Moya Moya Surgery

January 7-13, 2008 

Day 7: January 7, Monday 2008

At 9:00 A.M., Meadow has an appointment with Doctor Steinberg.

Dr. Steinberg showed us Meadow’s X-rays, then he explained the procedure that he was going to perform and that the procedure was safe, and without the surgery, Meadow would never get any better.

Meadow in Doctor Steinburg's office

Meadow Beasley "The little girl with Moya Moya's mom tells Meadow's story"

Lora asks Doctor Steinberg many questions and he answers them all to her satisfaction.

We thanked Dr. Steinberg, and we stopped at Androecia’s Market in Stanford Mall for lunch.

Lora and I shared a salmon wrap with chips and pickles, and we both ordered a fruit custard tart. 

After lunch, we rode to San Jose.

Meadow and I were both very sleepy, all we wanted to do, was go back to the RMH to take a nap.

I washed several loads of clothes and I watched TV in the family room until I finished the laundry.

There was not much food left over from supper at the RMH by the time I finished the laundry. 

After supper, several families worked on making family scrapbooks, and Lora made one for Meadow.

Meadow started to get fussy, so I took her upstairs.

I put Meadow in the shower with me, I put on our pajamas and we crawled into bed.

Meadow fell asleep while I was watching a show about the migration of the caribou.

Day 8: January 8, Tuesday 2008 

Meadow is having one of her major surgeries today at 7:30 A.M. 

Lora and I were up at  4:30 A.M. We both took showers, fixed snacks, and packed our bags. 

We were not sure how long Meadows would have to stay in the hospital after her surgery, so we came prepared to stay.

Meadow was admitted to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and was sent to pre-opt, where they prepared Meadow for surgery. 

We prayed to God, to keep our little Meadow safe, and for God to guide the hands of  Doctor Steinberg, and his staff during Meadow’s surgery.

At 11:30 A.M., Meadow was still in surgery, Lora was on the computer, and I was writing in my journal. 

Ronald called to check on Meadow, I said she was still in surgery and that when I knew more I would call him back. 

I called Amelia on my cell phone and gave her the Meadows CaringBridge webpage. 

Lora and I went to the cafeteria for lunch where we split a grilled chicken sandwich and a slice of cheesecake pastry.  

The Baby Special is a website created by one of the mothers staying at the RMH, her son is on this site. 

We saw a little two-year oriental girl having a cast on her legs replaced, she was in pre-surgery.

The cask separated the little girl's legs, with a set of bars on her bottom, and the medicine that they gave her made her gag.

Some of the families that we met at the RMH were:

We met a fifteen-year-old girl, who was with her mother, who had spent the majority of her life in a wheelchair and now she was walking after she had a tumor removed from her back and brain.

We met a family from Oregon, they had just lost their seven-week-old daughter to kidney failure. 

We met a year-old named Loren, she had a heart transplant she was going everywhere with her walker and her parents were very pleased.

We met a seventeen-year-old girl named Kelly, her four-month-old daughter Lyla, Kelly’s mother, and Kelly’s grandmother they were from Louisiana. 

After Meadow's surgery she was put in PICU, her surgery started at 7:30 A.M. and was over by 2:00 P.M.

Meadow after her 1st surgery

The nurses checked Meadow’s blood pressure, it was 110 over 60, her pulse was 140, and her air saturation was 100.

By 3:10 P.M. Meadow was resting peacefully, so I walked to the parking deck to get our bags and my camera and I got wet doing that because it was raining.

When I returned, I called Marcus, Charity, Ronald, & hubby to let them know that Meadow had come through the surgery and was doing fine.

Meadow was resting in PICU, while Lora was reading her Harry Potter book Deathly Hollows, and I was writing in my journal. 

Meadow’s relief nurse was Tom and Yea Lin was her nurse for the night. 

At 3:30P.M. the nurses put Zantac into Meadow’s IV. 

