That's What Friends Are For!

For good times, for bad times...I'll be on your side forevermore...That's what friends are for...

Mom had a hard week last week. On Wednesday she had an attack during the short amount of time that she was left alone while Dad had to get something done outside the house. She had to get across the room to get a new tank of oxygen (when she walks, she has to switch from a machine to a tank because the tank can deliever more oxygen at a time than the machine-she went through her tank much more quickly than expected on this day), and wasn't able to lift it (anyone got a good idea for a lighter oxygen tank...we could be millionaires!). She broke out in a cold sweat, and by the time she got the tank where it needed to be, her sweaty palms couldn't grip the dial enough to turn it on! She called Dad, who sent a neighbor over to help until he could arrive.

It took her much longer to recover from that episode than she would've liked, and she had to miss the 60th birthday party of one of her closest friends. By the time it rolled around on Saturday, she was too weak to take a shower, and Dad ended up calling the ambulance to come and take her to the ER to be evaluated as to whether Cleveland should send a plane to come and get her and put her on a heart/lung machine to await her transplant. At the ER it was determined that she wasn't as bad. Her meds were adjusted and they were sent home. By Sunday, she felt a lot better.

But before she left the ER, she was surprised by her friends who were all at the party! Dale, the hostess, had been in contact with Dad, and after celebrating Dee's 60th for a while at the house, the whole crew packed up a couple of plates of food and trucked it down to Lexington Medical Center where they went in 2 by 2 to see Mom and Dad! While it was an awesome act, I really wasn't surprised when I heard what happened.

Mom & Dad have been in the same group of friends for close to 30 years. Most of the gang lived in our cul-de-sac when we moved to SC back in 1982. Others have been added to the group through one person or another. The tight-knit clan has seen many ups and downs...divorce and the death of loved ones, celebrations of marriage and grandbabies, graduations and promotions...through thick and thin they have always been together. We are so thankful to have this "family" in our lives, especially when tough times come along.