I was sitting at my desk starting to go through my daily work when I got a call from a client who was in NYC on his way to La Guardia when the first plane hit. He said the cab driver stopped in the middle of the bridge and got out of the car after he saw it in the rearview mirror. The got to the other side of the bridge, he told the driver to turn around and go back to the city. While I was on the phone with him the other plane hit. All I heard from him was a gasp and then he said he didn't know what was going on but it was horrible. The calls started flooding in about an hour later from my clients who were trapped all over the globe. It was such a helpless feeling to have to tell them that they were on their own and I couldn't get them home.
The beauty of humanity did come shining through during that time of crisis though. I had clients call me from California who went to the Los Angeles airport looking to rent a car and drive back to Georgia. There were no cars available but there were people who were walking through the terminal lobby with signs saying they had a car rented and were driving to such and such a city and had room for 3 more people. That is how my clients got home. They joined forces with a total stranger to get back. I had a CEO of one of our largest companies who was stuck in Austin. He got on a Greyhound bus! The next morning I called him to see how he was doing. He was outside Birmingham and he said the atmosphere on that bus was actually comforting. Everyone on it was in the same predicament.
I had a client who was stuck in Detroit who rented a U-haul and crammed two more people in to drive south. He went out of his way to drop each of them at their homes on his way back to Atlanta.
They are all memorable but one client's situation stands out to me most. He was in Prague at a conference. He had just checked out of his hotel and gone to the airport to come home. His flight had been delayed so he was going to miss his connection so he just opted to stay in Prague one more night. He went back to the hotel but they were sold out for that night. He asked if they could help find him a room in a sister hotel and that is when the first plane hit. Then the second. He discovered that the airspace was shut down and he had no idea when he could come home. The hotels were all sold out in the city! He had no place to go and that is when one of the hotel staff stepped forward and offered him a room in his home with his family until he could get home. WOW! He allowed a total stranger to come and stay with him and his wife and kids. That was amazing!
I just had to share that with you. I didn't have a chance to yesterday.
Hope you all have a blessed day and remember that humanity is not lost in most people, it's just buried a little until an extreme circumstance bring it out.
T19 M15 S19 XH47 M43 bomb12/4/07 PA5/07 S12/26/07 D final 11/17/08 Back together with no defined R 05/2010 confused....to say the least!!!
Mish: Your stories have made my day! Sometimes the worst times bring out the very best in people.
My parents were in Vancouver vacationing when 9-11 happened. They were unable to come home. It was 5 days before they could get on a plane but - just as you witnessed - people stepped fwd and made them comfortable. One of my friends lived there. She had no problem putting them up, helping them with calls to agents etc. They could afford a hotel - but they are elderly and it was just so comforting for them to be with her (they also knew here fairly well through me).
Here in Canada when I was a newlywed - we had the storm of the century. I lived on the 3rd floor of an apt - high above it. That's where I needed to be to weather it. Everything was shut down. Cars had to be ditched in the middle of the road. People were taken to hospitals on snowmobiles. Phones were all out. My husband had worked the night shift so he was home sleeping. We were safe and had enough food in the freezer to get by (it was a week before we ventured out the grocery store on foot - luckily one block away). But my dad was stuck at work and my brother at college. After toughing it out for one night - each was offered a place to stay with a colleague nearby although they had to bundle up with ANYTHING they could find and walk the couple of blocks to the homes.
Our radio played nothing but "Operation Antifreeze" where people called in with pleas for food, medication, medical emergencies, if they were stranded etc and others called in to offer "safe places" in their homes with hot spaghetti or stew or just a clean bed. Hardly anyone died. Because they DID have a place to go.
It has impacted me for the rest of my life. Always keep extra food on hand. Always offer a helping hand. Make people feel comfortable.
The supervisor from Hell called me this morning. Sort of to apologize although some people (like her) don't exactly ever do that. My husband was like that. Never ever said "I'm sorry" - he liked to "explain" himself. UGH. That does not work for me. Josh says "I'm sorry" even if he isn't the one who causes me the problem. In fact - he never causes a problem.
Anyway...
So she got a call from the government supervisor about my upset. And she wished to explain that she had 6 staff off on sick leave. But she would give me one staff to take the trip if I could provide another. So I'm searching for "the other". I told her that she had not explained ANYTHING to me and took a strip off of me for talking to her employee who works in my house. I had not undermined her - we had been continuing an ongoing discussion. There are 5 workers in my house and I speak to them daily - we have an excellent relationship. I like them all - they do a great job. So then she understood. I had to suck it up and get past it all because it is the only thing that would help.
So I'm back to making the plans. I do believe I can make it all work now. And I feel better. But not happy I lost a few nights sleep and my blood pressure is sky high.
