Friday morning dawned with more cold, snow and ice. We hated leaving Mommy but had to get underway. We had breakfast together, sang a few of Mommy's favorite hymns for her, kissed her and headed out the door.
We bundled up because we knew we were heading for the mountains and were going to be facing bitter cold. Kandy said we looked like a bunch of Penguins waddling up over the mountains of WV.
After Tweety covered her share of the journey, two and a half miles, she was hot and ready to start peeling off some of her layers. Vicki started noticing that her legs weren't sore and was able to scoot us along another two and a half miles. I think her knowing we're heading toward her grand kids is giving her more motivation. Becky and Joel have adopted children that none of us have met and were recently blessed with the birth of little Halle. We're looking forward to getting to know our new nieces and nephew. It will be fun seeing those eight little ones!
Robin and I threw in a couple more miles and helped drive our Flintstone car across Cheat Lake. The wind was really whistling across that bridge and we moved a little faster to find a wind break.
Pam was telling herself that she was so tired because it was Friday night. She wanted to just put on her robe and be lazy. She remembered the important role she plays in moving our Flintstone car up the mountains. She donned her Eskimo coat and warm boots with winter treads. After about a half mile she pulled her coat off. By the time she reached her second mile she was walking in her bare feet. Pam admitted that she actually wanted to quit after the first mile but knew she had to make up some miles because she felt she had slacked off earlier in the week. Pushing herself made her feel pretty good.
We covered nine and a half miles on Friday. It was snowing so hard it was difficult to see exactly where we'd be for the night. There was finally a break in the snow and we saw we were about a half mile beyond the Fairchance road exit heading east on I-68.
We're grateful we can convert our Flintstone car in to a camper that will sleep the six of us. It would be a cold night.
It's wonderful we six sisters can share this journey. We're having fun creating the tale of our trek. More importantly, we're bonding even closer and motivating one another so we all will be healthier.
We've covered a total of 42 miles together. We're encouraging one another to keep on keepin' on.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Day 4
Thursday morning finds us anxious to put Pt. Marion in our rear view mirror and get under way to Winchester, VA. We'll cross in to West by gosh Virginia today, or at least Tweety hopes so. She's begging us to get further than the old, run down gas station at the state line. She really, really doesn't want to have to sleep there for the night. We reassure our baby sister that she won't have to so we start adding our walking miles to the two she's contributed.
Vicki adds a couple more and is happy to say her legs are less sore than they had been. Pam clocks two more miles and is hoping to bump that up to three for the weekend. At this point, we're nearing the Dairy Mart on 119.
We're having a serious discussion about where we're going to end up for the night. Maybe I-Hop at the Glenmark Center. Funny how all our stops center around food. Wherever we stop for the night, we know we're going to need Eskimo boots and coats before we leave and start up the mountains. Kandy's all set with her new Christmas boots and already has her Eskimo coat. The chemo makes her very intolerant of cold so we'll have to bundle her up and make sure her feet and hands stay toasty. We don't want her to get hoarse from breathing in the cold, frigid air so she'll have to cover her nose and mouth with a warm scarf, too.
Vicki suggests we find some space suits to wear as we travel in the cold and snow. Maybe we can borrow some from our friends, the Jetsons.
Robin's busy with some electronic gadget she brought along and says maybe she won't walk and we'll have to stay at I-Hop. But, she's just kidding and gets her mile in, too.
I throw my feet in to the trek and give us another mile. That should put us at I-Hop, unless we decide to take our first detour from our charted path and go spend the night with Mommy at Mapleshire. Yes, we'll have to walk around to the Mileground and down Easton Hill in Morgantown but we've all decided staying with Mommy is what we want to do. We know she'll love it and we'll get a charge out of making the aides/staff mind their p's and q's with her.
We have a good time laughing and talking; Mommy's certain she and Daddy raised a bunch of nuts! Then we unroll our sleeping bags and fall asleep. Tomorrow's going to be a rough day. It's cold, snowy and icy. We're going to start climbing up in to the mountains. We need to be rested for what lies ahead as we head to VA.
Together, we'll get there. Eight miles today, Ain't nothin' gonna break our stride.....
Vicki adds a couple more and is happy to say her legs are less sore than they had been. Pam clocks two more miles and is hoping to bump that up to three for the weekend. At this point, we're nearing the Dairy Mart on 119.
We're having a serious discussion about where we're going to end up for the night. Maybe I-Hop at the Glenmark Center. Funny how all our stops center around food. Wherever we stop for the night, we know we're going to need Eskimo boots and coats before we leave and start up the mountains. Kandy's all set with her new Christmas boots and already has her Eskimo coat. The chemo makes her very intolerant of cold so we'll have to bundle her up and make sure her feet and hands stay toasty. We don't want her to get hoarse from breathing in the cold, frigid air so she'll have to cover her nose and mouth with a warm scarf, too.
Vicki suggests we find some space suits to wear as we travel in the cold and snow. Maybe we can borrow some from our friends, the Jetsons.
Robin's busy with some electronic gadget she brought along and says maybe she won't walk and we'll have to stay at I-Hop. But, she's just kidding and gets her mile in, too.
I throw my feet in to the trek and give us another mile. That should put us at I-Hop, unless we decide to take our first detour from our charted path and go spend the night with Mommy at Mapleshire. Yes, we'll have to walk around to the Mileground and down Easton Hill in Morgantown but we've all decided staying with Mommy is what we want to do. We know she'll love it and we'll get a charge out of making the aides/staff mind their p's and q's with her.
We have a good time laughing and talking; Mommy's certain she and Daddy raised a bunch of nuts! Then we unroll our sleeping bags and fall asleep. Tomorrow's going to be a rough day. It's cold, snowy and icy. We're going to start climbing up in to the mountains. We need to be rested for what lies ahead as we head to VA.
Together, we'll get there. Eight miles today, Ain't nothin' gonna break our stride.....
