July 15th, 2019:

	It hasn't been a good couple of days.  My mother-in-law suffered a 
stroke Saturday morning, and as of a half-hour ago is still mostly 
unconscious.  Doctors aren't certain regarding her prognosis, but she's 
stable and confortable for now.  She seems to respond to my wife, so 
that's good.

It was lucky she was staying with us.  She had been in the hospital for 
nearly three weeks due to an Osteo-Arthritis issue triggered by an 
antibiotic prescribed for a respiratory infection.  My wife asked her to 
stay with us until she regained her strength (she lives alone), and it's a 
damned good thing she did...

We were having a conversation about cats when she nodded off to sleep (not 
unusual).  She started groaning and trying to stand five minutes later, 
and that's when we realized something was wrong.  She kept saying, "I'm 
just trying to get up" but collapsed when we helped her to her feet.  Mrs. 
IPX helped her mom to the couch, and applied the FAST test (Face, Arms, 
Speech, Time to call EMS).

My wife wasted no time in calling 911, with the First Responders arriving 
within minutes.  They confirmed our suspicions of a stroke.

--

My Mother-in-law is a strong person, very fit and active, and leads a 
healthy lifestyle, so this really took us by surprise.  Really, I guess it 
can happen to anyone.  We're thankful she's at one of the top (if not THE 
top) hospitals in Canada for stroke patients, and will get the best of 
care.

My wife has been stoic throughout the ordeal.  She was a clinical social 
worker at a care facility for brain-injured and extremely compromised 
individuals, and knows how to deal with the medical system, knows the 
questions to ask (and understands the answers), and knows how to advocate 
for her mom.  If there's anything that can be done, it'll get done.

--

I wasn't going to post this, but it really helps to get it out.