Report from Berkeley

I had a chance to see Alison (and Kirk and Dani) over the past couple of days. My husband and I were in Berkeley to give some in-home support, as it were. Alison seems pretty sad and emotionally fragile, though able to rally and smile and laugh if there are ‘lighter’ things to talk about and share. She was not in ANY pain as of yesterday. She naps for fairly long stretches at a time. She is managing fair-to-middling in terms of walking on a flat surface, relying on her cane and often a human assistant as well. She had experienced problems with coordination of her right arm prior to the UCSF admission, but was using her hand OK when I saw her (though there is weakness). Her main struggle is probably finding words – especially nouns – they are really pesky for her – but also just holding on to a thought from the beginning of the thought to the second half of the sentence. It frustrates her. The people around her are figuring out some coping strategies to decrease her frustration, and help her make her wants and needs known. Then again, there are times she comes up with comments and details that seem quite precise, as in remembering a particular restaurant in Oakland with toys displayed when she was talking with her cousin Hannah this weekend. When her memory is jogged about something, she seems to exactly remember what is referred to. Maybe it’s the fluctuation in how rested she is, or how the steroids are countering any brain swelling, or certain memories might be out of the reach of the damnable tumor. Hospice is bringing in some adaptive equipment. Dani is now home from school, to be near her mom and Kirk. So, if you feel inclined to send a card to the house, I think there are ever-present staff to read them to her!