This blog has become sooooooooooooo slow! I apologize (I'm not even certain people read anymore!) but there just isn't much to update on day-to-day anymore. In a sense, I am thankful for that. I remember those days when things were so touch-and-go, and I wouldn't relive those moments for ANYTHING.

The Heart Walk is fast approaching and I will be there! It's Saturday, May 14 at Ford Field. Starts at 9AM. If you want to come walk with us, please let me know. Fundraising is optional (but obviously encouraged). If you DO plan to walk with us, please send me a quick e-mail letting me know, because I am going to look into getting Team Leslie t-shirts. Just send me a quick e-mail with your name so I have an idea of how many I'd have to order. My e-mail is LauraB2000@wyan.org.

If you need any help registering for the walk, I can guide you through the steps. The name of my team is Heart Full of Hope. It's going to be a GREAT day and it's for a GREAT cause! Again, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Leslie is doing pretty good. We cut a lot of her medication doses in half, and at first, we noticed an increase in her energy and motivation, but now she seems to be backsliding again. I know this discourages my mom a lot, but I kind of anticipated this. I know she will continue to have her good days and her bad days. One of Leslie's commonly used phrases (and she has a lot of these...) is "my appetite is back with a vengence!" and she implies that she is hungry ALL the time. Just from the limited time I am with her, though, I really don't think her appetite is all that extreme. There was a time months ago where she would sit all day and say "I'm hungry!", but taking the initiative to get up and get something to eat was not something she could/would do. She'd go an entire day without eating, but FEELING hungry the entire time. Now she'll say it, and actually get up and eat! Make meals? Well, no. But she is fully capable of getting herself a snack and I think this is a step in the right direction.

It is so easy to get very frustrated with her. She literally says the same things over and over again or she will do or say something that is so out of character for her. I don't want to say she is child-like or immature, but I will say she has NO filter on what is appropriate conversation pieces and what is best left to keep inside. It's annoying and you just want to snap back at her and say "Why did you say that???" ...but then I remind myself about what she went through and how far she has come. I think back to her principal at the middle school explaining how she slumped backwards in her chair and was breathing with a really gurgly, raspy sound. How they had to rip her clothes off her to do CPR. How she was essentially nonresponsive for 3 days. If she wants to speak her mind at any given moment, the SPEAK it, sister! Speak your mind and tell us what you need, because by God that means your mind is working.

 I will always continue to update this blog. Some days I try and the words just don't come, but I never forget about it and I always want to keep those that love her so much in the loop.