We had a nice celebration the night before Rob left the hospital. He finally got that beer he has been yearning for (an alcohol free Palm) and really enjoyed it. Rob had a lot of well wishes from all the staff and everyone remarked on how fast he is progressing now that he is building up his strength.
We then took a walk over to the ICU so that Rob could thank them for all of their great care. It was all pretty overwhelming for both of us. Although Rob does not remember much of his time there he does remember a few things. The nurses were all happy to see him doing so well. He declared that the next time he visits he will be walking in to see them. Rob gave them a big chocolate chip cookie to thank them.
Leaving the hospital was a bit delayed, but we finally made it over to Heliomare in the afternoon. Most of Thursday and Friday were busy with receiving information and reviewing his current condition. They started some rehab and Monday he will be in the full swing of things. It’s going to be a lot of work, but Rob is very motivated to make the best of his time here. We are both very happy with Heliomare and are seeing progress every day.
Today (Sunday) we took a nice stroll around the dunes with Jansen. We have been lucky with the weather and the sea and sunshine did us all well. It’s a bit of a challenge maneuvering with the wheelchair and Jansen, but we should get better with that in time. Rob does great with managing Jansen and they are really bonding again after all this time.
We also went into town where they were having antiquarian book market and sat out side on a terrace enjoying the scene. It’s so wonderful to be doing these small things together and we are both celebrating every moment of it.
This weekend has been mostly catching up on rest, as they don’t do rehab on the weekends. Jansen and I are staying at a hotel not far away from Heliomare. Jansen loves to hang out outside the room and seems to think he is the boss of the hotel already.
The hotel is on top of a high dune and has a great view to the sea – hence the Dutch name “Hoge Duin”. I’m hoping that next weekend we will be able to come over together and enjoy their panorama terrace and maybe even some real food for Rob at the restaurant. Jansen thinks it’s a fun game to make the automatic door at the hotel open for him – Open Sesame!.
I’m off to walk back to Heliomare with Jansen now to see Rob. We walk on the beach on the way over so Jansen can play with all the dogs (lots of them here). We will probably just hang around Heliomare the rest of the afternoon before heading back to Andijk.
For anyone interested in visiting Rob, I know that he would really enjoy it now. The visiting hours are limited to the week nights because he will be busy all day in rehab, but in the weekends he is almost completely free. Please see “Bezoekers / Post” for more information about visiting, telephoning and his post address.
N.B. Rob was too tired to go out on Sunday afternoon, so I was caught in a bit of a dilema of what to do with Jansen. The nurse said it was okay to bring him up, so once again Jansen was smuggled in to visit Rob. He did fine in my duffle bag, and even fell asleep in it when I was walking around with him.
Hi Guys,
Wow, I can’t imagine rehab at the beach. Sounds wonderful. I am currently in aquatic rehab in a special pool for my new hip and its so much more productive I am progressing much more rapidly. Of course I realize that Rob won’t be swimming in the North Sea anytime soon but just being in that setting has to be motivational to the process and the hard work ahead so Rob, that’s great. It will still be hard work to get back to your old self strength wise and so on, but having God’s greatest presence on the planet outside windows can’t help but be a source of renewal. Via com Deus (sp?). anyway I think of you and Ellyn often and we will have to get together sometime soon. Love you guys!
–
Brad
To Noah and anyone else out there worried about Jansen having to pull Rob through the sand — no worries. When I’m not taking pitures I’m pushing him from behind.
Great to hear of Rob’s continued progress. Sounds like things are very slowly getting back to normal, although there is clearly a long way to go. We are often thinking of you Rob and look forward to the not-too-distant future when we will catch up again either here on the waterways or over there again in Holland. Thanks also,Ellen, for keeping us updated. We will continue to monitor progress via your blog. Love to all – Carl, Julia and Ollie – who I think is probably looking forward to meeting Jansen, although at nearly 12 years of age (in his 80s in our years) he can be a little dismissive of puppies, so who knows?
It is wonderfull to see you in the fresh air Rob! Wijk aan Zee is a great place to recover. Can’t wait to see you…..Ellyn, you are one in a million!!!
Hello Rob,
Greetings from Colorado.
So fortunate for you to have such great friends and family nearby. With each blog posting and photo, you look more and more like the guy I met a few years back at Charlie & Mary’s wedding in San Francisco.
I’m working on my Irish Citizenship. When I travel East to visit my Grandparent’s homeland, perhaps I’ll continue on to Amsterdam, next spring maybe??? Keep up the amazing work. It seems it won’t be easy, but be encouraged that so any are sending strength and good wishes your way!
Godspeed…
Lanie
We’re coming to visit — it just won’t be for another 2 mos! Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy the updates on all the progress we know Rob is going to be making. The photos were quite inspiring.
Hi Ellyn & Rob,
Rob you’ll recover soon: sea, sand, fresh air!!
We want to come for a visit soon, but today Joost had our car total loss. He’s ok, but we’ve got to look for a new car first.
cheers Jo Do Kik Ji
It was really good to see Rob today when Hans and I visited him. It was the first time I saw Rob since he fell ill, so I did not know what to expect. He was quite tired, so we left after saying hello. As Heliomare is quite near to my home I am planning to see Rob on a regular basis from now on and see him progress. But he is in very good hands over there and that is a great comfort!
Thanks for all the photos, its so wonderful to see Rob again. Good luck with the rehab, glad to hear you get weekends off.
love, Caro, Martin, Jack and Max
Great news! Big steps! Funny pictures! (Noah’s question: that poor little Jansen, does it have to be pulling Rob’s wheelchair every day now?)…
We hope there will be much more nice sunny days next weeks, and come to visit soon!
love,
Tanja