Chapter 49
“I sent mom’s story to ‘The Ellen Show’. I had to pair it down by half because it could only have 1500 characters. Which was like a paragraph.”
‘It will be great! Good job!’
Rachel… “Awesome. Hopefully, it will work (Insert smiley face). She would love it.”
That conversation was at 7:30 this morning. Wouldn’t it be great if Ellen chose Laura to come to the show? I know this would be a dream come true. Not only for her, but for her girls, as well.
12:30 P.M. text from Amanda…
“Mom is sleeping. She is making lots of noises (Insert smiley face). She must be having some good dreams. Lol.”
‘I know!!! She makes TONS of noises when she sleeps. She did the night I was there. I asked her about it. She told me she is not dreaming. That’s just crazy!! Is anyone else there with you?’
“No, just me. We are waiting on Dr. M. to come in. He is supposed to be here anytime.”
‘I am finishing up a few things at work. I will come by when I am done.’
“Okay, sounds good.”
I went by to visit with Laura and Amanda. Laura was feeling much better than she did the day before. She wasn’t coughing like she was when I was there. I’m sure all the breathing treatments have helped. Other than a slight headache, she was feeling quite well.
The three of us talked a little about what lies ahead. Phone calls have been made and paperwork was waiting to be sent. Like she said… They are moving forward. I left as soon as family members showed up. I told them to keep me informed. Sometime during the afternoon, Dr. M. arrived. This is a rundown of what he said…
There are some new spots. They appear to be only in the right lung. The left lung is fine. His office has heard from MD Anderson. They requested his fax number to send a few things out. As soon as he receives the paperwork, he will complete it and fax it back in. From what Laura told me… Once MD Anderson receives all her cancer history, they will present it to a panel of their doctors to review. She could possibly have an answer and be accepted in as little as a few days. We all hope that will happen. We have heard some wonderful things about their facility.
MD Anderson is in Houston, Texas. According to ‘MDAnderson.org’ ~ The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the world’s most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education, and prevention. It is one of 51 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers today. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” survey has ranked MD Anderson the nation’s top hospital for cancer care. The institution has been named one of the nation’s top two hospitals for cancer care every year since the survey began in 1990. ~
Before I left the hospital, I told the girls about today’s donations. I told them I would send them a picture once I had everything sorted out.
5:42 P.M…
‘Hey Laura, check this out. You’re not going to believe it!’
I sent a handful of pictures of the items that we received. There was Chapstick and hand sanitizer, crackers, and mints. I must have counted at least forty packs of gum in one sack alone. I had a pile of books, some hard candy, gift bags, Kleenex, and warm socks. I forgot to mention to Laura, the two cases of water. I bet it took me at least three trips to bring everything in from the car. And just think, this was only our first day.
“This is awesome!”
‘I know!!’
“I am so surprised! Did we have a lot of our preschoolers bringing in stuff?”
‘No, not yet. This was stuff I got from the box by the upstairs office.’
“Wow!”
‘Has the attending doctor came in to see you yet?’
No answer…
7:00 P.M…
“Yes, he released me. I am home now.”
‘Well good. I’m glad you’re home.’
“Call me and I will tell you about my day.”
Tuesday, September 27, 2016. Text from Amanda…
“I received a $150.00 check from our old principal from elementary school last night.”
‘You did? Holy moly! Wow!!’
“Yes. I know. I need to get a tote today, to place in the lobby at church.”
‘I can get one. Amanda, this is so crazy!! I told your mom… “It looks like your purpose in life is to have a charity.” Clint has already researched some things. He couldn’t find anything like this. This could get big, real fast.’
‘Hey Laura, how are you feeling?’
“Good, thank you.”
‘I brought home another case of water, a big box of crackers and a bunch more gum.’
“That is awesome.”
‘I’m going to run by Target and see if they have one of those XL storage tubs. Do you think that would be okay for the church lobby?’
“Yes.”
‘The rate we are going, we may need two. Ha.’
Group text. Later that afternoon…
Laura… “How was today? Was Stacey surprised about her shower?”
Deb… ‘Yes, she was. She was funny. She tried Luisa’s guacamole dip. The mild one was gone so she had to get the hot one. Let’s just say… She about flipped out. I didn’t think it was that hot!’
Laura… “Lol. How funny. Glad she liked it. Wish I was there.”
Luisa… “You would have liked my guacamole, Laura. It wasn’t too hot. It had just a little kick to it. I wish you were here too. We miss you. I miss seeing you in the building.”
Laura… “I should be able to come back next week.”
