Letter to the Editor: Libby Cook Thanks Many for Recovery

— from Rebecca Cook —

‘V’ is for victory when it comes to Libby’s recovery. In spite of the six long weeks of due diligence, careful walking, resting, no lifting, and some mental confusion, in the end, it was worth it. After her six week appointment on Thursday, January 7, Dr. Stephen Monteith, Libby’s brain surgeon at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, gave Libby her walking (and driving) papers.

During the check up, Dr. Monteith showed us the new CT scan and pointed out where the surgery was done. He was pleased with the excellent result and declared the surgery had “fixed” the problem. He was also careful to say that there would be some cognitive and memory issues that needed more time to heal and that is to be expected. More than likely it will take up to a year for full recovery. He also added that 50% of the patients who have this particular aneurysm procedure do not make it. Of the remaining 50%, half of those generally have some disability. Fortunately, Libby is in the last percentile. Those are the people that make a full recovery. He also laughingly suggested she might consider buying a lottery ticket because it was evident she was extremely lucky.

Libby couldn’t be more grateful for all the prayers, well wishing and support from her friends and family. The outpouring of donations and kindness has been truly impressive. By now most of the donors have received either a timely note or phone call from Libby thanking them for their generosity. However, there are a few that couldn’t be identified. For those of you that fall into that category, Libby says, “thank you so much!”

“I feel like I’ve been given a second chance,” she said after her appointment. “I’m going to do a few things differently now.” What that means remains to be seen, but when you see Libby tootling around the island in her blue pickup truck, loaded with landscaping tools and hay stacked in the back, give her a shout out because she’s definitely on her way!