#108

Elaine had a nice day. She was back to work with Paul this morning and had a good session. They both agreed that she is walking differently, having a little more trouble the past few days. Her feet feel heavy. As we know, things change and she has good and bad days. No one is concerned and we don't view it at a setback. She is still trying to catch up on rest and Little Darlin' has been causing her a lot of pain the past week, more than usual.

After therapy, Fred took Elaine to have a cranial sacral massage. It was not what they expected but Elaine felt like it did help Little Darlin'. She is going back next week again. In very exciting news, Elaine and Fred are both going to try the stem cell procedure. They are scheduled for next Wednesday in the desert. They will be in the office a total of 4 hours. Her doctors all agreed that it would be a great idea to try. They have seen very exciting and positive results. We are all very excited and optimistic!

This afternoon, Staci picked Elaine up to come and sit by the pool while the kids swam. They don't get to talk much since Brian is a wild man, but Elaine gets some sun and certainly is entertained:) After that, Fred and Elaine came over to the Francois house for dinner and more entertainment. As you can imagine with three loud kids and Fred in the house, well, its loud! We had a nice evening and are excited about all the new treatments Elaine is trying on the road to recovery!!

#107

Happy Mother's Day! We had a wonderful day. It started with breakfast and gifts in bed for Elaine. Then we headed over to brunch at the Vintage and celebrated with Marty and Rich before beating the heat and heading back to the beach!

This post is dedicated to the most wonderful mother in the entire world, from the most proud daughter there could ever be!

Today is Mother's Day! It is a day to honor your mother, do something special for her, and remember all the sacrifices she has made for you. Until the last two years, when we lived in Philadelphia, I had never missed spending a mother's day with my mom. I typically took that for granted. Every year, without question, on the second Sunday of May, I would be spending the day with my mom. I often times found myself taking for granted all the time I am fortunate enough to spend with my mom. I took for granted that she is without a doubt one of my most treasured gifts in life!



That all changed on the morning of January 27! I promised myself that if she would live through the day, I would never take a minute that I spend with her (or any of my loved ones) for granted. I have kept that promise.



Today was an extra special day because I think of how different today would have been for us had things gone differently a few short months ago. My mother is the most incredible, honorable, courageous, loving, caring, admirable, sincere person I have ever known. She has been so supportive of me since the day I was born. She never missed an activity I participated, an opportunity to be involved at any of the schools I attended or a chance to volunteer in any of the clubs or organizations I am or have been affiliated with. We often joke, although it wasn't a joke because she never said no, about how when I was growing up, whenever we needed a volunteer; whether is be a driver to Calexico, a person to chaperone us picking apples, an adult to stay up for 24 hours and sleep in a tent on the football field, the official taste tester during our cooking phase (which was short lived for a reason), the mom that would take us to the amusement park when no one else would. Our house was always the one where all my cousins wanted to be, too. She was the host of all the parties, big and small, and embraced the open door known as our front door where our friends would enter and were always welcome. She was "the cool mom!" She was the mom that everyone wanted to have and I was the lucky one!

My mom is someone I have always looked up to and admired. She has endured so much in her life and still managed to be the best mother, wife, friend, and grandmother that has ever been. She is without a doubt the most selfless person on this planet. She has always put those around her ahead of her and has bent over backwards to make people happy. She has the purest heart that has ever existed. She is loving, she is kind, she is everything good in this world.

I have come to realize over the past few months that I am not the only one that feels that way. It has been incredibly humbling, almost surreal, to see how many people care about the real Elaine. She has truly touched the lives of every single person she has ever met. She brings out the best in people and makes you want to be a better person.

I feel so lucky that I know I could fill an entire book talking about the fun things we have done, the countless ways she has changed my life, her endless list of attributes, the things big and small she has done for people. She truly defines the phrase, "to know her is to love her."

People often say, "I don't know how you are doing all you are doing right now." For me, or any of us, its not work at all. It really is an honor and a privilege to give back to someone that has spent her entire life taking care of us. Given the situation that is what it is, there is no place that we would rather be, and that is taking care and helping the greatest woman that has ever walked the face of the earth!

Mom, I honor you every day and there is not a single day that passes that I am not grateful to have been blessed with the world's greatest mom. These past few months have been some of the most challenging you have ever faced. You have handled them with so much grace and so much courage. You have done what very few, if any, could ever do. You have met this challenge head on and you are beating it. I am so proud of you and so proud to be your daughter! I love you with all of my heart and will forever idolize and adore you. I thank you for being the incredibly special person that you are and the person I am privileged enough to call mom and my best friend.

Happy Mother's Day!

#106

Saturday started out slowly for Elaine. She had such a great time at dinner the night before with her close friends from the desert. That made her pretty tired this morning. She thought that the optimal plan would be for her catch up on some much needed rest.  So, Elaine and Christi relaxed in bed this morning while Fred, Staci, and Ben played golf in the heat. After golf, Ben and Staci took the girls out on a shopping expedition so Elaine, Fred, and Brian could get some rest in peace!

