Heather the Victorious Protector AKA tattle teller

               First, I want to say Happy Birthday to one of the sweetest 9 year olds, Elise Lane. I’m so proud of the little lady that you are becoming and can’t wait to visit you at your new home! Keep up with the recorder!  I love and miss you girl, there is a certain pic I'm looking for you right now to put on here. It is also my cousin John Tyndall’s , ummm, birthday today, ok 32^nd! Johnny and I had tons of fun together along with his big sister Shanna, as kids running around at their house and our Nan and Pop’s.  Ohhhh, some fun memories of Easter egg hunts, knocking over huge ant hills, getting hurt and healing together, Disney world, the beach, smoke in our eyes, couch forts , planning, and sneaking, throwing cigarettes,  and loving life! Happy Birthday!

1982 maybe, me and Johnny, what is on my face?

                The more I start to come around from the whole relapses, being in the hospital, meds, different chemo, change in routine again, etc, the more and more I realize how out of it I was and how much I still do not remember. I feel  like someone with dementia that is just realized that I had a bout of it and try to figure out what happen to that time. Who gave me this cute pin that says hope, I don’t remember, what day did I go back to the hospital, I don’t know, did I start that med during the hospital stay or after, heck is this the med I should be taking. It’s a very daunting feeling to lose time and memories. I’d liked to think that some of my brain cells are just suspended and will come back like before, but as days turns to weeks I think I got a good blow to the IQ. I still think I’m smarter than the average bear so that’s good. I had to accept a couple of things this week… that I will probably never model again unless I luck out with some catalog work in my 40’s/50’s…… and that going back to school for anything very difficult such as medical school one day might be off the books. Who am I? As God continues to mold me I continue to add to the answer to that question. Today, I’m Heather the victorious protector over the employees at Emory.  Let me start from the beginning, of yesterday that is.

2008 I love the old pin up styles! 

               You know that when you hit the notoriously elusive skunk with you Poppa Bill’s sweet black Cadillac, at 5:20 am on the way to Emory, it is going to be an interesting day. When I say “you” I mean Jonathan, he hit the poor thing, however, being his partner in crime I agree with his decision to straddle instead of zig. At that moment you realize you don’t know what the intake is set on, how to change it, or even where it is at and of course you didn’t read the manual because who actually does that on a borrowed car or even your own? We could defiantly smell it but it only hit the bottom of the car and not the full force of a direct hit, as my Poppa said happened to him when we called to let him know. He said that he even had to get the seats taken out of the car to be cleaned! They are actually sweet animals that some have had for pets, anal glands removed of course. I wouldn't mind a vintage skunk hat. Should have picked that one up!

                    We were now awake after the incident and headed down the dark empty road pretending we were rich enough to own the car we just abused.  Like most bumps in the road now, we don’t sweat the small stuff as we used too. For some reason we have a huge amount of Panara Bread gift cards, not that we don’t like Panara, I’ve just never been able to go into a place like that with some healthy food and fancy coffees and think “I can get whatever I want, I could get two, I could try something and not like it and it doesn’t matter, and for lunch I’m going to stop back by and try that, ooo, maybe I should bring so and so this today.” It was quite the excitement for this girl. Jonathan I arrive early to the clinic for the appointment and sat down for what should be a short appointment. Dr. Khoury ended up running late. Next thing you know… Jonathan and I both are sick at our tummy’s from either nerves or the coffee, I’m scheduled for some stitches for my line with very rude radiology, and an LP with chemo. They didn’t find anything wrong really to decide to necessarily do all that yesterday but I have been having a lot of headaches and it was something that needed to be done weeks ago and I’m needing the stitches in my new line to make it more secure. Ended up that Jessica would be able to do the LP, and believe me, she is the best there and I want Jessica!!  My appointment wasn’t going to be till 12:30, so I had some time to waste, more wasting time, but then again I know someone that said with God there is no waste and I can really see how he worked yesterday.