Luisa… “We should be fine. We have it all figured out. You need to take care of yourself. I just left for the day. Kathy let me leave early because she has a board meeting tonight. I don’t have to close on Friday either, because she is leaving this Saturday for her mission trip.”
Deb… ‘That’s good.’
Luisa… “Yes. Her mission trip came up real fast. I thought it was still a week away. Kathy told me, you have Thursday and Friday all figured out.”
Deb… ‘Yeah, we were talking about it today. I thought we had another week too. I told her I could have Chase come help if I needed him to.’
Laura… “I’m confused. Sorry, Amanda and the kids were here. Is Chase working next week?”
Deb… ‘I didn’t realize Stacey was going to be gone Thursday and Friday, the same week Kathy is gone. I thought we had another week in-between. Chase is going to be available only if I need him. He can help get snacks or watch the rooms. I am going to put Stacey’s class in with mine, so I asked Chase if he would be available to help if we couldn’t find anyone else.’
Laura… “I should be able to help next week.”
Deb… ‘You need to get your strength back. You just got out of the hospital. And what if they want you to come to Houston next week??’
Laura… “I will get my strength back. I have a doctors’ appointment on Wednesday. I can go to it and come back. I will wear my mask. Anyway, we have the pumpkin patch on Monday and Tuesday. Those two days will be easy.”
Deb… ‘Yeah, I saw that on the calendar. I forgot that was next week too.’
Laura… “And no! I won’t be going to Houston next week.”
Luisa… “Laura, we have kids throwing up in the daycare. You need to make sure you don’t catch any of that.”
Laura… “I will be fine. I can still go to the pumpkin patch.”
Deb… ‘Ok, fine. I’m not arguing with you. You can go to the pumpkin patch. If you feel well. We’ll worry about the rest of the week later. I guess I can pull you around in a wagon. Haha.’
Laura… “Thanks. No to the wagon ride. Lol. I will be there. I will be walking around with you. Thank you.”
Wednesday, Sept. 28th…
“My mom is not feeling good today. She says she is coughing like she did two years ago. She is very frustrated.”
‘I haven’t heard from her today. Is your dad home with her?’
“Yes, he is there.”
‘I’ll check in and see if she wants company. Maybe I can get her out of the house to go get a drink or something.’
12:12 P.M…
‘Do you want to get out for a bit? We could go get a drink.’
“Nope. Not a good day. Lots of coughing. I can’t get any rest because of coughing so much. It’s just a day. I will be ok. Love you.”
‘It might help to get out. It’s your call.’
“Nope.”
12:20 P.M…
‘Amanda, I just texted her. She said, no.’
“Sorry.”
‘It’s just a rough day. She will be ok.’
“Yeah, it is.”
3:30 text from Luisa…
“Lisa is in the hospital. She went at 2:30 this morning. She thought it was a heart attack. It’s not. They are keeping her overnight for observation.”
‘Oh wow! What hospital? Do you know? I didn’t know she wasn’t here today. Kathy never said anything this morning.’
“I don’t know if Kathy knows. Lisa just texted me this afternoon. She sent me a text at 3 to tell me she wasn’t coming in tomorrow. She is at Centerpoint, room 503.”
‘I have to run to the Post Office. I will go by and check on her when I’m done.’
“Ok. I will try to go after work.”
My phone goes off again. This time it was Laura. She was answering a text I sent a few hours ago. I asked her how she was feeling and just now I get an answer. I get a carbon copy answer of a text she sent before.
“Not a good day. Lots of coughing. I can’t get any rest because of coughing. I will be ok. It’s just a day. Just don’t feel like talking.”
‘Laura, did you listen to my voicemail?’
“No. Why? What’s going on?”
‘Go listen. I’m driving.’
“It must not have come through. I can’t find it. You are going to have to text me.”
‘Give me a minute. Let me find a place to pull over.’
‘Okay. Lisa is in the hospital. She thought she was having a heart attack. Luisa said they are keeping her overnight. I’m going over to check on her.’
“Ok. That’s not good. Do they know what is wrong with her? I feel so sorry for her. I feel for her.”
‘I don’t know.’
“Let me know what you find out.”
Text to Laura and Luisa…
‘I just got home from seeing Lisa. I only stayed a short while since she had family there. She did not have a heart attack. Her enzymes were up which indicated a heart attack, but the tests have shown no blockages or attack. They did a CT scan and echo test. Now waiting on those results. They want to see if there is a blood clot in her lungs or a problem with her aortic valve. It could also be a virus causing this. She said, she went by ambulance late last night. That is all I know for now. She looked good.’