Lora and I went to the cafeteria for supper, while Meadow was resting,

We each purchased a cup of vegetable soup and some butterscotch pudding. 

We took the elevator up to the third floor to the FYI room to check out a mobile, and a music box for Meadows to enjoy during her stay in the hospital.

Lora and I, checked out the family rooms for our sleeping arrangements that night.

Then we went back to stay with Meadow in the PICU, Meadow watched 30 minutes of Baby Einstein and she fell asleep at 10:30 P.M. 

Richard, Yea Lin's relief nurse, came to stay with Meadow while Yea Lin went to dinner.

I left the PICU room around 11:45 P.M.  

Lora stayed all night in the PICU room with Meadow. 

Deborah was Meadow’s night nurse after Yea Lin left.

I took two blankets with me back to the lobby where I slept.

Day 9: January 9, Wednesday 2008

I woke up at 5 A.M. and walked down the steps to the first floor to use the restroom.

At 7:30 I went to the cafeteria where I purchased two cream cheese pastries and a diet Coke. 

I walked back to the lobby to look for Lora, but  I could not find her anywhere.

I walked to the third floor; to the second floor, to the first floor, and I found her asleep in the lobby with her head covered up. 

Then I went to the PICU room to check on Meadow but they had taken her for an MRI to make sure the surgery from the day before had gone well.

I went back to the lobby and plugged my computer and my cell phone into the wall plugs to charge them.

My computer updated itself, I was about to connect to the Internet when the nurse came out and said Meadow was back in the PICU, so I shut down the computer and went back to stay with Meadow while Lora slept. 

Doctor Steinberg came in around 8:00 A.M. He said everything was clear and that she should not have any more strokes. 

Meadow was a little upset, so the nurse gave her some Tylenol with codeine to help her rest and relieve any pain. 

Day 2 after the first (Moya Moya surgery)

Doctor Steinberg said Meadow could have some Pedi-Sure, so the nurse started a drip into her G-Tube. 

With a belly full of Pedi-sure and some pain medicine Meadow fell asleep at 9:00 A.M.

Lora went back to the lobby to take a nap, for she had stayed up all night with Meadow.

The nurse who is staying with Meadow is from the state of Washington, she moved here so she could work at Stanford. 

Meadow is enjoying watching Aladdin and the Magical Lamp on DVD. 

Lora and I went to the RMH to take a shower and eat dinner.  We ate the chili with crackers and cinnamon crisps.

We took some clean clothes, popcorn, cokes, tea, and snacks to the hospital with us, we will be staying in the hospital until Meadow is released.

Meadow’s charge nurse is Jim Anders and when we got back to the hospital we asked Jim how Meadow was doing.

He said we will soon be taking Meadow out of PICU to the third floor.

He said that we the left central line in Meadow’s chest, because she will be having more surgery, and all the other tubing was removed.

Meadow was sleeping and her color looked good.

At 5:45 P.M. Meadow was taken to the third floor and given her own room.

She was not happy about being moved but she soon settled in and started playing with the three handheld toys her mother brought her from the family room.

An hour later Meadow was showing signs of getting sleepy. 

Lora was updating her CaringBridge website about Meadow’s condition and I updated my journal.
Meadow Beasley CaringBridge website

Meadow had a good day playing with her toys & at 10 P.M. Meadow’s nurse started a slow drip of Pedi-Sure and Meadow fell asleep.

I stayed in the room with Meadow, while Lora went to Walgreens, which was next door to the hospital, to get her medicine refilled, some cough drops, and some candy. 

Meadow was sharing a room with a little seven-week-old baby girl, she had surgery on her stomach and her mother was trying to breastfeed her. 

Meadow nurses are a woman named Travisa and a Mexican nurse named Alexandra called “Alex” for short. 

That night, Lora slept in Meadow’s room with her and I slept in the family room.

The family room was just two doors down the hall, from Meadow’s room.

