Day 1: Sunday, September 23, 2007
He is a pilot of a small 4-seater airplane.
Hubby drove us to the airport, where he helped us load the airplane.
My Granddaughter's wheelchair had to have some screws taken out because it would not fit into the airplane.
Hubby removes the screws so the wheelchair will fit.
I sat in the copilot seat beside the pilot, and we talked about his family.
The pilot has six children; two are in college.
The pilot dropped us off in London, Kentucky, where we took another flight in a small 6-seater jet.
This pilot was very business-oriented.
Before we got on this jet, we ate a snack of Yoplait, bananas, and soda, and we fed my Granddaughter some milk and changed her diaper.
She is to call back when we land in Delaware.
For the day, I have eaten two protein bars, one Yoplait, one banana, one apple, salad, water, and a soda.
My daughter is reading the first Harry Potter book.
The flight is very comfortable and smooth, and we have a good view of the D.C. area.
We arrive at the Delaware airport, and the pilot's wife greets us.
Her husband assembles my Granddaughter's wheelchair and loads it into his wife's vehicle.
My daughter called the RMH, and they have a room ready for us.
The directions from Delaware Auto Court Airport to Ronald McDonald House are:
We turn right north on Du Pont Road for .5 miles, to the right on Harding for .8 miles, and to exit 4 RT-48 toward Penngrove.
We rode down Woodstown for 0.4 miles to exit 1A, then merged onto 1-295 South toward the Delaware Memorial Bridge for 21.8 miles.
Turned at I-76 crossing over to New Jersey for 9.2 miles to South St., 3 miles to South 38 Street, .3 miles to East Chestnut Street south for .1 miles at 3940 Ronald McDonald House.
We arrive at the RMH, and my daughter goes inside to register us.
We load our luggage onto a cart, and we thank the pilot's wife for bringing us to the RMH.
The next day, we discovered that we had left my Granddaughter's tray to her wheelchair in the pilot's wife's car.
She brings my Granddaughter's tray to the RMH the next day.
In the RMH, we take the elevator to the second-floor room number 14.
I feed my Granddaughter a can of Pedi Sure, and we walk down the stairs to get some lunch.
My daughter ate pasta, and I ate an apple.
My daughter has a headache and needs some medicine.
We walk past the University Museum of Archaeology, University City Arts League, West Philadelphia Culture Alliance, Bains Cheese Store, Del, Bassett's Original Turkey, Eat at Joe's, Wawa, Ace-Pizza, Boston Market, College Pizza, and Domino Pizza, just to name a few.
There are many nut trees on the university lawn, including oak, chestnut, and walnut. The Street was lined with signs made by students for upcoming sorties, elections, and events.
After a couple of hours of walking, we head back to the RMH for supper.
After supper, we socialize with another resident of RMH, and we retire to our room.
It has been a long day, and we are so in need of rest.
The description of our room: two queen beds positioned across the room from one another, a round table with four chairs, a dresser, a nightstand with a radio clock, a fireplace, and a door leading to a veranda.
In the joining room was a daybed and a cabinet with a TV and a DVD player. We had our own bathroom with a dressing table, shower, and tub.
We all slept in one large bed; my Granddaughter snuggled up next to her mom and fell asleep right away.
Day 2: Monday, September 24, 2007
We had to be up by 5 A.M. Eastern time so each of us could shower and eat breakfast before taking the shuttle downtown for Meadow's doctor's appointment.
My Granddaughter drank a can of milk in the room.
My daughter and I eat breakfast in the dining room. We ate oatmeal, apples, grapes, and strawberries, and I drank a soda.
My Granddaughter ate a few Goldfish.
In the waiting room, my Granddaughter watched The Big Red Dog on television while we waited for the shuttle van. The van will leave at 9 A.M. and return at 2 P.M.
To get a little exercise, I walked up and down the stairs three times.
The Ronald McDonald House was an old mansion that was purchased by a man whose son had cancer. He gave the mansion to the Ronald McDonald Foundation.
 |
| Ronald McDonald House in Philly, PA |
We were loaded into the RMH shuttle van and taken downtown to the Wood Building Children's Hospital.
We saw several police vehicles at the hospital's emergency room entrance. A police officer had been shot in the face during a routine traffic stop.
The officer did not die.
There is a lot of violence going on in Philadelphia.
Information about the Stroke program that I copied online:
"The Pediatric Stroke Program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is among the first programs of its kind in the United States. We provide comprehensive assessment and treatment for children and infants who suffer from strokes. We are dedicated to increasing awareness of childhood strokes, preventing a repeat stroke, and minimizing damage from the first one."