It was a good thing she was able to rest up because the remainder of the day and night were incredibly busy! Her dear friend Barbara stopped by the house. They had a terrific visit talking about old times they had and good times ahead.  It was great for everyone to catch up with Barbara!

A little while later, Pat came by to check on Elaine and say hi to everyone. We all always love to see Pat. Elaine absolutely cherishes their friendship and enjoys their visits. 

After a couple of nice visits, Elaine had to get ready to receive a very special honor. Fred and Elaine were honored this evening by Palm Desert High School as the inaugural recipients of the PDHS Supporters of the Year at the high school's 25th anniversary function. Teachers, coaches, and alumni thanked them for all of their support over the years. 

The best part of the evening was when Fred was saying a few words to the audience. He made a nice donation to the newly formed PDHS Foundation and announced that he had created The Elaine Smith Courage Award to honor the courage that Elaine has shown over the past 100 days. The idea is to give a scholarship award to a student who has shown extreme courage in the face of adversity. It was an incredibly moving speech about Elaine and her inspiring battle that stirred the emotions of entire gymnasium. 

Here is a video of a portion of his speech where he begins to speak about Elaine. 

#105

Fred and Elaine had an interesting day. They said goodbye to Mike and Diana after a really fun-filled two days. They were very sad to see them go. After an early morning drop off at the airport, Fred and Elaine packed their bags and headed to the desert. Elaine and Fred had a bit of an emotional drive down. We are all still shocked and saddened that this happened to Elaine. It doesn't seem fair and we don't understand why. She is doing so well and trying so hard. Fred is equally as incredible as they have both been thrown this major curveball and are facing it head on! They wouldn't be human if they didn't feel like that once in a while.  We all have a good cry now and then. It is a lot to process, even three and a half months later. They have each other and a support system that will do anything for them. They know how fortunate they are and appreciate it so much.

Elaine and Fred arrived safely in the desert. They had lunch and then drove over to a doctor appointment. One of their friends, Jim, called Fred to tell him that he had heard about some doctors doing some work with stem cells and stroke victims. Fred and Elaine had very high hopes!

The appointment went well. The doctor called Elaine, "a perfect candidate" for the procedure. They would try and find some fat on her little body to suck a syringe full of stem cells out. They would just use a local anesthetic, and apparently the whole thing is relatively quick and painless. They suck out the fat and separate the stem cells from the fat. They would then inject the stem cells back in to her body intravenously. Stem cells have been known to seek out damaged tissue and repair it. She would need to stay at the doctor for about three hours.

There is very little risk involved in the procedure. The biggest risk is that she would bleed because of her coumadin. If that were to happen, it would be a quick fix while they are at the hospital. It is not a big concern. She would need to continue on with her intense therapy and it would take up to three months to see results. There is no guarantee, as with anything. It could do nothing, BUT it could improve her condition up to 30%. Its very exciting! We still need to discuss it with her extensive team of doctors, however we are all very optimistic and excited.

Fred is also thinking about using the stem cells to help his knee. If they do the procedure, it will happened within the next few weeks. Timing is also critical and they have seen the best results doing it soon after the stroke. Again, they believe Elaine is a great candidate for this. They were very impressed with her attitude and determination. They can tell that she is working really hard and has the best chance at results. It is uncertain if she will try this but we wanted to share this exciting news! Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

After the doctor, Elaine was exhausted. She watched a movie with Christi and Taylor and tried to get a little rest. She has had a big week. She even wore Diana out! Tonight, Fred and Elaine are having dinner at the Reserve with some of their close friends!

We hope they have a restful, pain free night and that they dream about stem cells.

#104

Today was another great day for Fred and Elaine with Mike and Diana today. Elaine performed well at her therapy session with here audience. She was able to bounce a ball with both hands - a huge accomplishment that really impressed Diana. Then Elaine dominated the bike at rehab. It was a very progressive day!

Fred and Mike went to the club to hit some golf balls and play some cards. While the guys were doing that, Elaine and Diana headed to Fashion Island to do some damage. They started with a nice lunch at Canaletto where they ran into Staci, Taylor, and Brian.

After lunch is when things got a little goofy. They drove around the mall from the restaurant so they could do some shopping at Nordstrom's. They parked outside the store, and headed in.  This is about how it went:

Elaine: "Here we are. This is Nordstrom's"
Diana: "Great!"
D: "Are you sure this is Nordstrom's It doesn't look right."
E: "Yes, I am sure. This is definitely Nordstrom's."
D: "It doesn't look like Nordstrom's."
E: "Well, it is. Let's look around."
D: "Elaine, the tags on these shirts say "Forever 21". This is not Nordstrom's."
E: "Oh, ok. Maybe this isn't Nordstrom's"

Once they realized they were in Forever 21 (a teen girls' clothing store), they decided to actually go to Nordstrom. Unfortunately, they were too far to walk so Diane volunteered to run and get the car and pick up Elaine up.

Diane gave Elaine strict instructions, "Don't move from this spot. I will be right back to pick you up."

