Busy Morning

This morning Jackie woke up to a busy schedule.  First up was an ADL session with Paula, focusing on prepping for the day.  Jackie worked hard as he normally does during these sessions. He is getting better at putting on his shirt but is still unable to do this by himself.  After washing his face and brushing his teeth he was ready to spend some time with Joey, Magee’s therapy dog.  For those of you who have followed the blog, you know that Joey is no stranger.  Jackie always lights up when he sees her.  Today was no exception.

Becca had scheduled Joey to be part of her speech session.  The main focus was working on getting Jackie to speak louder while voicing commands. Jackie laughed as Joey stepped on his footrests to get her toy closer to his hand.  He had to say ‘give’ so she would release it.  Joey is trained to respond to whispers as well as normal voicing.  Even though Jackie’s voice was quiet, he was able to have Joey follow his instructions. They played catch and also tug of war.  It was a great session, but tiring.  Jackie rested in his room for the time remaining prior to PT.  Erin was working at one of Magee’s outpatient facilities so Mark picked him up and took him to the gym.  He recognized that Jackie was running out of steam so they had an easier session.  Jackie still took some steps at the end so that his progress would not be stalled. PTL

Nap and nutrition was next.  I decided to take a nap at the same time as Jackie. Both of us slept well even though it was for a short period of time.  When Jackie woke up he was going to have a half hour session with Paula followed by Becca to finish out the day.  Much to our surprise, the short nap ignited Jackie’s energy.  He almost pushed himself up to a sitting position and even was able to balance himself on the side of the bed.  PTL He went with Paula to the gym and had a good work out.  Paula had Jackie call Becca when he was ready to move on to her session.  Becca said she answered the phone and was surprised to hear Jackie’s voice.  All of this is so positive, it makes him feel normal and also is encouraging that he is voicing into the phone. He would do this again later in the evening while talking with Lindsay.  PTL

I had just come back from a Starbucks run when Jackie came back from Becca’s office. We decided to head down for an early dinner and enjoyed some of our drinks until it was time for the cafeteria to open.  Jackie ate fairly well, although he tired half way through his meal. We came up to the the room as we had to wait for some meds, and Jackie enjoyed his Magnum bar while watching sports on TV.

Jackie was definitely ready when we got him into bed.  He was a little restless at first, but then seemed to be settling down for the night.  It had been a day of ups and downs.  Jim and I continually try to figure out the catalyst behind Jackie’s actions. As this can be frustrating, Jim looked at me and said that maybe we need to just stop thinking about things so hard and just chalk it up to TBI.  Knowing every hour of every day could add something new to the equation.

With your positive thoughts, prayers and support behind Jackie, he will continue to rally through each day.  We will continue to encourage and celebrate as each hour unfolds a new leg of the journey.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
~Dale Carnegie

Toughing It Out Through The Tears

Today was an emotional day.  It was the official day of Jim’s birthday.  Jackie’s feelings mirrored those that he felt on my birthday and could be summed up as significant sadness.  He was still in the hospital after all these months and so was his Dad.  Spending his birthday attending to him instead of going golfing or going out to dinner.  We tried to comfort him as we had done before and we are hoping that he truly understands that neither of us could possibly be anywhere else than by his side. It is where we want to be.  There will be a time when we can step back, but now is not the time.

As routine plays out, Becca came to get Jackie and they went to her office for speech. Jackie picked out the supplies and made a birthday card for Jim.  These cards are even more precious than the ones we received when the kids were little.  This card and the writing inside was a sign that Jackie was coming back.  PTL

We all decided to sit on the second floor terrace for a little bit before PT.  Both Mark and Erin were not available so another staffer stretched out Jackie under Paula’s watchful eye. As per usual, lethargy dictates and we moved Jackie to bed for a nap, although rest not slumber was in the plan.

You may remember several months ago when a Philadelphia Flyers alumni came to visit Jackie.  Today, Todd Fedoruk would return for another visit.  It was the first time today, that Jackie brightened up.  He remembered ‘The Fridge’ from his previous visit and enjoyed his company.  Todd was able to get Jackie to softly verbalize more words than we had heard all day.  He makes Jackie feel good and also helps him be mentally tough.  After game injuries, Todd also went through a couple surgeries so the two of them can relate on the same level.  Something, Jim and I cannot do. It was awesome to catch up and our hope is to see him another time before heading home.

