In the Spring of , my effervescent mom, Marilyn Samperi, a retired elementary school teacher of 29 years, filled her days with daily visits to her husband in a nearby assisted living facility, quilting in a guild, and staying abreast of all that was happening in the busy lives of her 11 grandchildren pictured with her here!
Then an accidental fall and subsequent brain bleed changed the trajectory of life for this vivacious and engaged octogenarian. Mom, whose primary care physician once said functioned 10 years younger than her 84 years, was now completely dependent on our family for daily care. I left a job that I loved and mom moved in with me.
And while we got along great, she became depressed from a lack of interaction with others and an absence of opportunities, and we were both struggling with our new decreased independence. At Krempels, my mom once again formed close connections with others, found meaningful engagement, had important mental stimulation, and experienced respect and acceptance.
We credit the strides she has made in healing and skills she has regained largely to her participation as a Krempels member.
Mom is quilting again. Her skills were regained slowly, and at first consisted only of sorting fabric by color or sewing simple lines. Then, inspired to make a goodbye gift for a dear Krempels intern, Nnedi, that she had become particularly close to, Mom completed her first project solely from memory in February, only 11 months after her traumatic brain injury! Our family knows that the complete respect and acceptance Mom has always felt at Krempels, coupled with the strong brain building programming and loving relationships, has been integral to this accomplishment and so many others she continues to make.
