Back From UCLA

I made it back from my trip to see Emily yesterday. It was a good weekend, but not great. The drive over was a little tough but I needed the time to think. I did have a little trouble finding the hospital once I got to the general area. When I got to Emily’s room she was feeling pretty down and was really uncomfortable. She was very tired and stressed. After about and hour of crying she started to feel better.

On Saturday they discovered that some of her discomfort was from a mild infection and they quickly treated it. This really helped her feel better and by the end of the day we were all laughing and joking. It was a good day. Sunday was also a good day but the strain of waiting was starting to come back. She really did not like it when we had to leave at the end of each day.

We watched a lot of TV over the weekend. This is about the only thing that she can do right now. She has IVs in both arms and this makes it tough to do much of anything. The ICU is not really setup for comfort as much as for medical necessity. It is strange to see her watching so much TV because it has never been her thing. Do what you have to do to get through the day.

UCLA Medical Center is a very scary place. It is huge! It is old! It smells funny. It is definitely an inspiration for those scary hospital movies. The people are amazing. They really know what they are doing and they work very hard. Needless to say, there are a lot of very sick people there and the staff is always on the move. I am more convinced than ever that Emily is in the best possible place.

Kathy now has her cell phone, which has been a great comfort. I want to say a special thanks to Daniel Garcia at Verizon Wireless for helping us get these phones. I just know that the call will come while Kathy is away from the hospital – these could literally be lifesavers! Thank you.

Kathy has a room at the Ronald McDonald House. It is a long way from UCLA but there is a bus line that goes straight to the campus, so it will be fine. The RMH is like a cheap motel. It is not fancy. There is no cleaning crew; each family is responsible for washing their own linins and cleaning the room. They have a communal kitchen were a family can cook meals and store food. They have a secured parking garage and you can’t get into the building without a room key. The beds are terrible and the plumbing has problems. There is a leaking ceiling outside Kathy’s room. All in all it is one of the best places I have ever stayed. Please, EVERY time you go to McDonald’s put some change in the RMH collection box. This is a great place that is doing excellent work.

There is so much more to say but it is all jumbled up in my head. The stress and pressure is incredible and I can’t even imagine how it is for Emily. She is doing good and misses everyone. She sends her thanks to everyone who has expressed support. Thank you all!

More later….