Thursday, December 11, 2003
In keeping with the tradition of the 3 Weeks of Chaos…
Here is how my day has gone:
Spent a good portion of the morning fighting with my friends. It’s been a rough go as of late and there doesn’t seem to be a reprieve in sight. All I can hope for is Christmas understanding from everyone in my life.
While I was on the phone with my friend Mariah, Ari reaches over to me, with tears in her eyes and asks me to get off the phone. As I go to tell her to hold on for a second, she doubles over in horrible pain and loses it completely. I immediately get up and ask her if she’s ok. All she could do was shake her head “no”. I ran to get my boss and we decided that it was best that we call 911.
I had never made a call like that in my life and needless to say it was pretty terrifying. Ari was moved into one of my co-workers office to wait for the ambulance to arrive. Within 15 minutes, 3 paramedics and 2 police officers showed up. They asked Ari a barrage of questions and then decided that it was best to move her to the emergency room. I collected our stuff and we both piled into the ambulance, me up front, her in the back with the paramedics.
Instead of going right to the hospital, the technicians decided to do an EKG reading and give her an IV. On top of being scared to death, she was forced to deal with the pain of getting poked and prodded with various needles. As she cried, I started to cry in the front seat. There is nothing more heartbreaking than going through an experience like this with one of your closest friends. And there was nothing I could do to make it better for her.
Eventually we arrived at the hospital and the nurses took some readings and moved her into a room. I made a bunch of phone calls for her and then sat and talked with her on her bed until both her mother and brother arrived. While it saddened me to have to leave her, I thought it best that she be with her family. I didn’t want to be in the way.
As of right now, we are still unsure as to what caused this reaction inside Ari’s chest. It is possible that she had an allergic reaction to the medicine she is taking for her asthmatic bronchitis. The doctors were running tests and asking her all sorts of questions when I left. I am sure she will be fine, but it’s the not knowing that scares me. All I can do is pray.
While I was sitting with Ari, waiting for her mom, we both got to have a good laugh. The woman (a 280# black woman) was passed out next to her on a gurney. During our stay in the emergency room, her gown slowly crept up to the point that her big black bush was exposed. Ari kept saying “Look at that Joe!” And I would fall for it every time. My eyes glued to the bush of doom.
I am always in awe at how strong Ari is as a person. She has constant humor about everything, even while being led away in a stretcher. She is an inspiration to me. When things go wrong, she has such a positive attitude. That’s why it hurt me so badly to hear her crying in the ambulance. It must have been overwhelming for her to cry. And for that, it makes me cry.
Please keep her in your prayers and I will do the same.
She will get better. It’s just scary for right now.
Here is how my day has gone:
Spent a good portion of the morning fighting with my friends. It’s been a rough go as of late and there doesn’t seem to be a reprieve in sight. All I can hope for is Christmas understanding from everyone in my life.
While I was on the phone with my friend Mariah, Ari reaches over to me, with tears in her eyes and asks me to get off the phone. As I go to tell her to hold on for a second, she doubles over in horrible pain and loses it completely. I immediately get up and ask her if she’s ok. All she could do was shake her head “no”. I ran to get my boss and we decided that it was best that we call 911.
I had never made a call like that in my life and needless to say it was pretty terrifying. Ari was moved into one of my co-workers office to wait for the ambulance to arrive. Within 15 minutes, 3 paramedics and 2 police officers showed up. They asked Ari a barrage of questions and then decided that it was best to move her to the emergency room. I collected our stuff and we both piled into the ambulance, me up front, her in the back with the paramedics.
Instead of going right to the hospital, the technicians decided to do an EKG reading and give her an IV. On top of being scared to death, she was forced to deal with the pain of getting poked and prodded with various needles. As she cried, I started to cry in the front seat. There is nothing more heartbreaking than going through an experience like this with one of your closest friends. And there was nothing I could do to make it better for her.
Eventually we arrived at the hospital and the nurses took some readings and moved her into a room. I made a bunch of phone calls for her and then sat and talked with her on her bed until both her mother and brother arrived. While it saddened me to have to leave her, I thought it best that she be with her family. I didn’t want to be in the way.
As of right now, we are still unsure as to what caused this reaction inside Ari’s chest. It is possible that she had an allergic reaction to the medicine she is taking for her asthmatic bronchitis. The doctors were running tests and asking her all sorts of questions when I left. I am sure she will be fine, but it’s the not knowing that scares me. All I can do is pray.
While I was sitting with Ari, waiting for her mom, we both got to have a good laugh. The woman (a 280# black woman) was passed out next to her on a gurney. During our stay in the emergency room, her gown slowly crept up to the point that her big black bush was exposed. Ari kept saying “Look at that Joe!” And I would fall for it every time. My eyes glued to the bush of doom.
I am always in awe at how strong Ari is as a person. She has constant humor about everything, even while being led away in a stretcher. She is an inspiration to me. When things go wrong, she has such a positive attitude. That’s why it hurt me so badly to hear her crying in the ambulance. It must have been overwhelming for her to cry. And for that, it makes me cry.
Please keep her in your prayers and I will do the same.
She will get better. It’s just scary for right now.
