#BringDianaJamesHome

July 9th, 2023

Posted on July 9, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Sorry it has been a while since we have updated. Mom is doing alright. She has another UTI and she is being treated. Luckily they caught this one before it caused seizures. For that we are grateful. Every time she battles an infection, her body struggles to do 2 things at once (wake up from a coma and fight an infection), so she usually turns less responsive. We usually see her turn a corner after the infection is gone though.

We continue to battle the bureaucracy of our government who isn’t helping and we are exhausted. I am hoping to make an appointment with the Embassy in person this week to see if seeing a face behind the emails and phone calls gives them enough empathy to do their jobs. All in all, we have reached out to the Embassy 10 times in the last 8 weeks to no avail.

June 15th, 2023

Posted on June 15, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

6/15: Mom underwent surgery today to remove her feeding tube from her nose and place it directly into her stomach. This is to prevent her nose from ulcerating. She sailed through the surgery and was even opening her eyes shortly after she returned. Yesterday she was very quiet and motionless, most likely due to recovering from her seizures. She was much more active today, moving her feet and opening her eyes prior to the surgery. Today my aunt and uncle said their goodbyes as they are returning to the states tomorrow and it’s back to just my brother and I. I think she was doing quite well today, we will hope for more improvements tomorrow. The doctor said something about doing an ECG test on her to monitor her brainwaves. We are hoping for a positive result. She had a really sweet roommate until today when he moved down the hall but we visited with him and finally found someone to translate what he was telling us when he was in the room. He said she looks much better today and he kept an eye on her for us when we weren’t able to be there with her. He said he prays for us every day. I will say the people of Braga Portugal are absolutely incredible and have welcomed us with open arms and hearts!❤️.

June 13th, 2023

Posted on June 13, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Whew!! What a crazy couple of days!!! Yesterday Mom’s seizures increased to happening every 5 minutes or so, it was awful to see and we were petrified! After running tests yesterday, they started treating her with antibiotics for a UTI and by this afternoon her seizures have stopped. This will likely delay her recovery but she did open BOTH of her eyes today and kept them open for about 30 minutes which she has never done before so that was good to see!!!!!! She didn’t really “register” what she was seeing if she was able to see but it’s still much better than yesterday. She is still at risk for pneumonia because people who have a trach and have seizures are at risk for aspiration so they will be keeping a close eye on that over the next few days. This experience has been one of the longest rollercoaster rides we’ve ever been on but we are so grateful to be experiencing a positive after a new days of fear.

We are still a very long ways away from having the funds necessary to transfer her back to the states and things have started to die down on the GoFundMe front so if you could help us continue to share this campaign to get her home, we would greatly appreciate it!!!❤️. Much love to you all!

June 11th, 2023

Posted on June 11, 2023July 19, 2023 by Megan

Today was a really rough day! While at the hospital Mom had a small seizure. I ran to get the nurse they came in and confirmed it was a small seizure and said they would contact the doctor to adjust her medications. Right before the doctor entered the room she had a pretty decent seizure that affected more than just face twinges. From what we are told these can be typical after this kind of injury/surgery. It was very scary to see and it depleted my emotional energy. My brother, Aunt and Uncle stayed at the hospital with her but I had to leave because it wrecked me to see her like that. They reported to me tonight that she is doing much better after the doctors increased her seizure medication. This recovery feels like 2 steps forward and 1 back and sometimes 2 steps back and 1 forward. It is the hardest thing my family has ever been through, hands down. I miss the mom I dropped off at the airport on Morher’s day almost a month ago. What I wouldn’t do to go back and change things!! Thank you for all of your continued shares and support! ❤️