Paul and Penny’s Plans to Return Home to London

We are coming to the end of our seventh week at The Schmieder Clinic, Allensbach. Next Friday, after eight weeks, Paul and I are planning a few quiet days back in Feldkirch, at The Hotel Alpenrose, before flying out of Zurich to London on Wednesday 19th August. It will be just 6 months since Paul and William left for Lech for the February half term to go skiing.

I continue to be enormously grateful for the incredible heartfelt support, prayers and love that has been shown to Paul, to me, Charlotte and Will. Without each prayer, letter, card, e-mail, text, phone call, visits and acts of kindness, we would not be where we are today. Each and every one of you who have prayed for Paul has contributed to the enormous strength that has buoyed me up and kept us going. Equipped with this support, we in turn have been able, along with my immediate family, to care for Paul with a sense of conviction and commitment.

The medically led rehabilitation team at The Schmieder Clinic has given us a strong foundation to move forward and continue their outstanding work back in England. We have Dr Eiler to thank for suggesting this leading European Centre of Excellence for Neurological recovery for Paul.

Dr Eiler, in his own quiet way, told me towards the end of April, sitting in the garden in Rankweil Hospital, that Paul would walk out of Austria and on to a plane back to London in four months. At the time, I struggled with his vision. We will always be indebted to him for his calm guidance, and indeed to all the doctors and their medical teams at both the Feldkirch and Rankweil hospitals who guided me through a medical minefield. To have witnessed their wisdom and sense of commitment to their patients is truly humbling. They in turn respond quietly and simply say that it is just their job.

We soon start on another chapter in Paul’s recovery. After awhile in London and then a few weeks in Mull, we will work on our next steps in early September.

And so, as we reflect on all the entries that have been made on this blog after nearly six months, there are only two words that we can use to express to each and every one of you who read this site: Thank you.

Love, Penny xxxx

Allensbach
10th August 2009