M'Kaya's best friend lets us know what has been up with her. (They both used to work at the World Trade Centers prior to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and they have been the best of friends since.) She moved away from New York City after the attacks, and she now lives in Syracuse with her grandmother, Rose. M'Kaya and her husband, Franklin, still live in New York City, New York, but for a while, they were staying with M'Kaya's mother in Nashville, Tennessee, but after M'Kaya got well from a rare and severe bacterial infection known as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease (it turned out that she lost one of her legs), she and her husband, Franklin, moved back to New York City.
Hi. This is Wendie Jo Malick writing.
I am presently at the hospital, awaiting to get my dialysis treatment. I have been on dialysis ever since I was last in the hospital; my kidneys threatened to shut down on me, and I became very sick, as a result. I am still not doing well, but I AM doing a TAD bit better than I was.
These dialysis treatments take so much out of me. Afterwards I am left weakened and nauseated, and it saps my strength. Thank GOD I have a new wheelchair; there is NO WAY I can try to walk on my crutches after having a dialysis treatment! Then, also, if that isn't bad enough, I am hungry, but I can't eat, because whenever I smell food after a treatment, it is all I can do to keep from throwing up! I am on so many pills and medications now (mostly antibiotics), it's a wonder I DON'T rattle!
I also have been having problems with bedsores, and my liver and my stomach have been bothering me, too. So it has NOT been a good year AT all for me. I have lost so much weight I look like a skeleton, and now, whenever people see me, they think I have AIDS. I really look BAD! I am frightfully skinny, and I am pale, and I am so weak it's NOT funny! I have either been stuck in the house or in our out of the hospital (MOSTLY in, it seems like as of late!), and I haven't been able to see M'Kaya or Franklin since this past September 11, which was when I last saw them; but then they left early because M'KAYA decides to go into LABOR during the terrorist attack anniversary ceremonies, and then, she goes to the hospital, only to pop out a baby later that night. And get this: she had a baby boy, weighing 9 pounds, 11 ounces, he was born at 9:11 at night--ON September 11, 2003! Now, is that FREAKY, or WHAT?? I have been meaning to go and visit M'Kaya and Franklin, but I have been so sick I haven't been able to. It seems all I have been doing lately is fighting kidney infections, going to doctors' offices, OR going into the hospital; and now, since my stupid kidneys TRIED to fail on me, I am stuck on DIALYSIS, and I feel (and LOOK) like HELL!
Oh, crap, they just called my name. Gotta go; write later when I am done (that is, IF I have the strength!)...
~Wendie.
(Later on)
This is Wendie again. I am back, but now I am home, stuck in bed. I threw up when I went to the Golden Corral; tried to eat a little something, but it didn't agree with me, and the buffet decided to take a return trip. I know I grossed out a few people because I threw up right by The Sweet Spot; all the smells of the cakes decided to throw my stomach into reverse, and I lost my darn buffet! There goes $6.99 wasted...I was SO mad!!...
I am TRYING not to think about it, but I have such a rotten taste in my mouth right now, and my stomach is still rather unhappy with me. I KNOW I HAVE to eat, to try to help my kidneys or keep my strength up, but it sure is hard when I feel so pukey a lot of the time! Now, whenever I smell food, it mostly nauseates me, and I just can't handle it!
Talked to Franklin and M'Kaya a bit ago; they are going to drive to Syracuse to see me, so I can meet the baby. They are coming for Thanksgiving on Thursday, but right now I don't WANT to think about turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, or NOTHING! My tummy is still too upset, and I am afraid that if I think of food any more, I am going to *urpse* all over, and that is one thing I DON'T want to do! No siree! But it WILL be nice to see Frank and M'Kaya again, and I am really looking forward to meeting little baby Stefan! It turns out that baby Stefan was sick, too: he was in the hospital for a week because he had some serious respiratory virus that caused him to stop breathing, but then he got some oxygen, and now he seems to have recovered from his illness. But he is on antibiotics, and I hear he is pretty cranky, poor little guy.
Also talked to Louisiana Sandusky back in Tennessee (she is good friends with M'Kaya, and she and her husband, Bill, have a bunch of adopted kids with disabilities; and they are about as remarkable of a family I have EVER seen!), and she is enjoying her time off from work. She is off for a week, and she is getting ready for Thanksgiving herself. She has sisters from Texas and Louisiana coming up to Nashville, and they are going to spend the holidays together. She sounds happy and in a good mood, and she was glad to hear I was out of the hospital, but she said she would put me back on the prayer chain at her church, which I was happy to hear; I can use ALL the prayers I can POSSIBLY get! Her kids are out of school from Thursday until the following Tuesday, so I KNOW that they will probably be driving her crazy! I STILL can't fathom being a parent to THAT many kids without wanting to KILL one or two...that would drive me absolutely up the WALL if I had THAT many kids running around! LOL
Well, it is about time for me to take my next round of meds, so I guess I had better close up shop. I will write again when I am feeling more like myself. HOPEFULLY that will be SOON; I HATE being so sick all of the time!
ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww grooooossssss...poor wendie! poor restaurant patrons! *cringe* HATE it when people do that...get sick right in the middle of a restaurant...and i know they don't mean to and get so embarrassed.
keep us up to date on wendie--sounds like a woman who needs love and support!
(((HUGS))) and love,
karla. *GREAT story, BTW--got caught up in it and would like to read more about her*
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