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Welcome To Alaska, Or: The Sanduskys Have Landed! (By Louisiana) ~Part One~ by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
The Sanduskys are finally in Alaska, but things didn't go exactly as they had planned, for Bill suffers an asthma attack. The Sanduskys are now sitting in a hospital emergency room waiting area while the father, Bill, undergoes emergency treatment for an acute asthmatic attack.
We are finally in Alaska, and Alaska is as beautiful as we were told it would be; but I am afraid that our sightseeing will have to be put on hold for a little while. You see, we are at the emergency room at Anchorage Medical Center, and we are awaiting word about Bill, my husband.
Bill was wheezing when he woke up this morning, but he assured us that he would be fine; but as time went on, it was apparent that he was suffering from a rather severe asthma attack; and as time went on, his breathing became worse, and his color turned poor; so we had no choice BUT to get to the nearest emergency room! Bill was soon gasping for breath, and we had to get him to the E.R., or he would only get worse; and if the asthma attack wasn't treated, he could stop breathing; so we had to get him to an emergency care facility as quickly as possible. Bill is now in the E.R., getting treatment, and I am sitting in the waiting room, with Johnny and Ronee' (and also Jenna and Michael), waiting for any word about Bill. Johnny and Ronee' are understandably upset: Ronee' is in tears, and Johnny isn't far behind. I keep trying to reassure them that daddy will be okay, and hopefully the medicine (and oxygen) they are giving him at the present time will ease his breathing; and we should be leaving within an hour or two; and we can officially start our vacation here in Alaska. But inside, I am just as worried as the kids are, and I say a silent prayer to God, asking Him to help my husband, and to ease his breathing. I hope he won't have to be admitted to the hospital, especially since we just arrived into Alaska not even a day ago; this would NOT be the best way to start off our Alaskan Adventure!...
Asthma. How well do I know that word. Such an ugly, cold, unforgiving word. And a nightmare for those who are exposed to its ugly and unpredictable nature! My daughter, Ronee', has severe allergies and asthma, and so I am very familiar with asthma and what it can do to a person stricken down with it. Ronee' has spent plenty of time in a hospital emergency room herself, gasping for her every breath, and her skin turning blue from a lack of oxygen; and there have been times where her asthma had gotten so bad she had stopped breathing and had to be revived by me or by paramedics. She has severe allergies to penicillin (and all cillins), bee/wasp/ant stings, and all nuts; if she is exposed to any of these materials, she can become sick in a matter of moments, and if she doesn't get the needed help to ease her breathing, she can collapse and possibly die in only minutes. She used to be allergic to just about everything under the sun; but as she gets older, she has outgrown MOST of her allergies (thank GOD!), but she still has to take her inhalers and her breathing treatments every day (and especially on days where the pollen count is high), and she has to be extremely careful in not to get into contact with nuts, bees/wasps/hornets/ants (fire ants), or penicillin, or she can be in serious trouble.
Not only Ronee' has asthma: so do my other daughters Loueva, LaVella, and Deborah, and so does my husband Bill, and so does my son Kwame'. They have been to the emergency room too for their breathing; so I have spent many an hour whiling away my time in the emergency room waiting area while my family members undergo emergency treatment.
I am trying to be positive about Bill and his situation; but deep down inside, I am still scared that Bill will not make it through; but I haven't heard any "Code Blues" announced over the hospital speaker, so maybe that is good news. I only hope that the doctor (or SOMEONE) will come up to me and tell me how Bill is faring; I HATE not knowing!!
Michael and Jenna are being good natured about this situation, but I can tell that they are worried about Bill, too. Jenna especially seems upset; I am sure she would rather be showing us Anchorage or their apartment rather than having to spend time in an emergency room waiting area! I smile at her, trying to ease her concern; but deep down inside, I still feel that familiar twinge of uncertainty and fear, something I have always felt when one of my kids have been sick enough to go to the hospital or when they have been close to death, tubes sprouting from their little bodies. I am afraid that Bill has gotten worse, and tears prick at my eyes; but soon, before I could start to cry, I see two black shoes and green pants, and when I look up, there is a doctor standing over me. When I see him, relief floods my mind; but I am afraid to ask about Bill, for fear it may be bad news.
When people think of Madagascar, what may come to mind is a Pixar film, a lemur paradise, or the source of 80% of the world’s vanilla beans. In A Taste of Madagascar: Culinary Riches of the Red Island, Emmanuel Laroche—a Flavor Explorer and Culinary
We are finally in Alaska, and Alaska is as beautiful as we were told it would be; but I am afraid that our sightseeing will have to be put on hold for a little while. You see, we are at the emergency room at Anchorage Medical Center, and we are awaiting word about Bill, my husband.
