11 – Stroke: Week 2 – Looking Back

While I was in Nashville, someone told me to go to the Social Security Department to apply for disability for Albert.  If Albert lived, the medical staff assured me that he wouldn’t be able to work again. After Albert had the stroke, he was alone for almost six hours and his brain did not receive oxygen for most of this time.

I got up early one morning during my second week in Nashville, went to the SS department, and stood in line.  Standing in this line was foreign to me and I felt out of place.  I waited in line outside until an employee opened the doors.  Once inside, I took a number and waited to be called. I looked around the room observing others and wondered why they were in this building.  Were they out of work? Did a loved one die?  Did their spouse or worse, their child have a crippling accident?  And then my number was called.  

I sat down and talked with a SS worker and I was asked me lots of questions about Albert, his previous employment, the stroke, and now his disability. The process of getting social security disability began.  At the end of this meeting, I was told that I would receive a confirmation of our meeting and the information that was given to them and that I would need to schedule another meeting when I got home to Austin.  There were no promises that we would receive disability. In fact, I was told that I probably wouldn’t get disability the first time I applied for it and should keep trying after I was denied. I did not stress about this because I knew that God was in the picture and was in control of the situation.

I went to the hospital to spend time with Albert who was still not able to talk, use the right side of his body, or walk. I sat beside him and worked on my laptop, talked, or sang with him.  The hours passed by and between 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm, I went back to the house.

That night I laid in bed thinking about my future.  I believed that Albert would live, but what kind of life would he have?  What kind of life would Jordan and I have? How would our relationships with each other change? What would the future bring? I had lots of questions and no answers.  I prayed and went to sleep.