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Days 2 and 3
Needless to say, we were anxious to get a move on and not spend another night in a funeral home. Day 2 found us making our way from Carmichaels to Stacey and Jenny's homes in Greensboro. None of us being as young as we once were, we're feeling some aches in the old legs. In spite of the aches, we keep truckin' along. Of course Tweety, the baby, showed us all up today with her four miles.
No doubt, walking outside is much more enjoyable and goes faster than using DVDs and walking indoors. As Tweety said, "I felt like I'd walked ten miles when Leslie Sansone said the first mile was almost up." But she finished up those two miles and went out later in the day and walked two more.
Our Flintstone car traveled 9.45 miles on day two for a total of 16.45 miles!! Woo hoo—we met our first goal! We said “Hi” to Stacey and Jenny as we headed up out of Greensboro and on our way to Dilliner. We stopped for the night at Penn Pitt School. Kandy thought we were going to head to her house and spend the night for a pajama party but we couldn't make it up her snowy, icy hill.
We reached Day 3.
As Vicki stated, Penn Pitt hill is pretty steep. Her legs were sore and just absolutely did not want to climb that hill. Pam and I pulled her up and got us within 3/4 of a mile to Andrea's house in Dilliner. We just needed to see how far Robin and Tweety's legs were going to take us for the night. We still have Kandy along for the ride and that's quite ok with all of us. As soon as she's up to it, she'll be pushing that car along with the rest of us.
We had some concerns about where we were actually going to end up spending the night. That stretch of Route 88 doesn't offer many places to stop, runs right along the Monongahela River and is pretty dark and desolate. We hoped we didn't have to end up sleeping with trolls under the Dilliner or Pt. Marion bridge. (Robin had to but that's a whole different story.) If we didn't make it to a shelter, there were all kinds of suggestions of what we could add to our Flintstone Car to make it homier for our travels....Boy Scout tent or pull out camper. We all agreed that we could use our imagination and make our car anything we wanted it to be.
Talk of imagination and tall tales made us all think of Daddy and all the stories he told us when we were growing up. Guess we get it honestly.
Robin and Tweety gave us another four miles on our journey. Their legs got us in to Pt. Marion for the night. Big decisions then, where do we sleep? Tweety was adamant that it would not be in another funeral home. Robin suggested the Brass Rail---Pam said that was a good place because they had little trailers behind it. Vicki suggested Sporty's---that way we could eat, too. Kandy agreed, said they have good pizza and especially good pizza burgers. I suggested Apple Annie's but Robin was dead set against that--too buggy for her. I told them we weren't sleeping in Foodland, it gives me the creeps.
Not entirely sure where we ended up spending the night of Day 3. Obviously we were all hungry when we were discussing it so I'm sure it was some place with food.
There was a time when "The DeVault girls " actually walked all over Greensboro. Kandy remembers the comments being made "there are the DeVault girls". She says some of us were too young to be walking with them then, but the sisters always walked together whether it be to the park to go swimming, skating, or just to go watch the little league games; or just out for a walk!!
The DeVault girls out walking together is nothing new or unusual. We're a team.
We waved to Andrea this evening and tomorrow we’ll start out for Winchester. We’ve walked a total of 24.45 miles already. When we reach the 180 mile mark, we’ll be blowing kisses to Vicki’s cute little grandchildren. We're going to have a hard time containing Vicki, she'll be so excited to see her grandchildren.
No doubt, walking outside is much more enjoyable and goes faster than using DVDs and walking indoors. As Tweety said, "I felt like I'd walked ten miles when Leslie Sansone said the first mile was almost up." But she finished up those two miles and went out later in the day and walked two more.
Our Flintstone car traveled 9.45 miles on day two for a total of 16.45 miles!! Woo hoo—we met our first goal! We said “Hi” to Stacey and Jenny as we headed up out of Greensboro and on our way to Dilliner. We stopped for the night at Penn Pitt School. Kandy thought we were going to head to her house and spend the night for a pajama party but we couldn't make it up her snowy, icy hill.
We reached Day 3.
As Vicki stated, Penn Pitt hill is pretty steep. Her legs were sore and just absolutely did not want to climb that hill. Pam and I pulled her up and got us within 3/4 of a mile to Andrea's house in Dilliner. We just needed to see how far Robin and Tweety's legs were going to take us for the night. We still have Kandy along for the ride and that's quite ok with all of us. As soon as she's up to it, she'll be pushing that car along with the rest of us.
We had some concerns about where we were actually going to end up spending the night. That stretch of Route 88 doesn't offer many places to stop, runs right along the Monongahela River and is pretty dark and desolate. We hoped we didn't have to end up sleeping with trolls under the Dilliner or Pt. Marion bridge. (Robin had to but that's a whole different story.) If we didn't make it to a shelter, there were all kinds of suggestions of what we could add to our Flintstone Car to make it homier for our travels....Boy Scout tent or pull out camper. We all agreed that we could use our imagination and make our car anything we wanted it to be.
Talk of imagination and tall tales made us all think of Daddy and all the stories he told us when we were growing up. Guess we get it honestly.
Robin and Tweety gave us another four miles on our journey. Their legs got us in to Pt. Marion for the night. Big decisions then, where do we sleep? Tweety was adamant that it would not be in another funeral home. Robin suggested the Brass Rail---Pam said that was a good place because they had little trailers behind it. Vicki suggested Sporty's---that way we could eat, too. Kandy agreed, said they have good pizza and especially good pizza burgers. I suggested Apple Annie's but Robin was dead set against that--too buggy for her. I told them we weren't sleeping in Foodland, it gives me the creeps.
Not entirely sure where we ended up spending the night of Day 3. Obviously we were all hungry when we were discussing it so I'm sure it was some place with food.
There was a time when "The DeVault girls " actually walked all over Greensboro. Kandy remembers the comments being made "there are the DeVault girls". She says some of us were too young to be walking with them then, but the sisters always walked together whether it be to the park to go swimming, skating, or just to go watch the little league games; or just out for a walk!!
The DeVault girls out walking together is nothing new or unusual. We're a team.
