Our group of seven ladies arrived in beautiful Sorgue on Saturday in great anticipation of a shopping extravaganza in our beautiful little town. Our private villa is in the center of the town and we can walk everywhere right out our door! The Sunday market is famous and is the biggest one in Provence.
While getting ready to go out into the fray one of our companions, Sharon, was acting strangely and we realized that she was suffering some kind of stroke. We called the ambulance and she was sent to a hospital in Avignon where they found that she had a massive blood clot in her brain. She was airlifted to another hospital in Marseille and they operated on her immediately. We finally connected with her husband in Texas and he was able to fly in the next day.
Only one of the ladies speaks French and it would have been impossible to navigate the French medical system without her on that first day and on successive days to try and locate her jewelry and wedding ring that dissapeared at the first hospital. She was also able to translate when the doctors would call us with details before Mark could arrive. Merci Leslie!!!
Marla, Sue and I have been staying at the hospital to help Mark work through all of this as the French doctors and staff spoke very little english. Between the 4 of us we tried to ask important questions as we tried to understand everrything.
Thank goodness Mark and Sharon have a medi jet insurance policy and the doctors finally allowed him to arrange to have her flown home on Thursday.
This has been a very sad and trying week as we all come to grips that our loving friend has massive brain damage and has been in a stage 3 coma, the worst number possible, and will never be the same. Her wonderful husband is now having to come to grips that he may have to "pull the plug" on his love. At least he will have family and her sister to be with him if that is the case once he gets her "home".
This has been such a journey of love and support and life's sometimes painful lessons of this life we lead on this earth we share. I'm thankful that our group of lifetime friends that gathered together, (from all over the country)for this trip have had each other for support and for the love that we all have for each other.
I am facing
Needless to say I have not been painting, but have hopes of finding some art therapy soon...Love to you all and those that believe in something please keep Sharon and Mark in your prayers.
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