Riveroflifelisajoy’s Weblog
Just another WordPress.com weblogArchive for February 15, 2008
My Valentines Day Gift….My Son’s LIfe! Reflections on Illness—Illness does not take a Holiday.–by riveroflifelisajoy
It all started on Sunday night. My son, 14 year old Daniel told me that he had a sore throat. He wanted to play tennis although, he said that the sore throat was there….looming in our midst.
I said, “I’ll take you to the HIP urgent care instead”…he said , “NO”!!!! I want to go to play tennis!!! Please MOMMY!!!!
So I took him. He played. He played… and he played. I left him for a little while and went to my house to check on my mother and start dinner.
I came back and Daniel was still playing. I went to the Cunningham Park Tennis Bubble.
He plays tennis 3 times a week now. When I attempted to go into the bubble a strange thing had happened. I had to go through the revolving doors that keep the Bubbles in order. It has two Bubbles at Cunningham.
But they are connected by “buildings.” The buildings are pressurized to keep the bubbles “up” I guess.
Well, in one bubble this night was a soccer group —and in the other bubble was the Youth and Tennis Academy Group of Southeast Queens—Daniel’s group.
Anyway, as I entered the area that separates the two bubbles I felt a strong gust of wind. I looked in the direction that the wind was coming from and I saw about 6 or 7 kids playing around with the exit door inside the soccer bubble!
I could not believe what I was looking at. The Bubble was being compromised by these kids…the air was pushing into the area where I was standing.
I was in shock at first, so I just stood looking ….then I heard banging! I turned to my right and saw that the door that leads to the tennis bubble had closed.
I saw a middle aged woman banging on the door. She was looking nervous and told me to open the door. I would not touch that door.
It had been shut by an automatic system to prevent the bubble from being compromised by the decrease in pressure from the soccer bubble where the kids were playing around with the outside door.
Suddenly the care taker, a young college student, came running from the revolving doors of the main building in the bubble complex.
I had hoped that he was responding to some type of alarm from that exit door that the kids were playing with. I told him what was happening and told him that this big door to the tennis bubble had shut. He looked at the door and explained what happened.
I looked back at the soccer bubble and saw that the door had finally been shut by the kids that had tampered with it. I saw a young lady at a concession stand and said, “What is going on? Those kids should be supervised!
Why are they playing with that door anyway?” The young lady stated that those kids belong to the adults who were playing soccer…” I turned back to the caretaker and told him what had happened.
He finally opened the tennis bubble heavy gauge stainless steel door. When he opened that door is when I realized the power of a pressurized area!!! Oh, my!!!! Standing between the two bubbles was a powerful experience.
It was like a WIND TUNNEL!! Then I really got angry…realizing the danger that unsupervised children could cause for themselves and others! What a mess!
I went inside the tennis bubble and Daniel was happy and playing…not aware of the danger, or the situation. The heavy gauge stainless steel had done its’ job.
When we finally arrived home, I asked Daniel how is your throat? He said “Still sore.” He went to bed. He woke up the next morning weezing.
I had looked at him and did not like the look of his skin. He looked greyish. I took him to LongIsland Jewish Hospital. They just observed him and said that he could just drink alot of fluids and stay home.
He went home. That night I took him back to the hospital with a low grade fever. He stated that he was so very hot. The emergency room told me that everybody was coming down with the flu. —-But Daniel had had a flu shot.
Daniel had a flu shot back in October. Then they said it was viral. These terms can be so confusing! The next day Daniel did not feel any better.
He was weezing still. I made an appointment with his doctor. His doctor thought that it was a basic cold.
Nothing to really concern yourself….You know kids of his size and age…it’s like an adult….they get over it. He can go to school. He went to school on Wednesday. In the evening after school Daniel’s condition had changed.
I had brought him some special food from my job. I called him to come and take some. He only looked at it and then retreated back upstairs to his room.
He stayed upstairs and did not come down. I was cleaning and heating up the food in the oven. I was having small talk with my mother.
Suddenly, I called Daniel to come get his food and he said, “No, I’m on the toilet.” I said are you alright? He said, “NO, I think I ‘m going to throw up!” I went upstairs and stood outside the bathroom door.
“What is the matter?” I said. He stated that he just felt nauseous. He stayed like that for about a half hour. I told him to lay down and I would bring a bucket for him to his bedside.
I thought it strange that it would take so long for that sensation to go away. I didn’t know what to do. Daniel has that Seizure problem too. I thought maybe something was coming on.
I was not sure what it would turn out to be at this point. He laid down. I made some camomile tea with a little milk. I thought that might start the process to relief.
