Deus ex machina

Before I even start blogging today I'm sure you're all wonder what the title means? For those non Latin scholars it literally means "God from the machine" and is usually used to refer to a poor plot that relies on some out-of-the-blue God-like intervention to resolve a story arc. Here of course I'm not using it in this context, but more to convey the power of Vicki's spirit to become free of the machines that are keeping her in this world.

You may think that this is a familiar theme from yesterday, but Vicki being Vicki she used her strength and courage to move this a step further. When Tracey and I arrived to see her yesterday she had pulled one of the cannulas out of her hand, which must have caused chaos at the time, but once again, she was saying, "enough, is enough".

However over and above this, she is now no longer on Morphine, and she's not being fed through a tube. While we were there they were reducing her dependence on the Oxygen mask, and now, unlike yesterday where she could only nod and shake her head, she could speak.

This was a double edged sword, because although it's fantastic to see her reliance on the machines dramatically reduced, now she's becoming aware of her new surroundings. It's quite difficult to hear her speech and at times quite harrowing too because you can see that she desperately wants something but can't quite articulate the words. Often Tracey and I would have to work out between us what she was saying. She would form part of the word, and we'd have to fill the blanks in. Again like yesterday, tiny steps, but steps that are moving in the right direction.

Fingers crossed, she'll lose the machines completely today and be transferred back to Children's Oncology Ward. But things are still moving very slowly, so I'm not raising my hopes up too much. I've also got my eye on our other child today, who we are hoping will make a breakthrough and pay a visit to his school later. I hope he has the strength to put his temerity behind him for the greater good. I feel today is a pivotal point in my life on both these fronts, and that the road is less littered with obstacles from here on in.