Blogus Interrupticus
Wednesday May 30th 2007, 1:55 pm
Filed under: Knitting a Gift

imgp2651.JPGI had plans for what I was going to write about today, about the two shawls I’ve been working on, but it got thrown out the window last night when the phone rang. First, my sister, so my brother would have to make one less phone call. Then my brother anyway.

He had played tag-team with his wife with the other kids, so he hadn’t been there at the bedside when the doctor had been. He was not yet familiar with the medical jargon I know well.

“So they put her on TPN?”

That got him. “Uh, what’s that?”

“Total parenteral nutrition. It’s what they fed me through a tube with, through a PCC line” (pronounced ‘pick’).  “Does she have a PCC line?”

More silence. “I…don’t know… She’s got an IV, and they’re feeding her through it…”

I described my PCC line, and the fact that it had left me with plastic valves hanging out of my upper arm under a bandage for three months in case I should need it again; inserting that catheter is considered surgery and a risk and you don’t want to do it twice, and they’d wanted to be very sure I wasn’t going to relapse. What I was trying to do, as I mentioned it to him, was to be someone who knew the ropes a bit–and who loved his daughter–whom he could come talk to about the medical stuff.

Cherie is not my niece’s name, but she is well loved, so it will do for here. She was riding her bike Monday and thankfully had her helmet on so her brain is fine. But she’d taken the handlebars hard in the abdomen.

That night she didn’t feel exactly chipper, and her folks gave her an ibuprofen for her pain. Yesterday morning, her mom thought, you really don’t look good, kid, and started off for the ER. They took one look at her and called an ambulance for Children’s.

I’m waiting for the next call or email about how damaged they found her pancreas to be.

Five years ago, Cherie was in the hospital for an illness that is usually fatal. I mentioned my worries to an online friend, and it happened to be at the time that Ronni was anticipating the anniversaries of the deaths of both her husband and her only child from cancer. One of the greatest human needs is to be needed, and the gift that Ronni gave my whole family then was very much needed: she decided to knit Cherie a soft doll to comfort her, and, wanting it to arrive as soon as possible, stayed up most of the night to make it, even though she had to go to work in the morning.

And Cherie absolutely treasured that doll.

Last night, with the first shawl blocking, I was knitting away on soft baby-alpaca-and-silk yarn for the next one, feeling it run through my hands, anticipating the reaction of the person I’m making it for. I glanced over at my advance copy of my book sitting next to me, and the thought hit me, not for the first time but more intensely than before, that Martingale’s title for it, “Wrapped in Comfort,” was so exquisitely perfect. I realized that, although I have never met Ronni in person, and although I’ve never seen the doll she knit, I know how much she put herself out to make it, and for a little girl she had never met. I knew what a great comfort it had been at the time, and now, it was again–to me. It was as if I were a small child, clutching at the thought of it. Ronni’s warmth comforted me as I knitted away for my editor.  (Ronni already got her thank-you shawl, long since.  But I want to say it again: thank you, Ronni!)

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I actually went bud-hunting among my amaryllises today, just in case, I mean, you never know, and no, there wasn’t another bud popping up anywhere, but on the other hand, this one had one flower arch over to the side overnight, and by tomorrow that blossom will open wide to welcome the new day.

I do feel Cherie will keep on being our miracle child.  She’ll be okay.


7 Comments so far
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Oh, many good, healing thoughts in Cherie’s direction!

If love has healing powers – and I am convinced it does – she’ll be about in no time, I’m sure.

Comment by Crafting Jen 05.30.07 @ 2:23 pm

I absolutely agree with you on the healing powers of love, and thank you.

Comment by AlisonH 05.30.07 @ 5:42 pm

My thoughts are with Cherie and your family. Please keep us posted.

Comment by Lene 05.30.07 @ 5:57 pm

Prayers for Cherie.

Comment by kristine 05.30.07 @ 6:54 pm

I’ll be thinking healing thoughts for Cherie. May everything work out perfectly!

Comment by Romi 05.30.07 @ 8:31 pm

We will keep her and her entire family in our prayers.

Comment by Sonya 05.30.07 @ 8:43 pm

Many kind thoughts Cherie’s way.

Comment by Heather 06.03.07 @ 7:24 pm



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