Teri needs two good days in a row!
After a great day of firsts, she developed abdominal pains that kept her up at night. Last night while sleeping with her legs wrapped, she popped up four new painful blisters on her left leg from the persisting lymphedema (swelling) in her legs. So, part of today’s Day Hospital visit was to see a Wound Care nurse who popped them (pain) and encased her whole leg in dressings and pressure stockings. Also, she had her 6th (I think) abdominal paracentesis (to withdraw fluid from her abdomen through a large needle) under ultrasound guidance. They withdrew 3.7L = 8.14 lbs which is like removing the weight equivalent of a large newborn. Whoa.
I noticed a twinge of pain in my back today and asked myself what I did differently yesterday. I then realized I had lugged 16 lbs of wriggling Jackmeister outside to spot his first horse.
Rachel and Jack drove by themselves making only two stops in 8 hours through the bumper cars of Chicago to arrive yesterday.
Jack remains, as Teri said again tonight, the ‘light of my life’. I have been totally displaced and replaced. He wriggles, he scoots, he rolls, he grabs, he tastes, he chews, he squeals, he smiles, he makes brrrrrrrrr sounds on your skin and gives love bites, he pats your back, he gives you a big wet smooshy one (how can I compete with THAT) … he brings delight and light to all of us, especially to grandmother Teresa. And, we marvel at how good and natural a mother Rachel is.
Big Ben’s big news
Ben calls Teri daily on his way home from work.
“Hi Mom, how are you? I have some news for you.”
“What is it? “
“You have to guess.”
[I don’t want to jinx anything by mentioning medical school that I’ve been waiting so patiently to hear about, but, oh well … here goes.]
“It’s not medical school is it?”
With a distinct twinkle, “Yes, I was accepted – I just received an e-mail at noon!”
[Sobbing with joy, completely speechless, long .................................. pause]
“Which school?”
“You have to guess.”
“Kansas?”
“No.”
“Cincinnati?”
“No.”
“Which was the other one?”
“Michigan State.”
“Where is that?”
“East Lansing.”
[More sobbing.]
And so there you have it, the end and the beginning of Ben’s story.
After a degree in sociology at Santa Cruz, a year in China teaching English, two months tossing pizzas, four exhilarating months in Ecuador, one serious life-changing bus accident, travels to the Amazon and Galapagos, one unhappy year in a post-baccalaureate pre-med program and doing research on childhood obesity in Chicago, three intense years completing his other science requirements in San Francisco while working as a clinical research coordinator (Crohn’s disease) and volunteering in the S.F. General Emergency Room, one serious bike accident later, and a final uphill climb over a 40:1 applicant:matriculant peak … finding your mojo, hard work, persistence, maturity and miracles come together.
This was 2nd (to witnessing Jack’s birth) on Teri’s bucket list.
Kudos, Ben.
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