We waved to Andrea this evening and tomorrow we’ll start out for Winchester. We’ve walked a total of 24.45 miles already. When we reach the 180 mile mark, we’ll be blowing kisses to Vicki’s cute little grandchildren. We're going to have a hard time containing Vicki, she'll be so excited to see her grandchildren.
Day 1
Monday arrives. We're all off doing our normal daily routines but now walking is going to become a part of that routine.
Vicki was the first to clock her miles....she headed to her basement and kept walking to keep herself warm. She walked for 20 minutes in the morning and another 25 in the afternoon. She was getting us off to a good start and encouraging the rest of us to get moving.
Kandy is going to strap on a pedometer and walk around in her house. She did do some walking throughout her house the first day. There's no pressure on Kandy right now, we're going to let her contribute what she can to this journey but she's in the Flintstone Car with us. She ain't heavy, she's our sister.
Pam walked 1 mile that evening with Leslie Sansone. As for how Pam felt… well, when Leslie said, “You’ve made ½ mile!” she thought, “ONLY ½ mile?! Ugh!” But did feel better after that. Pam said she could probably have pushed herself further after the 1 mile mark but allowed herself to be happy for reaching today’s goal.
Myself.... First I walked circles through the house....in the living room, in to the dining room and kitchen, back to the bedroom.....I got bundled up and went out and walked up and down my driveway for about 15 minutes. My pedometer said I walked 1.69 miles. When I was outside walking I thought, "Keep moving and you won't get cold." Then I was thinking, "If my neighbors see me they'll think I'm nuts." Then I was looking at the lights hitting the snow and thought how pretty it was.....looked like my front yard was covered with little diamonds.
Robin took the challenge and walked 30 minutes in her living room and finished it up with a 5 minute jog. Even if she wasn't totally up for it, she came through for us.
Tweety was a busy girl the first day with shoveling snow and doing all kinds of chores. That evening she walked her mile and could have walked further but said it was too cold to stay out.
OK—we did GREAT today!! We have a total of 7 miles which means our Flintstone car made it all the way to the Yoskovich Funeral Home in Carmichaels from Jefferson!!! Thought maybe I should go out and walk another mile so we didn't have to stop for the night at a funeral home. We should be able to make it to Greensboro tomorrow.
We're all having fun and doing something good for ourselves and each other. The beauty of this group thing.....we keep each other motivated. Maybe there will be a day when these Flintstone flippers of mine aren't going to be wanting or feeling like making that ol' cave-car go. That's where my sisters come in and boost me up--and we'll do the same for any one of us feeling like we just don't want to take that walk today.
Stay tuned.....
Vicki was the first to clock her miles....she headed to her basement and kept walking to keep herself warm. She walked for 20 minutes in the morning and another 25 in the afternoon. She was getting us off to a good start and encouraging the rest of us to get moving.
Kandy is going to strap on a pedometer and walk around in her house. She did do some walking throughout her house the first day. There's no pressure on Kandy right now, we're going to let her contribute what she can to this journey but she's in the Flintstone Car with us. She ain't heavy, she's our sister.
Pam walked 1 mile that evening with Leslie Sansone. As for how Pam felt… well, when Leslie said, “You’ve made ½ mile!” she thought, “ONLY ½ mile?! Ugh!” But did feel better after that. Pam said she could probably have pushed herself further after the 1 mile mark but allowed herself to be happy for reaching today’s goal.
Myself.... First I walked circles through the house....in the living room, in to the dining room and kitchen, back to the bedroom.....I got bundled up and went out and walked up and down my driveway for about 15 minutes. My pedometer said I walked 1.69 miles. When I was outside walking I thought, "Keep moving and you won't get cold." Then I was thinking, "If my neighbors see me they'll think I'm nuts." Then I was looking at the lights hitting the snow and thought how pretty it was.....looked like my front yard was covered with little diamonds.
Robin took the challenge and walked 30 minutes in her living room and finished it up with a 5 minute jog. Even if she wasn't totally up for it, she came through for us.
Tweety was a busy girl the first day with shoveling snow and doing all kinds of chores. That evening she walked her mile and could have walked further but said it was too cold to stay out.
OK—we did GREAT today!! We have a total of 7 miles which means our Flintstone car made it all the way to the Yoskovich Funeral Home in Carmichaels from Jefferson!!! Thought maybe I should go out and walk another mile so we didn't have to stop for the night at a funeral home. We should be able to make it to Greensboro tomorrow.
We're all having fun and doing something good for ourselves and each other. The beauty of this group thing.....we keep each other motivated. Maybe there will be a day when these Flintstone flippers of mine aren't going to be wanting or feeling like making that ol' cave-car go. That's where my sisters come in and boost me up--and we'll do the same for any one of us feeling like we just don't want to take that walk today.
Stay tuned.....
Flintstones...meet the Flintstones
It was agreed that we needed to come up with a plan or system so we would all be accountable to one another for our walking. The suggestion that we set up a spread sheet to log our miles was made and agreed upon. Pam kindly volunteered to take care of that. And Pam, the ring leader, came up with the wonderful idea that we 'walk' to all of our kids houses. We all thought that was a great idea and nothing motivates us more than our kids and grand kids.
Now we're all picturing a Flintstones' car and our feet are making it go so we can see all our kids. Funny using the Flintstones image....I've been accused of having 'Barney Rubble' feet---short, flat and wide.
Our Flintsone journey begins and will take us on the following track:
We begin in Jefferson because all of Tweety’s kids are there in Jefferson.
From Jefferson to Greensboro (Stacey’s and Jenny’s) it’s 16 miles. That’s our first goal.
Then from Greensboro to Dilliner (Andrea’s) it’s 5 miles. We can cover that in one day if all of us are walking.
Now the long trek begins.. Dilliner to Winchester, VA (Becky’s) is 160 miles.
Winchester to Jacksonville, NC (Matthew’s) is 387 miles.
Jacksonville to Columbia, SC (Bridgette’s) is 263 miles.
