It was Friday morning and Dr. Dave came in early to let me know that I would be getting the hell out of there. This was great news since I was so tired of this place. I just needed to let my parents know that I would be coming home. My blood counts were stable, no fever and no major GVHD issues. All was good for the time being and I felt somewhat ok. I was still having issues with eating, my mouth was very tender with sores and everything still tasted horrible. This was the norm though. Watermelon, Honeydew, Canteloupe and Goldfish crackers. The chemo diet. Lol. The only things I could taste. The Hickman Catheter would be removed this morning too. Hallelujah! No more cyclops coming out of my chest! The surgical team would be in soon to take care of it, no special surgery would be necessary. Freedom…again, with a big hole in my chest.
Everything went as planned, catheter removed without incident and I was ready to go. It was so easy to get dressed now! Around late afternoon my ride…the wheelchair, picked me up and we made our way out to the fresh air. It was not such a great day weather wise. The sky was dark and a storm was brewing. I still wouldn’t be able to see the boys. My immune system was very fragile, as was my physical condition. It would be a while before I could go home. So, it was back to Fort Washington to quarantine and continue to recuperate. Back in my room at my parents, it was time to rest. Another long day in the books.
The next morning, the ominous black skies that had presented themselves the afternoon before, were starting to unleash their fury. The rain was coming down in buckets. The area of Fort Washington where we lived was on a major down slope where all of the homes on our side of the street actually looked up to Dreshertown road. Dreshertown road was a curvy drive that on the left side, going towards our house, you looked up at the homes along it. The right side you looked down on the homes. At one point, not far from our house, there is a deep sharp curve where the right lane has just a guardrail that drops off to a deep slope below. My sister Lisa had ventured out that morning to the Willow Grove Mall to the Barnes and Noble store . The store sat by itself outside of the mall, a great escape to relax and grab a book, read, etc. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen hoping to eat some breakfast. It was always a struggle but I was so hungry. Lisa’s boyfriend at the time had come by to hang out and was waiting for her to get back. The storm raged on.
The forecast had called for heavy rain. It continued to get worse and Lisa called to let us know that she decided to wait out the torrents that were pummeling us at the moment. It just went downhill from there. Flash flooding was occurring all over the Delaware Valley, especially in our area. So bad that the parking lot around Barnes and Noble started to cave in around it. We had no idea that this was happening. Lisa decided to make a run for it fearing that her car would become a casualty like others being sucked into the crumbling tarmac. She called to let us know that she had made it out and was on her way. At home, my parents were frantic as were Scott and myself. I was sitting on the step leading from the kitchen to the den when the call came in. Watching the local news channels that were updating the flooding, the den television was spewing stories of overflowing creeks, rivers and inundated roads everywhere. My dad’s cellphone rang. Lisa was screaming on the other end. I will never forget that moment. She was trapped on the curve of Dreshertown road, literally one minute from our house. The water was cascading down the left slope and was flooding the roadway so quickly that she had nowhere to go. The road behind her was starting to cave and her car was trapped against the guardrail. The water was halfway up the side of her car. A life or death situation.
The screams coming through the cell phone were horrific. Scott flew out of the house and jumped into his car to try to get to where she was stranded. My dad was keeping her on the phone and trying to keep her calm although we were all freaking out. I got up and went upstairs and got my sneakers. This was my baby sister. I had to go out and help her. As I sat on the step again, I struggled so hard to get my shoes on. The phone went dead. The rain was pouring down. I couldn’t move. I physically could not move. My body was too weak. I tried to stand up but for the first time in my life, I felt completely helpless. Helpless. Too weak to do anything. My little sister could be drowning and I was in such bad condition that I couldn’t help. As soon as the phone went dead my Dad flew out the door and all that I wanted to do was help. There were so many bad times for me during this journey. This ranks as one of the worst. As my Dad was flying up the driveway, my sister came flying in. She made a decision that would save her life. She floored it. Luckily the water hadn’t reached the engine yet and in a moment of desperation she just floored it and plowed through the flood before it was too late. This was too close. Distraught was mild to say the least, we all were. The whole ordeal only lasted about five minutes. An insane five minutes of terror that felt like forever. But now, where was Scott? He wasn’t answering his phone and Lisa didn’t pass him on her way. He came in a few minutes later, obviously very emotional like the rest of us. He was drenched but so relieved to see her car when he pulled back in the driveway. He couldn’t get through the flood and couldn’t see her car so he pulled up a side road and ran through the houses to get to her. By the time he got there she had pulled through, so no car. He said the road was completely full at that point and he was thinking the worst. It was a valiant effort on his part, but this was my job. I should have been out there saving her. I would have been out there. To feel so helpless when someone you love so much needs you is a terrible thing. Probably how my family was feeling about me.
This excerpt is sadly written in honor of my friend Big Billy B. He lost his battle after a few short years to cancer this week. Too young, too fast, two young children. Very sad. He fought his cancer very hard. He was such a great guy. Rest easy bud.
Next up: A Special Trip to Hanahmen
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