I DO NOT LIKE the supervisor. I doubt I will ever like her. Every journal entry I've made in the past 16 months seems to be about her. Like fingernails on the blackboard. But I will do my best for my son. As always.
Ryan is going to Disney World!!!! Disney asked me if we were celebrating anything. I said "YES - that Ryan is alive". Seriously... His last trip was booked 2 years ago and he ended up in a coma at the time. In fact (if any of you remember) - the day we went to the hospital I was told he would NOT live. But I kicked and screamed and demanded they do everything humanly possible to save him and today he is laughing, happy, going off to see his friends. And excited about going to WDW next month.
Not many people are in a coma TWICE! Ryan's first time (at age 4) - lasted 6 weeks on life support. Last time - 2 weeks. I don't ever want to go there again.
So - I looked into caregivers in Orlando. Emailed a couple of places. No one even bothered to get back to me. So I posted what I wanted to my friends on Facebook. And I got quite a few good options. Now I just need to decide the best fit for our trip. Many of my former students are trained in the nursing/psw field - who knew? And everyone wants to go to Disney World. So - it's all a go and I booked it yesterday. I'm so excited!!! Not like I never go (I am there a few times a year) but taking Ry is just the best!
So we will celebrate Ryan's life with RYAN!!! and Mickey & friends. It will be a blast!
M:47 M:18 D16, S19 1st S 1/08-5/08 Reconciled/May 7, 2008 Left again Nov 9, 2009 I Filed: Nov 17, 2009 Final: April 14, 2010 EX walked away from kids too
someday, I would love to bring Finn and the boys there...
I can't imagine a better celebration than life
A side question Barb... does Ryan have a g-tube?
Finn, as you know, just got her's and it seems to weep a lot...I am assuming this is normal?
But she also has some discoloration on the opposite side of her body...her g-tube/mic-key button is on her left side. Her right side, lower stomach all the way up to her arm pit. It looks like someone shaded her in with pencil.
She also has ehlers danlos syndrome which, in part, means she bruises easier but, I am wondering if bruising after this surgery is normal?
Thanks to each of you, my cheerleaders! It should not be a fight to get your agency to agree to let you take a worker (or 2) to Disneyworld - but that's my agency supervisor.
Thanks for saying I'm a great mom! That makes me happy. I love Ryan so much and when you have a child (even when they're grown) - you always want to do more than you sometimes can. But when they miss out on so many things and suffer so much - you just want to make it up when you can.
I took Gineen's suggestion and decided to hire privately (the 2nd worker). I tried some of my former workers but they couldn't get the time off. But when I put it on Facebook - BAM!!! I was shocked at how many trained friends I have on FB. I doubt I would have difficulty finding someone to go next time.
The girl I'm hiring privately is the daughter of a new friend here. She has babysat for Ryan and is eager to learn what to do to help. She got married today! We will get together and go over it all soon.
The girl that the agency is allowing to go has worked with Ryan since May. She is young and uber excited! I'm glad it is these 2. They will both get along (they're both extremely bubbly) & they will make it so much fun for Ryan.
So - got the hotel booked, tickets bought and airfare etc. We're good to go!
I'm sure you will get the chance to go at some time - you MUST. I suggest you look into places that will grant wishes. I was offered such a trip at one point - before I had been able to take Ryan. And I wanted to take him SO badly (We had our first trip with our 2 little boys booked when Ryan got sick at age 4). When he was in a coma then - I found his bag all packed (by him) with his swimsuit, a Mickey Mouse etc in it. That just about killed me.
But when I was offered the trip - it was the week that Ashley was due. And the deal was - they would take him there and back in the same day. And none of us could go with him. They had nurses, drs and firefighters going. I just wasn't comfortable with it. But 2 years later - my mom (now deceased) stepped up and paid for herself, Ryan, Ashley & I to go (we had already taken Brandon). & I took him every other year after that.
The weepiness is something we see all the time. We just keep a large piece of gauze around it. But the "shading" you describe is not something I've seen before. Perhaps because she is smaller? Ryan's is not a button. He only got his about 4 years ago. We used a nasal gastric tube till then. Weird, I know, but I was trying to avoid surgery.
If you're in doubt - take her to the surgeon and have it checked out. Ry goes back fairly often. His tube gets clogged or displaced at least every couple of months but its a quick fix.
Finn's epilepsy, autism and feeding tube don't count for wish making organizations.
They told us to try again in a couple of years as their budgets are tight now as well and they are prioritizing for kids whose life expectancy is greatly limited.
while I am grateful that she doesn't fit that description...I know her life expectancy IS diminished by her special needs.
Cori or I will be calling her dr tomorrow. We have to get her replacement mic-key anyway...not excited for when she yanks it out (which we have been assured will happen) siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh
I am so glad your trip is going to happen. Angels are watching over Ryan for sure
