Home for the Holidays

Here's an update on my Aunt Patti:
After an apparently excruciating operation to remove the halo from her head and to fuse some of the vertebrae in her neck for permanent stability, Aunt Patti is on the mend. She is expected to return home on Wednesday - one day in advance of the start of the holidays. That's an enormous relief and a near-miracle. She's come a long way and is nearly full-functioning, slow-functioning as she may be. Her hands, however, have not yet returned. She can use her left hand to hold an eating utensil, but she can't write. Her right hand has a long way to go. The doctors are still projecting that it could take two years for her hands to return completely...if they return completely. Aunt Patti has more endurance than any person I know - I'm sure she will surpass the doctors' expectations or fears in no time flat. At this point, we are just thrilled to have her home.