He took a sip. He did not throw up at all…not ever….not that night! Strange, very strange. He laid very still and did not move. He told me not to talk. Finally, he went to sleep.
When I woke him the next day, he was having shortness of breath, and dizzy/lightheadedness. He took his nebulizer and I told him to get dressed. This would be our third visit to the emergency room at Longlsland Jewish Hospital this week.
This week…..Valentines Day….and my birthday on the 15 of this week too!!!! Ugh! I never get a gift for my birthday, or a Valentines card.
I do not really care at this point. All that mattered, and mattERS…is Daniel. Daniel’s health and well being.
So yesterday Valentines day my son Daniel and I spent Valentines day in the emergency room of LongIsland Jewish Hospital!!! From about 8:00 am until 4:00 pm.
My child Daniel had heavy congestion, and light headedness. The doctors acted quickly to decrease the congestion and shortness of breath. Daniel was given I.V. solution intervenously, and nebulizer treatments and some other medications to help his lungs to decrease the reactions to the flym.
My child had been to all the doctors during the week, but some how situations still took a negative turn. Thank G-d for the emergency room doctors at LongIsland Jewish Hospital.
They would not allow him to go home until his heart rate was correct, and the breathing was correct. His nausea went away, and he could eat again.
Although I do not receive romantic gifts for my birthday on February 15, or Valentines day….I RECEIVED MY SON’S HEALTH AND WELL BEING FROM LONGISLAND JEWISH SYNDER CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTORS! —for which I am truly thankful for.
G-d bless those doctors who really took the time to look at my Daniel and evaluated him. Holidays, and birthdays mean nothing to illness. As always, I must remain ever mindful that the story is not about me!
Life is about living and giving to others….and I learned that yesterday. If you ask me my choice of gift I would prefer for Valentines Day—-I will always chose to save the life of another humanbeing, or a family member.
My dear Daniel has suffered so much in the past few years….no sane mother wants her child to experience pain and sickness.
I am truly, thankful for my birthday gift!!!!
Thank you doctors at L.I.J. Synders Children Hospital!!!
HAPPY BELATED VALENTINES DAY TO YOU AND YOURS!!!!
—–riveroflifelisajoy!
Captain Barbosa: Trilogy of Pirates of the Caribbean–A Fatherly, selfish Pirate that I do so Love!
Now gather round children whilst we tell the tale of the Fatherly, yet selfish Pirate…Captain Barbosa. Oh, and dear children….inorder for you to keep up with this discussion …it will be necessary for you to have watched all three movies.
We will skip around quite a bit….so do be a good student and do your homework before class? Will you dears? Thanks ever so much…..So now, where were we?
Oh, yes, Captain Barbosa, has my heart for his stubborn ways helped to save the day for Jack Sparrow. Despite the rivalry between the two men…Captain Barbosa lead the crew of Will Turner, Elizabeth, and the group to find Davy Jones Locker and release Jack from that dreaded place.
Captain Barbosa knows everything and is not afraid of anything. He uses comic relief, but he is generally not the butt of any of the jokes in the trilogy of the Pirates of the Caribbean. What I love the most is how he meets Elizabeth for the first time.
Captain Barbosa enters the story of the Black Pearl with his Un- dead crew and un-dead monkey because our “leading man” type Orlando Bloom’s a.k.a. Will Turner coin was in the possession of Elizabeth Swann. Elizabeth Swann, had a awaken that morning having dreamt about her first meeting Will while saling to the Caribbean with her father and the Commodore.
She took the coin from around Will’s neck and hid it for safe keeping. She had been afraid that the Kings Army would take poor young Will for a pirate…or child of a pirate.
Once her father had entered her room with chamber maids laden with a new dress sent for from Europe, Elizabeth hid the coin within the boddice of her night gown. She would hide the coin on its’ chain even under her new frock.
She did not plan to flip over the edge of a sea wall while being proposed to by the Commodore . While she fell into the water the coin sent out its’ “signal” to the undead crew and its captian on the Pearl.
Captain Barbosa and his crew had been cursed for stealing what was known as the”Aztec” Gold. So they lived half alive and half dead. They were pirates of a ghost like nature.
While day they were visable as human….but once the moon came out they appeared as walking animated skeletons with clothes on.
So the chase was on…to rid themselves of the ill gotten Aztec gold and return back to being human. In order to return to their normal selves they would have to give back all of the ill gotten gain to the chest from which it was taken. They also needed the blood of the child of one of the pirates.
