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How Do You Want Her To Die?: Heather Lindsay's Story, Conclusion (This one is for you, Patricia Eichler!) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Monday, March 8, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
The little baby doctors feared would never survive her bout with Epstein's Anomaly is going home from the hospital, much to the delight of her mother.
Call it a Miracle, but the baby I see now is so much unlike the little girl I had grown accustomed to seeing during her long and torturous tenure spent in the hospital, fighting for her tiny life. The frightening images of a little baby girl covered with a sea of tubes and monitors and wires is now a thing of the past; and now I see a little girl whose once-blue skin now shines pinkily with health, and she smiles or laughs and reaches out her chubby arms whenever she sees me. She is no longer having so many problems with her breathing, and she is now breathing on her own, without ANY difficulty whatsoever! Her little heart, once damaged by a severe and rare heart defect is now about resolved; and it is now healing on its own, thanks to the lifesaving skills and the neverending dedication of concerned docors and nurses who at one time were ready to pronounce her as a "hopeless case" and were certain that she would die. She will continue to need medication prior to any surgical procedures she may face in the future or if she is sick; but other than that, doctors really don't see any added concern. She will also need monthly checkups with the heart specialist, to make sure that her heart is beating normally, and if any problems DO come up, he can then help her as needed (but I am hopeful that this WON'T happen!). In addition, she will need to be on supplimental oxygen until her lungs get stronger and until her strength and reserve improve. Right now she is probably quite vulnerable to any germ that may come her way, and if she should get sick, it may spell disaster for her. She is still not fully recovered yet, and this is one reason why she must use oxygen for the time being.
And perhaps the BEST news of all: my baby girl, now just over four months old, is now ready to GO HOME! She is being released from the hospital tomorrow, and everyone is so excited and pleased at how far she has come in such a short time. Babies who have this problem usually don't make it, but thanks to the many concerned prayers and support from friends and well-wishers, this little infant with the huge, bright eyes and a halo of curly blonde hair is now ready to go home! HOME. What a wonderful word! To think that MY infant daughter, who was once near death, will soon be on her way home to continue her amazing recovery is nothing short of miraculous, and to me it doesn't even seem possible! I keep thinking that this is all but a dream, that i will wake up only to find my daughter back on the tubes, and once again fighting for every ounce of her life; but I pinch myself, and I am elated at the sight of my now-healthy little girl who looks at me with such love and joy in her tender face! She knows that she is feeling better, and she is much happier; and her personality is quickly becoming evident each passing day. It doesn't seem possible, but she is a very happy baby who is quick to smile at the sight of me, and she wants nothing more than to eat or sleep, two things she was denied ever since a few days after her birth, when she first became sick. She also cries and lets me know if she is hungry, wet, dirty, and tired, and I am gradually learning the sounds of her cries and how to respond to each one.
To hear her sweet voice reaching my ears causes my eyes to fill because for so many long weeks all she did was lie there in silence or gasping for every breath as she fought to stay alive; and now she is starting to act more like a normal baby and less like a baby who is in trouble and in dire need of medical help as soon as possible.
I called my mother in Baltimore today, to tell her the news, and she was thrilled beyond belief. I also called my sisters, and the first thing they told me was that as soon as we got off the phone, they were going to make arrangements to come to Nashville, Tennessee, so they could see me and also see Heather Lindsay. I told them that Heather was being released from the hospital tomorrow, but they still insisted on coming; so I am now currently awaiting the phone to ring; chances are, it will be either a telemarketer calling again, or Mother, or my sisters with the flight information and stuff.
I am still at the hospital, but I did get home a few days ago, although briefly, and I spent the several hours I was at home cleaning up as best as I could. I have been coming to the hospital daily to see Heather, and leaving to go back home to get some sleep or a change of clothes. But I got tired of seeing the disaster that was my house, and I finally buckled down a few days ago and spent several hours working my tail off, trying to get the house in order, to get it ready for the day when Heather would be released from the hospital; but I still am not finished. Still have a bit to do yet before my house is ALL done! Now that day is almost upon us, and in 24 short, glorious hours, I will be bringing Heather HOME!! (She will be on supplimental oxygen for a time, by way of little prongs inserted in her nostrils, just to help support her breathing, but hopefully that won't be TOO long. Just to get her lungs up to speed and her strength up is why she will need the oxygen; but I am sure that once she is stronger, her lungs should improve, and then she will be totally without oxygen!) Now I will have to go back home later tonight, after visiting hours are over, to finish; as I am now going to bring my baby HOME from the hospital!
Whoops! There's the phone! Bet it's Mother or my sisters Amy or Tina calling; have to let you go for now! I will write again soon; you haven't heard the last from ME, Hillary Lyne'a McCabe, and her daughter, Heather Lyndsay!!
I'm glad all is going well with this little baby and that she and baby will soon be going home. Thank you for the story, Karen. It great to have stories that turn out well dedicated to you.
When two men hit the reset button and decide to go out looking for the good in the world, they not only find it but also a lot more.
P.S. The title is listed on Amazon under Look for Something Good by Robert Drews (not by Robert H. Drews)
