#121 - Sweet Savorings

#121 - Sweet Savorings

 

Orange juice, sweet, sweet Simply Orange, finally. But just one drop. Archer passed his swallow test and for the first time in over a month, he could savor flavors he loved. Join Louise in this episode of Blink of an Eye as she celebrates and looks back at the first big milestone of Archer’s time at the Shepherd Center: his swallow test and the glorious moments after, and, what surprising experiences food might mean to all of us. Hear about the continued generosity of friends, including a room of her own, as well as how food became a barometer for Archer’s mental and physical state in this episode.

In this episode, you’ll hear interview excerpts from:

Chris Killebrew, a friend of Louise’s from UVA college days and resident of Atlanta, who offered his empty condominium to Louise as a place of respite and home base. He and Louise talk about how the offering of the condo came to be through their late mutual friend Nick Costas and what it meant for Louise in the trauma and turmoil to have a quiet oasis.

Dewey Senft, one of Louise’s sons and Archer’s older brother by two years, who visited Archer just as he was beginning to swallow again. Louise and Dewey talk about what it took to get Archer to eat and the ways his interest and appetite served as a barometer for how he was doing during their time at Shepherd and the strength of will it takes for quadriplegics, and those compromised by pulmonary breathing issues, to want to live. 

Our theme music is by Victoria Vox. 

Music in this episode is:

Placid Ambient by MusicLFiles

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6189-placid-ambient

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Emotional Piano Improvisation by Alexander Nakarada

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6199-emotional-piano-improvisation

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Peppers Theme by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4998-peppers-theme

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Calm Reflective Piano by MusicLFiles

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8022-calm-reflective-piano

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Blink of an Eye Podcast is sponsored by I C THAT — The Integrative Center for Trauma Healing, Advocacy and Transformation: a non-profit created as a national resource to help change the way we respond to Spinal Cord Injury to include trauma healing approaches for families and medical teams across the U.S.  I C THAT provides a national team of SCI specialized doctors for expert opinions in the first hours of crisis, a Multidisciplinary Family Support & Navigation Team for SCI families lead by SCI families for the first 30 days of crisis, and a National Resource Library of trauma informed responses for the first hours and days after injury specialized for families, friends and SCI medical staff. I C THAT also offers a Registry of Medically Unexpected SCI Recoveries.  I C THAT will host the inaugural conference The Science of Trauma: Hope for Trauma Healing October 6, 2022.  To donate and find out more, visit www.ICTHAT.org.

To find out more about Archer, Louise, and this podcast, visit the websites blinkofaneyepodcast.com, BaltimoreMediation.com and BeingRelational.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @blinkofaneyepodcast. Our Twitter is @blinkofaneyepod. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

You can become a member of our Patreon community and see extra Blink of an Eye content and bonus episodes at: www.patreon.com/blinkofaneyepod. 

To see some of Archer’s artwork, check out www.slimeyard.com. 

#hopeforeverything   #obtaineverything

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