Columbia to Toomsuba, MS (Joey’s) is 491 miles.
Toomsuba to Madison, WI (Chrissy’s) is 838 miles.
And then Madison to Alamogordo, NM (Greg’s) is 1342 miles.
And then Alamogordo back to Jefferson, PA (direct route) is 1685. The 1685 return miles are not in the 3503 miles.)
Robin was glad we didn't include her step-daughter's residence in Japan. Good thing since several of us can't swim.
Well, we had a lot of ground to cover and needed to get walking. Monday, January 4 would be our start date.
This is going to be so much fun.
Now we're all picturing a Flintstones' car and our feet are making it go so we can see all our kids. Funny using the Flintstones image....I've been accused of having 'Barney Rubble' feet---short, flat and wide.
Our Flintsone journey begins and will take us on the following track:
We begin in Jefferson because all of Tweety’s kids are there in Jefferson.
From Jefferson to Greensboro (Stacey’s and Jenny’s) it’s 16 miles. That’s our first goal.
Then from Greensboro to Dilliner (Andrea’s) it’s 5 miles. We can cover that in one day if all of us are walking.
Now the long trek begins.. Dilliner to Winchester, VA (Becky’s) is 160 miles.
Winchester to Jacksonville, NC (Matthew’s) is 387 miles.
Jacksonville to Columbia, SC (Bridgette’s) is 263 miles.
Columbia to Toomsuba, MS (Joey’s) is 491 miles.
Toomsuba to Madison, WI (Chrissy’s) is 838 miles.
And then Madison to Alamogordo, NM (Greg’s) is 1342 miles.
And then Alamogordo back to Jefferson, PA (direct route) is 1685. The 1685 return miles are not in the 3503 miles.)
Robin was glad we didn't include her step-daughter's residence in Japan. Good thing since several of us can't swim.
Well, we had a lot of ground to cover and needed to get walking. Monday, January 4 would be our start date.
This is going to be so much fun.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A journey of 3503 miles begins.....
January 1, 2010---New Year, new beginnings, new resolutions. The resolutions are easy to make but not so easy to keep---unless you've got the help and support of family and the resolution is done as a team.
The team is my five sisters and me. Apparently Pam was bored, dreaming up ideas. Around 12:30 in the afternoon of New Years Day we all received an email challenging all of us to walk a minimum of a mile a day. If the weather is nasty, walk to a Leslie Sansone DVD. Her comment was that we all want to feel better and by doing this together we would be able to motivate one another.
Kandy is finishing a long round of chemo. Still not real strong and knows her limitations but she was the first to respond that yes, she's in. May not be able to walk fast but wants to get her strength and energy back. Once the weather is nice she plans to head to Mapletown and walk around the high school football field. In the meantime, she can just do laps in her house.
Vicki used to walk 2.5 miles a day with her friend in MD before moving back to PA. Sure, she'll do it but doesn't know where she'll walk or when. Knows she's disgusted with herself and wants to feel better. Like all of us, no way she wants to walk outside in this nasty weather we've been having.
Pam, as I stated earlier, is the 'master mind' of this. Pam's had heart problems, the exercise will do her heart good and hopefully prevent future problems. She, too, knows it will be easy to not find the time but knows it will do us all good, make us feel better. Pam says we should make it a priority, like brushing our teeth.
Debbie (that's me) knows I need to exercise. This past year I started taking medicine for blood pressure and anxiety/stress. I'm in---goes along with my resolution to start doing more things for me in 2010; going to make time to stop and smell the roses.
Robin is a little skinny thing. Hopefully, the walking doesn't cause her to lose any weight. Robin suffers from bouts of anxiety, depression and stress. She tells us that she's afraid she'll let us down in this walking thing. Won't happen....we're all supporting one another.
Mary aka Tweety is the baby of the bunch. She has such a good walking routine going already. When she said she was throwing in with the rest of us, she'd just come in from a two mile walk with her husband, Brian. They walk every week day, Saturday mornings depending on their schedule/plans and take Sundays off. Tweety will be a good inspiration for the rest of us.
All of us sisters need to pay more attention to ourselves and our health. For nearly two years we have run ourselves ragged caring for and seeing to the needs of our parents and will continue to give them our love, support and care. We're blessed to have them and to have inherited their strong wills to overcome rough challenges.
Our walking commitment to one another will enable us all to handle the day to day demands with more confidence and strength and be more productive in everything we do.
The team is my five sisters and me. Apparently Pam was bored, dreaming up ideas. Around 12:30 in the afternoon of New Years Day we all received an email challenging all of us to walk a minimum of a mile a day. If the weather is nasty, walk to a Leslie Sansone DVD. Her comment was that we all want to feel better and by doing this together we would be able to motivate one another.
Kandy is finishing a long round of chemo. Still not real strong and knows her limitations but she was the first to respond that yes, she's in. May not be able to walk fast but wants to get her strength and energy back. Once the weather is nice she plans to head to Mapletown and walk around the high school football field. In the meantime, she can just do laps in her house.
Vicki used to walk 2.5 miles a day with her friend in MD before moving back to PA. Sure, she'll do it but doesn't know where she'll walk or when. Knows she's disgusted with herself and wants to feel better. Like all of us, no way she wants to walk outside in this nasty weather we've been having.
Pam, as I stated earlier, is the 'master mind' of this. Pam's had heart problems, the exercise will do her heart good and hopefully prevent future problems. She, too, knows it will be easy to not find the time but knows it will do us all good, make us feel better. Pam says we should make it a priority, like brushing our teeth.
Debbie (that's me) knows I need to exercise. This past year I started taking medicine for blood pressure and anxiety/stress. I'm in---goes along with my resolution to start doing more things for me in 2010; going to make time to stop and smell the roses.
Robin is a little skinny thing. Hopefully, the walking doesn't cause her to lose any weight. Robin suffers from bouts of anxiety, depression and stress. She tells us that she's afraid she'll let us down in this walking thing. Won't happen....we're all supporting one another.