                 My insurance is amazing with wigs, they are free and unlimited. I decided to see if the lady at the boutique could work me in. It ended up that she could, which is rare, and I was off to discover a new wig. I like it a lot and I also got it in another color. It’s kind of the 70’s shag hairstyle I was working on before dying my hair blue and shaving it off.  Elizabeth was wonderful and gave me a lot of tips and ideas.  I was pittling around looking at the books in the boutique after the appointment, when this obviously upset and pissy woman storms into there asked the receptionist about her husbands sock order (yes, just compression hose people), and she is told that the shipment came in wrong and they should have them next week, so she insisted on going to see the lady I just had an appointment with. I was the only other person besides her, the employee, and the mean lady who knew or heard what happen when she harassed, yelled, and fussed at her about the sock order. I was so shocked at what I was hearing that I think my mouth just hung open as I obvious had a choice to walk away with a “none of my business attitude” or “I’m going to witness and assist attitude”. Well the choice was made for me because I couldn’t move. The lady finished her off with the last bite saying she would be back later, left the staff crying, and started toward the door. It’s one of those moments you look back and think 'I should have punched her in the nose', or said something, or tripped her….. or something really crazy like start praying out loud for her and chase her out the door yelling “be gone Satan, into those pigs over the cliff!” Nope, just should there and looked at her as she walked by then yelled to the staff, I’m so sorry!!! She came out upset and I opened my hugs and just hugged for a good minute. We told the other employee what happened and I started to try and pull myself together  for my next move. I added to my bag a wig and two free hats, if they had had a Ty skunk, I would have put it on my shoulder.

My button says "Fighting Cancer and still Fabulous " with a pic of a pin up girl.

                         I decided to wear my wig for a while as I would see friends and staff that have become my friends. I went to the café to order lunch for Danielle and me and was going to take it down and hang out with her during her appointment and wait on mine. It’s the only place the food is decent right there and the manager is always so happy, he makes me smiles as he works like a busy bee.  I was still swelling from the boutique episode,  when I decided to take a swift left off the elevator to talk to the receptionist Ann. I told her a little about what happen and that I wanted to make a report of some kind. She sent for Harold, a young guy who recently took this position who was so nice and quite handsome, to speak with me. I let him know what happen and that the lady said she would be coming back and that I felt that she should not be able to use the boutique, that she could get her damn socks somewhere else. He thanked me and later I got an email from the employee which makes me feel that hitting a skunk first thing in the morning landed me in the right place at the right time.

“Hi Heather,

After you left, Harold came to see me and said that you had approached him about witnessing the patient berate me. He took a report and will add it to the patient information, sadly she and her husband also are employees here at Emory. She did come back as promised and I sent her to my manager for resolution which seemed to work out. Then I came into my office and saw the inspirational note and gift you left for me.  That made a big impact on my state of mind. Your passionate words went straight to my heart. Thank you for offering your hug to me at that time, and praying for my well being. I appreciate your kindness and will remember it always.

Warmest Regards, the boutique lady.”

I won’t be so nice if that ever happens again, I’m a bulldog, gurrrrrrr.

                 Feeling chivalry, I marched into the infusion center like I owned the place, right through the doors, to find Danielle and receive my medal of tattle telling, instead I see Jonathan looking for me and apparently Danielle didn’t hit anything this morning, and had just left. Sad not to have seen Jonathan in his suit, but glad to have someone to watch over me now, we go back up to the café to  eat the lunch I just bought, except we had to swap. We had a nice time talking, eating, and not taking our time. We decided to go to the store to see if I could find something for you know who, and added a prescription and some gloves to the rolling circus, still wearing my wig while I had a hot flash.

                 Appointment time finally arrives only to find out that not only do I need platelets now but that my LP and radiology appointment had been moved to earlier and no could or  did let me know. More waiting… eat a snack, flip through the mags, Jonathan goes for a walk, I get a warm blanket and listen to the man near me snoring.  Jessica did a great job with the LP and I’m thinking, there is chemo going directly to my brain right now…. This can’t be right. We get through that and the platelets and leave the exact time that we try to avoid by getting to Emory at 7 am. Traffic is a horrible thing, and our HOV lane is all messed up now. Thanks to the gift card we stop and get some yummy smoothies.

      

                      We made home around 7 or so just in time to visit with mom and Evalyn a little while before bedtime. My mom is a wonderful grandma. Evalyn just loves playing with her and they might be just as silly. I watched my mom play with Evalyn on Thursday, running back in forth in front of the swing, as Evalyn’s laughter filled 3 back yards. We are so lucky that her cancer was caught early last year and that she is cancer free. Praise the Lord! We have had a lot of kindness this week with flexibly with work, help from 3 sets of grandparents, a new sitter and friend, food, borrowed cars, rides, garden work, and we are truly thankful. Evalyn was fighting a cold and we hope that she has won! 

Evalyn reminds us to look at the beautiful world around us.  Her favorite thing to do right now.... collect acorns.