Laura… “That’s good. Thanks for the update. I hope everything is ok. Who worked in her room today?”
Deb… ‘One of the teenagers. I didn’t even know she was gone. I never went upstairs today. I guess she called in sick and didn’t really tell anyone what was going on until this afternoon. Kathy texted me and told me after Luisa did.”
Laura… “Ok.”
Deb… ‘Oh, and her potassium was low. Does that remind you of anyone, LAURA??
Laura… “Lol. You’re funny. Thanks for the update. I hope she is ok.”
Luisa… “Laura, last week was bad and this week hasn’t been any better. Kristina is gone because her grandmother passed away and now Lisa is gone. It’s been a rough week around here and it’s only Wednesday. I brought in a teenager to cover Lisa’s room and put Rebecca in Kristina’s. I was by myself in the baby room. Tomorrow, both will be gone.”
Laura… “Use Becky. Send the daycare pre-k kids downstairs with Deb. We can divide the kids up and put some in with Stacey. Can anyone come in at noon? What do you girls, think?”
Deb… ‘Luisa, bring all of Becky’s class downstairs. Stacey and I will take them.’
Laura… “That sounds like a good plan.”
Deb… ‘I think we lost Luisa (Insert laughing emoji). Hey, by the way, I finished Stacey’s poem. Do you want to read it?’
Laura… “Sure.”
Deb… ‘I had a hard time ending it. Hold on and I will send it. Be honest and tell me what you think.’
Laura… “It’s so good. Don’t change a thing.”
Deb… ‘Thanks. I have to print it out and frame it. I think I am going to give it to her on Friday.’
Laura… “You are so good with words. It sounds so good. It’s perfect for Stacey.”
Luisa… “Hey Debbie, I like the poem. It’s really nice. I didn’t know you did that.”
Deb… ‘Thanks. I used to write a poem for all my friends who were getting married. I wrote one for Rachel and one for Brandi. It has been 16 years since I have written one.’
Luisa… “That is awesome. It is really good.”
9:30 P.M…
‘Hey Laura, I checked in with Lisa. All the tests came back good. She hasn’t seen the doctor yet but will probably get to go home sometime tomorrow.’
“That’s good news. Thank you.”
Thursday, September 29th, 9:57 A.M…
“Hi Deb, how’s it going today?”
‘Not too good. One boy missed and peed ON his pants, not IN his pants, and another pooped IN his. This all happened at the same time. Goody.’
“Oh boy. I am sorry. Do you have time to come by today?”
‘Yeah, I can. I will let you know when I leave.”
“Okay, thanks.”
‘I’m finished now. I will be leaving in a minute. Is now a good time to come by?’
“Yes. I could use a drink.”
‘What kind? Do you need any food?’
“Unsweet tea. No, I have already eaten.”
‘Okay, I will see you in a minute.’
I went by Laura’s house. We talked and visited for about an hour. I can’t tell you everything we talked about because I honestly don’t remember. I pieced together my texts between Luisa and I, and partially remembered the reason for the visit. Laura wanted to know what my opinion was about her going to MD Anderson. I remember telling her she should try it. They are one of the best. I told her to do what she had peace about and we would support her all the way.
Here was a funny thing she said to me. I texted it to Luisa…
‘Laura doesn’t want anyone to know she might get into MD Anderson. I’m over at her house now. I don’t know why she doesn’t want anyone to know.’
I thought everyone knew this. I remember her telling everyone. Maybe she feels it’s going to happen much sooner than she had planned. I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. Like I said many times before… Ok, Laura, it’s your call.
Text from Amanda…
“Have you talked to my mom today?”
‘I’m talking to her now. I’m at her house.’
“Good. I was just checking to see how her day was going.”
‘She is much better.’
“Ok. Sounds good. I have a box full of goodies from another cancer patient from my work.”
‘Really? Wow! That’s great!! I will send you a pic of what I brought home today. I brought home a lot.’
I left Laura’s house, went home, and unloaded my Jeep. I couldn’t believe how many donations we got this time. The entire back end of my Jeep was full. I had a bag full of Kleenex, another full of crackers, a bag full of mints and another full of gum. I brought home three more cases of water and a dozen or more hand sanitizers and lotions. I don’t have the original picture to show you all, but I will share what I have from the copies of these texts. Please understand, the picture is not the best.
‘Laura, check out today’s haul…’
“Wow! That is awesome!”
‘This has got to make you feel so good inside.’
