Our Very Scary Halloween

Listen, my children, and you shall hear

Of our scary Halloween this year.

It's improving with love and lots of prayer

Now read this story if you dare.

As promised, here is our scary Halloween story. Most of you know that our son, Mike, his wife, Melissa, and our three year old granddaughter Anne live within walking distance of us. We are a close family. Little Anne adores us and the feeling is mutual. She literally jumps up and down in the air when she sees us. A few days before Halloween, Melissa told us that Anne was sick. A fever of 104, sore throat and vomiting. At the same time, their, cat, Lizzie, started keeling over and foaming at the mouth with seizures. They've had Liz for about 12 years and she's a lovely cat. While Melissa waited for the pediatrician to call, Mike rushed Liz to the vet. He was at the vet for hours while they ran tests on poisons, kidney function, and cancer. All came back negative. No cause found. The theory is a benign brain tumor. But the cat could also have caught whatever Anne has. The vet wrote a prescription for anti-seizure meds and sent them home. By the time Mike got home with the kitty, Anne was lots worse. Her fever was now 106, heart rate 180, and vomiting blood. This, despite children's Tylenol and Advil, as the doctor had said. After a call to us and her mom, they left the poor cat, grabbed Anne, and rushed to the E.R. I called our church prayer line and put them on it. The E.R. was another nightmare. It was crammed with sick people, the ones with flu made to wear masks and sit by themselves. After awhile, a security guard came by to talk to them. They had been so frantic that they left their van in front of the E.R. with the doors wide open, the keys in the ignition, and the engine running-for 45 minutes!!! I guess the only reason it wasn't stolen was that everyone else there was either too sick or too worried. I'm guessing car thieves don't hang out at the E.R. They ended up waiting for so many hours that Anne's fever went down some and they sent her home without doing anything. None of us thought you could get a fever over 105 without brain damage or seizures. But the doctor said they are seeing things this year that they've never seen before. One boy in his office had a temp of 107! At this point, they cannot agree on whether it's the HlNl or somthing else. At one point during the night, Anne and the cat were both on the bed. While Anne was throwing up, the cat fell over with a seizure at the same time. Things are getting better now. Anne has been getting fevers every night, but today her temp was "only" 101. Today was also Miss Lizzie's first day without a seizure. We're all hoping that Anne will be able to go Trick Or Treating on Thursday if she continues doing better. It will for sure be a special sight at that time to see one very small Chinese girl going out by herself in her costume. And of course I will be taking lots of pictures to show you. Better late than never.

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer you; you will cry for help, and He will say "Here am I". Isaiah 58:9