[RC] Latest on Meg, from Linda Tanian - Jay Randle
Hi Everybody
I have been a little slack in sending through an update so my apologies. In the past week and a half I've visited Meg twice and talked with her on the mobile twice.
I called in to see Meg after the Eldorado ride. On the drive back to Melbourne the mobile phone rang and Meg's number appeared on the screen. I was pondering who was using her phone (guessing it was Gatesy) when I answered it to be very surprised to hear Meg's voice. Someone else in the hospital room had dialled the number and Meg talked with me to find out if I was calling in on the way home and what time I'd be there. I was very surprised at Meg's ability to be co-ordinated enough to do this.
When I got to the hospital she was in fine spirits and we had a great conversation. She showed me how much more mobility she has in her right arm and left leg. During the rehab sessions the physio staff had actually assisted her to stand up for a short while. Such a huge step forward in her rehab!
I had noticed a small improvement with her speech although it is still slow and there are still moments where the messages are getting mixed up with the brain. It must be frustrating for Meg! I didn't stay long as it was pretty late by the time I'd got to the hospital and she was getting tired.
She was very pleased to hear about the ride and how well all the horses did (we had 17 at Eldorado over the two days). It was the young stallion CB Tempest's debut ride and Kristie rode him while I partnered CB Coco around on her return to the sport following some baby making. Coco was one of Meg's favourites and is a real pocket rocket. She gave me a great ride although we suffered a broken stirrup iron on the second leg! Meg was rapt to hear that both horses had made it through and that Tempest had completed the ride with a great attitude throughout the event.
The next visit was on the weekend just before we went to the Quilty Gala Dinner. Meg's mum was with her and it was good to catch up with Betty and chat with her and with Meg. Meg was in high spirits and very cheeky. We had lots of laughs on this visit and Meg made the most of asking us to do heaps of things for her during the visit.
Meg told me that, during the past week, she had been able to walk, assisted, for about 20 feet. It was a very long and slow process and she was absolutely exhausted afterwards. I was absolutely gobsmacked that in the 6 weeks since she has been moved from Canberra to Melbourne she has gone from barely functioning to doing her first assisted walk.
The speed at which she is recovering has astounded me but it should not be surprising given the strength of mind that she has. We talked about her return to endurance and have some plans about this. She is really, really keen to get flying again also. We talked about the many tribulations of being in hospital and the rehab routines that she is going through.
During the week I had another phone call from her and we had a quick chat on the phone. Meg is not using the phone much as it seems to make her very tired but it is all part of the process of getting back into main stream life. She talked about getting onto the computer and checking out Facebook again to see what is happening!
