take her to lunch after her physical and occupational therapy. True to form she wasn't excited, at first. This was yesterday."I eat at home," she had said. "I in too much pain. You bring me food, make me lunch Better for me

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-51215452210175300022009-11-05T09:18:00.005-05:002009-11-05T11:17:33.437-05:00

Awhile back I mentioned an article about the stress and pain associated with providing care for an elderly loved one, every day. Not just Saturday with grandma at the nursing home or even Tuesdays with Morrie in Boston. Daily care, from the first stretch in the morning to the last bathroom break before bed. Not to mention nighttime calls to answer an anxious cry, deliver pain medicine or just

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-56732800938418724162009-11-02T16:38:00.005-05:002009-11-02T22:47:07.727-05:00

After 11 years of accumulating shared bank statements, bills, tax and other financial records, Sophie and I finally sorted through the mounds of paper, filed the stuff we need to keep for the long term and created two big piles for the stuff we should get rid of. Anything without any identifying information could be bagged and readied to go straight to the recycling center at the Nature Center at

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-61363763789029115062009-10-07T07:45:00.010-04:002009-10-07T09:39:26.620-04:00

"Dogs killed a snake?" Bandar asked, upset and nervous. "I want to go to bed." "No, mom! They've got a skunk -- a skunk, it's a SKUNK -- and they have it by its neck right now and it's a big mess and Cindy next door is coming over to help and I'm trying to call Steve because he's at a meeting and the dogs are still in the backyard with the skunk and I'm not sure what to do!" Sophie shouted."Put

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-41596704997093566522009-10-06T16:06:00.017-04:002009-10-06T17:11:37.441-04:00

Yesterday at physical therapy, Deana introduced a new training aid, which helps Bandar practice lifting her feet higher with each step while increasing the length of her stride.Deana didn't like my training aid suggestion.

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-80507540166880788592009-09-29T08:09:00.004-04:002009-09-29T09:57:19.131-04:00

Caregivers and care-takers tend to see themselves living in one of two worlds: the land of optimism, hope and continual improvement; or the land of fear, dread and perpetual decline. Would that it were so simple, so consistent, so definable. More often, progress is difficult to measure in the short term. Most days are spent stepping in and out of both worlds, gingerly, tentatively, never knowing

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-13751119474301929302009-09-27T17:10:00.004-04:002009-09-27T20:25:46.311-04:00

Every night with Bandar around 9 o'clock bedtime, Sophie takes mama through her evening rituals of cleaning and toileting. This happens in the first-floor master bedroom and bathroom I used to call my own. Once teeth are out and face is washed, Bandar ambles with her walker to the right side of the bed, which I used to call my own, and plops her bottom down so she can get her pajamas on and

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-29273569586974520062009-09-26T08:30:00.009-04:002009-09-26T14:25:28.168-04:00

Every day with Bandar, I experience moments of gratitude and love. No exceptions. My journey thus has been good for my soul. Every day. At the same time there's a very different reality at work. To the surprise of no one, care-taking for an elderly loved one is not all flowers and sunshine and fun and happiness leading to a steady stream of precious life-changing epiphanies.It looks more like

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-12311346567971840512009-09-17T07:36:00.010-04:002009-09-17T08:03:39.871-04:00

Deceptively simple, this exercise helps Bandar develop her core every time she extends her arms to hit the ball. She enjoyed this, perhaps a bit too much.Bandar's not asking for or wearing her back brace as frequently now. Like the patient who leaves behind and walks without his or her cane after an injury, this is a good sign indicating less pain and increasing endurance.

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-72368202898254571812009-09-16T17:21:00.019-04:002009-09-16T22:11:43.941-04:00

"Where's your hat," Bandar barked, abruptly. Strange. Bandar hates hats. The last time we three went to the hospital for her physical therapy, she admonished her son for wearing his baseball cap, which he pretty much wears everywhere. Out of respect to his mother, Morris had gone hatless today. We both wondered for a moment if she was serious.She did not like Morris' "long" hair, she explained,

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-20467123376148303782009-09-15T22:13:00.006-04:002009-09-15T23:12:58.665-04:00

Brother-in-law Morris is taking the day off from his job tomorrow to lend an assist. He'll get here early to watch his mother, allowing Sophie to get to work and me off to an early morning job interview. Morris and I take Bandar at noon to back-to-back sessions with her physical therapist and occupational therapist. After this trip to the Metrohealth Hospital rehab unit, Morris' second, he'll be

