TheBanyanTree: Two Weeks

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Spring seems to bring out the worst in people.  Columbine, Virginia Tech,
and the shooting at NASA are examples of spring with tulips tainted with
blood.  Yes, we have killings all year round, but it seems the spectacular
ones are in the spring.

I’ve been barely aware of the Virginia Tech shootings because of my own
problems.  I remember reading about them on the CNN web site at work and was
amazed at how the death total kept growing.  But I was worried about Ray and
did not feel emotionally connected to the rampage as I did to the Columbine
shootings.

Interwoven with the blood and warming weather was Ray’s health.  He began a
major improvement this week.  He’s keeping his food in his tummy.  They took
him off of IVs.  He began walking around the hospital.

Ray had another PET scan at the University of Minnesota hospitals and was
caught up in the bomb threats on campus the day after the Virginia Tech
shootings.  Someone had left a note in a bathroom saying they were going to
blow up a bunch of buildings, so the U of M police shut down the campus.
Ray had finished three hours of tests on the east side of the Mississippi
River and needed to get back to the west side of the river, but couldn’t get
out until the police allowed vehicle traffic again.  He didn’t get back to
his bed until 5:30 pm that afternoon.

The test results were positive.  His heart and circulation are good and the
doctors felt he could tolerate the surgery to remove the tumor from his
lung.  That’s the best way to go – just get rid of the darn thing.  Cut it
out and throw it away.

They cut him loose from the hospital last night.  The temps were in the 70s.
The sun was shining and it doesn’t set now until after 8:00 pm.  I arrived
at the hospital to find him still in his gown, so I urged him to get
dressed.  If we didn’t have to wait for his prescriptions, I would have
taken him home right that second!

But we had to wait for the drugs and Ray wanted to eat one last FREE (kind
of) dinner.  So he ate his last supper at the hospital, got his drugs, and
we were off!

The doctors decided to send Ray home for a couple of weeks to fatten him up.
He’s lost a lot of weight, he’s down to 125 pounds, and needs to regain his
strength.  He’ll have some outpatient tests and get his pic cleaned out
during this time.  They’ll make another evaluation and then probably
schedule surgery.

I’m going to enjoy these next two weeks.  Ray was in fairly good shape to
make it through the grocery store last night.  We stopped on the way home
and with careful planning and not having a lot of stuff to buy, he walked
through the store and even helped me put away groceries.

We watched the Twins game, together on our green couch, just like so many
other nights.  It’s warm this morning and will be almost 80 degrees today,
so I’m hoping to get outside and get those poor gardens uncovered and ready
for summer.  I’m sure Ray will pay a visit to his massive garage.

Tonight is my older grandson’s birthday (he’s eight) celebration at the Mall
of America’s waterpark.  I’m so glad Ray can join us.  We’ll all have a lot
more fun with Ray in the mix.

For a couple of weeks, I can put my worries aside, enjoy Ray as he is,
healthy and happy, and then get ready for the next chapter in our lives.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net
margaret.kramer at polarispublications.com

Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.
~S.D. Gordon