Shortly after Todd moved on to visit some other patients, Visa paid a visit.  Visa is the service dog that we met at Jefferson hospital.  She was attending a student health fair at Jefferson and was hoping to visit Jackie at Magee as well.  She is a loving dog, and ironically looks exactly like Magee’s therapy dog only smaller.  Jane, her Mom, helped Jackie interact with her and Jackie was comforted just by stroking the incredibly soft fur on her ears.  He enjoyed hearing how Visa had just provided stress release to students at Jefferson studying for mid terms.  Whether he knew it or not, he was also reducing the emotional stress of his day by allowing Visa to comfort him in a way only a canine can.

Nana and John had come to visit and shared birthday treats for Jim with the staff.  We enjoyed their company and as a surprise, Nana brought her special spaghetti sauce for Jim to enjoy for dinner.  I must say, I tried making it myself, but could never quite get the same taste.  Jim would enjoy his birthday meal.

Before we knew it, Paula came to the room to pick up Jackie for OT.  He had a decent session but since he had not napped, tired quickly.  We headed down to dinner as early as we could, due to Jackie’s fatigue and the fact that it was a shower night.  When we got down to the cafe, I worked on getting Jackie’s tray from the kitchen and also picked up a three layer, strawberry shortcake that Chef Ken had made based on my request.  The cake was big and beautiful. Jackie had a taste of the icing and Jim enjoyed a piece for himself.  We then made some new friends in the dining room by sharing the absolutely delicious dessert.

We brought the rest back up to the room and ultimately shared it with the nursing and therapy teams.  It was then time for a shower and bed.  Each night seems to include a little more rest and a little less spasms.  PTL. Jackie will get through this and the victory will be sweet.

“You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.”
~Mary Tyler Moore

Weekend Update:  Running on Empty

With each passing day through the weekend Jackie’s spasms continued to decrease, but returned during the nights.  In fact whenever he tried to sleep it was unsuccessful.  Subsequently Jackie’s over tiredness is now starting to impact everything else from eating to speaking.  We plan to work with Dr. K and his team to find a solution so Jackie doesn’t continue to regress.

There were definitely positives over the weekend. Both days Jackie had friends come to visit him.  Even though he did not talk much, we could tell he truly enjoyed every minute spent with them!

The only therapy Jackie had this weekend was Recreational Therapy.  We are glad to be back working with Jenna.  On Saturday Jackie went up to the fifth floor gym and played the giant pinball machine.  He had played this before and it was fun to try it again.  Sunday was a Wii day.  Jackie used the huge TV in the fourth floor gym and decided to play Wii bowling.  He had some problems releasing the one button when we played before, but he did very well this time.  A good sign of motor skill improvement! PTL

Jackie is running on empty when it comes to sleep.  We are hoping he has less spasms at night which will enable him to sleep more.  I hope you are having a good start to your week and that you were able to recharge over the weekend.  Even a good nights sleep should not be taken for granted.

“A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.”
~Helen Keller

Spasms

TBI strikes again.  It is amazing how TBI needs everything in the body to be in perfect balance for things to roll along without any hiccups.  One slight deviation in any system function or one slight change with what the body takes in can cause a left turn down the path less traveled.  The path that is far from the shortcut to recovery.

Jackie woke this morning after his sleepless night of muscle spasms.  We spoke with Dr. K and decided to keep a close eye on Jackie throughout the day.  The spasms he is having are similar to the ones he had in the hospital but thank God are not that severe. PTL Our goal is to keep them at this level.

Becca was going to take Jackie into the patient dining room for breakfast at 8am,  but we all decided to let Jackie sleep in.  They worked breakfast into her normal session at 9am.  The session went well and the spasms seemed to have subsided for now.  They continued their work on deep breathing, voicing and cell phone basics.  Jackie is really starting to make progress.  PTL

After speech we stayed in the room as it was a chilly fall morning in Philly.  We were able to do weight shifts and stands which helped break up the hour wait.  The fact that we dodged more muscle spasms was something to celebrate.  Erin came to the room at 11am and took Jackie to the gym.  After some stretching it was time for assisted walking.  The first distance went well, but with each succeeding walk Jackie tired and the spasms kicked back in with a vengeance.  Since Dr. K was in the outpatient clinic we had his resident come in to assess Jackie when he got back to his room. Since his vitals were holding steady we would just have to help work him through the spasms.