Mary aka Tweety is the baby of the bunch. She has such a good walking routine going already. When she said she was throwing in with the rest of us, she'd just come in from a two mile walk with her husband, Brian. They walk every week day, Saturday mornings depending on their schedule/plans and take Sundays off. Tweety will be a good inspiration for the rest of us.
All of us sisters need to pay more attention to ourselves and our health. For nearly two years we have run ourselves ragged caring for and seeing to the needs of our parents and will continue to give them our love, support and care. We're blessed to have them and to have inherited their strong wills to overcome rough challenges.
Our walking commitment to one another will enable us all to handle the day to day demands with more confidence and strength and be more productive in everything we do.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Nightmare Continues
My mom is still in ICU. Still on the ventilator, still fighting to survive.
On Tuesday morning the family received a phone call that she'd taken a turn for the worse. We all rushed to the hospital. Somehow I was the first to arrive. Mommy's doctor was with her, he told me how sorry he was; she was worse; her organs seemed to be shutting down. Once again my sisters and I lived through the nightmare of losing my mother.
My sisters all started arriving, one had brought my dad in with her. My heart broke for him. He and Mommy have been married for 60 years. He hugged all of us and stayed the trooper that he always is and always has been for us. It was a day of tears and fear. Daddy never left Mommy's room, he sat by her side and we all took turns going in and sitting with him.
Calling Chrissy, my daughter, was heart breaking for me. I didn't want to have to tell her what was happening to her 'Grandma Weezie'. If I didn't say the words, maybe it wasn't true. She took the news as I expected she would and also as expected, was a tremendous comfort to me.
Once again the risk manager for the hospital was called to be with the family. She told us, once again, how sorry she was and how hard Mommy had fought over the past two weeks. She once again tried to prepare us for the end.
Ministers from the Presbyterian and Baptist churches stopped by that day for visits. We all prayed and prepared ourselves what seemed to be the inevitable.
That night, Mommy was still hanging on. She was still fighting.
I prayed, knew that God's will would be done. I was afraid that he was ready for her, though. I wasn't ready for him to take her but prayed that I'd be given the strength to accept it. But, I told God that if he wasn't ready for her, then he should restore her health. I found out later that three of my sisters prayed the same prayer.
Since Tuesday, she continues to take 'baby steps' toward improvement. She's still not out of the woods but we're cautiously optimistic.
The ventilator has been slowly reduced from 100% to 40%. Her oxygen levels remain between 94 and 98%. The right lung that had collapsed has reinflated and the tube has been removed. The left lung is healing and no longer needs to be suctioned. Except for occasional instances, her heart rate is good and blood pressure remains stable. She's not fevered. When she opens her eyes, they appear more clear than previously.
Prayers are being heard and answered for her healing. I watch and wait. I am thankful for each 'baby step' she takes but am not celebrating, yet.
The celebration will come when I am able to once again have a conversation with my mom.
On Tuesday morning the family received a phone call that she'd taken a turn for the worse. We all rushed to the hospital. Somehow I was the first to arrive. Mommy's doctor was with her, he told me how sorry he was; she was worse; her organs seemed to be shutting down. Once again my sisters and I lived through the nightmare of losing my mother.
My sisters all started arriving, one had brought my dad in with her. My heart broke for him. He and Mommy have been married for 60 years. He hugged all of us and stayed the trooper that he always is and always has been for us. It was a day of tears and fear. Daddy never left Mommy's room, he sat by her side and we all took turns going in and sitting with him.
Calling Chrissy, my daughter, was heart breaking for me. I didn't want to have to tell her what was happening to her 'Grandma Weezie'. If I didn't say the words, maybe it wasn't true. She took the news as I expected she would and also as expected, was a tremendous comfort to me.
Once again the risk manager for the hospital was called to be with the family. She told us, once again, how sorry she was and how hard Mommy had fought over the past two weeks. She once again tried to prepare us for the end.
Ministers from the Presbyterian and Baptist churches stopped by that day for visits. We all prayed and prepared ourselves what seemed to be the inevitable.
That night, Mommy was still hanging on. She was still fighting.
I prayed, knew that God's will would be done. I was afraid that he was ready for her, though. I wasn't ready for him to take her but prayed that I'd be given the strength to accept it. But, I told God that if he wasn't ready for her, then he should restore her health. I found out later that three of my sisters prayed the same prayer.
Since Tuesday, she continues to take 'baby steps' toward improvement. She's still not out of the woods but we're cautiously optimistic.
The ventilator has been slowly reduced from 100% to 40%. Her oxygen levels remain between 94 and 98%. The right lung that had collapsed has reinflated and the tube has been removed. The left lung is healing and no longer needs to be suctioned. Except for occasional instances, her heart rate is good and blood pressure remains stable. She's not fevered. When she opens her eyes, they appear more clear than previously.
Prayers are being heard and answered for her healing. I watch and wait. I am thankful for each 'baby step' she takes but am not celebrating, yet.
