Summer Parkingham here.  I am the one who has been keeping you up to date about my eleven-year-old sister, Ramey Melissa, who had a stroke.

I am happy to tell you that she is no longer in the regular hospital.  She went to the rehabilitation hospital a few days ago, where she has been getting therapy:  speech, occupational, and physical, in the hopes of her regaining what she'd lost when she first had the stroke.  She will be getting lots of that, so when we see her, she will probably be very tired or sleeping.  That's only natural, according to her doctors (and therapists).

We saw her yesterday, and she was awake, but sore, not to mention, very sleepy.  She didn't want to stay awake; it was a losing battle on her end.  We only ended up staying for fifteen minutes; we went to the cafeteria, where we had lunch.  When we'd check on her again a few hours later, she was still snoring logs.

They really must have been doing a number on her during her therapy!

I still don't know why Ramey had the stroke, but I am hopeful that she will at least be able to move her side again, or at least talk.  Even if she doesn't walk again, I am hoping she will be talking again or moving her side.  As Dr. Stryker said to us earlier on in this ordeal, he's seen kids who've had strokes just as bad as hers recover fully, and now they are doing great!  This at least gives me a sense of hope!

For the time being, Ramey will have to take blood pressure medication and have her cholesterol levels checked.  If it gets too high, she will have to be on cholesterol medicine.  This can lead to strokes or heart attacks, just like high blood pressure, Dr. Emmons told us.  Hopefully down the road, as her BP and cholesterol levels straighten out, she will be taken off them.

I am glad that she's here:  it doesn't look so much like a hospital.  She doesn't have any IV's or any tubes in her; she looks pretty normal.  She looks like a kid who is getting over something like the cold or flu.  She looks a lot better than she did when she had all those tubes in or on her!

Well, it's lunch time here at school (at school, in study hall, as I write this), so I am going to go, or else I'll miss out on some yummy food!  I will write in here again soon, perhaps in a few days, with another update on how my sister's doing.  Hopefully she will continue to do well; I pray that she does!  Take care, and  may God bless you!  This is Summer Parkingham signing off!

~Love, your friend, Summer.  :)