New Year’s Eve in Manhattan

In 1998, I went to visit Teri, Mark and Harry in Manhattan. Harry was three years old. We were going to celebrate New Year’s Eve as you can see in the picture of Teri and Mark. I don’t remember just when we got sick, but things got pretty bad. I had a fever and fainted twice getting off the toilet. Fortunately, Mark was nice enough to lift me off the floor! Harry was very sick and I remember a lot of screaming when he had to take medicine. Things were pretty bad, to say the least. The weather was bad and it rained most of the time. I got so sick that Teri decided I needed to go to the hospital which was down the street from them. It was really down the street! I couldn’t walk so they put me in Harry’s stroller and away we went! When we got to the hospital, some women out in front called Teri a bitch – I don’t know what brought that on unless they thought she was abusing me. Teri was busy with me or she probably would have taken them out!

Nothing much happened in the hospital – someone told me to drink Gatorade and that was about it. So then Teri had to push me back up the hill. I don’t know how she did it. She’s one special daughter. I didn’t get better, but my reservation to fly home was very soon, so I managed to shuffle onto the plane when the time came. By then I had completely lost my voice and had quite a fever. I had to go to the bathroom once on the plane, so I staggered in and sat down and put my head down between my knees and just sat. All of a sudden a man pushed open the door, looked at me and apologized all over the place. I told him it was fine – I didn’t care. He probably didn’t hear me as I had no voice. When we finally arrived in Portland, my friend, Jeanie, met me with a wheelchair and took me out. Her husband was waiting in front so I got out in one piece. I think someone took me to the doctor the next day for medication.

My only regret is that we didn’t take a picture of me in the stroller! Wouldn’t that be a great picture? Tomorrow night is New Year’s Eve and I’m sick again, but nothing like 1998. I'm certainly not planning on falling off my toilet this year.