After about an hour he was able to fall asleep, but before long the spasms returned. Paula had come into the room at this point to take Jackie to the gym for OT, but decided stretches at bedside would be best.  Dr. K also was able to come to the room and decided to adjust some meds.  Together we set a game plan for how to handle the spasms especially since we were heading into the weekend.  Since Jim and I have been through this before, we were on board and understood at what point additional steps would need to be taken vs just letting them run their course.

Paula ultimately did her magic and had Jackie’s muscles completely relaxed and he fell asleep.  When Jackie woke up we decided to try to get him in his chair for an early dinner.  We actually had just enough time to go down to the cafeteria where Jackie ate the entire second half of grandpa’s mashed potatoes and then the spasms started again.  We got him back up to the room and in bed.

The rest of the night was mixed with small periods of sleep and other periods of repositioning and working him through the spasms.  We have no idea how long they are going to last so will need to keep going hour by hour and take the day as it comes.

I know the road is going to get easier for Jackie at some point; it has to.  Until then, we continue to practice patience.

“The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be.”
~ Horace Bushnell

Beast Status

We followed the routine from yesterday and helped Jackie with breakfast prior to speech.  Since he receives most of his nutrition overnight, he is never that hungry in the morning, but he managed to eat almost  an entire pancake and about one quarter of a banana. PTL Becca picked up Jackie and they moved to her office for the session.  Becca continued to work on breathing exercises and repeating names of celebs on the iPad.  Today he repeated 20 names, up from eight during yesterday’s session.  Slowly but surely he is beginning to use his voice more.  PTL

Jackie chose to stay inside during the break between speech and PT.  About half way through we moved to the dining room next door, which was now empty.  The brilliant streams of sunshine coming in the bay window provided the perfect environment to relax.  We were in the middle of watching a funny YouTube clip when Mark came in to get him.  Both him and Erin would be working with Jackie at the beginning of the PT session. Jackie continues to be able to withstand exercises while he is on his stomach.  The therapists ensure his feeding tube is in a position where it will not cause any skin breakdown.  When Jim and I walked into the gym they had just completed walking.  Erin looked at Jackie and told him to tell us how and what he did.  He pounded his fist to his chest.  Erin said, “Now tell them,” and Jackie replied, “beast.”  I’m not sure if you remember this from earlier posts, but Erin only gives out the beast status if the workout was really good and if Jackie worked extremely hard.  Today was a great day in PT!

Not a surprise that the beast was exhausted.  We quickly got him in bed for his nap and noon nutrition.

Paula came to the room to get him for OT.  They did some stretching and standing exercises.  Then they tried something new, a motorized wheelchair. You may think why is he moving to a motorized wheelchair if the ultimate goal is still to have Jackie walk?  We had the same questions.  The chair will actually help with Jackie’s vision, dexterity, spacial awareness and many other things including the fact that it will help give Jackie some independence. Paula said she moved Jackie to the chair and before she knew it he had taken off.  Not a surprise as he was an excellent driver from the very beginning.  His driving skills when he was little in his GI Joe battery powered jeep was impressive, just ask Lindsay.  Needless to say he needs to refine his skills before he is able to officially move into the chair.  He will eventually move back to a different chair for when we come home.  OT had also been a successful session. Paula had Jackie maneuver the chair throughout the gym as the other therapists were cheering him on.  His great day continued.  PTL

Since Jackie was getting tired from all of his hard work, we decided to have an early dinner, but still had time to relax on the second floor terrace for a short time with Grandma and Grandpa.  It was time for their train and also time for dinner.  Grandpa had made his special mashed potatoes which the entire family loves.  We heated half for today and are saving half for tomorrow.  Jackie enjoyed every bite.  I’m sure it reminded him of home and he couldn’t get enough.

