iReporter Jannet Walsh of Murdock, Minnesota, shares the Christmas gift of her mother’s singing after suffering a stroke in this Christmas video.   The audio in the video was recorded Dec. 26, 2010 with an iPhone from her mother’s bed.

About Jannet's mother

In 2008 my mother Margaret I. Walsh, of Litchfield, Minnesota, had a stroke that changed her life. She was no longer able to walk, talk or go about her active life she had as a senior, requiring 24 hour nursing care.  Before her stroke, she was a great conversationalist, and was known for taking walks  with a big stick, often with her dog.

When she had her stroke, I was living and working in Florida, but returned home to live in Minnesota so I could be closer to my mother and other relatives.  I always would make photos, videos and even audio with my iPhone when I visited my mother, as never knew if was the last time I would see my mother.  The little white dog in the video is my terrier Andrew, a White Highland White Terrier, the same breed of dog my mother had.  I would tell my mother it was her dog when I visited, and she would hold leash tight.

The dog visited her in the hospital and in her final days at her nursing home.  Although my mother could not speak after her stroke, sometimes a few words, she could somehow sing with me at Christmas.  I would sit in the dining room with her as she ate and would sing to her. The other residents r would join us  singing Christmas carols.  It was if there had been something wonder saved after the stroke, just special for Christmas.

My mother died Oct. 12, 2011, and is buried  in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Murdock.