Sarah's story

Friday, October 24th started out as any other day. Our daughter Sarah Aldridge is the Program Coordinator at the local senior center. She has always said that Callie and I can care and “clean up” the seniors, she just wants to entertain them. AND THAT SHE DOES!!!! She loves her job. She plans trips and takes seniors places, does ceramics with them and definitely “entertains them”. She freq. has bands or singers come and play at lunchtime. I remember about 2 wks. Ago a singer came and Sarah was taking turns on the dance floor with any senior that would dance with her. Center of it all – that’s our SARAH.
Last Friday she had planned an afternoon with a young gentleman to come and show “my seniors” his program call “Snakes and Scales”. She had approx. 50 people attend and made sure to invite friends with children to come. This young man brought spiders, scorpions, snakes, lizards, and a huge turtle and 2 boas about 20 feet long. For 1 ½ hrs after the show she made sure that all “My seniors” got a chance to have their picture taken with the large snake. She took the pictures herself.
The young man put everything away and was preparing to go and Sarah asked him to let her take “one more picture” of Allie (my granddaughter) and the snake. He took the snake out and Sarah grabbed a chair, turned it around backwards to strattle it to take the picture and went to sit down. There was not as much chair as she thought and she fell backwards and hit the back of her head very, very, hard. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital. She was in so much pain that they decided to do a CAT scan.
After the first CAT scan they said they needed another with dye. At this point we were a little concern thinking a small bleed or something.
And this is where our current story begins:
A little while later the MD came in and said he had some bad news. He started off by saying that the fall was “a blessing” because had the CAT scan not been done our story could have had a fast, split second ending.
He said they had found something unrelated to the fall. It was about 2 cm, and in the middle of her brain. He then said that he was sure it was and aneurysm. We didn’t realize how the world can change after a one word sentence.
He said that he had already made arrangements at the U of U, and life-flight was on the way. He was worried that the fall may have weakened it or that it was unstable and he wanted her down there within the hour.
My daughter Callie stayed behind to help load Sarah while the rest of us took off to the U of U Hospital.
We met her in the ER and stayed with her for about 1 hour before they took her for the MRI. After a couple of hours the report came in.
They were not sure what it was, but it was affecting the “river of cerebral spinal fluid between the left and right side of her brain” they considered her as “needing to be watched closely” and moved her to ICU, where she remains at this time.

Saturday, October 25th,

Sarah had a pretty good night. They arranged for us to stay at guest housing which is within walking distance from the hospital. It is just like a motel and they offer breakfast. It is a little cheaper, but definitely closer than a motel.
We stayed with her all day today waiting to hear. I neuro resident came and took Sarah and Ronnie to view the MRI and she was told that it is a TUMOR and not an aneurysm. It DOES NOT have feelers, but does have to be removed due to the interference of the fluids. It is deep. We were told that a surgeon would come and talk to us. We waited all day and as of midnight the “surgeon” had not come because the one they thought was going to do it is not sure he is the most qualified.
Sarah is alert, oriented and herself. She has gone thru all the emotions of anger, denial, etc. She is very scared and so are we. She keeps telling me that she has two children to finish raising.
We have contacted all the friends and family that we can think of. She has been placed on every prayer list and temple in the state and beyond. Just keep praying.

Sunday, October 26, 2008
She had a fairly good night. It is now 9:30 and Billy and Ronnie are over with her. I am with the kids and letting them sleep in and will join them later.