28 March 2011, Part ONE
This morning I jumped out of bed with the alarm at 0500. I had to meditate, help get the children up and moving and pack to go back to the hospital.
I built a fire and did a 25 minute meditation while listening to a Mantra chant by Hein Braat. When I was finished, I made myself a cup of coffee and checked my email. Chris Mailander had started a “March Madness,” USA College Basketball Tournament, Bracket challenge in which the family could participate by pre-picking who we thought would win in each round of the tournament. After each round, he has sent an update of our standings. Apparently, Kansas was upset by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), but two of my final four picks remain; one of which will make it to the finals. I picked Kentucky to win the whole tournament, but they have a tough game against UConn coming up. On the other side of the bracket, I am totally out.
After checking the updates to the tournament and my email, I went upstairs and awakened Elias and Miriam. As usual with Elias, I took a bit of extra time. Miriam, on the other hand, woke up easily and happily and went down to the breakfast table. When Elias got downstairs, Kelly continued his extra care by covering up with her bathrobe so he would stay warm. This ensured he was calm and settled this morning and slowly, he got ready.
At 0650, I drove him to the bus stop. He seemed reticent about me dropping him off since he knew I would be returning to the hospital today. I told him I loved him and to be nice to himself and stay calm. He agreed to try. I returned to the house and Miriam was in her final stages of getting ready for school. I made Simon some warm oatmeal with brown sugar and we sat down together and ate. Miriam was ready to go to school and gave me a big hug. As she was walking out the door, she yelled back: “I love you, Dad. Have a good chemo.” My new reality: my daughter lovingly wishes me a “good chemo.”
Simon finished breakfast and I helped him get dressed. Kelly and I loaded up the car and we drove Simon to kindergarten. At the kindergarten, we saw Rusty. He wanted to go for a walk, but today we did not have time and had to get me to the hospital. He looked a little confused. I was disheartened that I could not take him today. I told him I would return soon enough to walk him again. We walked Simon into the kindergarten and hung up his backpack, put on his house shoes and put away his jacket and street shoes. I gave him a big hug and we left the kindergarten.
Kelly and I were then off to the hospital. On the way, we stopped off at the grocery store and purchased a bunch of chips and nuts and Doritos for the nurses’ station. We decided a bribe to them to watch out for me this round was well worth it. We also bought organic fruit for me.
We arrived to the hospital at about 0930 and found that Bernd had been moved to the intensive care. He had had a turn for the worse last week. Apparently, he got a hang nail that got infected and then got sepsis. Further, he had a lung infection previously and it had gotten worse. None-the-less, he and his fiancé got married in the hospital on Thursday last week. We saw his wife and spoke to her for a while. She seemed remarkably calm despite all that is going on. Perhaps she is in shock or she understands that his predicament is so dramatically poor that she has simply begun to accept the worst. Anyway, he will not be returning to the room where I am located. So, I am in my room alone at least until Tuesday. We also saw Rudi. He was having his outpatient check up and decided to come upstairs and check on the people he knew in the ward. He looked a lot better and told us that he had even been riding his bike outside – not just the reclining bike.
--- end of part one, see part two ---
More: http://www.hsengine.com/s_Basketball+Bracket.html
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