“Yes, it does. As a matter of fact, overwhelmed.”
‘Me too! This is just from our first week. I’m going to have to get some more tubs to put this stuff in.’
“I can see what I have. Let me look. That will give me something to do tomorrow.”
‘I feel we need to organize it. I can take care of it. Don’t worry about it. I don’t want you to get rundown.’
“It’s fine. Everything is fine. I appreciate all you are doing.”
‘I guess I need to get busy on writing that book, so we can put some in our care bags.’
“Yes, you do.”
‘I just checked in again with Lisa. They did find pneumonia in her left lung. They said, it’s possible the coughing from the pneumonia caused the blood vessels in her heart area to spasm. They are referring to it as a mild cardiac event.’
“Wow. Glad she is ok.”
A few hours later…
“Can you do me a favor?”
‘OK.’
“I need you to come by and get my driver’s license and insurance card, and fax them to MD Anderson. Luisa can help you tomorrow. She can get in the office to do it. Sorry, I should have given it to you today. I forgot.”
‘I’ll have to come and get it in the morning. Clint and I are at a concert.’
“Oh, I forgot. You two are concert going people. Lol.”
‘I guess so. Do you want me to come by in the morning? You can fax stuff from the library or the grocery store. I have done it before. HyVee has a fax machine.’
“I can do that. Who are you seeing in concert?”
‘Alabama. It’s kind of funny, the only other time I have seen them was with my friend, Teresa. Sure makes my heart heavy. We used to listen to them all the time.’
“Your friend is right there with you. Enjoy your night.”
Thirty minutes later…
“O pgtj”
“Forget that. I was trying to delete.”
‘You are deleting my messages?? Haha.’
“No. Just finger happy, I guess. Lol. I did it by accident.”
‘My phone storage is almost full because I haven’t deleted anything in months.’
“You can delete, if you want.”
‘I can??’
“No! Wait. That’s our book!!”
‘I’m just teasing, Laura. Have a good night.’
Friday’s text…
“Everyone has received the same text, so you know.”
‘Okay…’
“I kept it short. I told them David and I talked, and we are sending paperwork off to MD Anderson in Houston. There isn’t much they can do for me here. I feel this is the best decision right now. I need to see what they have to offer. Do you want to do lunch today? I asked Luisa too.”
‘Sure.’
“What sounds good? 64th Street or Chipotle?”
‘You pick.’
“Well, since I don’t know 64th Street… Lol. How about Chipotle?”
‘Hahaha! What if I want to try 64th St. I have never been there.’
“Lol. Me neither.”
We went to our lunch. Luisa never made it. We waited as long as we could. Laura was back to her old self. And that was good. A few days ago, she didn’t feel like talking. Today, you could hardly get a word in. Our conversation continued into the night. She started texting me a little before 5 and ended somewhere close to 10. Most of our conversation was about nothing. Then, she slipped in something that was more than nothing. I guess that explains what’s she’s been thinking about…
“I will be at work next week. We are all going to have a good week. I need to come up with some uplifting things. I want this week to be relaxed and fun.”
‘I’m glad you’re feeling better. This Friday was a whole lot better than last Friday. Don’t you think?’
“Yes, it was. Thanks for covering for me this week.”
‘Sure, not a problem.’
“I just wrote down things that I need to do. In case something happens. I have a positive attitude.”
‘What does that mean? Are you talking about work?’
“No. My life.”
‘Why are you doing that? Quit!’
“Just need to.”
‘I understand. But quit. You’re going to be fine.’
“I know I am.”
‘You better. People need you to be around.’
“I am here. And I am resting.”
‘We’re going to miss you when you go to Houston. I think I will start calling you ‘Tex’. Are you okay with that?’
“I will miss all of you, as well. Sure. Lol.”
‘I read a quote tonight on someone’s Facebook page. I keep thinking about it. It said something like… The things you enjoy and love deeply in life. That stuff never goes away. It becomes a part of you. I want to grasp onto those things in my life, not all the stress and bad.’
“Me too.”
‘I can’t believe our Stacey is getting married next week. I would probably cry if I was there. We got into a deep conversation the other night. We talked about the things we did when we were young. I love that girl!’
“Me too. Don’t worry, you will be there by iPhone.”
‘Be sure the phone is charged up.’
“We will.”
‘Look at this quote. I just saw it. ~ Deep conversations with the right people are priceless. ~ Author unknown.’
“That is so true.”
‘You’re going to be ok, Laura. This place in Houston is going to fix you up. I’m choosing to believe that.’