Day 10: January 10, Thursday 2008, 

I was up at 7 A.M. PST, and Lora and Meadow were still sleeping. 

I dressed, put on my makeup, ate a protein bar, & cinnamon crisps, drank a Coke, and wrote in my journal. 

I went to check on Meadow at 9:45 A.M. and she was still asleep.

The infant in the room with Meadow was very fretful, she did not sleep very last night, and her mother was trying to nurse her. 

I walked three flights of stairs for exercise, and I am trying to stay in shape.

Meadow slept most of the day today, she was hooked up to her feeding pump and was receiving aspirin for pain. 

They will be keeping Meadow another day because she has been spitting up.

Meadow played with her toys and we watched the movie, Miss Potter, performed by Renee Zelwinger.

We also listened to the music and lyrics performed by Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. 

For lunch, Lora and I split a plate of turkey & dressing, cream potatoes, rolls, and an oatmeal cookie.

For supper, Lora and I split a vegetable sandwich that was made with shredded carrots, bean sprouts, numbers, and cream cheese on eight-grain bread.

We split a parfait with cantaloupes, mush melon, pineapple, granola, and grapes.

Meadow was moved at 10:30 P.M. from room 3735 south to room 3511 east, and I went to the parent's lounge to sleep.

Day 11: January 11, Friday 2008 

Meadow will be dismissed from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital later today.

I woke up at 7 A.M. and went to Meadow’s room.

At 8:00 A.M. Meadow was brought a tray of food for breakfast and from the tray, she ate some bacon and drank a half-pint of whole milk. 

After breakfast, Meadow was enjoying banging on a musical piano, that her mother had brought her from the family room. 

Lora went to Walgreens to pick up her medicine. 

A two-year-old named Iris is sharing a room with Meadow, she had her tonsils removed yesterday and she was not very happy, for she had cried all night long.

Iris called Meadow a baby, her parents brought her over to Meadow’s bed so, she could see Meadow.

Iris weighs 32 pounds, she looks a lot bigger than Meadow, but she isn’t.

Lora told the couple that Doctor Steinberg had performed Meadow’s surgery, and then she began describing why Meadow had the surgeries.

Iris’s father knew Doctor Steinberg because he works here at the hospital and Iris’s mother works downtown San Francisco. 

Iris was dismissed early that morning and when they left they told us goodbye.

Meadow was brought lunch, she nibbled on the grilled cheese and she drank some Pedi-Sure.

Meadow really did enjoy eating the Oreo cookies that I gave her and you could tell from the presence of black cookie crumbles that was plastered to her face and gown.

Meadow enjoying eating an Oreo cookie.

Doctor Kevin Chao came into Meadow’s room, and he removed the central line, from the left side of her chest, this made Meadow angry.

Meadow was dismissed, and we loaded a little red wagon with all our belongings, pulling it behind us.

Meadow was put into her wheelchair and wheeled to the lobby.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital has valet parking, so Lora gave the driver our parking ticket and keys.

 One of the hospital's drivers went to retrieve the car, and he pulled it in front of the hospital.

We loaded the car and Lora drove us to Target, where both Lora and I spent fifty dollars. 

We bought snacks, bread, cheese, kasha bars, cookies, donuts, soup, shampoo, and tissues. 

We all three got new pajamas, and Meadows Pajamas button down the front and they have

Cinderella and Belle Princess printed on them. 

We rode back to the RMH where both Lora and I ate a Greek Salad, and Meadow ate some chicken nuggets.

All this food was prepared at McDonald's and brought to the RMH for the people staying at the RMH.

The McDonald's in Palo Alto always brings food on Fridays.

I put three loads of clothes into the washer while, Lora walked to the front office of the RMH, to see if they had any free tickets and any information on places that we could go tomorrow. 

Lora and I both went to the computer room, where she printed out two pages of pictures for Meadows's scrapbook. 

Meadow went to sleep while sitting in her wheelchair, so I pushed her into the laundry room where I was folding clothes. 