The celebration will come when I am able to once again have a conversation with my mom.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Nothing is routine
Over the past year, my mom has been having mammograms every six months to follow up on something that was showing up on the tests. Her doctor didn't think there was anything to worry about but suggested a biopsy just to be sure. The procedure was scheduled Wednesday, June 11. I took the day off work to go with her and my dad because she told me she didn't want him waiting by himself. We checked in and waited for Mommy to be called. When she went back to the room where they do the procedure, Daddy and I just hung out and waited. After about an hour I went to the desk and asked the people there if they could get me an update or find out how much longer it was going to be before her testing was done. They called to the back rooms, didn't get an answer and said they must be finishing up, probably would only be about 10 more minutes or so. Daddy had walked outside so I went and found him to give him the update and after a little while he and I decided to go in as Mommy should be done. As we came down the hallway, we saw Mommy's doctor. He told us that Mommy had passed out when they were finishing the procedure, he didn't know what caused that and was probably going to keep her in the hospital over night to watch her. Said they'd moved her to ER and we could go to the waiting room there. Then all hell broke loose. When they did the biopsy, the needle nicked a blood vessel. She was bleeding inside and they'd inserted a tube to drain the blood and thought the bleeding would stop. Within a short time, they were doing x-rays and CT scans and saw the bleeding wasn't stopping and she was getting worse. Her blood pressure dropped to a very critical stage, her heart was in distress.....they had to perform emergency surgery to stop the bleeding but couldn't wait for her vitals to be stable. Everything was a blur, my mind was in a fog. At some point I was able to contact my sisters and get them to the hospital. A risk manager for the hospital was finding a room where we could wait. They asked her to bring us to the hallway so we could see Mommy as they quickly got her to surgery, and then 'no', we were told to go out to the hall by the elevator they'd be using to get to surgery, and then 'no', bring the family in to the room to see her before they went to surgery. We walked in the room and there had to have been thirty medical professionals in there. They all stepped back and let us by the bed. I knew, then, that they didn't think Mommy was going to survive the surgery. Her doctor came out after the surgery and told us they did get the bleeding stopped. He told us all the things that could be wrong, though. Kidneys, heart, lungs, liver and possible brain damage. He cried as he told us. At some point they told us they would be moving her to ICU and once she was settled in we could see her. Again, her doctor tried to prepare us for what we'd see. He told us she was swollen, there were several IVs and tubes and that she was on a ventilator. None of us were prepared. The woman in that bed looked nothing like our mother. She was so swollen. It was just impossible to believe everything that had happened to her since that morning. I don't know what time I finally took my Dad home; I stayed with him that night. I don't think any of us thought she'd survive the night and no one wanted Daddy home alone.
The last eleven days have been exhausting--both physically and emotionally. Mommy is still on the ventilator and she's being kept sedated. We all keep visiting. We keep talking to her, willing her to keep fighting and letting her know that so many people are praying for her recovery.
I have days where it's hard to remain strong. After the initial shock of everything, the first weak day came last week when I expected Mommy to be able to come off the ventilator. When it didn't happen, it was very depressing and disappointing. The second one came yesterday when they said a section of her right, upper lung had collapsed and they had to insert yet another tube to reinflate it.
Today they tell us the lung is reinflated. They tell us her vitals are stable. They tell us they are getting her lungs healed and strong so she can come off the ventilator.
It's been a nightmare. I won't quit fighting for her. Even though she's sedated and I only see her eyes every now and again, I believe she knows and hears me encouraging her to keep fighting. I believe she hears when I sing her favorite hymn to her. She hears when I tell her that God is helping her get well. She hears when I talk to her about her flowers and hummingbirds. She hears when I tell her about Anya and Gideon and about Chrissy making strawberry jam.
I don't know why this happened to her. I pray constantly for her healing, as I know so many others are.
I am praying for the simple pleasure of sitting on Mommy and Daddy's porch, having a quiet conversation with them over a cup of coffee while we watch the hummingbirds dart around their feeders.
The last eleven days have been exhausting--both physically and emotionally. Mommy is still on the ventilator and she's being kept sedated. We all keep visiting. We keep talking to her, willing her to keep fighting and letting her know that so many people are praying for her recovery.
I have days where it's hard to remain strong. After the initial shock of everything, the first weak day came last week when I expected Mommy to be able to come off the ventilator. When it didn't happen, it was very depressing and disappointing. The second one came yesterday when they said a section of her right, upper lung had collapsed and they had to insert yet another tube to reinflate it.
Today they tell us the lung is reinflated. They tell us her vitals are stable. They tell us they are getting her lungs healed and strong so she can come off the ventilator.
It's been a nightmare. I won't quit fighting for her. Even though she's sedated and I only see her eyes every now and again, I believe she knows and hears me encouraging her to keep fighting. I believe she hears when I sing her favorite hymn to her. She hears when I tell her that God is helping her get well. She hears when I talk to her about her flowers and hummingbirds. She hears when I tell her about Anya and Gideon and about Chrissy making strawberry jam.
I don't know why this happened to her. I pray constantly for her healing, as I know so many others are.
I am praying for the simple pleasure of sitting on Mommy and Daddy's porch, having a quiet conversation with them over a cup of coffee while we watch the hummingbirds dart around their feeders.
Way to Go, Jr!
Finally......after 76 winless races, Dale, Jr. won today in Michigan. I have been waiting and watching, cheering him on each and every race. Today, he was in victory lane. Jr. Nation is basking in the victory.
He ran out of fuel just as he crossed the finish line, his crew pushed him and the 88 car to victory lane. Since the win was a team effort, I thought it was an appropriate way for Jr. and his crew to celebrate.
The fans in the stands were roaring. It didn't appear that anyone was leaving the track. Guess everyone wanted to linger and help celebrate his victory.
So, he breaks his winless streak on Father's Day. Wonder if his daddy was his drafting partner and giving him a little push today?
After the past couple years, it was good to see him so happy.
On to the Championship! Way to go, Jr.!
He ran out of fuel just as he crossed the finish line, his crew pushed him and the 88 car to victory lane. Since the win was a team effort, I thought it was an appropriate way for Jr. and his crew to celebrate.
The fans in the stands were roaring. It didn't appear that anyone was leaving the track. Guess everyone wanted to linger and help celebrate his victory.
So, he breaks his winless streak on Father's Day. Wonder if his daddy was his drafting partner and giving him a little push today?
After the past couple years, it was good to see him so happy.
On to the Championship! Way to go, Jr.!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Misadventures in baby sitting
My niece and nephew (and their spouses) will probably think twice before they ask me to sit with their little ones in the future.
They were all attending a wedding and needed a sitter for their children. Stacey and Tom have two; Brandi is 12 years old and Ian is 6. Joe and Tess have two girls; Janie, 6, and Josie, 2. When they asked if I'd be available and willing to watch my great nieces and nephew, of course I said 'yes'. Great opportunity to spend time with the kids and fill some of the void from missing my own two grand kids. My sister told me she was so relieved her grandkids would be in the care of someone she knew would take good care of them. (That's as important to grandparents as it is to parents.)
