Monday, March 20, 2006, 11:01 a.m. (on break for an hour--WHEE!)~

Dear Journal~

I am sorry for not writing in here for several days, but when you have fifty-three children to manage (plus working full time), what free time I DO have is severely limited. So I write in spurts.

It is a slow one at work today; had only two admissions, and I have already entered each patient's information in the files in my computer. I also have been checking up on other patients and updating their flow charts. Most are doing quite well, I am happy to say, but there are a few who are trying to give me a run for my money. They aren't doing good at all; they are hanging on only by a wing and a prayer; if they last today I will be highly surprised...

I last wrote on St. Patrick's Day (Friday); we were at the festival and parade when I wrote, and I said I would write more about how it went next time. Well today is next time, so here goes...The parade was wonderful, and the food was even more so. We enjoyed watching the Irish dancers, and we enjoyed the Celtic music. We also enjoyed Ronee' 's performance on stage. She performed that evening, about seven thirty, and she was on stage for about forty five minutes. She really did a good job singing and playing her French accordion. It was a nice break from the Irish fare, but she did a little bit of "Danny Boy" (the only Irish song she knows!), and she got a lot of applause from that.

There were people dancing during her set (I was among them; I was dancing with my sons Michael and Porter), and we all had a good time. I haven't danced a good Cajun two-step since Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, last year, before my surgery, and it was great to be able to move without severe pain! I felt like a kid again, and I think I wore my two boys out! LOL

Johnny had some medical tests several days before the festival at the muscular dystrophy clinic, and I finally found out the results this morning, about an hour ago, and the news was better than I had expected; still, there is signs that his disease is progressing. He may be totally wheelchair-dependent before the year is out, and he may have to end up going on a respirator before too long. His breathing has gotten worse, and his heart muscles are starting to become affected by the Duchenne's too.

Hearing that, of course, I cried, as any mother would, when she is told that her child is not doing well. But on the positive side, Johnny's disease is progressing slower than a lot of people with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, and there is a chance that he may live at least several more years. Lord, I hope so; Johnny is one of the Lights of my life, and I can't imagine my world without him! I will have to be praying extra hard for a Miracle for him now!

I heard from my friend in Georgia, and she has good news to report too. Her daughter, Bethlehem, has been in the hospital and then a rehab unit, after she lost her legs to necrotizing fasciitis, a very rare, but deadly bacterial infection, and she is due to come home any day. As you can imagine, Donna is beyond excited! I will have to write to her later today or tomorrow, if I am not too tired from work.

The weather here is rainy; it may turn more so as rains that plagued Texas for two days journeys in this particular direction. In fact, in two days time, some parts of Texas had nearly a foot of rain, and there was heavy flooding and damage. There were even reports of tornadoes. I hope it doesn't get that nasty here! The rains may last several days here, and it may clear out by Wednesday. I hope so; I hate being cooped up inside!

I will have to take Camey and Tammi to get their checks later at Fire Mountain, where they both work. They really like their new jobs very much. Speaking of new jobs, my daughter, Barbara, has also joined the work force: last week, she started working at Golden Corral, where she just works on the weekends (during the week, she goes to high school, where she is a junior). So far, she seems to like it. I know the twins love their new jobs at Fire Mountain; they get paid every Monday, and they love the power of having some extra money in their pockets!

I had to take Janica to the E.R. on Saturday: she fell and cut her chin. She had to get some stitches. Of course, she cried, but I think I cried more! I hate to see any of my kids in pain, and when they have to go to the E.R., I am always a nervous wreck! She is okay, but she is sporting a nice bandage on her chin. (She tripped over one of her crutches, and down she went!)

I also had to take Rani there because she had a seizure, but she is okay. She has a seizure once in a while due to scar tissue on her brain, but once she got to the E.R. and the doctors looked at her, they reassured me that she would be fine; if she had a seizure in the future, let them know, and they would put her on anti-seizure medication. The seizure wasn't a bad one, but it was enough to scare me halfway to death!

Well, I am going to try to get some grub before I have to go back on the clock (meal-in), so I will write in here another day. Take care, and talk to you later, dear Journal!

Love, your friend, Louie May Sandusky. :)

P.S.: In about two months, my husband Bill and myself go on our Mexican cruise! We canNOT wait!!! :) We will be on that cruise for five glorious days, which means freedom from the kids! Oh, that is going to be sooooo nice! :)

~Louie. :)