Elizabeth misrepresented herself as a child named from Boot Strap Bill Turner. She did not realize that she had sealed her fate with the pirates when she did that. She had to stay on board the ship because….they needed what they thought was the blood of Boot Strapp Bill Turners sire.
For as Captain Barbosa put it, when talking to Eizabeth during her”first meal” in the Captain’s quarters….”I do not know the taste of food.” And he was eager to experience sensation and taste again. The funny thing though….Elizabeth read Captain Barbosa all wrong.
She thought he had posioned her food…but instead he just wanted to watch a person truly eat and enjoy his/her food. I felt kind of sorry for him. Even though he had basically kidnapped Elizabeth in order ensure his release from the limbo state ( undead) life he had been living up to this point.
Captain Barbosa was the crew member that had taken over the Black Pearl from Jack Sparrow in a mutiny! Poor Jack had made a deal with that sea monster Davy Jones…to raise the Black Pearl from the depths and then become its captain for 13 or 12 years. However, Captain Barbosa mutined against Jack Sparrow, took the ship and found that Aztec gold. So he suffered from his bad behavior. When he meets Ms. Swann he tried to explain his condition and the condition of his crew. Elizabeth as plain and simplistic told him, I do not believe in “ghost stories!” She then stabbs Captain Barbosa in the chest with a knife. He laughs and asked her in his great Irish, English accent, “What is it you planned on doing after you stabbed me with this knife?” The door to his captain’s quarters fly’s open as Elizabeth attempts to run away from him on his own ship in the middle of the ocean. While she is running she sees a strange sight….the crew working in the moon light and looking like clothed animated skeletons! Great Graphics as always Disney Movie People! The skeleton crew were ugly, but not too scary. I am not a scary movie buff. I like a mild fear….not extreme fear. Actually…I like no fear at all. I like comedy!
So any way class, Ms. Turner/Swann gets tossed about the Black Pearl by the cursed skeleton crew and lands back at the feet of Cranky Barbosa. He in turn tells her, “that if you don’t believe in ghost stories Ms. Turner, You are In one! ” At this point he drinks from a bottle of liquer and you can see the fluid roll down his skeleton rib cage and he laughs loud and hard. The skeleton crew joins in with his laughter and he turns on them and yells….”Get to work!”
I just loved this part…I saw the frustration of Captain Babosa over his dilemma. But poor Elizabeth was dragged into the problem now and looked like a scared little rabbit. Which I would have been more like a scared turtle myself!lol!
The most interesting aspect of Barbosa was his interaction with the Chinese Pirate Lord and his attempt at diplomacy. He was able to explain issues to the Chinese Pirate Lord and maintain a social proper presence throughout their discussion. However, Elizabeth, now more comfortable had developed a somewhat fearless attitude with all pirates since the being of the Trilogy argued, and demanded things of the Chinese Pirate Lord.
The most interesting part of Barbosa, was his seemingly logical awareness of “the what is next” aspect to the movies. He knew the Chinese Lord’s ship that the group was traveling on in their quest to reclaim Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones Locker was going to have to go over a gigantic water fall! Ugh! The cinematography and graphics was great! It really had an authentic look, and hard pressed reality for the viewer! I loved how the camera panned out from the Chinese Lord ship as Elizabeth and Will Turner and the rest of the crew realized that they were on a roller coaster ride to doom over the edge of the OCEAN WATER FALL! oH, MY, I thought….thank the good Lord…this is only a movie and that there are no water falls in the mid-atlantic ocean or any where else for that matter! Yuck! But in the midst of this situation, Barbosa just simply laughs! Elizabeth runs to him and looks him in the eye and said ” You have doomed us all!” Barbosa just simply touches her chin, smiles and utters some phrase but nothing that explains what is about to happen to them! He grabs hold of rope and tosses his head back and laughs while the rest of the crew, the monkey and Mr. Giffen’s parrot seek shelter as the boat tips over the edge of the water fall! What a mess as the whole kit and cabotel go over the waterfall!!! That is the best scene or one of the best in that the last and final chapter of my favorite trilogy! And for those who have done their homework, you know how it all ends….they find Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl!
I will add more on Captain Barbosa for his is a major player in this triology. He holds much of the interesting facts and figures of the story line, and he is the one or orchestrates Clypso’s ultimate freedom in his hand. He even showed no fear. He used Cylpso’s power, and did not feel loyalty at all. He called her a “fish wife”. Barbosa is a very strong character throughout the triology!
Once again, I enjoy these movies….I wish they would make just one more about Will Turner once he is captain of the Flying Dutchman!
till next blog….Riveroflifelisajoy
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