Week of May 29, 2006
Have at look at what Laura’s neurologist has to say about the bromocriptine medication:
“We have observed that in some cases, this class of medication has been associated withimproved function. Our hypothesis is that there are some neurons in her brain that are neither dead nor working normally, but instead are in a kind of ‘hibernating’ state. Dopaminergic medications such as bromocriptine (and other classes as well) have been found to increase the activity of many types of cells in the brain, and the thought is that they might have this effect on the ‘hibernating’ ones. Of course, there may not be any’hibernating’ cells, the drugs we have may not effectively ‘wake them up’, and even if they do ‘wake up’ it may not have much of an impact on Laura's overall functional capacity. Despite this note of caution, I will try as hard as I can to do everything within the scope of our limited medical knowledge to try to help Laura recover.”
What does this mean? Many things! First, he is much better at describing things than me. Medically, there are more questions than answers for Laura and for all of us. Laura, as well as many other patients, suffer from an injury and exist in a field (traumatic brain injury) with “limited medical knowledge.” That is the unfortunate and almost unacceptable reality. Why is this the case? But more importantly, what can we do to change this reality? How can we make Laura and others have more of a “medical” chance? In a situation where we desperately want to help, but often find we can’t, isn’t there an opportunity lying in wait? There is, but that is another topic, another day, and another email update. Please, stay tuned!
Throughout this process, I have received inquiries regarding the subject of moving on from this situation and moving on with life. Well, take a look at a few of these verbatim quotes from Laura’s journal:
- “When the doors opened and I saw Jeff standing at the alter, I was elated with joy. I couldn’t wait to get down the aisle and become Laura Laughlin. It felt so right and it was so wonderful to stand in front of God, our family, our friends, and commit to one another for life.”
- “Jeff and I place God at the center of our relationship. We pray and we always look to God for guidance.”
- “It is so much fun to have your best friend be your husband.”
You see, when you truly love and our committed to someone, their desires become your desires; their dreams become your dreams. What is Laura’s dream? Simple: to positively impact people and make a difference for Christ. Instead of moving on, the view has to be more about moving forward. We all want Laura back, but while we wait let’s keep working towards making her dream even more of a reality.
Thank you for staying in the fight!
FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE OTHERS AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY. (Matthew 20:28)
We love you,
Jeff and Laura Laughlin
“We have observed that in some cases, this class of medication has been associated withimproved function. Our hypothesis is that there are some neurons in her brain that are neither dead nor working normally, but instead are in a kind of ‘hibernating’ state. Dopaminergic medications such as bromocriptine (and other classes as well) have been found to increase the activity of many types of cells in the brain, and the thought is that they might have this effect on the ‘hibernating’ ones. Of course, there may not be any’hibernating’ cells, the drugs we have may not effectively ‘wake them up’, and even if they do ‘wake up’ it may not have much of an impact on Laura's overall functional capacity. Despite this note of caution, I will try as hard as I can to do everything within the scope of our limited medical knowledge to try to help Laura recover.”
What does this mean? Many things! First, he is much better at describing things than me. Medically, there are more questions than answers for Laura and for all of us. Laura, as well as many other patients, suffer from an injury and exist in a field (traumatic brain injury) with “limited medical knowledge.” That is the unfortunate and almost unacceptable reality. Why is this the case? But more importantly, what can we do to change this reality? How can we make Laura and others have more of a “medical” chance? In a situation where we desperately want to help, but often find we can’t, isn’t there an opportunity lying in wait? There is, but that is another topic, another day, and another email update. Please, stay tuned!
Throughout this process, I have received inquiries regarding the subject of moving on from this situation and moving on with life. Well, take a look at a few of these verbatim quotes from Laura’s journal:
- “When the doors opened and I saw Jeff standing at the alter, I was elated with joy. I couldn’t wait to get down the aisle and become Laura Laughlin. It felt so right and it was so wonderful to stand in front of God, our family, our friends, and commit to one another for life.”
- “Jeff and I place God at the center of our relationship. We pray and we always look to God for guidance.”
- “It is so much fun to have your best friend be your husband.”
You see, when you truly love and our committed to someone, their desires become your desires; their dreams become your dreams. What is Laura’s dream? Simple: to positively impact people and make a difference for Christ. Instead of moving on, the view has to be more about moving forward. We all want Laura back, but while we wait let’s keep working towards making her dream even more of a reality.
Thank you for staying in the fight!
FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE OTHERS AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY. (Matthew 20:28)
We love you,
Jeff and Laura Laughlin
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