Elaine waited awhile. And waited some more. Finally, she figured that Diana must be lost so she walked over to the shuttle stop to get on the trolley at the exact moment Diana pulled up.  They were both cracking up (and all the way through dinner). Remember, this all happened before they even started shopping!

Finally, they made it into Nordstrom where Elaine did her part to get the economy back on track while she was shopping for shoes! She will be wearing those Blahniks in no time!

Tonight, Fred, Elaine, Mike, Diana, Staci, and Ben went to a great dinner at Mastros. There were a ton of big belly laughs for three straight hours. Diana told Elaine that these laughs are better abs workouts than any therapist can prescribe!

It was such a treat to have the Ditkas in town for a few days. It meant the world to Fred and Elaine that they would fly out here from Chicago. They had such a great two days full of love and laughter! The Smiths are so grateful for their friendship with Mike and Diana!

#103

Elaine had an exciting day today! Staci popped in early this morning to drop off groceries and heard Fred and Elaine laughing up a storm. They spend so much time laughing during the day, and as the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine! Elaine had a great session with Paul. He was so pleased with her progress. 

A big break through today: she has a little machine with foot pedals. It has always been very difficult for her. Initially she started out sitting in a chair trying to push them down. Movement was minimal at best. Well, today she stood up, pushing them ALL THE WAY up and down without even holding on to anything! It was very exciting to watch. She continued to improve on all her exercises. 

Mike and Diana flew in from Chicago this morning to visit Fred and Elaine. They were excited to catch the end of therapy and see how great she looks. They are both so impressed with her dedication as well as how well her recovery is going. Elaine was especially excited to have Paul see Mike wearing his pink bracelet. Paul has a problem with a guy wearing a pink bracelet. She told him even Coach wears it every day. Paul carries it in pocket.  We don't think Paul believed it until today! See Paul, real men do wear pink, just as Elaine has been telling you for months!

Coach is the second best motivator (only behind Fred) we know and it meant so much to Elaine to hear from two of their oldest and best friends just how incredible and inspirational she is! Fred and Elaine had such a special day and feel so blessed to have Mike and Diana in their lives. They are so appreciative that they would fly all the way out here to see them and it really means the world to them. They are so really touched and so lucky to have such great friends. 

They went to Big Canyon to have lunch and then the guys went to play cards and the girls were going to get a manicure and pedicure. Elaine was tired and Little Darlin' was really hurting after the manicure. The ladies at the nail place understand the pain she is in. Its always hard to remember what she is going through because by looking at her, you simply can't tell! They went home to relax and sit outside. The Ditka's and the Smith's are going to have a war of the thermostat. The Smiths like it 90 and the Ditkas like it 50. Diana was dying to sit outside today so she could breathe. It was 80 and Elaine was laying outside with a blanket. It was pretty hilarious. Diana made Elaine laugh a ton this afternoon and they talked about some of the many fun times they have had over the 25 plus years they have been friends.

They met the guys at the club for dinner and finished off what Fred said was a "very special day!" We wish them all a restful night sleep and hope they can find a temperature that fits them all:) 

An update on Ashley. She is doing really well. Her HCG levels are at 2, down from 1 where is stayed for a while. She is feeling good, looks beautiful, and most importantly is cancer free! She has weekly blood draws to continue to monitor her HCG. She is as busy as ever with her crafts and all her projects. If you knew all she had going on, you would never guess she has been in a long battle with cancer!

#102

Elaine had a great day! Apparently, the telling of a few personal stories didn't go over as intended, which was to get a few laughs. Elaine is in sound mental health and there is nothing to be alarmed about. It was just a story, a true story, but nothing to raise questions about:)

Elaine had a great two hour therapy session at Hoag. She actually walked on the treadmill today!! You can see the video. She hasn't been on a treadmill since her stroke. It is really cool. Fred and the therapist both noticed that the faster she walked, the better her stride was. It was amazing. It was an exercise that is reserved for only the "advanced" patients. She loves to hear that!





She also practiced buttoning and unbuttoning. She questioned why she had to do learn to do this, "I have Fred to help me", she said!

Fred quickly jumped in and said, "honey I like to unbutton your shirts, but I have no interest in buttoning them!" The therapist literally almost fell off the chair from laughing so hard. The session was awesome and she was able to put pegs in the board even faster than last time. They are going to reassess her on Thursday so we will have more details on her improvements. Its very exciting!

After therapy she came home to relax. She is saving all her energy up for the rest of the week. Mike and Diana are coming to town tomorrow for a few days. Both Fred and Elaine are extremely excited to see them.

Staci called this afternoon to see if Elaine wanted to come watch Brian and Taylor swim while Christi was at tennis. Elaine definitely wanted to get out and enjoy the sunshine. The kids were so excited to have Nammie there watching. Brian would look to Nammie after everything he did and smile yelling Nana, Nana. He was so desperately trying to hold Nammie's hand when were were crossing the street, too. It was so cute!

Fred and Elaine are having a nice dinner at home and getting to bed early! We are hoping they both sleep well as Fred was up again all night with her restless legs and Little Darlin' was in pain last night too!