I pushed Meadow back upstairs to our room, where Lora was updating Meadows's website.

I left Meadow with Lora and I went back to the laundry room to finish folding our clothes which were around 10:00 P.M.

I went to bed at at10:30 P.M.

Day 12: January 12 Saturday 2008, 

Meadow had a good night's sleep and she woke up at 6:00 A.M. with a sopping wet diaper.

I changed her diaper, and I fed her a can of Pedi-Sure then I put her back in the bed with us and we all slept until 9:00 A.M.

Trying to sleep with Meadow playing

I got up, took a shower, and went downstairs, to eat bread pudding with blackberry syrup. 

I went back upstairs to call hubby who was working overtime.

I called Charity and Becky neither one answered their phones.

I called Sue Gaston and gave her the Meadows CaringBridge website, where she and the other ladies at CBS could watch Lora’s daily posts. They were all praying for her.

The sound of the ringing telephone woke up Meadow and Lora and I cannot recall who it was.

Last night we stayed up until 12 A.M. talking to families that are staying at the RMH.

Lora talked to Sarah, she has a little girl about four months old, and her daughter has heart problems. They live in Jacksonville, Florida, and will be going home in a few days. 

I talked to a couple from Guam, their names are Andrew, Savannah, and Elijah Peter (Elijah has heart problems). 

We arrived at 3:00 P.M. at Happy Hollow Park in San Jose where I made a picture of Lora and Meadow standing in front of Danny the Green Dragon with a sign that read Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.

Meadow rode a dark miniature horse on the Keep-Around-Carousel when Lora and Meadow first got onto the horse Meadow was almost crying, but after the second round, she was laughing out loud.

Meadow and I rode the Keep-Around-Carousel, but I sat on a bench, holding Meadow tightly in my arms as we went around and around.

Riding the Keep-Around-Carousel

Riding the Keep-Around-Carousel

We stopped at the Opera House for a quick photo, Meadow was a gray cat and the little boy next to her was a black mouse, the little boy had dark brown and dark brown eyes just like Meadow.

Lora put her head inside the picture hole for a photo, her face was behind a wanted poster that read: Wanted $100.00 Reward and Meadow was in jail.

Next Meadow and Lora rode a large green turtle on the merry-go-round, Meadow did not want to get off the turtle.

By herself, Meadow rode the number six red mini putt, a one-child car, with a steering wheel that moved and a bell with a rope attached that could be pulled to make it ring.

This was truly a park where tots could have a day of fun.

After Meadow rode all the rides in the park we walked over to the Zoo.

We saw a pair of light brown Capybaras, which are the largest rodents in the world, a relative of the guinea pig.

We saw three tan meerkats who had pointed noses with black eyes, ears, and noses, he is a member of the mongoose family. 

Our next encounter was with a brown Miniature Donkey with a patch of white on his nose.

The next animal we met was the grayish Bull Dwarf Zebu, with a hump on his back like a camel, he is a breed of domestic cattle.

The next animal was the  Navajo Churro a white ram with a pair of horns that framed his face and the points faced outward to protect himself from his predator.

In the pen with the ram was a solid black Pygmy Goat. The goat, ram, and cow were all people-friendly.

We saw the Black-and-White Ruffled Lemur very similar to our common skunk, very beautiful. 

In the bird area, we saw the rainbow-colored Scarlet Macaw, Great Green Macaw, and Red Teal Duck, and the only reptile we saw was the African Spurred Tortoise, which looked like he was under a heat lamp.

We were going to walk through the China Garden but the gate was closed, but we did see some Bonsai trees.

We rode back to the RMH where Lora washed her clothes and  Meadow and I both fell asleep watching TV in the family room. 

When Lora was finished with the laundry we walked downstairs for a late-night snack. 

We sat up talking to other families that were staying at the RMH until 12:00 A.M.

Day 13: Sunday 13, January 2008, 

At 9:30 A.M. I went downstairs to the dining area to eat breakfast, I ate a half slice of cake and some kasha cereals.