After some meds he got in the shower and then went right to bed.  He worked incredibly hard today and his efforts are starting to pay off.  PTL

Jackie normally sleeps well, but he had a rough night. Jim and I believe it is related to possible withdrawal symptoms from one of the meds he was taking in the hospital.  He also worked many of his muscle groups hard today. We will talk with Dr.K in the morning.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
~Mahatma Gandhi

One More Time

We are beginning to see small improvements each day. PTL As Jackie’s strength increases so do the goals for his therapy sessions. ‘Let’s go one more time’ are words he hears every day.  The therapists always make sure he either verbalizes, yes, or gives a thumbs up.  They would never push him past where he thinks he can go at that particular time.  Whether it is Jackie’s experience from being on many sports teams, or his desire to get better, he usually always  gives a positive response and repeats the task or exercise at hand.  Pushing through this is not easy. There are no quick results, just positive baby steps and time.

Jackie started eating some of his breakfast in the room this morning. He was hungry and we thought this would give Becca and him more time to concentrate on speech  exercises.  They referred to images on the iPad and then Jackie voiced what it was.  They also began to work on breathing exercises like blowing bubbles in liquid through a straw, shooting spitballs through a straw and blowing ping pong balls across a smooth surface.  All of these exercises should help with breath control and ultimately louder speech.

Jackie wanted to rest on the second floor terrace between speech and PT.  It is always nice to get some fresh air and check out what is happening in the real world outside of the hospital walls.

It was now showtime.  Erin and Mark were walking towards Jackie’s room.  Erin approached him and said, “I missed you.”  In true Jackie form he said, “I missed you too,” forgetting the plan.  Mark immediately got him back on track and he then told Erin that she was fired.  She said, “No,” and asked why.  Jackie pointed to Mark.  We all laughed, then he said “Just kidding.”  We all had a good laugh!  Both Mark and Erin took Jackie up for a walk on the Vector.  It was a productive session.  Jackie walked a short distance but many times.  Erin tried to provide as little assistance as possible for his left leg, but she always had to move it in place for him.  Hi is getting there!

Without a doubt Jackie was ready for his nap and nutrition.  We helped him get in bed right away and he rested peacefully until it was time to get up for OT.  Paula came to the room, picked him up and they went to the gym.  Paula had the robot programmed and ready to go.  The program moves the arm while the eyes watch the movement.  A combined exercise for the arm and brain. They also practiced standing and did other exercises.  Jackie came back to the room with a basketball in his hand from the gym.  It was homework.  When Jackie is just sitting in his chair relaxing, she would like him to keep his left hand on the ball, more eye and brain stimulation in an attempt to engage the left side.

After OT, Jackie wanted to relax on the second floor terrace.  It was another beautiful night.  We headed back up to the room for meds, then ate in the dining room and moved back out to the terrace for his Magnum ice cream bar. As soon as he finished he was ready for bed.

It had been another good day of progress.  PTL Prayers, positive thoughts and patience are guiding us every step of the way.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
~Thomas Edison

Routines

Jackie’s routine therapy sessions started early today with an ADL session with Paula.  Jim and I took some things over to the hotel room so Paula and Jackie could work by themselves.  Paula said she saw a little bit of movement in Jackie’s left hand as he tried to move his fingers slightly when washing his hands at the sink.  PTL

Becca decided to split her session in half and saw Jackie for a half hour in the morning, helping him eat breakfast.  In the afternoon Nana, Jim and I were there for the start of the session.  Becca brought gourds from her parents farm.  She gave them to Jackie and had him pick a gourd that best represented his family members.  We all laughed as he picked out the gourds representing himself, Jim, me, Lindsay, Florent and Jovie.

During Jackie’s PT session with Mark they worked on stretching and then walked 40 ft in the gym with assistance.  PTL. Erin is back from her vacation tomorrow so Mark and Jackie planned a little prank on her. Mark erased Erin’s name and wrote his name on the assignment board by Jackie.  Jackie’s part in the caper was to tell Erin that she was fired, just to see how she would react.  We will have to wait and see how the plot unfolds tomorrow.

