Well geez Mick, what can we say? Just consider yourself surrounded by a lot of friends giving you virtual hugs.

Here goes with the gratuitous advice: don't let the doctors rule her 'not a candidate' for aggressive rehab on account of age. People can and do recover very well from even major strokes, it's not like when we were kids.

I do know the cruelty of what's going on right now. My dear storytelling dad lost his voice to surgery several years before he died, that was an silencing of a great voice but not the man. He furiously communicated with eyes, pen, and legal pad regardless. Wish to God he had been around during this amazing age of texting and email.

But hopefully your mom's speech will come back though it may be a slow process.

Anyway, hugs from everybody on the Cat.