Day 1: Monday, May 10, 2009, today is Mother's Day.
We spent the day on the road to Atlanta. It was a trip in the rain...but at least we made it safely. We checked into the RMD House in Atlanta at about 7 p.m. (EST) and settled in for the night.
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| After surgery at Emory Hospital |
Day 2: Tuesday, May 11, 2009
Lora dropped Meadow and me off in front of Emory Hospital and we walked next door to Children’s Emory Hospital and took the flower elevator to the third floor, where I registered Meadow.
Lora parked the van and met us on the third floor.
We waited until about 11 A.M. when they called Meadow back to get her vitals and put her in a room that overlooked the Hospital Park.
It was a beautiful park with a pond, statues, and lots of blooming flowers, trees, and shrubs.
Meadow's retina surgery was scheduled at 9 A.M. (that is what time she had to be in day surgery). Dr. Swinn & Dr. Hubbard talked with us before they took her back.
They returned from surgery quickly.
They did not perform the surgery to re-attach the retina. Dr. Hubbard explained that in her case, the optic nerve is enlarged in her right eye. There was not a tear or hole in the retina. He said this was good & bad news. He said that with this type of anomaly, sometimes the retina will flatten itself back out and re-attach. Then again, it might not. He said it would not be worth it to place a hole or tear in the retina to re-attach it because this could cause more problems for a child her age. Therefore, he did not repair the detached retina. He told us that she probably has minimal vision in that eye. She may only see light & shadows. He was not concerned with the gray discoloration in her right cornea (the white part of her eye around the iris).
Dr. Hubbard did a very detailed exam under anesthesia. Meadow had an allergic reaction to one of the eye drops that they used to dilate her eyes. The nurse said it happened immediately following the drops. It gave her a rash. They had to give her Benadryl through an IV.
He said her left eye looked good, other than the optic nerve hypoplasia. Meadow will need to return for a follow-up in three months and to keep a watch on the right eye. We can only hope for the best that the retina will flatten out and re-attach on its own. The longer it is detached, the poorer the prognosis.
Meadow was dismissed from the hospital after drinking some water. We walked around the hospital park and took pictures.
We rode back to the Ronald McDonald House to eat.
We rode to the Carter building parked the car and walked around.
Next, we rode downtown Atlanta to a park.
We did not stay long because we could not find anywhere to park free. Marcus called Lora, he wanted her to call Ron to see if he could pick up Madison.
Lora went up a one-way street while she was on the phone.
She made a U-turn and we went back to the Ronald McDonald House.
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| In the lobby after surgery at Emory Hospital |
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| Park at Emory Hospital |
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| Park at Emory Hospital |
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| Park at Emory Hospital |
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| Walking around at the Carter Center in Atlanta |
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| International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum |
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| Talladega Speedway |
Day 3: Wednesday, May 12, 2009
I vacuumed, cleaned the room, made the beds, and carried the dirty linen to the parking deck.
We ate breakfast, of oats, eggs, raisin bread, and tea.
We washed clothes before we left which was about 10 A.M.
We stopped at the Talladega Super Speedway in Talladega where we toured the museum and took the bus to the racetrack.
Talladega Superspeedway is the biggest, fastest, and most competitive motorsports facility in the world. Records for both speed and competition have been established at Talladega.
Talladega Superspeedway can accommodate more than 143,000 seated guests and thousands more in the 212-acre infield. The track offers van tours to visitors daily during working hours except on weeks around events.
Adjacent to the track is the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened in April 1983 and is dedicated to the preservation of the history of motorsports
Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $5 for kids aged 7 to 17, and free for kids aged 6 and younger.
There were three buildings of race memorable, cars, trophies, photos, etc.
The bus tour took about 45 minutes. The guide told many antidotes about racing.
We met an elderly woman in the library of the museum, she personally knew Richard Petty. She said that she rented a home from the Pettys.
She said what do you want to know about the Pettys.
Only Dale Earnhardt, Davey Allison, Bobby Labonte, and Martin have won in three or more racing series at Talladega. In addition, as the only driver to win in four different racing series at NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track, Martin is in a league of his own.
We ate supper at Cracker Barrel and traveled home.
