On Again, Off Again

I've mentioned before that there are three women that live in the clinic. One of them, Pati, was born with Mucopolysaccharidosis and has lived there since she was a child. The other two, Rosi and Tere, grew up in the home, became chronically ill with rheumatiod arthritis and returned to NPH when they could no longer properly care for themselves. NPH's philosophy is that they are committed to caring for their children over their entire lifespan in such cases.

The social dynamic between the three women is very interesting. They've shared one room for decades, but I've never heard them say a word to one another. Yet they have plenty to say to me about eachother. Rosi couldn't sleep because Pati makes too much noise. Pati's mad because Tere is the boss of the TV stations. Tere needs to go to the market to buy some headphones so that she can finally sleep in peace.

I had heard that Pati can be moody, but I was feeling good because so far our sessions had been smooth sailing. She was in pain today and decided to give me a serious silent treatment while I was trying to work with her. After a few minutes I took the hint and returned her to the cement floor (as seen in this picture) where she prefers to spend every day. I think she likes it because it's out of her room and she can strike up conversation with everyone who passes by. She has a very high pitched voice and is hard of hearing, so you always know when someone new is coming through.

When I was walking through the market today, I decided to buy three Valentines Day balloons for my ladies. Rosi and Tere were commenting on all the V-day paraphernalia when we were at the market last weekend and it made for a nice peace offering to Pati. They were all very specific about where they wanted me to tie the balloon ie. radio, bed, arm of a stuffed animal. I made sure to give all of them the same one, so that I wouldn't be accused of playing favorites. I'm hoping that me and Pati are back on again, despite our tiff.