The Thankful Project: Day 2 - A Role You've Played

I'm linking up with Kenzie over at Chasing Happy for the month of November.Be sure to stop by and check it out!

As I’ve mentioned in my very first posting ever on this blog, my 25 year-old sister suffered a stroke when undergoing surgery for an AVM located on her brain.

We have a large family, as well as an abundance of extended family and friends that all wanted and needed to be kept informed of changes with Jessica and her condition.

Not long after I received the horrible news, I realized that we were going to need a way to share information.  There was no way my Mom and Dad could handle those phone calls, retelling the same story and the same information again and again.

Thank goodness for technology! Over the next month, I updated Jessica’s Caring Bridge site daily for our loved ones.  Some days they were full of information and other days, it reported the status quo.  Some days there were significant changes and others, there were set-backs.

The one thing I am thankful for during this time was the ability to play the role of Blogger/Informant.  It kept our family updated and helped to alleviate some of the “How is she doing?” calls.   Those calls still came, but not in the abundance that they would have if everyone was kept in the dark about her condition.

I’m also thankful that it provided me an outlet.  I was able to hold it together at the hospital, but the Caring Bridge site provided me an outlet to vent -to give the updates, to type, to let it go, to get it off of my chest.

I’m thankful that it provided us with a journal and history of her progress.  It’s amazing to look back and see how far she has come.  How even in the midst of the days were there wasn’t much progress, that there were still small miracles.   On her one year anniversary this past August, I had a book created for her from all of the updates and everyone’s posts and warm wishes.    Although it’s not something that she’ll read every day, she now has a printed version to remind her of how far she has come.

I’m thankful for the site because it provided not only Jessica, but our entire family, the encouragement, support, and strength we needed during such a difficult time!  The words that were written on those pages are also written on our hearts forever.

Most of all, I’m thankful that we’ve got such a positive story to tell - one that includes a recently passed drivers test and the ability for her to have her freedom again!  A story that includes a new engagement and wedding planning!  One that makes me so proud and so happy to have played a role in such an amazing story.