forgot to mention

The plastic surgeon, Dr. Mirali, came by around 11AM or so (Sunday), checked and changed Mom's head dressings, and looked over Mom's leg dressing. I had the chance to look at Mom's scalp, which is now completely bald except for a few random tufts and wisps of gray hair. At long last, she and I finally look like escapees from a Korean Buddhist temple, and while I'm tempted to take a photo of us both in our shorn state, I know that such a move would horrify Mom, who still has some sense of dignity, even if I lost mine years ago.

My point is that I had the chance to see Mom's scalp for myself, and I'm happy to report that her primary incision-- the one that was the gateway to all of Mom's most recent problems-- looks a thousand times better than it did when Mom came in on June 2. The incision itself, now sewn together with much less tension and cleared of the bloody, infected mess that had been there, looks the way a post-surgical wound should look: clean, clear, and straight.

Later on Sunday, Mom had two more visitors: Mrs. Jemma Bishop, and Pastor Jeri. I stepped away with Sean to sit and relax in the cafeteria; based on the remains of Mom's dinner tray, I gather she ate both Western and Korean food for dinner, though I didn't look closely enough at the leftovers to see what sort of appetite Mom had displayed.

Many thanks to all of Mom's visitors this weekend: Mike, Pastor Jeri, Cheong Burns, Mrs. Kopf, Mrs. Quigg, and Mrs. Bishop. I hope the visits continue; Mom needs as much mental stimulation as people are willing to give her. No one can force her to talk, but by constantly exposing her to speech in a convivial environment, it may be possible to rouse her own desire to participate in whatever discussion is going on.


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