Day 3 back in Starkville
It is back to me (David) tonight. My Little Darlin is conked out. We had a busy day. Got her up a little before 5 am. A very good old friend of ours who is also our dentist in Jackson saw Jan this morning. We wanted to get an early start because we did not know how much work was needed. She got a temporary crown on the incisor that was knocked out. Jan says she now looks less gooby. Also found out the reason one of her molars was hurting was that it had a couple of cracks from the trauma. She will get a root canal on this next week. After eating lunch (where we incidentally ran into my sister who does not live in the Jackson area either) we drove back to Starkville at a leisurely speed on the Natchez trace. Saw only one cyclist on a time trial bike and she did not have bright clothing on! It sure was a nice drive having my sweetness with me. Went to Lowes to get some more safety items for the house and then by Boardtown Bikes for a few minutes. The shop looked great. Kevin and David have done a great job keeping it going the past two months. Those two guys are A-one. We came home and one of our granddaughters was here so Jan visited with her for a while. I tell you this mundane boring stuff because it sounds kind of like a normal day(TIGT). The good thing is Jan was up and walking through the day, still with me there for support and bailout if needed, but I think she is getting stronger every day. Every place we went all day long I asked her various questions to keep her mind moving and improving along with her body. They were all simple questions to prod her short term memory or questions that were meant to get her to develop short organized plans. Her short term and executive cognition also seem to be improving. She does tire easily but her endurance is also improving. We do expect rapid gains over the next six months.
I have said this many times before and will say it many more times, do not forget what happened to My Little Darlin. She has had a very rough road. She is one of the fortunate ones particularly given that she is still here. She is also doing incredibly well, better than expected given what was done to her. She clearly has lingering problems some of which may at least partially be with her for the rest of her life. This act that was done to her was completely avoidable. I think there should be a harsh penalty for what was done to her but Mississippi law does not agree. Yes this is an emotional response. I had a very graphic reminder of the brutality of what happened to Jan when I saw her bicycle for the first time today. I do not think dropping it from a twenty story building would have done that kind of damage and My Little Darlin was on it. It still hurts to think about. She still has healing road rash all over, dark blue old blood under the fingernails like when you smash your finger with a hammer. She has bad back pain every time she sits up. Not to mention the problems from her brain injury. Laws must be fixed. The 3 foot law must be given some teeth. A distracted driver law needs to be in place. If someone thinks using their cell phone while operating a 2 ton piece of steel is more important than someones life then they should pay dearly for that selfish, stupid and egotistical action. Others will be severely injured and killed because of cell phone use while driving. Bicyclist and runners/pedestrians do your job. Know your rules, be very visible and watch the traffic. Interestingly today in Jackson on a very busy county line road Jan and I saw a guy riding a bike in the wrong lane, against traffic, no helmet, no hands on the handle bar and talking on a cell phone. You can not fix stupid! Your life as you know it can depend on doing the right thing whether you are driving the vehicle, riding the bike or running/walking.
SHARE THE ROAD, IT'S A LIFE
PUT THE !%@$# CELL PHONE DOWN BEFORE YOU KILL SOMEBODY
GET OFF THE COUCH, LIFE IS FOR DOING STUFF
SUPPORT BIKE WALK MISSISSIPPI, THEY WILL HELP MAKE CHANGES HAPPEN
BE BRIGHT AND BE SEEN
I Love My Little Darlin,
David