We booked our trip to NYC to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular back in August. Non-refundable tickets for the show on November 14 and for our travel.
In late October, I had a flare up of a health condition and was both flattened and unnerved by how sick I felt. There were weekly doctor appointments, medication adjustments, and a day or two when I just crawled into bed and had a private pity party. I wondered whether I'd be able to make the NY trip.
Then in early November, I began to turn a corner. Whether it was the new meds or just my body settling down, I don't know, but I was having more good days than bad days and feeling better. I thought I might not be able to do a ton of walking on our NY trip, but I felt confident I'd at least be able to go.
Then the Girl became sick with the flu. Fever. Aches. Chills. Coughing. I was torn between taking care of her and trying to keep some distance. I kept saying to myself, "No one in this family can catch the flu this week. No one can catch the flu!" In my head, I made contingency plans, determined that if one or more of us couldn't make the trip, someone we know would be gifted with our tickets and get to enjoy it.
But as y'all know from my previous post, no one got the flu and we all made it to NYC! Yay!
But that isn't the end of my story.
I had carefully packed my bag and my medications and thrown a bottle of Tylenol in for good measure, just in case. I was prepared! When we were hours from home and more than halfway to NYC, I opened my bag at the appointed time to take my medication and discovered one pill was missing from my stash. One Very Important Pill. A pill that I need to get through each day.
I sat in shock while The Man kept saying, "How is this possible?!!! How is this POSSIBLE? How could you do this?" You'd think I'd just committed an act of terrorism. He was that incredulous. I gave him The Look (everyone who is married knows about The Look), and he quickly regained his composure and stopped the panicky exclamations.
We arrived in NYC when I was five hours past due taking my Very Important Pill. I was feeling OK, and we began walking around mid-town Manhattan, seeing the sights. The Girl went to the American Girl Store and explored four stories of dolls and accessories. Onto Rockefeller Center to see the famous Christmas tree, the skating rink, the mighty golden statue of Prometheus. We soaked up the atmosphere, walked down Broadway, and headed to Times Square.
It was there at Times Square I saw my own holiday miracle: a Walgreen's hidden behind scaffolding and sandwiched between shiny stores and Jumbotrons. YES!
I went into Walgreen's and headed upstairs to the pharmacy. I was hoping someone there could get me my Very Important Pill. Joy, a friendly pharmacy intern, waited on me with sympathy and a big smile. I knew the name and dosage of my drug, but didn't have the prescription number nor did I have my pharmacy's phone number or ZIP code. It was not a Walgreen's and not on their network, and Joy didn't have a computer with Internet access. She had to borrow someone's smartphone to Google phone numbers, but she got the right one on the first try. A call to my hometown pharmacy, and I was on my way to getting my meds.
I was now more than six hours overdue for my pill and beginning to feel Less Than Well. I told my family to head out to Times Square and have fun and I'd call them when I had my meds in hand, but they stayed with me. My son wouldn't leave my side. Less than thirty minutes later, Joy, my new best friend, handed me my pills, and we left Walgreen's looking for a place to have a late lunch. In order to take my pill, I needed both milk AND food or I'd be hit with some serious stomach upset.
Every restaurant on Times Square was standing room only. Long lines for food. Long lines for a table. I had to climb a set of stairs at the Hard Rock Cafe and it almost did me in. And then they couldn't seat us. So, we were off in search of food, milk, and seating. And I was feeling Very Unwell, as in "Not Good at All," and the Man was getting tense and nervous. Finally, we found a deli with some seats available--up a long flight of stairs. Oh my goodness, when I hit the top of those stairs and found a chair, I had to put my head down on the table. I was on the verge of seeing those purple dots that float before your eyes right before you pass out.
I thought the food would never get there. I felt sick, overheated, and faint. Finally, my son came up the stairs bearing a tray with food and a container of milk on it. I was so wiped out, I couldn't open the medicine bottle. My daughter got my pill out for me, I swallowed it, drank all the milk, took a few bites of my wrap and waited to feel better.
It took 30 minutes for me to feel less wobbly and steady on my feet. A bit after that, I was confident I could make it down the stairs and walk on the streets again. Happily, my condition rapidly improved and we were able to resume sightseeing, and though the stairs up to the first mezzanine at Radio City were a challenge, I made it! So. Happy. To. Be. There.
Through it all, I was grateful for my family, especially my kids who never, ever make me feel like a burden or a hassle when I'm not well. No complaining, no eye rolling, no sighs, no embarrassment, no thinly disguised irritation. This is not the first time that everything had come to a halt to deal with my health during a family vacation, and they consistently show such maturity and grace. They were comforting and patient and supportive and helpful. I felt so blessed by their care and their attitude. Yes, the show was spectacular, but the most precious moments in the day were the acts of kindness. I will never forget them.
;)
November 24, 2009 at 15:16 
I'll be working on some more designs over the holiday weekend. Stay tuned. 
