About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Fear on Christmas Day

Christmas started with a sudden rap on my bedroom door at 3:30 a.m. Jaclyn had come over to spend the night and was in dire pain. I took her to emergency, and they put her on morphine, took blood and xrays. The doctor felt she should stay so I left her there at 6:00 a.m. to go back to bed for a bit more sleep. She phoned around 11:00 a.m. to tell me they were taking her by ambulance to Peach Arch Hospital in White Rock (a neighbouring community) for a CT scan. I got up then and had a shower so I'd be ready to go and be with her at a moment's notice. She phoned around 2:00 p.m. to tell me she was back at our local hospital and was waiting for the results. In the meantime, my other daughter Jamie, her husband and their little boy Noah arrived and we decided I wouldn't cook the turkey but we'd open our presents. Then around 3:30 p.m. Jaclyn phoned to tell us she was allowed to come home for a couple of hours but she would have to go back so they could monitor her until Thursday when things are up and running again.
Jason went and got her and she curled up on the sofa long enough to open her gifts and to watch Noah, whom she adores, open his gifts too. She was white as a sheet and hadn't eaten all day but finally agreed to some toast and a bit of water. She could only manage to get 1/2 piece of toast down. Jamie took her back to the hospital and when she came back we played Hungry Hungry Hippos with Noah for a while.
Since I didn't really have anything else in the house to eat other than my diet food, I was going to take Jamie, Jason and Noah out for dinner. But...*sigh*...nothing was open (even McDonald's) except for a local hotel that was charging $39.95 per person for a Christmas banquet. My whole turkey didn't cost that much, so we opted to cook my turkey another day. So they all went home to have spaghetti at their place and I ate my diet food and a bowl of M&Ms.
Then I headed over to the hospital to check that Jaclyn was settled and took her some toothpaste, toothbrush, clean undies and sox. I saw the doctor and she told me they're going to monitor her until Thursday and then they'll contact the BC Cancer Agency to let them know what's been happening and to try to get her admitted immediately for the surgery. The doctor said she cannot be home in her condition. She's on IVs to keep fluids in her because she started vomiting when she got back to the hospital.
I don't really care whether we get to have the turkey or whether it has to be thrown out. I'm so worried about my daughter than I can hardly think straight. She looked so helpless in that hospital emergency bed. And I can't get over the size of the tumor inside of her. Apparently, it's 25 cm by 18 cm by 15 cm! For you who aren't on metric, that's the equivalent of 10" by 7" by 6" so imagine that inside of you! God, please don't let it be cancer!!!
So Christmas came and went and it wasn't really a happy day, to say the least. I hope the next time I write about this predicament we're in (that's an understatement, don't you think?) I'll be able to report good news. It doesn't matter how old our children are because when they're sick and need us we still think of them as our babies.
Please continue to pray for her health and my ability to stay strong for her. Lord, look upon Jaclyn with eyes of mercy, may your healing hand rest upon her, may your life-giving powers flow into every cell of her body and into the depths of her soul, cleansing, purifying, restoring her. Amen.

7 comments:

Jo said...

Leslie, omigosh! Omigosh! Please let me know if there is anything I can do. I hope they get that thing out of her asap!!!! I will pray for you to have the strength to get through this, and for her to be healed and get well.

Oh, Leslie, I'm so sorry you're going through this. This has been the year from h*ll for you, hasn't it?

Please send Jaclyn my love, and tell her I'm praying for her.

Leslie: said...

Thanks Josie, I'll try to call you tomorrow after I go see her at the hospital. I also emailed Jeff (pastor) and asked him to go in and pray for her.

Unknown said...

Hi Leslie,

You don't know me but I came here following a link on welshcakes journal. I am so sorry to read of your daughters health issues and wanted to let you know that I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers...and you also because I know how tough it is to watch a loved one go through this trauma,

Regards,

Kyles

Russell said...

My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family.

This is a time when faith is important for so often in life we do not know why such things happen but must have faith that whatever is in store for us will make us stronger. Though, I admit, sometimes we feel strong enough without the necessity of additional challenges.

However, I suppose it is not our place to always know why but only to do the best we can from day to day.

May God bless you and your family at this time.

heiresschild said...

hi Leslie, i'm so sorry you all went thru this yesterday. as you said, our children are always our babies. your family is continually in my prayers.

my link info has changed, so when you click on my name, it'll take you to my blog and you can get the new link info there. the present link you have for me is obsolete.

Tales from Wales said...

FROM WALES WITH LOVE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A CELTIC BENEDICTION:-
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the King of peace to you.


Thank goodness it is 2007 when medical advances have given us a far better chance of survival and that we have communications to support each other .
With love Pamela Hodge Nursing Sister

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Oh, Leslie, what an awful day for you all. My thoughts are with you all day, every day.xx