The team includes Rebecca Ichord, MD, Julie Neitzke, RN BSN, Susanne McDonough MSQ, ACSW, and others. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is located at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
 |
| My Granddaughter in front of the Children's Hospital in Philly |
 |
| My Granddaughter & her mom in front of the Children's Hospital in Philly |
 |
| My Granddaughter & her mom in front of the Children's Hospital in Philly |
 |
| My Granddaughter & her mom in front of the Children's Hospital in Philly |
The doctor, Rebecca Ichord, examines Meadow, and she calls in her team of professionals, who examine my Granddaughter.
Each member looked at my Granddaughter's Medical records, and each member of the team gave their recommendation of what therapy my Granddaughter would need.
My daughter was told to keep her daughter in her AFOs, to get a wristband for Meadow's right hand, and to have Meadow get lots of physical therapy.
Dr. Rebecca Ichord said that Meadow was born with narrowing vessels in her brain, and she would probably never have another stroke.
My Granddaughter was weighed, measured, put into a waiting room, and examined, but no needles or punctures were used.
She enjoyed this exam.
We ate lunch at a deli across the Street from Streetildren's Hospital.
My daughter and I split a vegetarian sandwich; we each had a chocolate-covered strawberry; we split a cookie and some chips; and we each had tea.
My Granddaughter drank her milk and ate some snacks.
We caught the 2:30 P.M. shuttle van back to the Ronald McDonald House.
We rode back to the RMH. We would like some free tickets for activities in Philly.
They had no free tickets, but they had a token to ride the bus downtown.
A volunteer named Fran loaned me her senior bus pass.
We walked down to 39th and Chestnut Streets, where we took the SEPTA bus.
The bus system in Philly is well-equipped to accommodate people in wheelchairs.
As we prepare to board the bus, the bus driver lowers the lift. When it is level with the road, he gets out and wheels my Granddaughter onto the ramp. He then raises the lift to the bus level, wheels her into the wheelchair spot, and buckles and straps her down.
My Granddaughter keeps trying to take the bus driver's cap off his head.
The people on the bus all clapped when the driver finished loading and strapping my Granddaughter into place.
We met many friendly people on the bus.
There was this one woman who said, "Once she went to volunteer at the hospital to hold the babies, but they would not let her because she did not have insurance. She said they missed a great opportunity."
While on the RMH shuttle van, we met a couple from a small town in Saudi Arabia. Their little girl had a bone marrow transplant; she was just 17 months old.
At the RMH, Lora spoke with a girl who had a baby at the children's hospital. He had been there for seven weeks.
Her son has a rare disease, and he needed surgery on his intestines. She had another son with her; he stayed at the hospital daycare while she stayed with her baby.
On our first day at RMH, we met a couple from Wisconsin, who were oriental, and we ran into them again at the Fresh Grocery on 40th Street.
At the Stroke clinic, we met a little girl who had the same birthday as Meadow, and she was the same age.
She seemed normal, except for a large head.
It was almost closing time, and we still had to go through security.
 |
| Liberty Bell |
We walked across the Street to Independence Hall on Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets.
It was also closing time; the wheelchair area was closed, so my daughter and Granddaughter could go inside.
History of the Liberty Bell:
John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1873, using metal from the first Liberty Bell, which had been cast in London, England. But in 1846, a thin crack began to affect the bell's sound, and it was repaired, only to crack again when it rang for George Washington's birthday celebration; it has not rung since.
It weighs 2000 lbs. and is made of 70% copper and 25% tin; it also contains small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver.
Deborah Read Franklin, the daughter of John Read 12/8/1669 a carpenter from London, England, and her mother, Sarah White Read from Birmingham, England.
Franklin and Deborah's son, Francis Folger Franklin, born 10/20/1732, died 11/21/1736, died of smallpox at the age of four.
Deborah Read first married John Rogers and was widowed in 1727; she married her first love, Benjamin Franklin, in 1730.
Benjamin and Deborah had two children; their son, Francis, died, but their daughter, Sarah, married a Bashin and had seven children.
The estate of Benjamin Franklin was left to her.
We returned to the Independence Visitor Center, where we were loaded into the Duck. The Duck is an amphibious sightseeing tour that takes about 70 minutes.
It goes through the heart of Philly, Pa.
We saw old warehouses that have been converted into condominiums, costing 1,000,000 each, and there are several of them.
