Christmas at UCSF

Could be worse, could be Christmas at USPS and we’d be sorting letters all night in exchange for sleeping in the warehouse.
Ella is doing so great, so much so that the doctors would like here to immediately go from radiation treatment to extensive rehabilitation.  She is getting stronger every day; today she was lifting her right arm all the way up off the bed and then swinging it at me, in an (albeit futile) attempt to keep from tickling her.  “sorry sweetie” I said, “Dr. Tickleton needs to give ya a check-up”.  She laughed and started kicking her legs out and lifting her shoulders up off the bed.
Tomorrow we’ll begin speech therapy and she may get the trach out in a couple of weeks, if she is swallowing well and tolerating breathing through her nose and mouth.

So we won’t be bringing Ella home for Christmas, but that’s ok because we’re very happy at her progress, and the sooner we start rehabilitation the sooner we can bring her home for good!  We’re going to get her a little Christmas tree for her room, and pile up those presents!  Anyone who would like to send this sweet little girl a present, please send to:

Ella Velouria Stewart
11002 Peaks Pike Rd
Sebastpol, Ca
95472

We’ll be filming her opening her presents (although we’ll be helping her quite a bit) and then posting the video up here on the blog.  This way you can watch her expression as she opens up the gift you sent her, and you can see just how happy you’ll be making this amazing girl.

I will be posting a video of her moving and smiling soon, I lost my camera charger and the camera battery is dead.  Ella’s step-father Mark took some video of her meeting Santa the other day, there is a link to it on the blog below.  We also finally set up a fundraiser account for Ella at Wells Fargo.  Go into any Wells Fargo and just say you’d like to make a donation to the HOPE 4 ELLA fund, and all donations will be used to help her with her recovery.
Ella still is having some issues with memory, this may be because she is still slowly coming back to us and not yet off the anti-seizure meds, or this may be something more permanent, a result of the pressure that built up in her brain after surgery.  Time will tell.  But on the positive side, she doesn’t remember being in a coma for two and half months, so there’s that.  Also, what do any of us remember from when we were 6 years old?  She gets a second chance at life, a second chance to make new and wonderful memories, and these will include all the love from all of you people who have been following her story and sending her and all of us, your powerful support.

So it looks like we’re gonna have a pretty awesome Christmas this year, we got our little girl back and rumor has it that Santa is dropping off two baby ferrets for her this year.  Let’s hope he (Deb) has a safe trip to Reno and back and doesn’t get stopped at the border!  Because we already promised Ella baby ferrets.  Damn my over-promising!!