Faithfully Yours - One day at a time
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- Published on Saturday, December 20, 2014
By Neil Strohschein
I will never forget Christmas 2005. After sharing a meal with family in Winnipeg, I made my way to Health Science Centre and checked in with the nurses in the Intensive Care Unit.
In one corner, hooked up to more tubes and monitors than I could ever have imagined, lay a young lady with whom I was deeply in love. Kathryn was resting peacefully after having suffered a massive stroke seven days earlier. Emergency surgery had saved her life; but no one knew how fully she would recover or what her future held.
ICU was unusually quiet that day, so the nurses said I could go in and sit with her; which I did for over an hour. It would prove to be the most important hour of my life. After about 30 minutes Kathryn woke up, saw me sitting by the bed and gave my hand a squeeze. In that moment I knew that she would survive and, more importantly, that our relationship would survive this trauma.
After four months in hospital, Kathryn was discharged. She stayed in Sandy Hook with her parents until August 2006, when she returned to Neepawa. We married in 2009 and continue to enjoy life in a home we share with Kathryn’s son and Willow—our canine kid.
We can not speak highly enough of those who worked with Kathryn while she was in Health Science Centre, Seven Oaks Hospital and taking Outpatient therapy at Deer Lodge in Winnipeg. She had to relearn everything—how to walk, talk, write (she was left-handed; the stroke affected her left side) and how to do with one hand the things that other people do with two. I never cease to be amazed at the skills she has learned and continues to learn (although some days I wonder if I did the right thing in getting her an iPhone and teaching her how to send text messages).
The first two years were tough. We made multiple trips to Winnipeg each week for therapy and additional trips for support group meetings, doctor’s appointments and other tasks. Those trips gave us a chance to learn how to communicate effectively with each other. Thanks to an all-wheel drive vehicle with excellent tires, we completed every trip safely; even though on one occasion (thanks to freezing rain), it took us over three hours to get home from Winnipeg.
In mid-January 2006, on one of my trips into the city, I was handed a box filled with brightly wrapped packages. They were Christmas gifts with my name on them—gifts that had never been opened. I got some nice clothes and a few other things I needed. But they paled in comparison to the greatest gift I received that year—a new appreciation for life and the privilege of sharing it with those that I love.
My situation is by no means unique. Kathryn and I frequently meet couples whose stories are similar to ours. We all agree on one thing. Our love is deeper and our lives are fuller and richer than we could ever have imagined they would be. We have learned that, when given the chance, hardships and trials bring out the best in us. We are better people thanks to our experiences.
Our wish for you this Christmas is simple—that you will treasure the life God has given you and make the most of the privilege you have to share it with others. May your homes be filled with peace, love and laughter, and may you be surrounded by people who care.
