Please pray

My aunt Luana's 13-yo granddaughter Angelica, Cleve's daughter, was lifeflighted to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City last night. She is in critical condition. Please include her in your prayers. She was hospitalized here at Franklin County Medical Center Sunday with pneumonia. It is now systemic pneumonia. She is in a medically induced coma. They intubated her here in Preston before she was flown down.

So, never having heard of systemic pneumonia, I googled it. I remembered my sister Wanda died of pneumonia. She had systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE). Had several hits for both pneumonia & SLE.

However, Angelica has Down Syndrome. I found this in googling "Down Syndrome pneumonia"

In addition, there is a 62-fold higher incidence of pneumonia in children with Down syndrome than in the general population.

Wow! Didn't find much on systemic pneumonia. I guess I'll have to wait for updates from Luana.

Also, the head of nursing over the nursing home is a real biddy & Sylvia, Angelica's mother, may lose her job if she misses too much work. Please include Sylvia in your prayers also.

Nov. 27, 1970

Yes, Nov. 27, 1970, 40 years ago today, my sister Wanda Odetta Monson died. She was 10 days past her 24th birthday & it was Aunt Maxine's 28th birthday. I remember I was drinking a can of Dr. Pepper & we were listening to Marty Robbins on her new 8-track player in her hospital room at the Logan Hospital. The old one that was up on the hill kitty-corner across the street from the Logan LDS Temple. Wanda said she had to poo only she used the "S" word. Mother called the nurse & she shooed us out into a waiting room. We heard them calling a Code Blue over the PA system. Mother said she bet it was Wanda. I remember when they came to tell us she had died, my Dr. Pepper spilled & I didn't pick it up. I don't like Dr. Pepper any more. I don't like to listen to Marty Robbins either.

Am I grateful for the advances made in medicine? Yes, it goes without saying. We were told 40 years ago lupus was cancer. People don't die of lupus anymore. Wanda didn't actually die of lupus either, she died of the side effects of cortisone. But her diagnosis was Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or SLE.

Speaking of abbreviations, I have to tell a funny story. Nick & I were talking about Nana, my mother. He said Nana couldn't remember something & I said in all seriousity, "Yes, I know. She has CRS."

He, just as seriously, inquired, "What's CRS?"

"Can't remember $h**!" I said.

"Oh!" he said, "I thought it was something official like that breathing disease she has."

"COPD?" I asked.

"Ya, that. What does that stand for?" he asked

"Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. And then we, you & I, have SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder," I said.

"Whatever," he answered.

Moving in May, 5/17

I'm slacking off a little on my moving. I parked in Luana's driveway today & had to walk back & forth between the car & Mother's house several times to get stuff out of the car. Mother did her exercises while Don sat watching Dateline & I was doing a word puzzle.

I stayed up until 4 a.m. last night working on Sudoku. Nick had really upset me earlier & I'd cried for an hour. I didn't want to veg on the computer & didn't want to go to bed, so I did several Sudoku games from 1 star to 4 stars. The 4 star puzzle was easier than the 3 star.

I asked Don-Mike to take Nana up to Willow Flat to pick some curlies. I remember picking curlies every spring from when I was a tiny girl. First it was Grandma Porter sitting in the car because she was too sick with her pancreatic cancer to get out of the car (1964). We'd pick them & take them to her. Then it was Wanda, too sick to get out of the car (1970); then Grandpa Porter (1976); then Daddy (1992). Now it's Mother. I've become allergic to most flower scents, including curlies. I did not make the mistake of sticking my nose in the flowers this spring, but I still have itchy eyes & a headache. My nose is not running as usual. I thought I was going to scratch the skin off of my nose earlier. There is a special green glass vase that one of Mother's cousins gave her for a wedding present in 1944. It is small & the perfect size for curlies. I couldn't find it today. Don looked in several cupboards, but it is not to be found.

R is for RaNae

I've been playing on Facebook tonight. This is one of the notes I've written. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real ... nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name: RaNae
   
2. A four Letter Word: ruby
   
3. A boy's Name: Ryan
   
4. A girl's Name: Rachel
   
5. An occupation: recreation specialist
   
6. A color: red, my favorite color
   
7. Something you wear: raincoat
   
8. A food: ramen noodles
   
9. Something found in the bathroom: rust (this was my original word, but I thought of rack, like in towel rack later. My boys tell me that a rack is a woman's breast.)
   
10. A place: Rwanda (My mom used to always call my sister Wanda, RaWanda, LOL)
    
11. A reason for being late: ran out of gas
    
12. Something you shout: Run
    
13. A movie title: Richie Rich
    
14. Something you drink: root beer
    
15. A musical group: Righteous Brothers
    
16. An animal: raccoon
    
17. A street name: Riverdale Road
    
18. A type of car: Rambler
    
19. A song title: Rainy Day People
    
20. An emotion: Rage