After PT Jackie took his nap coupled with some nutrition. The rest of day included some time with nana on the second floor terrace and then dinner in the cafeteria. Once again, Jackie ate a decent amount of his meal and also indulged in his Magnum ice cream bar.

It was a shower and shave night, then bed.  Jackie’s routines may sound monotonous but it is the routine and the cadence of his therapy sessions, rest and nutrition that is driving his positive progress.  It is the very same routine that will eventually get us home and will one day have Jackie walking and back to an independent life. PTL

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily.  The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”

John C. Maxwell

Seeing Clearly

Jackie slept in as long as he could before speech started. He ate his breakfast with Becca as they continue to work on improving his swallow function.  They used images  on the iPad for voicing exercises and even reviewed basic cell phone functionality.  When they were done we went to the second floor terrace for a break before PT. My phone vibrated about 10 minutes later, it was Becca, Paula was looking for us.  They were able to schedule an eye appointment with the doc for 10am.  We quickly got to the gym and Jackie proceeded to have a very through eye exam.  We were hoping that his vision improved post surgery.  The exam mirrored what we are seeing throughout all of Jackie’s body.  The surgery did not create instantaneous improvements, but with time things will get better.  We were able to confirm that there was no retina detachment which is good news, as surgery would have been necessary if that was the case.  PTL. Jackie’s brain injury is the catalyst for the slowed muscles in his eyes.  We are hoping with brain healing  will come clearer vision.  In the meantime the doc wrote a prescription for us to get a new pair of glasses.

While Jackie was at PT Jim and I researched some of the local retail eye outlets  as we wanted to get moving on his new glasses as soon was we could.  Jackie had a good session with Mark.  After some stretching exercises Mark assisted  Jackie with a short walk in the gym.

Back in the room we followed routine and Jackie enjoyed his nap.  Paula gave Jackie a little extra time to rest and started her OT session with him about a half hour late.  While Jackie was working with Paula, Jim and I walked to Eye Encounters on Chestnut.  At first they said they would need to see Jackie, but after reviewing the prescription were able to put the order through after we picked out some frames.  Within 5-7 business days Jackie should be wearing his new glasses.

After we all reconvened in Jackie’s room, Holly our Dietician reviewed Jackie’s nutritional needs.  Jackie’s weight stayed the same from last week to this week.  It is a toss up whether to increase his nutrition amount through his feeding tube or give him the chance to eat more. We decided that letting him eat more on his own is best as the ultimate goal is to wean him off the tube as soon as possible.

Jackie was getting hungry so we headed down to the cafeteria for dinner.  He ate almost all of his mashed potatoes and some of his meat.  He also left room for a 340 calorie Magnum ice cream bar which he enjoyed on the second floor terrace. PTL

The day had been a good one.  One with hopes of seeing clearer and continuing baby steps forward. Your positive thoughts and prayers are being heard and felt and are appreciated more than you will ever know.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
~Michael Jordan

Determination

After yesterday’s long but wonderful day we weren’t sure how Jackie was going to feel.  He had three therapy sessions today, two of which were in the morning.  We let him sleep in as long as we could.  We went to the gym with him for his 9am PT session since we did not know the therapist.  She was a very nice, gentle staffer who has works at Magee’s outpatient facility.  She worked well with Jackie and did a nice job of letting him know everything she was doing and why.  By the end of the session Jackie took a couple steps by the wall and then using the rail.  PTL

After a quick stop in his room to get some meds, we went to the second floor terrace so Jackie could rest in the sunshine. He had his ear buds in and drifted off to his favorite music.

OT was next and once again we accompanied Jackie to the gym. One of the younger therapists was assigned to Jackie.  We had seen her before in the gym, but she never worked with us.  She recently moved to the fifth floor gym for rotational learning.  Jackie enjoyed her company.  They both played basketball in high school.  Stretching was first on the agenda and then trunk work.  Putting a balloon on the overhead lift allowed it to be repositioned in different places so Jackie had to continue to reach further to get it.  Then something small but incredible happened.  Jackie ever so slightly moved his left arm to tough the balloon.  Jim and I both had a tear in our eye as we clapped loudly to celebrate. PTL This is such a hopeful sign that with time, his left side will re-engage.