Vanessa was in the dining room and we started talking, she said her husband and her two-year-old daughter were still in Japan, where her husband was stationed in the army.

She said I had to leave them to bring my son to the States for surgery on his heart.  

I walked back upstairs to call hubby who was again working overtime.

At 11:00 A.M, Lora put Meadow in the shower with her, she removed the bandage that covered the central line in Meadows's neck, which caused Meadow to cry out.

We went downstairs where Lora and I ate a piece of cheesecake, a half-cheese sandwich, and chips with salsa.

Meadow ate a few snacks and drank some juice. 

Santa Cruse Boardwalk and the Pacific Ocean

We left for Santa Cruze at 2:00 P.M.

We arrived at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruse where we walked along the boardwalk, and stopped to take pictures of the Prize Center, The Skeet Ball Center, Under the Rainbow, Marini’s at the beach, Casino’s Arcade, where inside was laser tag, prize center, food, and restrooms.

We saw a huge black spider, that was sitting on top of The Haunted Castle, also on the outside of the castle walls hung a weird clock, its hands were moving counterclockwise, and these hands pointed toward black Roman numerals. 

Next, we saw Fright Walk,  it is a walk-through attraction, where we saw two black, scary gargle statues, they were showing their teeth, perched on two columns near the entrance of the building to frighten off small children and the not-so-young or weak at heart.

We saw several empty red, blue, black, and green chair lifts traveling across the boardwalk. 

Lora purchased Marcus and Madison some souvenirs from the gift shop.

Lora and Meadow rode a horse on the 1911 Looff Carousel, their heads bounced up and down as the carousel went round and round.

Waiting to ride the Loof Carousel 

We saw the heart-pounding Giant Dipper, a white wooden roller coaster, with a handful of people sitting in blue seats, come bumbling down the tracks, only to be pulled back up.

Another ride we saw was The Fireball which has red and yellow mechanical arms, with six red extensions, each extension had four seats and the backs were covered in red and blue lights that lit up.

The mechanical arms that twist around and turn people upside down, were only half full of people because it was off-season at the park.

The Fireball

We walked through Neptune’s Kingdom which is a nautical-themed Buccaneer Bay two-story 18-hole miniature golf course.

It was off-season and many of the hot dogs, burgers, and pizza restaurants were closed.

After a jaw-dropping day of adventure, we rode back to Palo Alto where we enjoyed a night of dining at PF Chang Chinese Restaurant, an American Chinese chain restaurant.

While waiting to be seated, we were given a beeper, and both Lora and I went to the restroom for an adventure of our own.

I started to sit down on the toilet when I heard a splash and I said to Lora you will never guess what I just did. 

I had dropped the beeper that was in my back pocket into the toilet.

I retrieved the beeper, took it to the sink, washed it off, and turned it in when we were called to be seated.

I ordered fried chicken with rice and Lora ordered fried shrimp with rice and we had enough food left over to get a takeaway bag. 

At 6:00 P.M. rode back to the RMH, I called hubby took a shower, put pajamas on, dressed Meadow in her PJs, and put her in her crib to play.

Lora had gone to the computer room to print out some pictures for her scrapbook. 

At the RMH you are allowed to print two eight-by-ten pictures per day. 

I took some pictures on my cell phone so I could email them.

Lora was updating Meadow's CaringBridge website until 10:30 P.M.

Site seeing in San Francisco

January 1-6, 2008 

A summary of the Twenty-five days that we spent in Palo Alto and the surrounding areas in California.

On Tuesday, January the first, Lora, Meadow, and I were on a plane flying to San Francisco, and on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Meadow was given several different tests.

She had to stay overnight on Friday because her blood pressure bottomed out during that test.

