This may not seem like a Mothers Day post, but I promise you, it is. I would not be alive today if it had not been for my fast thinking mother and my sister Olivia.
It was December, 2008 I was attending a very small Christmas party (and when I say small, I'm talkin' like 8 people. Seriously) at the local community college. My sisters and I were apart of a club (Campus Crusade for Christ) at the college and as a group, we thought it would be fun to throw a Christmas party at the end of the semester for as many of the students as would come. Nobody came, so it was just the five club members, and three family members (my brother, and the wife and child of another member). It was a bit pathetic, but we soon were having fun playing "Dirty Santa" and listening to Christmas music.
Before my siblings and I left for the party momma told me to make sure that I staid away from nuts; upon arriving, I let the hostess know about my allergy (I felt very responsible), she told me the only thing that had nuts were the brownies (they had walnuts). I made a mental note to stay far away from the brownies, but it did not matter, there were M&M's, Chex mix, there was a Veggie tray, and soda. I grabbed a hand full of M&M's, and consumed several hand fulls of Chex Mix during the party. Around an hour later, I began to feel a very tight pain on the left side of my back, "It's just a spasm." I thought. Breathing became a bit difficult, I excused myself and went to the Ladies room where I tried to stretch out the "spasm". Olivia followed me like a hound dog. "What's wrong?" she demanded, I waved her off telling her it was just a spasm. "Where?" she insisted, I was gasping for air, "My back...it's really bad..." Olivia grew alarmed and called Mom to let her know that we were ready to come home. I went back to get my purse out of the room, but apparently Olivia judged me unable to walk (I admit, my body was curling up),so she and my brother Sean hauled me out of the room (if you have ever seen a person carried off by two police officers, that's how they did it). We had to wait for my other sister Faith, who was saying her good-bye's. I was literally on the floor of the elevator gasping and choking, but we finally got down stairs to where my dad was waiting for us. Olivia helped me into the van, and we rode home in silence (I was grateful to live less than 5 minutes away from the college). When we got home I ran to my room and collapsed onto the floor while Olivia hurriedly gave momma the run down of what happened; they ran into the room after me. Mom was asking me if I could breath, struggling I told mom that I could exhale, but I could not inhale. Mom and Olivia carried me (yes, I was again being manhandled) into the living room and sat me down in a chair. Mom was giving out orders, Olivia was running around getting everything they needed, and daddy was pretty upset too, "They need to make sure that they have items clearly labeled for people who have life threatening allergies when they throw parties!" he was exclaiming, he included that I should not be allowed to eat when i was not in his or momma's sight (he didn't mean it). Mom gave me 4 full doses of Children's allergy medicine, while Olivia rubbed my back with muscle rub; mom told my older sister Faith to put me on my younger brothers' nebulizer. Three hours later, I was a but shaky but I was laughing and able to take in a breath. Mom, dad and Olivia though, were not sharing in my laughter, I guess I was jittery from having come so close to dying, and they were frazzled have me come so close to death. My mother saved my life (so did Olivia), and I am eternally grateful.
Happy Mother's Day Mom!
Mackie
It was December, 2008 I was attending a very small Christmas party (and when I say small, I'm talkin' like 8 people. Seriously) at the local community college. My sisters and I were apart of a club (Campus Crusade for Christ) at the college and as a group, we thought it would be fun to throw a Christmas party at the end of the semester for as many of the students as would come. Nobody came, so it was just the five club members, and three family members (my brother, and the wife and child of another member). It was a bit pathetic, but we soon were having fun playing "Dirty Santa" and listening to Christmas music.
Before my siblings and I left for the party momma told me to make sure that I staid away from nuts; upon arriving, I let the hostess know about my allergy (I felt very responsible), she told me the only thing that had nuts were the brownies (they had walnuts). I made a mental note to stay far away from the brownies, but it did not matter, there were M&M's, Chex mix, there was a Veggie tray, and soda. I grabbed a hand full of M&M's, and consumed several hand fulls of Chex Mix during the party. Around an hour later, I began to feel a very tight pain on the left side of my back, "It's just a spasm." I thought. Breathing became a bit difficult, I excused myself and went to the Ladies room where I tried to stretch out the "spasm". Olivia followed me like a hound dog. "What's wrong?" she demanded, I waved her off telling her it was just a spasm. "Where?" she insisted, I was gasping for air, "My back...it's really bad..." Olivia grew alarmed and called Mom to let her know that we were ready to come home. I went back to get my purse out of the room, but apparently Olivia judged me unable to walk (I admit, my body was curling up),so she and my brother Sean hauled me out of the room (if you have ever seen a person carried off by two police officers, that's how they did it). We had to wait for my other sister Faith, who was saying her good-bye's. I was literally on the floor of the elevator gasping and choking, but we finally got down stairs to where my dad was waiting for us. Olivia helped me into the van, and we rode home in silence (I was grateful to live less than 5 minutes away from the college). When we got home I ran to my room and collapsed onto the floor while Olivia hurriedly gave momma the run down of what happened; they ran into the room after me. Mom was asking me if I could breath, struggling I told mom that I could exhale, but I could not inhale. Mom and Olivia carried me (yes, I was again being manhandled) into the living room and sat me down in a chair. Mom was giving out orders, Olivia was running around getting everything they needed, and daddy was pretty upset too, "They need to make sure that they have items clearly labeled for people who have life threatening allergies when they throw parties!" he was exclaiming, he included that I should not be allowed to eat when i was not in his or momma's sight (he didn't mean it). Mom gave me 4 full doses of Children's allergy medicine, while Olivia rubbed my back with muscle rub; mom told my older sister Faith to put me on my younger brothers' nebulizer. Three hours later, I was a but shaky but I was laughing and able to take in a breath. Mom, dad and Olivia though, were not sharing in my laughter, I guess I was jittery from having come so close to dying, and they were frazzled have me come so close to death. My mother saved my life (so did Olivia), and I am eternally grateful.
Happy Mother's Day Mom!
Mackie