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-5275731042097886342009-09-06T20:48:00.010-04:002009-09-07T11:12:59.827-04:00

The Murad family today celebrated the 8th birthday of Bandar's great-granddaughter, Jackie. And the matriarch came to par-tay. Bandar hadn't been out of the house lately for much of anything other than an appointment with one of her many doctors or therapists or an unscheduled trip to one of the local emergency rooms.Here, she's holding court in her son's spacious three-car garage, which Morris

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-46720882380545184092009-08-30T15:14:00.007-04:002009-08-30T16:54:35.265-04:00

We plugged in our baby monitor and went to bed. Clever us. Another challenge met. Handled.With this simple aid, Bandar could alert us just by speaking, if she needed help to get up to use the toilet during the night. No more jarring "clang, clang, clang, clang, clang" of spoon against cooking pot. Neighbors John and Pat were first to appear the other day at our door to offer us their monitoring

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-60583897274483092172009-08-28T22:19:00.007-04:002009-08-29T12:36:05.638-04:00

Today is day 7 of the Bandar Occupation. No casualties to date. We three are settling into a routine, a little more slowly than surely. I am mindful to celebrate progress over perfection. Note the victories no matter their size. And keep going after experiencing setbacks, neither dwelling on nor ignoring them. We always move forward.One of Bandar's favorite activities used to be sitting in the

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-90858584585849278122009-08-26T13:23:00.002-04:002009-08-26T13:28:43.109-04:00

Me: "Mom, how do you like the tomato? It's fresh from our garden!"Bandar: "You cut it too thin."I don't speak Yiddish, but I know the only correct response to this. Oy, gevalt!

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-17650823651178374672009-08-26T10:13:00.013-04:002009-08-26T23:54:57.987-04:00

I didn't hear the clanging. Our house guest -- laying on her back in my bed down on the first floor -- held an aluminum pot in one hand and a steel serving spoon in the other, striking rhythmically one against the other in bursts of about four to seven clangs followed by a half-minute-or-so pause, then a round of another burst and another pause, another round, and another... The loud clanging is

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-31549675069189134192009-08-23T07:50:00.001-04:002009-08-23T16:59:50.572-04:00

Bandar has stretched both Sophie and me well beyond our comfort level -- and she hasn't been here a full day yet. While my partner and I are committed to adjusting to these new circumstances one day at a time, we both have caught ourselves projecting and worrying about concerns over which we don't have much control, at least not now.There's lots of planning. Installing grab bars, setting up

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-18653151017405920092009-08-22T20:54:00.000-04:002009-08-23T04:54:19.126-04:00

Sophie and I scurried about today so we could pick up Bandar at Jennings by 3. Today is mama-in-law's day to graduate from rehab, after spending the last 54 days there. Both mama and Sophie are especially excited. Bandar's excitement turned to full-blown anxiety when we hadn't arrived by mid-morning. Someone on staff had mistakenly told her we would be there at about 10, and Bandar counted the

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-49532014490292192572009-08-21T17:19:00.000-04:002009-08-22T09:05:26.258-04:00

Returning to "Mary Mountain" Hospital after lunch, I stopped at the 6th floor nurses station to ask how things were going. As I approached the desk, I recounted to myself that this was my sixth visit to a hospital this week."She kicked our ass," one of the four nurses offered before I could say anything. While the other three heads nodded in agreement, she continued: "Your mother-in-law is very

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-19963330135790321312009-08-21T10:27:00.000-04:002009-08-23T04:57:28.713-04:00

Busy week with hospitals, rehab, doctors and blood counts. It's Friday morning, and I'm sitting at the foot of Bandar's bed at Marymount Hospital (or in Bandar-speak, "Mary Mountain"), a Catholic hospital in the Cleveland Clinic Foundation system. She was delivered here this morning to get a transfusion, two units of packed red blood cells to bring up her hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, thus

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-82906482148186930572009-08-20T07:38:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:42:10.852-04:00

Shhhhh... I'm picking up a couple trays of baklava this morning from Aladdins (Independence location) to bring to the staffs in physical and occupational therapy and in the rehab unit at Jennings. The dessert pastry is a surprise gift, a sweet treat from the Middle East to say thanks from Bandar's family for treating her -- and us -- so well during her rehab assignment. The staffs work so hard

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-21078689736859541952009-08-17T22:07:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:16:46.705-04:00

