Yesterday, I went to visit a friend who had a massive stroke in July. She's in a skilled nursing unit still, with lots of physical therapy each day. I knew that she had improved, but I wasn't sure what to expect.
We had a long chat. As we tried to speak in sentences, there was frustration, but we carried on. She would get a sentence out, but then it was like something got stuck. Then she gestured at me and looked expectant, which I took to mean, "Tell me about your life." So I did.
Here's what was interesting. At one point, my friend said, "Sing me a word." Unsure of what to sing, I went back to that old standard from "Sound of Music"--I sang "Doe, a deer"--and my friend picked right up, and we sang the whole thing, word for word, all the way up the musical notes, back to "That will bring us back to doe, doe, doe, doe"--she knew every word. Not only that, she could sing them, still, perfectly hitting each note.
That seemed to make her happiest, singing together. We tried, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," but we weren't singing the same version--and then it was like all other Christmas music left my head.
Then we went back to trying to talk in traditional ways. I do wonder what would have happened if we had tried singing our conversation. But I'm only just now wondering it. Something to think about for next time! I could try singing a conversation in familiar music or just something I make up as I go along. I'm a drama school kid--I'm game!
I hope our visit wasn't more exhausting for her than happy--but she seemed happy.
I know the brain can heal itself in amazing ways, and I know that she is still doing as much as she can. I can only imagine how frustrating it is, so many magnitudes larger than my own occasional inability to recall a word or a name.
I need to think about songs we might be able to sing together. I know she loved Les Mis, but I don't remember much about that musical. Hmm. Time to put on my thinking cap.
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