"Opa. Opa. Opa!" we chanted together moving from lying down to sitting at the edge of the bed. Mr. B moved here from Greece when he was 22 and found a job working in construction. His high school sweetheart followed him out here. They married, had 3 children- all now working as lawyers, married, with their own children. They all still speak Greek.
"Borro!" was his other mantra through therapy. His wife told me it meant to persist, to hope. After his stroke, Mr. P lost the ability to understand language and verbalize. Yet, he was able to speak these 2 words in greek and he never lost his ability to connect with people. His eyes were able to communicate exactly what his mouth could not say. He wanted to try.
And try we did... I'd be with him 2xday for 30-45minutes each working on sitting, standing- learning to move in his new half-paralyzed body. We also tried to manage his severe pain and tone (spasticity) developing in his right upper extremity. Some days I would just look at him and want to cry, but then he would remind me, "OPA! Borro!"