We spent many weekends sightseeing, one weekend we rode to San Francisco, where we walked part of the way across the Golden Gate Bridge, we walked in Muir Woods National Park and ate Lunch at Bubba Gumps on Pier 39, and we traveled along the coast on hwy CA-1 to Half-Moon Bay. 

On Monday, January 7, Meadow has her first doctor's appointment with Dr. Gary Steinberg and her first surgery was scheduled for Tuesday, January 8, and she will have to stay in the hospital until Friday.

The weekend after Meadow’s first surgery we went to Hollow Park Zoo, and to Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Meadow’s last surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15, and she will have stayed in the hospital until Friday, January 17.

One weekend we visited the San Francisco Zoo, The Pacific Ocean Coast, and Parents Helping Parents. 

Meadow’s last doctor’s appointment is on Wednesday, January 23, and if Doctor Steinberg gives us the okay, we will be traveling home on Friday, January 25.

Meadow will have to return in six months to make sure that the grafts have been taken.

Day 1: January 1, Tuesday 2008 

We are beginning the new year in a jet flying from Nashville, Tennessee to Palo, Alto, California, where Meadow will have surgery on the right and left side of her head to repair her carotid arteries.

Hubby was driving us to the Nashville Airport, so we were both up at 1:30 A.M., we both took a shower and dressed. 

We loaded my luggage into our Yellow VUE and went to pick up, Lora and Meadow. 

Marcus, Marcus, Jr., & JR (Marcus’s Nephew), and JR’s girlfriend were still sitting in the living room at 1:30 A.M. watching television.  

I dressed Meadow in a one-piece suit after Lora put Meadow's medicine in her G-Tube.

We loaded all of Lora’s luggage into our VUE.

We arrived at the Nashville Airport at 4:30 A.M. Hubby helped us unload the luggage, and we said goodbye. 

At the ticket counter, we checked our bags and received our e-tickets. 

We went to the restroom to change Meadow’s diaper before we stood in line at security. 

We had to remove our shoes and our watches, the computer had to be taken out of the carrying case, and all our carry-on luggage had to be placed on the conveyor to be scanned.

Meadow was pushed, in her wheelchair, through security and the guard brought out a wand to scan Meadow’s wheelchair for bombs and drugs. 

After passing inspection, we again loaded the wheelchair down with all our carrying-on baggage and started walking towards the gate area. We will be flying out of Nashville to Denver on Flight F 9239.

We were among the small children and disabled people that entered the plane first. 

We are seated near the front of the plane in seats 20 A, B, and C.

All our carry-on baggage had to be stored in the compartment above our heads. 

Flying over Snowcapped Rocky Mountains near Denver Colorado

We slept most of the way on our flight to Denver, Colorado. 

I went twice to the restroom during our flight and on one of those trips, my foot got tangled in the straps of Meadow’s diaper bag. 

Lora was still asleep, I had to wake her up, so she could help me untangle my foot.

Our flight from Nashville was delayed, we had to wait for another plane to taxi off and they were late on their takeoff, causing our flight to be late which in turn caused us to be late for our connecting flight in Denver.

During our final descent into the Denver Airport, the stewardess said over the intercom,  please if you do not have a connecting flight, stay in your seats.

Since we were in front of the plane, and we had a connecting flight, we were the first to leave. 

I took Meadow out of her car seat, rushed up the walkway, carrying her in my arms, and walked to the ticket counter for our connecting flight. 

The person at the ticket counter said, we have given your seats to someone else since the doors had not been closed for the flight's competition, we will have to ask the people, whom we have given your seats, to get off the airplane. 

Lora had to stay behind to wait for Meadow’s wheelchair & our luggage to be brought up from the bottom of the plane and transferred to our connecting plane before she could board the plane with us.

We were flying with Frontier Airlines and the plane we are now flying on has a porcupine on the wings and tail. 

I sat in the aisle seat, Meadow sat in the middle seat, and Lora next to the window.

During the flight, we were served a drink and a small package of cookies. Meadow slept during most of the flight.