To our surprise Jackie’s determination was getting him through the day with great results!  Since his speech session was in just an hour, we went back to the room and kept Jackie in his chair.  He had to get some noon nutrition anyway, and weight shifts allowed him to stay comfortable.  We knew his weekend speech therapist as Jackie has had her before.  Becca had prepared her with everything she needed and ultimately it was a good session with a decent amount of verbalization.  PTL

Jackie was now extremely ready for his nap.  He fell asleep right away and slept peacefully.  When he woke up it was time for the Eagles game.  Jackie was hungry so we ventured down to the dining room and ate and watched the game with many other bird fans.  Since this is still a fairly new experience for Jackie,  I asked him if the noise and activity bothered him.  He responded with a thumbs down.  We are making progress!

Next up was a shower and then bed. Jackie surprised us today.  His determination drove more baby steps.  At one point during OT when he was starting to engage his left arm he began to spasm on his right side and cried out.  After a little bit of muscle massaging he tried engaging the left arm again, knowing that pain could follow.  He could have just given up, but he kept pushing knowing it wasn’t going to be easy.  None of this is easy.  But on days like today, will and determination won out.  PTL

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
~Martin Luther King Jr.

Double Surprise

All three of us were excited for Saturday to finally be here.  Lindsay and Florent were coming and Jackie did not have any therapies scheduled until Sunday.  Jim and I took turns and quickly ran over to the hotel for showers.  We are still shift sleeping through the nights and haven’t returned to our routine of sleeping at the hotel every other night. Jim came back from the hotel about half an hour before they arrived.

Once reunited we had some time to catch up before Jackie took his nap.  We were trying to stay as close to Jackie’s routine as possible.  I joked with Jackie and said that I was going to lay down beside him and nap with him.  He immediately filled the empty space on his bed with his arm and knee.  Then Lindsay asked if she could lay there and immediately he lowered his arm and leg so she could lay beside him.  She held his hand and he almost instantly fell asleep.  During his nap Lindsay said that his grip never stopped as she had made several attempts to move and let him sleep on his own.  Ultimately he did not sleep as long as he normally does but it was better than nothing.  We decided to order in some lunch.  When it arrived we had moved Jackie out of bed and decided to sit on the second floor terrace and enjoy the beautiful day.  We went through the gym as I wanted to pick up a drink for Jackie.  When I left the kitchen area Jim said we were going out the back way.  I walked by the conference room connected with the gym and heard the word ‘surprise’. I was completely and utterly taken back by what I saw.  A total of 15 of our family members, including Lindsay and Florent, were waiting to see us in the decorated conference room.  Jim had emailed some of the family a week or so ago when he thought of the idea to have a big gathering not only to celebrate my birthday but also so Jackie could spend time with some of the family.

So what was the double surprise?  Since Jim’s birthday is in early October, the family turned it into a double birthday party for both of us.  Needless to say it was an incredible day.  Jim and I kept a keen eye on Jackie as this was the largest gathering he had attended since February.  You could tell on his face that he was enjoying himself.  Our families had brought back a piece of his life that had been missing.  He took naps here and there but stayed strong and made it through the entire party.  A huge and impressive accomplishment. PTL

We all went down to the lobby and said our goodbyes. Lindsay and Florent were able to stay a little longer. I think if they had to leave with everyone else Jackie would have shut down.  Lindsay’s presence calms him. I can’t even begin to explain it.  We headed to the second floor terrace for just a quick dose of fresh air. Florent opened presents since his birthday was early in September, Lindsay opened a birthday gift that arrived late in the mail and Jim and I opened gifts from Lindsay and Florent.  Jackie enjoyed watching and listening. His birthday is not until January.

We headed back to the room and it was obvious Jackie was beyond exhaustion.  We got him into bed right away and he immediately fell asleep.  After a little while, Lindsay woke him to say goodbye.  Even though he was sound asleep he woke quickly to her voice and said, “I love you.”

Blessed is the word that sums things up for today. Blessed that we still have Jackie, blessed that Lindsay and Jackie have a special bond, blessed that we have an incredible family and blessed that each day brings new hope for continued recovery.  PTL

“Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”
— Brad Henry

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
— Desmond Tutu