Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 45 - Going Home to Philly

We went down to the lobby early so that we could so goodbye to the hotel staff. They never had anyone stay for six weeks before. Needless to say, they got to know us very well. We exchanged email addresses and there were lots of hugs going around.

Our ride to the airport came for us at 8 a.m. We had a two hour scenic ride through the hills and through wine country on the way to Frankfurt. Alessa couldn't get enough of the view because she was able to enjoy it this time. The ride to Frankfurt was so different than our ride to Saarbruecken six weeks ago in March!

Alessa is a completely different person now. She's free of pain. You just can't possibly realize how pain changes everything about a person. She wasn't afraid of the crowds at the airport for the first time in years. We still made special arrangements through Lufthansa's medical department. We can't take any undue risks since RSD/CRPS is not curable at this time.

Lufthansa and airport security were wonderful to us both on the way to and from Germany. They assigned people to stay with us from the time we entered the airport until we got on the plane. We had a private security screening for Alessa away from the general public. Alessa received outstanding care throughout the entire trip.

The actual flight from Frankfurt to Philly took eight hours. Alessa enjoyed every minute of it! She watched three movies and there was plenty of good food and drinks. We can't say enough positive things about Lufthansa! We highly recommend them to anyone flying to Europe.

Everything went smoothly upon our arrival into Philadelphia. Alessa's wheelchair was waiting for her at the door of the plane. Two TSA's were available to escort us through the airport if we needed it, but we didn't need it. Leaving the airport is a lot less hectic than arriving at the airport. We didn't have to worry about crowds. We went through Customs, got our bags and headed home.

Alessa is so happy to be home! The first thing she did was take care of each of her reptiles. She couldn't do that before without Steve's help. Some very nice friends had mylar balloons in the living room welcoming us home. That was such a nice and pleasant surprise.

Alessa's "Germany Experience" ends with this entry. We want to thank everyone for their love, support, prayers and good wishes throughout this journey. We couldn't have done it without you.

Alessa will be continuing the Blog, however, with periodic updates. Be sure to check in every once in a while to see how she's doing. Her ketamine boosters in Philly are scheduled for June 2nd and 3rd. This is an ongoing process for several months. She still has to go to Boston for the "after" MRI of the brain. The date has not been scheduled yet.

Please continue to keep Alessa in your prayers as well as all those suffering from RSD/CRPS. Please pray that treatment will become available in the United States in the near future.

Our heartfelt thanks is extended to everyone. THANK YOU is such a little word, but the meaning behind it is overwhelming and very emotional. God bless all of you!

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 44 - Last Full Day

This is our last full day in Saarbruecken, Germany. It has been the experience of a lifetime. We came here desperately hoping and praying for a miracle. Our prayers have been answered! Alessa is pain free! She's beginning to walk again. God is working through the doctors and nurses at Klinikum Saarbruecken-Winterberg. Our Mother of Perpetual Help has been a source of comfort, strength and help during Alessa's pain and throughout her coma and recuperation.

Saying goodbye is bittersweet. We made many friends and it's hard to say goodbye knowing that we may never see them again. (We did exchange email addresses, though!) On the other hand, Alessa is anxious to go home and start her new life. She feels like she's been on pause for the last four years.

We took Alessa to St. Johanner's Market for the last time. We took our times walking through the area and enjoying the sights and sounds of the cafes and the people strolling along. Of course, we had to stop for ice cream! Then we took a last walk along the Saar River.

Alessa had a full day and then rested at the hotel. She definitely needed the extra time here in Germany to recover from the coma and recuperate from all that she's been through. She'll go to bed tonight knowing that she has a bright future ahead of her.




Alessa's Room Key


Saar River

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 43 - Sunset in France

Alessa finished reading "A Brave New World" this afternoon. She enjoyed it so much because she hasn't been up to reading a book in four years due to the pain of RSD/CRPS. Then she took a nice long nap. As good as she's doing, she has to be sure to rest and let her body recover. It's a long process.

She finally had enough of an appetite to eat two slices of pizza for dinner at our favorite pizza place in Saarbruecken called Pizza per Tutti. It was so nice for us to finally be able to take her there. To make the visit even better, she was able to get out of her wheelchair and sit in a regular chair!

After that, we took a ride to France. (Saarbruecken borders France. So, we didn't have to go far!) We took a nice ride through the countryside. It is so beautiful there. We stopped to enjoy the view. We got to see the most beautiful sunset. We never saw anything like it before. God has really blessed us so much during the six weeks that we've been here.


Alessa finishing "Brave New World"


French Countryside


Sunset in France

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 42 - The Zoo

Alessa loves animals. We've been members of the Philadelphia Zoo Alessa's whole life. However, due to the RSD/CRPS, Alessa hasn't been able to go to the Zoo in a few years.