We also saw the USS Delaware, an old sailing vessel, and the Eastern State Penitentiary, a landmark noted for its architecture and notorious breakouts.
 |
| Inside the Duck |
 |
| Life Jackets overhead in the DuckDuck |
One famous inmate was Al Capone, who spent nine months in the Penitentiary.
The Penitentiary, located at Penitentiary first and Twenty-second Streets in the Fairmont section of Philly, along the Delaware River.
We also saw two large skyscrapers that Donald Trump purchased for casinos.
The DUCK goes from water to land. We ride by Betsy and John Ross' home and their upholstery business at 239 Arch Street.
We pass 126 Elfreth Alley in Philly, PA 19106, the city's oldest residential Street, which houses about thirty homes dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Every day, people who built and sustained the city of Philly restored Elfreth Alley in the late 1950s.
John Gilbert and Arthur Wells, the first owners, combined their properties to make a small subdivision in the William Penn block area.
After our 70-minute ride, we returned to the Independence Visitors.
We walked down to Chestnut Street to catch the bus back to the RMH.
The trip was uneventful, and we reached our destination.
We got off the bus and walked a couple of blocks to the RMH.
At the RMH, Lora makes a reservation for a taxicab for tomorrow to take us to the airport.
I returned Fran's Bus card, and my daughter settled the room rental.
They did not charge us for the room because they said, "We did not give you any tickets to any of the downtown events. "
We were hungry after our eventful day.
We went to the kitchen to see what goodies were left from the evening meal.
We ate, then went to our room to pack and go to bed.
We will have to be up at 5:25 A.M.
Day 3: Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The next morning, we each showered and cleaned the room.
I fed my Granddaughter some milk, dressed her, and put her in her wheelchair.
My daughter gives Meadow her medicine in her GTube.
We load the luggage onto a cart and take the elevator to the first floor, where we wait for a taxi.
For breakfast, we ate a bowl of oats and some fruit.
The taxi arrives while I am in the restroom.
The taxi driver takes us to the Atlantic Airport.
My daughter gives the taxi driver, who cannot speak English, a $10.00 check from RMH.
The driver drops us off at the airport, and he leaves.
My daughter went to the restroom when she came out. I said You need to check us in, " and that is when she found out we were at the wrong airport.
The pilot is called, and he said, "Stay where you are. I am on my way."
The pilot picks us up at 7:55 A.M. at the Atlantic Airport in Philly, PA.
The pilot says I will be flying you to Clarksville, West Virginia.
We sat in the back of the airplane, which had six seats.
When we are up in the air, we can see a lot of houses in the city of Philly.
We arrived at 9:30 A.M. We saw many hills and mountains in West Virginia.
Our flight time is 1.5 hours.
My Granddaughter was in a perfect mood last night; she was even pulling up on her own.
We are taxing out on l33-15, C.L. North Philly Jet Ctr. 24 runway Angle Flight.
I sat in the copilot seat next to the pilot.
My daughter and Granddaughter are in the back.
The back windows are covered with foil to keep out the heat.
It was very hot on this plane; the sun was beaming down.
The view of Virginia's mountains is fantastic.
Walton's Mountain.
I looked at the land below, which appeared as squares and rectangles, with a hint of green and brown.
The earth is dotted with houses and twisting and winding interstates.
The pilot talked about his family. He said most of his children did not like flying.
He said he enjoyed doing Angle Flights and had flown many of them.
We land at the London, Kentucky Airport.
We take a restroom break and change my Granddaughter's diaper.
We board the final plane to the Muscle Shoals airport.
Our pilot greets us, and we leave for Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
The pilot has a small airplane; it is very hot, and there are lots of bright white clouds blown in from a storm brewing in the Gulf, causing the aircraft to bounce about.
Memphis, Tennessee Airport had radar problems, which caused our flight path to be changed many times.
When we arrived home, I found out that this problem had affected everyone flying in the Eastern area.
When we landed, my daughter told me she was frightened by the flight and had prayed all the way home.
I am sitting up front as a copilot, talking to the pilot.
The pilot talked about his family; he said that all his family were musicians and that most of them were engineers.
The pilot said, "I have been flying for many years, I love to fly for Angle flights."
After we arrived at Muscle Shoals Airport, we thanked our pilot for the flight.
We leave the airport with my daughter's husband, and we stop at Sweet Peppers for supper.
I ordered two boxes of meals to go.
Hubby picks me up at my daughter's house.
We eat the two boxed meals that I bought at Sweet Peppers.
I had a great trip, glad to be home.
