oh geez......

This has been a very trying 48 hours

     Jackie has had a bit of trouble walking lately, so we put in a ramp.  Work was done Wednesday and Thursday, and it looks very nice.  Solid.  Substantial.
     Friday was a zoo day.
     I was literally 20 minutes from there when the phone rang.  Here's how the conversation went.
     Jackie:  I fell.  Here is MK.
     MK:   Well, she fell.  She hit her head and is bleeding.  We called 911.  Don't panic, don't rush, but you better come home.
     Don't rush entered my head.  I was on 294 almost at the Ogden exit.  So I got off, and decided to go to the bakery before I went home.
      Now that sounds cold, but we were having people over Saturday and the bakery was providing the desserts.
     I hit the bakery, then headed for home and got there not more than a couple of minutes after they brought her back from the hospital.
     Five staples in the back of her head.  Some bruising on her arms and upper body, which is showing up tonight.
     Thank God for friends.  Kevin and Jen, MK and Steve all pitched in to tend to her wound and call 911.  Emily was at work and couldn't leave, and John was in Sycamore.
     Bob, Judy, she is fine.  I told her to call you, but she hasn't.
     How did she fall?
     Picking up a tissue she dropped.
     I am going to sound like the frustrated parent, but she has been told time and time and time again if something falls on the floor....LEAVE  IT!
     Now for some self pity.  This is what MS does.  It robs a body of its ability to do simple tasks, like pick up a tissue, walk to a car, dance, or enjoy life.  It is a disease that affects you, your family, your friends and thank heavens we have people who care for us.
     We put in a ramp in the garage because walking has become too difficult for her.  She is fine in the house, but walking more than 50 feet is too difficult, too tiring, too hard.
     There are not many things in life I can say I truly hate.  But MS is one of them.
     It has robbed me of my wife.  It has robbed us of trips and visits we planned to make.  It has robbed us of freedom.
     There are days I have yelled at God, asking him why.  Why her.  Why me.  Why us.
     And there are days I find it difficult to cope.  I do cry a lot.   Not ashamed to admit it.  I miss my wife.  It's hard watching what she goes through.
     And I hope, yes pray, that some day there will be a cure.
     Life isn't fair.  I used to tell that to my students when they would complain.
I just didn't realize how unfair it can be.
     The saving grace in this is we have people who are there for us.
     And it's true...it's not easy being a friend of the Dickows.