The moms and dads headed off and the kids and I settled in for a day of fun. Although the temperature in SW PA was in the 90's, we still headed outside to play in the yard. I hooked the sprinkler to the garden hose, dressed the kids in their bathing suits, slathered them with sunscreen and headed out so they could play and cool off. The three little ones ran and jumped through the sprinkler, played on the swings, raced down the slide and just had fun being kids. Brandi and I just stood back and watched but managed to get splashed every now and again. At one point I noticed Janie swinging higher than I thought safe. I was just about to say, "Janie, don't swing so high" when BOOM---she was on the ground. I ran over, picked her up and just cuddled her for a while. I thought she'd slipped off the swing because of her wet bathing suit but she told me she was jumping off like she always does. Unfortunately, she landed on her arm. I had her wiggle her fingers and rotate her wrist and since everything was moving the way it should, figured it was fine and maybe she'd sprained it when she fell.
We all spent the rest of the day blowing bubbles, watching barges go up and down the Monongahela river, watching geese and their babies swim by, flagging down the ice cream man for a treat and playing whatever games they came up with. I found 'shooter weeds' and taught them all how to shoot them and showed them how to put a broad blade of grass between their thumbs and make a whistle by blowing on it.
Janie participated in everything but I noticed she wasn't using her arm that she'd fallen on. I asked several times if it hurt and she said it didn't. I made an ice pack and tried to get her to hold it on her wrist but she preferred to eat the ice instead. Typical kid.
When their parents came home, all the little ones were asleep. I told them about Janie's accident and they checked her wrist and thought it might be a sprain.
Needless to say, I was concerned about Janie. I was awake early Sunday morning and just watched the clock until I thought it was a decent time to call my sister's house to see how Janie was doing.
Joe and Tess took Janie to a Med Xpress late Sunday morning. Her wrist has a small fracture. Right now she has a splint and the doctor said they could wait until they were back home in North Carolina for the cast but they're going to take care of it while they're here. Janie told me she thinks it's pretty neat that she got to pick out a purple cast.
Needless to say, I feel just awful. First that it happened on my watch and second that I didn't call them and have them come home from the wedding as soon as it happened.
At no point has anyone said anything to lead me to believe they blame me for Janie's accident or that they think I was neglectful. I've been harder on myself than anyone could ever be over this.
I've always been very watchful when little ones are in my care and have been babysitting since I was 12 years old. Won't say how many years that's been. Having raised a rambunctious and energetic little girl, I know accidents happen. I prefer they don't happen on 'my watch'.
I think in the future, if I'm the sitter, we'll sit on the couch with pillows all around us. Boring, but surely that will prevent any accidents!
They were all attending a wedding and needed a sitter for their children. Stacey and Tom have two; Brandi is 12 years old and Ian is 6. Joe and Tess have two girls; Janie, 6, and Josie, 2. When they asked if I'd be available and willing to watch my great nieces and nephew, of course I said 'yes'. Great opportunity to spend time with the kids and fill some of the void from missing my own two grand kids. My sister told me she was so relieved her grandkids would be in the care of someone she knew would take good care of them. (That's as important to grandparents as it is to parents.)
The moms and dads headed off and the kids and I settled in for a day of fun. Although the temperature in SW PA was in the 90's, we still headed outside to play in the yard. I hooked the sprinkler to the garden hose, dressed the kids in their bathing suits, slathered them with sunscreen and headed out so they could play and cool off. The three little ones ran and jumped through the sprinkler, played on the swings, raced down the slide and just had fun being kids. Brandi and I just stood back and watched but managed to get splashed every now and again. At one point I noticed Janie swinging higher than I thought safe. I was just about to say, "Janie, don't swing so high" when BOOM---she was on the ground. I ran over, picked her up and just cuddled her for a while. I thought she'd slipped off the swing because of her wet bathing suit but she told me she was jumping off like she always does. Unfortunately, she landed on her arm. I had her wiggle her fingers and rotate her wrist and since everything was moving the way it should, figured it was fine and maybe she'd sprained it when she fell.
We all spent the rest of the day blowing bubbles, watching barges go up and down the Monongahela river, watching geese and their babies swim by, flagging down the ice cream man for a treat and playing whatever games they came up with. I found 'shooter weeds' and taught them all how to shoot them and showed them how to put a broad blade of grass between their thumbs and make a whistle by blowing on it.
Janie participated in everything but I noticed she wasn't using her arm that she'd fallen on. I asked several times if it hurt and she said it didn't. I made an ice pack and tried to get her to hold it on her wrist but she preferred to eat the ice instead. Typical kid.
When their parents came home, all the little ones were asleep. I told them about Janie's accident and they checked her wrist and thought it might be a sprain.
Needless to say, I was concerned about Janie. I was awake early Sunday morning and just watched the clock until I thought it was a decent time to call my sister's house to see how Janie was doing.
Joe and Tess took Janie to a Med Xpress late Sunday morning. Her wrist has a small fracture. Right now she has a splint and the doctor said they could wait until they were back home in North Carolina for the cast but they're going to take care of it while they're here. Janie told me she thinks it's pretty neat that she got to pick out a purple cast.
Needless to say, I feel just awful. First that it happened on my watch and second that I didn't call them and have them come home from the wedding as soon as it happened.
At no point has anyone said anything to lead me to believe they blame me for Janie's accident or that they think I was neglectful. I've been harder on myself than anyone could ever be over this.
I've always been very watchful when little ones are in my care and have been babysitting since I was 12 years old. Won't say how many years that's been. Having raised a rambunctious and energetic little girl, I know accidents happen. I prefer they don't happen on 'my watch'.
