July 20, 2025

100 is a powerful number. As per Google, many cultures see “100” as a completion, a milestone, or an achievement. The Arabic numeral “0” after all is in the shape of a completely full circle.

The first 100 days after a significant event are often celebrated for various reasons. Whether it’s 100 days since getting married or 100 days since starting a new job, that number packs a punch.

If you win (or lose) 100 dollars, that is considered a good amount of money. If you get 100 percent on a test, that’s a perfect score. If you say you are 100 percent positive about something, that leaves no room for doubt. And if you live to be 100, not only is that a huge achievement to live that long but Al Roker will mention you on the TODAY show!

One of my favorite songs is 100 Years by Five for Fighting. It chronicles a person living 100 years and the changes that happen over the course of that person’s lifetime.

It also reflects on going back to age 15 and how your whole life is ahead of you. As they say, youth is wasted on the young. The endless energy and perceived freedom of youth are not always matched by the wisdom or experience to use both effectively.

The song begs the question what would you do different if you were 15 again and had your whole life ahead of you with the wisdom you gained from living most of that life already?

WOULD you do anything different knowing that everything you’ve achieved in life, including your children, would be erased?

Of course, very few people would want to go back and do it all over again. But how tempting would it be if it meant the bad stuff that happened would be erased and you’d have a second chance?

***

Today marks the 100th day since Mike’s stroke. That’s such an ugly word, in my opinion, probably because of what it means. I recently confided in Mike that I had a hard time saying the word in the beginning. I would just tell people Mike had a bleed on the brain. I don’t know…it’s semantics, I guess. It was easier for me to say it that way. To me, a stroke was something that only happened to old people or really unhealthy people.

But bad things happen to good people, young and old, healthy or not. It doesn’t discriminate.

***

Mike struggles with anxiety right now. He fears that this will happen again. He’s not completely off his rocker with this worry. Statistics do put him at a higher risk for another life-threatening event to happen, such as another stroke.

He still feels like he caused it, and I understand why, but I am always reassuring him he did nothing to make this happen. However, his blood pressure needs to stay under good control and he has to make some life changes; less work, less stress, less thrill-seeking.

He’s willing to do whatever it takes to stay healthy and lower his risk as much as possible. He wants to be able to live longer, to enjoy all that life has to offer, including new adventures together and possibly, one day, grandchildren. He loves kids. After all, he’s a big kid himself.

***

Mike is starting to walk with a walker. He can’t get enough of it. He is doing it without a leg brace, which is great. He says he can feel his leg under him most of the time. The leg should get stronger and the goal is to feel it 100 percent of the time.

The therapists that come to the house through insurance are great but they are limited in both time and modalities they can offer. They do private work but when we’ve asked, all of them are booked and haven’t had any recommendations to offer.

But when one door closes, God opens another. And behind this door was the jackpot: Dr. Jaycee Barry. She is an occupational therapist with a passion for helping stroke survivors regain independence and confidence in their daily lives. She has seen firsthand how insurance restrictions often limit the type of care stroke survivors truly need to make meaningful progress.

Her mission is to offer personalized, one-on-one therapy that goes beyond these barriers.

I’ve enlisted her services and starting tomorrow, July 21, she will come to the house and give Mike 3 private 90-minute sessions each week for the next 3 weeks. If he can handle more, we will do more.

This will be on top of his OT and PT two to three times per week that insurance pays for.

He needs this and he is so ready! She is a perfect fit! She has great energy and loves that Mike is so motivated! She already believes in Mike before working with him. This mindset is what we’ve been praying for!

She came recommended by the BEST nurse ever in the neuro ICU at Albany Med, Christine, who had worked with her and knew she started her own private business, Balanced Living Occupational Therapy.

Mike is desperate to start living life again, working and not relying on other people for simple daily tasks. He needs to walk but also needs to get his left hand to start doing something, anything. He can move his arm but not his hand. He will often scold his hand as if it’s not a part of him. I can’t even imagine that feeling, but he does say it doesn’t feel attached at times and he will look at it and think, “What is that? Oh, it’s my hand.”

We ordered him a special glove that will stimulate the fingers. It should arrive tomorrow. It took forever to come in. I also got him two leg machines that he can use while he’s sitting. It’s all about building up that strength, bringing the brain’s attention to that left side and it gives him exercises he can do on his own.

***

It’s been an exciting week. My crazy trial ended on Monday, like I predicted. The jury didn’t take long to come back with a verdict. They had me scheduled to work the trial Tuesday and Wednesday last week, so I took a chance and asked for those days off since the trial had ended and they granted it!

It allowed me time to continue cleaning out my house and getting it ready to list tomorrow, Monday, July 21! Super excited!

But the best thing was I also got to surprise Mike with a trip to Lake Placid on Wednesday.

It was the first time since the stroke he was able to see his cabin in the Town of Jay, just outside Lake Placid. When we got there, I searched around the property behind the cabin and was able to find the perfect sized piece of plywood (thank you, God) and used it as a ramp to get his wheelchair into the cabin. I told Mike he is lucky to have an amazing fiancee who’s so strong (thank you, Darcie Adams, my trainer) and can pretty much get him in and out of most places (with the right conditions).

He was able to see the work that his brother has been helping get accomplished for him in the cabin (thank you, Steve!). Mike was very happy.

I also FaceTimed with him and went upstairs so he could see for himself that everything looks good and is as we left it.

Afterwards, we went and visited my twin, Vicki, and her hubby, Scott, at their timeshare that overlooks Mirror Lake in the Village of Lake Placid. It was an absolutely beautiful evening. They made a spectacular dinner for us and it warmed my heart to see Mike and Scott out on the patio shooting the breeze and just being guys. It was good medicine for Mike.

***

Back to the jury trial. I can talk about it now that it’s over. It was a sad but interesting case, pretty much a he said/she said, with charges such as Rape in the First Degree, Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and Rape in the Third Degree. There was DNA evidence but it wasn’t a slam dunk, by any means. They had had a preexisting relationship and lived together during the assault. They were a throuple (a relationship involving three people) but also had sex with other people. It was a complicated, immoral mess, basically.

The defendant did not exercise his right to remain silent and took the stand. (I love it when they dig their own hole!) He testified completely in contradiction to his police interview (never a good thing) but for one very specific comment. He said in the interview, and reiterated on the stand, that he is 96 percent positive they didn’t have sex that day.

Huh?

It took the jury less than an hour and a half to come back with a verdict. After talking with them, they said that statement is what did it for them. And I felt the same way when I heard it. I mean, who says that if you really didn’t do it? It takes equivocating to the next level.

Oh, the power of the 100. 😎