Thursday, October 23, 2008

Sharion

I just got off the phone with Sharion. We had a fun conversation about nothing in particular. We planned a day to get out and visit some mutual friends. We talked about the cutting competition we watched last week-end and horses in general.
There was a span of months when I wondered if we would ever share an idle chat about nothing again. I watched Sharion claw up through the depths of a coma so deep there was doubt she would ever wake up. I sat with her while she struggled to recognize the people who loved her and tried again and again to find words to express her fear and confusion. I was the one without words the day she welcomed me with tears and open arms.
Sharion received a severe head injury while riding a horse. She was given a terrifying, grim prognosis. She defied all projections and her diagnosis by recovering at an incredible rate of speed. She was up walking and talking months before she was expected to wake up at all. She was released from the hospital, went home to her family and disappeared from my life.
Along with self awareness came the shock of understanding how her world had changed. Sharion was back, but not quite herself. The road to complete recovery is a long one. She may travel that road for the rest of her life. Sharion became shy and unsure of herself. She hid in her house and let the loving warmth of her family ease her into the realities of her new life.
She got used to a new routine. The routine of relearning so many skills she used take for granted. A new world where every day is a battle for the balance to walk her dogs, a search for simple descriptive words no longer within her grasp.
I got a message through, " Call me when you're ready."
I left things alone. Then just a few weeks ago I got a wonderful call. Sharion was ready to talk. I was finally able to visit with my friend. We sat at her kitchen table and caught up with our lives on a sunny afternoon. Her beautiful eyes snapped with frustration when she couldn't find the word she wanted, she vibrated with life and energy.
As we became comfortable with each other again the conversation flowed. Sharion was all the way back. She still had to fight for some things, but mentally my friend was ready and able. We made plans. To go out to lunch, go to a horse show, visit old friends. Plans I never thought we would make again. The afternoon sunlight spread across Sharion's kitchen table and warmed my arms. Her newly grown in curls were back lit by the fading sun and her wonderful laugh filled the air.

13 comments:

  1. I'm so glad for your friend, and for you. Friendship with people and with horses... more valuable than anything money can buy.

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  2. It's so wonderful to hear. Horse accidnets can be some of the worst. One of the ladies who board at the barn where I work and keep Famous, came off her three year old morgan. Smashed her head and broke her hip in two places(middle aged woman, they just don't bounce well). It was a real triumph for her to ride her other morgan at the spring fling this year.

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  3. Great news, Mugwump. Glad to hear she's doing well.

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  4. That is fantastic news - unbelievably encouraging, at the least, & on so many levels. Great to hear you have your friend back and simply astounding to hear of her remarkable recovery from such a traumatic event. :)

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  5. Glad to hear Sharion's recovering.
    I had been thinking of her lately but was hesitant to ask.

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  6. I hope your friends realize how you feel about them and what a treasure you are. I'd read my first Sharion post the other day and you mentioned shaving her legs and painting her toes for her at the hospital. I have a friend that reminds me of you and I texted her immediately to let her know if she was ever in the hospital that I would come out and paint her toes. People just don't always think like that, Janet, but you do. My friend of course was thrown a bit by my random seeming comment but appreciated the sentiment immensly. She's also the kind of person that would think of something like that. Thank you for being so genuine and putting yourself out there on this blog.

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  7. I'm so pleased to hear how Sharion is doing! Funny, she popped into my head last week and I tried to send healing thoughts and prayers her way. I hope she continues down the road to recovery and is completely healed. You're a true friend. Those are rare, I've learned that. I keep the ones I have close.

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  8. I am very glad to hear that Sharion is doing alright. I have been thinking of her off and on these last couple weeks and wishing her well.

    It's a true friend who stands beside a sick or injured friend. It's a rare friend who understands that another friend might need a little space until they can start to put their own world to rights.

    I believe that if there were more friends in the world like you, Mugs, the world would be a better place.

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  9. I was going to ask what was her condition. So glad to hear shes alright and mostly recovered. You are such a friend to stick by her through all that. Has she ridden or been around horses yet again?

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  10. Congrats mugwump on getting your friend back, I know what it is like to loose someone close to you who you share horses daily with, sadly my friend didn't make it, I'm so glad yours did.

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  11. I am so glad to hear that Sharien has been such an amazing success story. All my good wishes to her. She is lucky to have you as a friend as she makes the transition to what, in some ways, will be a new life.

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