Smoke Signals and other news
Did I mention last week that our days do not always go as planned? Our 17-year-old granddaughter thought she would have dinner with me the night before her high school graduation. Instead, she had a surprise graduation party that we didn’t even know we would get to have until the day was nearly here. Since she was leaving for a beach trip the next morning after graduation and my daughter, Ellen, didn’t think she could come from Georgia, we had planned to have something later in the summer. With some swapping things around, Ellen and her daughter Olivia could come and bring a graduation cake (what’s a party without one of her cakes). Bo Sellers, covered the ballfield for me. Aunt Linda volunteered her house and decorated everything beautifully. A menu was planned and put together, and everyone pitched in. Family and friends came together and definitely surprised her. It was a great evening for her. From a tiny baby who I still say said “Hi” to me the night she was born to a young woman destined for greatness, it has been exciting to see her grow.
On to the next day, graduation. I had a physical therapy appointment. We left there to fill up the car and grab some lunch. Emily, mother of the graduate-to-be, called, saying a fire ant had bitten her husband and, although he had not had a reaction in more than 20 years, was in trouble – whelps, itching, throat and tongue swelling dangerously. Benadryl was not working. We were near their house with my EpiPen. The race was on to see who could get there first. Emily got there, grabbed him, and headed to the emergency room. En route, he continued to decline, and she had to pull over and call for an ambulance. He was quickly given additional medication and transported. More meds and monitoring for several hours as the swelling slowly diminished. Medical personnel were not convinced it would be safe for him to leave. Graduation time was drawing near, yet someone needed to remain with Phil. Although we had a plan, I was going to be the hardest one to get into and out of Landers Center (with the knee still being stubborn). I volunteered to stay with him and allow the rest of the family to attend and cheer on Mary Clair and her boyfriend who was also graduating. Phil and I were able to watch the livestream.
She will definitely have a Graduation Day story.
Phil is fine today and will pick up his EpiPen and other medications. Please keep in mind that allergies can develop at any time. I know this also from personal experience. A flare-up such as this can be terrifying. As his nurse stated yesterday, if you carry an EpiPen, it’s better to use it in case of exposure to an allergen than not to use it and suffer the consequences.
Congratulations to all the graduating seniors. I know you can and will do great things.
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901-246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.