I think in the future, if I'm the sitter, we'll sit on the couch with pillows all around us. Boring, but surely that will prevent any accidents!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Stanley Cup
OK--I won't pretend to know anything about hockey. I've never been a hockey fanatic. But, I've been watching the championship games and now the Cup games. I'm watching for one reason and one reason only, the Pens are in it. Being from SW PA, I'm supporting the Pittsburgh team. Things have been rough for the Pens since the early 1990's. The team has faced bankruptcy and the possibility of leaving Pittsburgh for some other city. At one point in time, they were so bad they couldn't even pull 10,000 people to a game. Now 10,000 people are sitting outside the Mellon Arena watching them play on a big outdoor screen while the Arena is filled to capacity.
The turn around started when the Pens were fortunate enough to draft the very young Syd the Kid; the youngest captain a team ever had. A majority of the Pens are still young pups. So here they are, playing for the major prize against guys they grew up worshipping. Some of these kids were born the year some of their opponents started their careers. That's got to leave them awestruck.
However the series ends, these kids have done well. Hopefully they'll be able to carry it in to the future. Afterall, the city of Pittsburgh is tearing down the arena and building them a new home. My biggest concern about this, though---Pittsburgh imploded Three Rivers Stadium and gave the Pirates a fancy, new house. The Pirates haven't had a winning season since. Not like the magic they had playing at Three Rivers. They're not pulling fans to the park. But then, they don't have Clemente in right field.
On a positive note, the Steelers have done wonderful in their new home at Heinz Field. Win or lose, Pittsburgh is a football town and the fans support them. Except if the player is the quarterback and the 'Stiller's' lost.
I wish the Pens luck. I'll watch them throughout the series as long as they aren't playing opposite a NASCAR race. I hope the winning streak continues because that new house has to be paid for.
The turn around started when the Pens were fortunate enough to draft the very young Syd the Kid; the youngest captain a team ever had. A majority of the Pens are still young pups. So here they are, playing for the major prize against guys they grew up worshipping. Some of these kids were born the year some of their opponents started their careers. That's got to leave them awestruck.
However the series ends, these kids have done well. Hopefully they'll be able to carry it in to the future. Afterall, the city of Pittsburgh is tearing down the arena and building them a new home. My biggest concern about this, though---Pittsburgh imploded Three Rivers Stadium and gave the Pirates a fancy, new house. The Pirates haven't had a winning season since. Not like the magic they had playing at Three Rivers. They're not pulling fans to the park. But then, they don't have Clemente in right field.
On a positive note, the Steelers have done wonderful in their new home at Heinz Field. Win or lose, Pittsburgh is a football town and the fans support them. Except if the player is the quarterback and the 'Stiller's' lost.
I wish the Pens luck. I'll watch them throughout the series as long as they aren't playing opposite a NASCAR race. I hope the winning streak continues because that new house has to be paid for.
Monday, April 14, 2008
A 'Bitter' Pennsylvanian
Obama's words.......“bitter” Pennsylvania voters “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Obama's sorry IF he offended us with his poor choice of words. How about he's sorry for being an elitist?
Pennsylvania's vote generally leans toward the Democrats. If jobs and industry are leaving, who is at fault?
Hopefully, when the citizens of Pennsylvania vote next Tuesday, Obama's insults won't be forgotten. On the other hand, is Hillary any better? The two of them should pave the way for Pennsylvania to finally choose a Republican in the fall.
On April 22, Pennsylvania will hold its primary election. According to Obama, I'll walk in to my polling place toting my gun and bible. After all, I am a frustrated, bitter voter. I do own a bible; don't own a gun even though the second amendment gives me the right to do so. And yes, I'm against illegal immigration and feel our borders should be more secure. I'm also against trading goods with countries that abuse workers and export products that endanger the lives and safety of consumers. Especially when our children are brokenhearted when their favorite toy is thrown out because it's a possible health threat.
Obama's sorry IF he offended us with his poor choice of words. How about he's sorry for being an elitist?
Pennsylvania's vote generally leans toward the Democrats. If jobs and industry are leaving, who is at fault?
Hopefully, when the citizens of Pennsylvania vote next Tuesday, Obama's insults won't be forgotten. On the other hand, is Hillary any better? The two of them should pave the way for Pennsylvania to finally choose a Republican in the fall.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
I'M A NEWBIE
Several months ago my daughter encouraged me to start my own blog. I signed on, set up an account and then.....did nothing. I was intimidated by the whole process. I read the blogs that were posted by my daughter, Chrissy, and her friends and knew I would never be able to write so eloquently. This evening I decided to just do it. I'm not out to win a Pulitzer, for Pete's sake.
I imagine there will be many posts about my grandkids--two adorable little munchkins. I'm in PA, they're in WI. I see them as often as possible and fit lots of loving and spoiling in each visit as I can. The time I spend with them is nothing but sheer joy!
It's not football season so I won't be going off right now about the 'Stillers' or 'Mountaineers'. Had this blog been up and running the end of the football season, I would have made some very unlady-like comments about Michigan and a 'so-called' West Virginia guy.
NASCAR and Dale, Jr. could come up. Sorry, still can't cheer his team mates on and I still get a thrill when #24 hits the wall.
It's just hard to say what may show up on here. Now that I've got this first post under my belt, maybe I won't be so hesitant in the future. So I'm wondering, all you experienced bloggers out there, did you feel intimidated at the beginning, too?
I imagine there will be many posts about my grandkids--two adorable little munchkins. I'm in PA, they're in WI. I see them as often as possible and fit lots of loving and spoiling in each visit as I can. The time I spend with them is nothing but sheer joy!
It's not football season so I won't be going off right now about the 'Stillers' or 'Mountaineers'. Had this blog been up and running the end of the football season, I would have made some very unlady-like comments about Michigan and a 'so-called' West Virginia guy.
NASCAR and Dale, Jr. could come up. Sorry, still can't cheer his team mates on and I still get a thrill when #24 hits the wall.
It's just hard to say what may show up on here. Now that I've got this first post under my belt, maybe I won't be so hesitant in the future. So I'm wondering, all you experienced bloggers out there, did you feel intimidated at the beginning, too?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)