When we first arrived in Saarbruecken, we checked to see if there was a Zoo nearby. When we found out that it was only ten minutes away from our hotel, we were so happy. We promised Alessa that when she woke up from her coma and was feeling up to it, we would take her to the Zoo. Today we were able to fulfill that promise.

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 41 - A Day in Her Room

After being out and about for the last three days, Alessa needed a day to just stay in her room and rest. She spent some time reading her book. She watched a movie on her DVD player. She spent some time on the computer. She even took a nap.

Her appetite is starting to improve and she's beginning to sleep better. All the fresh air and sunshine helps! She just has to be sure to get enough rest and not overdo it.

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 40 - A Walk in the Grass

We took a car ride out of the city and into the countryside. It was fun and scenic riding along the winding roads up and down the hills of Germany. We stopped the car when we were high up in the hills so that we could enjoy the view of the valley below. We got out of the car for an even better view of the valley and the countryside around us. With Steve's help, Alessa was able to walk through the grass for a short distance. I don't know which one of us had the biggest smile!

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 39 - Luxembourg

Today we left Germany for a while and visited Luxembourg. Alessa did well in her wheelchair as we strolled through the shopping district. We also saw the palace where the Duke and Duchess live. The sun was shining so brightly at one point, that we went into a church to get a little shade.

We were no sooner inside the church, when we saw right in front of us a shrine to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. What an unexpected, but very pleasant surprise! She keeps letting us know that she's always with us wherever we go. We lit a candle, said some prayers and then continued on with our day feeling very good inside.

There were lots of people visiting Luxembourg today to watch the Europe Luxembourg Marathon. The runners ran right through the shopping district. We had never seen a marathon before. Prior to the coma, Alessa never would have been able to tolerate the crowds of people. Today, she did just great! She had no worries and no fear of being bumped. She was able to relax and have a fun day.


Steve & Alessa in the top left-hand corner (Steve's in the light blue shirt)

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 38 - Giving Thanks

Steve turned in the Smart Car for a family car that can accommodate the three of us plus Alessa's wheelchair. The timing was good because Alessa was ready and eager to go for a ride.

Shortly after coming out of the coma, Alessa told us that she'd like to go to the Basilica in Saarbruecken to give thanks to Our Mother of Perpetual Help for taking such good care of her. We were able to take her there today. Alessa spent some quiet time in prayer while we lit a candle to the Blessed Mother. The Basilica has special meaning to Alessa because this is where we've been lighting a candle for her recovery each week since we've been here.

After that, we took Alessa for ice cream at Eiscafe de Lorenzo, our favorite spot in the St. Johanner Market district. Alessa actually ate a whole lemon ice cream cone! She still has no appetite and can't eat very much at all. Eating the whole cone was a very big accomplishment. It was also a testimony to how good the ice cream is!

Alessa did really well riding in her wheelchair over all the cobblestones that are throughout the market district. She didn't feel any pain or discomfort. Alessa could never have done this before the coma. We have so much to be thankful for.


Basilica of St. Johann


Shrine to Our Mother of Perpetual Help


Alessa eating lemon ice cream

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 37 - Standing

Alessa's getting stronger every day. She is now able to stand by herself for about a minute without holding onto Steve's arm. She started trying that yesterday. She still needs to hold onto Steve to walk. It's going to be quite a while before she can walk on her own. The doctor thinks it will take a good six months. She has to build up all her leg muscles. However, she's already doing much better than expected. We just want her to take her time and go at her own pace. There's no rush.

She's so excited, though. She smiles all day long. In fact, today she told me that when she gets home, she's looking forward to wearing jeans. She hasn't been able to wear jeans in four years because they hurt her skin too much.

In the meantime, we're enjoying every minute here in Saarbruecken. It was winter when we arrived here in March. Now it's spring and the flowers are blooming everywhere. It's been a real treat being here for the change in seasons.

Alessa's Germany Experience, Day 36 - Rainbows

The three of us always enjoyed spending time together. Now that Alessa's RSD pain is gone, our time together is even more special. Alessa smiles all day long! We treasure every minute of her happiness.

We spent about 2 1/2 hours in the Gardens just strolling along. Every now and then, Alessa would get out of her wheelchair and we would all sit on a bench together just taking in the sights. The gardeners were busy pulling weeds and mowing the lawns. Joggers were working up a sweat. People were walking their dogs. Kids were playing.

Back at the hotel, Alessa practiced walking up and down the hallway with Steve. She's getting stronger each day. The fresh air and the walking is helping her to sleep better.

Later in the day, it rained hard for about ten minutes. The next thing we knew, the most beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. We opened Alessa's windows wide to look at it. We could see it from end to end over the trees. The colors were so vibrant. As we watched it, another rainbow appeared above it. We had never seen a double rainbow before! All we could say was "Thank You, Jesus!"

This was definitely a double rainbow day!