Where has she been?

Sorry that my blog has gone dark the last few days, but there is a good reason.

Some of you who have been reading my blog for a long time may remember Casey. Believe it or not, more than two years later, Casey's battle with Ulcerative Colitis continues, her ileostomy bag serving as a banner for her cause. On Sunday I got a rather pathetic text from my friend, Casey's Mom, Stacy saying that Casey was back in the hospital in New York City where earlier in the week they had hoped to reverse the colostomy only to find yet another complication to prevent the surgery from happening. Casey now had an obstruction which required that she endure an NG tube...something I understood from my extensive medical background...Grey's Anatomy, House, ER, etc. For two years, Stacy has slept in the hospital with Casey at three different hospitals every time she's been admitted...and there have been way too many admissions for a girl who just turned 13.

My amazing husband saw how much I wanted to be there for Stacy and knew how much my son Rory would want to be there for Casey and immediately booked us a flight. An hour and a half later, we were at the airport and on our way. So here is where we spent our time for two days. As you are looking at the pictures, try to visualize beautiful tufts of snow falling in them. It snowed almost the whole time we were there. Rory even made a snowball with his bare hands and carried it into the hospital, up the elevator 6 floors and delivered it to Casey!

Mostly we were here. Cornell Presbyterian, specifically the Greenberg Pavilion, where Casey was staying. This is where Rory made Casey laugh in spite of her NG tube, got her to do "laps" around the nurse's station and single-handedly cured her of her obstruction. But remember, part of the objective was to get Stacy out of there and get HER to smile and laugh.

Stacy's Mom (yes, we know about the song) needed an iPhone since she had lost her phone getting out of a cab, so a trip to Mecca the Apple flagship store, near Central Park, was essential. Just the process of watching Nana Judi buy and try to learn the iPhone brought smiles and laughter!

 

Then it was off to Nana Judi's Mecca, Bergdorf Goodman. I don't want to say I was out of my league here, but we were perusing handbags that cost as much as my first car and had security around them that would make President Obama look relatively unprotected!

Nana Judi wanted to treat us to a girls' lunch at Bergdorf's. Since they are known for the Gotham Salad, I had to have that. It was wonderful. Stacy and I had glasses of crisp Chardonnay while Nana Judi enjoyed a bloody Mary. It was definitely a New York moment that this small town girl had never imagined.

 

For us, the extra-special thing about a trip to NYC is that we get to see my niece Ashley who is living the life there. She is 25 and has been there since graduating from college. We went to Cilantro, a Southwestern restaurant, where I enjoyed a ten dollar Margarita that was so good that it was well worth it. Rory, Ashley and I talked and laughed over dinner before sending Ashley on her way back to the lower East side where she happily resides in a shoebox with three roommates. That's part of living the life in NYC when you are 25.

 

Just down the street from the hospital was what had become the "Cheers" of the Casey's hospital stay, Murphy's Law, an Irish pub where one could have a beer, get a good meal and watch a football game...and they have Stella on draft. Casey's grandparents took me here the first night. Tuesday, as we were preparing to leave and half-hoping that the huge (6 inch) snowfall in Raleigh would result in the cancellation of our flight, Stacy and I went there for lunch and I had the best burger I have ever had in my life. I was kicking myself for ordering the portabello sandwich two nights before!

It was spontaneous. It may have been ridiculous. But our two days in NYC with our best friends were just what the doctor would have ordered if he had known the healing power of Rory and Casey just hanging out together and the fun, laughter, friendship and strength that me and Stacy being together revitalizes! And this is what made it all worthwhile:

Di

Comments

[Ashley]

1) I am 24, not quite a quarter century...at least until March.

2)a $10 margarita in Manhattan is called: a good deal

3) it's not a shoebox, it's a 9'x11' slice of heaven...on the fringe of the chinatown fishmarkets.

[joAnn]

You and Rory are good friends to Stacy and Casey - they are lucky to have both of you!

[Shirley]

What a wonderfull trip- much better than flowers or a get well card. Glad to hear Casey is doing better.

[Lisa]

This was such an awesome story. Thanks for sharing.

[Wendy Sinett]

This brought tears of laughter and joy to my eyes. Words can not express how much we appreciated having you and Rory there for my beautiful niece and gorgeous sister. here's to Casey's continued good health and well being.

[ali]

i'm so sorry your trip to new york was for very different reasons.

what a nice post, though.