When Everything Goes Wrong, but Paradoxically Goes Right
My family and I managed to keep COVID out of the house for two and a half years, but all good things must come to an end. It started with my younger sister, then my parents fell like dominoes, every two days. The ventilator obviously makes respiratory illnesses a little bit more concerning, but since I am both vaccinated and boosted it is unlikely that tragedy would befall should I succumb, nevertheless it is preferable for me to remain healthy. In this situation, the big concern was sufficient care should I become ill, as my primary caregivers were not fully functioning. This is how a series of unfortunate events all worked out rather nicely…
The initial introduction of the illness into the household was obviously the first event to go wrong, yet with masks, quarantining the ill in their bedrooms, and sequestering me in mine, we were able to limit my exposure enough that I managed to avoid becoming ill. Unfortunately, in the midst of the COVID invasion, several nurses had non-COVID illnesses of their own. This certainly was not the optimal timing for staffing issues, as people other than my exposed parents would be a better option for keeping me healthy. Yet, it all worked out, and I very much attribute it to my dad sleeping on the floor outside of my bedroom, when we had no night nurse, as opposed to sleeping in the extra bed we keep in my bedroom for times when there is no nurse. This kept me from being exposed to him when he was likely most contagious.
Given the fact that my dad had slept next to my mom the night before she tested positive, it was no surprise when he woke up one morning also positive. Fortunately, my other sister, Soley, and her family were willing to welcome me into their home. That morning, Soley showed up bright and early, and within an hour and a half, we had finished my morning care routine, packed up my supplies to move into her house, transferred me into my wheelchair, and evacuated my contaminated home.
Once I arrived at my "vacation destination" we set about converting Soley's living room into what my five-year-old nephew, Porter, immediately started calling "Loa's room." With the help of an end table, and the bed from their guestroom, I quickly had a bedside ventilator set up. Here is where a little snag arose. As we were packing at my house I was stressed over where and how we would hang my sterile humidifier water without putting unnecessary holes in my sister's walls. She assured me we would figure something out, and as soon as we started rearranging the room, Soley stumbled upon one of our standard travel solutions: a floor lamp and coat hanger.
Once again, staffing issues were a potential problem after my exodus, yet everyone was willing to commute to a new worksite and several nurses picked up shifts for others who were unable to work. One of our former nurses has several disabled children of her own. She graciously sacrificed the help of a mutual friend and nurse, to help care for me, so that my sister was not overly burdened with my care day and night.
Even though my sister's house was both quickly and easily converted to meet all of my essential needs, it is not quite equipped to accommodate some of the conveniences that become a bit more complicated with an injury like mine. With everyone at my home having fallen sick, I was a little behind on getting showered, and even with the help of dry wash shampoo, my hair was beyond greasy. Keeping me clean without a shower is far easier than keeping my hair clean. In any case, when Soley's sister-in-law, Ronnie, was over celebrating my nephew Nicky's eighth birthday, I told her how despite everything going a bit awry, most things were working out better than one would have expected, the exception being that my greasy hair was starting to drive me crazy. Ronnie was determined to rectify this and did not stop until she found a solution. The utility sink in the laundry room had a detachable nozzle and enough space for me to back my wheelchair close enough to the sink to avoid a flood. Problem solved. A few minutes later I had clean hair, leaving me with my own gift on Nicky's birthday.
If the thought crossed my mind that living at my nephews' house would cause consternation, I need not have worried. I was welcomed with open arms. Nine-year-old Wickliffe hoped that I would be there for a minimum of five nights. Porter, rushed to get one of his puzzles and told me that if I needed something to do, I could put together one of the baby Yoda puzzles I had given him for his birthday. Nicky became very distraught when the time came for me to announce that I would be returning home. He just simply did not understand how I could go home when my parents were sick, and despite the fact that I reassured him they were well enough that it was safe for me to return home, he thought I ought to stay for a bit longer—just to be safe.
In the end, I remained healthy, was able to enjoy some special time with my nephews, and even enjoyed a movie night lounging on their sofa. Thanks to my brother-in-law's ability to easily carry me about from one end of the house to the other, instead of having to transfer me from bed to wheelchair and then again from wheelchair to the sofa, I was able to easily enjoy the movie from somewhere both novel and comfortable. Being the wonderful boys they are, my nephews jumped right in to take care of me, and seemed to enjoy having an extra family member for a few days.
Depending on how one looks at the situation, one could say an awful lot went wrong: COVID finding its way into my house, my primary caregivers falling ill, nurse callouts, et cetera. However, there was more that worked out perfectly: my family quarantining and sacrificing their comfort to reduce my exposure, Soley's family offering me shelter, nurses and staff working together to fill the gaps and providing my sister with as much support as possible, me staying healthy, and the cherry on top was I was able to have an abundance of quality time with my nephews whilst sporting freshly washed hair.
Thank you everyone for always being there for me and turning what could have been a disaster into a pleasant weekend away from home!
My dear Loa, you oftentimes advertise yourself as a pessimist, but you have an uncanny way of always finding the silver lining. I think you may be a closet optimist after all ☺️ love you!
You have an Awesome Family!