By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

As many of you know, I just had my own adventure in the hospital. Sunday before last, after a couple of days of mounting pain, I woke up at 1:30 am and told Garry it was time to go to the ER. It was my appendix. We went to Renown and wonderful people helped us there – I knew when it happened I had two choices… go or die. I have not had insurance since Garry fell so ill. There was not enough money and I put him first. But there was no way I was going to leave him now so we went.

Dr. Malone was very friendly and did immediate tests. He came back and said the bad news was that my appendix was incredibly inflamed but the good news was that it had not burst. It was very close. I also had sepsis — a bacterial infection that had reached my kidneys. Emergency surgery was undertaken and they began to nuke me with antibiotics I’ve never heard of.

Last Tuesday I was discharged and sent home with a wound drain. I will see the surgeon on the 14th to have it removed and to test me for sepsis again. I’m confident all of this is okay now but getting on my feet has been slower than I thought. A couple more days should do the trick. As ill as Garry has been he has taken care of me, changing my dressings and making sure I eat to take the antibiotics. When this started, I did not eat for 5 or 6 days and my body was beginning to shut down. God was watching out for me though once again.

The bills for this medical adventure start arriving today. Don’t know how we will manage but we’ll set up some kind of payment plan and limp along I guess. There is nothing else we can do at this point.

Garry takes a class next Monday on a new treatment being added to his chemo regimen starting next Wednesday. Treatments will now go from two hours to four or five. The class is to brief him on side effects that may appear because of the treatment.

The last two years have been hellish for us but we are fighters and will never give up. In those dark hours of the night when fear comes to me, I feel God by my side and it gives me the strength to fight another day. I am certain Garry can still beat this. Thank you for all your prayers, donations, and kindness.