Juan and Maria

Bella’s Arizona grandparents are visiting, and a great occasion it is. They have been through hell and have come out the other side, and their appreciation for each other has deepened. Last October, when they were visiting for their daughter’s birthday, Juan had a major stroke and ended up remaining in the hospital here till near the end of November. He went directly from the hospital to the van Maria rented to drive him home, and the first month or two at home were almost impossible. As they explained to me today, in the rehab hospital, everything he needed was available, including a staff of nurses and aides available 24/7. At home, they didn’t have the equipment they needed, and Maria was the only staff. At that point Juan could not walk at all, nor could he use his left hand. Maria had her own job, and the work that had stacked up in her absence; she had all her usual household tasks plus Juan’s; and all the new tasks involved in caring for him. He had always defined himself by the work he did, and he had a thousand unfinished projects around the house, none of which he could address. It took months to do the paperwork necessary so that Juan could have rehab in Arizona, and during that time the progress he had made in rehab here began to fall away. When he finally did get to rehab again, he had to begin from the beginning. 

Now he can walk short distances with a walker. He can lift his left arm and use it for everything but small-motor tasks, and he can move his wheelchair with both hands. He can eat without assistance, and he can take care of his own toilet needs. Everything he does takes concentration and effort, but he has worked with focus and has made great progress, and that has freed Maria to resume a little of the life she left behind. I took family pictures of them with Cristina and the children, but the photo that moves me most is this one. Juan clearly leans on Maria in every way; and her kindness and protectiveness is palpable. They have made it through a crisis that would have destroyed many couples. My admiration for them both is boundless.

Extra: Cristina's delayed-release cell phone photo of all of us.