My Aunt

My aunt's function was yesterday - you know - the one I was doing those "blasted angels" for. We went to meet her for her rehearsal Thursday evening in a town about an hour or so away from home. We did the rehearsal thing, and crashed in her suite because there was no possible way I was going to be able to drive home that late at night. My aunt, bless her, was overly stressed and under rested - welcome to Grand Session! She'd been fighting an upper respiratory infection for the past couple of weeks, but had regained her voice, and was feeling better. We (the boys and I) left to see the sights and head home Friday morning.

All of us went back to meet her yesterday afternoon/evening. THIS was what she had been working for during the past two years. Everything would finally come together this night - the room was beautiful, everyone was dressed to the nines! We went to her suite to see if she needed anything, and she told me that she was feeling fine, but that her speech was slurred, and she couldn't speak earlier that morning. When I looked at her, her mouth drooped to one side. She was trying really hard not to let my grandfather know anything might be wrong. I called Allen into her room to give her a quick check. He tested her grip, checked her pupils, and told her that as far as he could tell, she was okay. She ended up telling my grandfather, and assured him that if she didn't feel better Sunday that she would go to a doctor.

Allen pulled me aside and told me he thought something was wrong, but if it had happened early this morning, there wasn't much to be done at this moment. We went to her installation, and she just wasn't herself. She definitely raised the concern of more than one person in the room. As soon as the ceremony was over, she was convinced to go to the hospital immediately.

As of right now, they've brought her blood pressure down enough that it doesn't seem to be a huge concern, but they still have her on a stroke protocol. They haven't definitively decided that that is what has happened, but today hasn't been much better - she's still slurring, and now forgetting words.

Please keep her in your prayers. Her name is Joy, and she is very dear to me. Thanks, Blogville...