As I arrived today at a business lunch, Sophie called with news... her mom was headed via ambulance from Jennings Center for Older Adults to the emergency room at MetroHealth Hospital... Bandar had anemia, and it was pretty bad... the doc at Jennings was concerned over the results of Bandar's blood work from last week: dangerously low levels of hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-16989332503978930672009-08-16T19:23:00.001-04:002009-08-21T08:42:51.967-04:00

With a light now at the end of the tunnel, we look forward to Bandar completing her rehab assignment and coming to live with Sophie and me, indefinitely. We think she'll be joining us Saturday, Aug. 22. Along the way in rehab, Bandar, Sophie and I have met some interesting and extraordinary people, including other patients and their families and the wonderful Jennings staff. Here are a couple of

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-47511363588233143532009-08-08T19:02:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:43:11.234-04:00

Sophie and I popped in at Jennings Center for Older Adults this afternoon, finding Bandar in the TV area sitting in her wheelchair in a little corner we call her lair. Here, she's tucked away, able to see who's watching television in front of her, who's walking, rolling or shuffling by and who's coming for a visit. If she needs something, she's close enough to the nurse's station to summon

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-36722929685769651582009-08-05T11:05:00.001-04:002009-08-22T22:38:06.388-04:00

I finally learned the name of the little town from which Bandar Arraj hails. Machghara is about 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Beirut. It has a hilly, rocky terrain and sits at an elevation of about 3,500 feet. Its chief industries are agriculture and tanning. From some pictures I was able to find online, it doesn't look as if it's changed much since 1955, when Bandar had her arranged

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-37515787259958116512009-07-31T13:22:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:43:40.493-04:00

Bandar and I had another lunch date together yesterday, when I popped in for a quick visit after completing an interview. The lunch is $4, a bargain. I had a fish sandwich, salad, tater tots, grapes, coffee and banana pudding for dessert. Yum! Bandar, smiling with "Smiley," rightFirst impressionsPleased to see me dressed professionally, mama-in-law said, "I like that suit. Wear it at my funeral."

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-60491603162885561482009-07-10T22:08:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:44:03.427-04:00

Good news from rehab... After a productive morning in physical therapy today, Bandar happily joined staff and short-term rehab residents for a picnic lunch, complete with grilled hot dogs and near perfect weather. (Presumably, Jell-o was a dessert option, as it has been for all the meals I've seen or eaten.) If you know Bandar like we know Bandar, her attendance at such a function and with

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-61152004539092860872009-07-02T18:37:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:16:02.328-04:00

I accompanied Bandar to physical therapy today. She successfully walked 24 feet, aided by a walker and Amy the PT assistant. That's an improvement over yesterday's 15 feet and Monday's 8 feet. After that and additional exercises, she was exhausted but encouraged. I admire her determination. Thanks for your continued encouragement.Steve CadwellSent from my iPhone(216) 374-

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-52040432732223069672009-07-01T09:43:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:44:31.630-04:00

Mama-in-law, Bandar, today begins her second full day at rehab (and she said, "No! No! No!"). She's not thrilled to be away from her home or ours but is happy to have been discharged from Metro Health Hospital, where she spent Friday through Monday evening. She's housed in a private room at the Jennings Center for Older Adults, in Garfield Heights, less than 10 minutes from CadMur Manor. She may

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-69099817587199162092009-06-28T21:31:00.000-04:002009-08-01T11:48:57.746-04:00

Sophie visited Mama Bandar Murad at Metro Health Hospital this morning, and we both returned this evening after supper. Bandar's a little annoyed at being in hospital. On the other hand, she loves the food, and she's never shy about telling us or nurses what she needs or wants. We had a nice visit, and Bandar managed to laugh a little and talk to me in Arabic, forgetting as she always does that I

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-3454521011709489582009-06-27T14:55:00.000-04:002009-08-21T08:38:09.766-04:00

Mom-in-law, Bandar Murad, checked into hospital yesterday morning, June 26. She had been growing progressively weaker in the last several days, after a slow but steady recovery since her pre-Memorial day fall on her front porch. The docs and nursing staff at Metro Health Hospital are terrific. Sophie and I spent the day with MIL, getting her acclimated and discussing strategy with the staff.

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14641541606811744.post-80619633266966843642009-06-12T18:42:00.001-04:002009-11-18T22:58:18.874-05:00

While I pursue a variety of opportunities in the work world, I find myself living with two women here at CadMur Manor. This is what happens when I'm not paying attention. The first woman I had married some 10 years ago, and I rather enjoy living with her. The newer cohabitant is my wife's mother, who appeared here over time in ever increasing increments, visiting frequently but not really living

Steve Cadwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12314476384359179824noreply@blogger.com1