10/13/26
Rebecca continues to take big strides. She is walking with a walker and talking quite a lot every day. She is hoping to be transferred to a rehab facility closer to home and a bit farther out of the city where she can be in closer proximity to the natural world. When she is not napping or engaged in therapies, she is able to receive visitors and take phone calls as well. When talking, Rebecca can't yet always find the exact word she is looking for, though she comes close enough to be understood. She reports that she is trying to make friends in the rehab facility by offering small gestures of kindness and connection.
10/8/26
Rebecca has moved to a rehab center in Westborough. This new location is a 2-hour drive from where Rebecca and her husband Bob live, thus making it more difficult for Bob to be there with her as often as he was while she was in the hospital. Just yesterday Bob spent the day with her though and reported that she was "incredibly lucid" and that she "talked for most of the day". Bob was able to wheel Rebecca outside for some fresh air for about an hour as well. Rebecca is still quite weak, but in this new residential rehab center, she is able to receive therapies that support her body's healing. Rebecca had a private room until yesterday. Sharing a room is not easy, given how sensitive she is to light and sound especially when trying to sleep. She is able to receive visitors and wants to see friends when possible. Rebecca's practice has been obvious to many of those she has interacted with. There is an undercurrent of kindness that seems to go with her everywhere and her mind is discerning as well.
9/27/26
Rebecca is talking much more these days. She has been able to articulate that she wants to see people and has had many visitors and has had a weekly scheduled zoom call with her family. A friend of Rebecca’s who recently visited her remarked about how obvious it was that Rebecca’s practice seems to be supporting her right now. Though she does not always seem to recognize people, she certainly seems to appreciate seeing people. She has been able to articulate that she feels loved and cared for and that she appreciates many gestures of care. Rebecca’s husband has been by her side every day.
9/17/26
Over the past 2 days Rebecca has taken some encouraging steps towards recovery. From husband Bob's report, they have been weaning her off of heavy sedation over the past several days and she has been more alert in moments. Yesterday, Bob reported that she seemed to intentionally move her left arm as if motioning to him or reaching from him, which was very encouraging news. Today though, even better news. This is from Bob: Fam! Rebecca is very much back with us this morning. Clearly understanding what I say to her, shaking her head yes and no, raising her eyebrows to show delight, she’s back. A follow up email a few hours later indicated that she was extubated and had been controlling her breathing on her own.
9/9/26
Some of you might already know that Rebecca Bradshaw was in a very bad bike accident on Monday, Sept. 7th. She was airlifted to a hospital in Springfield, MA where she still remains in the ICU and is expected to stay in the ICU for at least a couple more days. She has a brain bleed and at least some facial fractures that we know of. We are not aware of the extent of other injuries at this time. Some good news is that CT scans show no worsening of the brain bleed. Additional good news today is that her husband, Bob reports she has been able to respond to verbal and pain stimuli, which came with great relief as on some level this indicates she is processing and responding to language. Her health care professionals will be backing her off of some pain medications today also, to see how she does. She will remain intubated for a couple more days to assure her brain gets adequate oxygen at this fragile moment of healing. Of course decreasing brain swelling will be a supportive condition for assessing overall cognitive impact of the accident. Rebecca’s mother, Mary Jo, is requesting prayers and well wishes from the dharma community. We’re sure Rebecca, Bob and her family will appreciate knowing that all of us are sending our deepest good wishes for full recovery and healing. We’ll do our best to keep you informed of information as we receive it. Please feel free to share with others.