We saw the snow-capped foggy Rocky Mountains from the airplane where the landscape looked like chocolate-swirled ice cream.

Lora was sitting next to the window, so she was the one who took several pictures of the snowy mountain range.

I tried to watch “A Harry Potter Movie” but I kept falling asleep. 

We were the last to leave the plane when we landed at San Francisco Airport because we had to wait for Meadow’s wheelchair to be brought up from the bottom of the airplane. 

The flight attendant and pilots were very helpful in helping us get into the wheelchair and helping us get all our carry-on luggage out of the airplane. 

We walked to baggage claim, found a cart, loaded our luggage onto the cart, and took the shuttle to the rental car area.

We got off the shuttle at the basement of the airport, which was not the area for the rental cars.

We met a woman who worked at the airport and we asked for directions for the rental cars.

She said the directions I am about to give you are the direction that I take to cut down walking time and she said you can go this way. Signs are put up to discourage people who are flying in and out of the airport and this helps workers in getting around.

She said, that we would come to an area, that has a sign that read, this is a security area. 

She said, that we could go through the area, which we did, it took us to the area in the airport where we could take the shuttle to the Dollar Car Rental area.

Lora had rented a PT Cruiser, we loaded the car with all our luggage, buckled Meadow into her car seat and Lora drove us down Highway 101 to Palo Alto, California. 

We arrived at the RMH on Sand Hill Road just before 3:00 P.M., which was when the office closed. 

The woman working in the front office checked us in, then she gave us a copy of the rules, and we showed around and were given two keycards to our room.

I pushed Meadow to our room M213, while Lora parked the PT Cruiser in the garage, which was under the RMH building.

After parking, the PT Cruiser Lora loaded our luggage on a cart and pulled it upstairs to our room, where we unloaded it.

Meadow and I went back downstairs with Lora to return the cart.

We rode to McDonald's for lunch, where I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, Lora ordered a Fish Sandwich, and Meadow some chicken nuggets. 

We rode back to RMH where we rested for a couple of hours.

Pasta, a large salad, and several sweets had been prepared and brought to the RMH to be served for supper which Lora and I ate.

After supper we rode to Safe Way Grocery Store, to buy Meadow some Pedi-light, and some snacks. 

Then we rode to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, to check it out, this is where Meadow will have her surgery.

It had been a long day, so we rode back to RMH and went to bed.

Day 2: January 2, Wednesday 2008

It is day two, and Meadow was awake at 6 A.M. Alabama time not California time which is 4A.M.

It was just a little too early to be getting up, but Meadow did not know the difference and she played for two hours.

Meadow will be having an MRI today, she can only clear liquids, so she is fed only apple juice.

Meadow after MRI

Lora and I both ate oatmeal with canned fruit for breakfast.

Meadow was crying because she wanted her Pedi Sure, which she could have after her MRI at 2:30 P.M.

We left Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at 6:30 P.M. stopping at Walmart for a package of tea, and a box of cookies. 

We stopped at Jack-in-Box to purchase a large unsweetened tea, most of the employees that worked at Jack-in-the-box spoke Spanish and they did not under our Southern slang.  

Lora said repeatedly I would like to order a large unsweetened tea finally I said you know a large drink like coke. They were still laughing as we drove away. Lora rode to Taco Bell where she ordered an unsweetened tea and a sandwich. Ironic they all spoke English.

We rode back to the RMH where we ate supper, watched some TV, and were in bed around 12:00 P.M. 

Day 3: January 3, Thursday 2008 

Again Meadow woke up early, she was up at 6:00a.m. and her diaper was soaking wet. I change her and put her back to bed with us. 

Both of Meadow’s eyes were very red because she was allergic to the tape that the Anesthesiologist used to put over her eyes when he put her to sleep for the MRI test.

They put an IV into Meadows' arm for the MRI test, and she will be having another test tomorrow, so they left the IV needle in her arm.

They covered the IV with Coban so Meadow would not pull it out, but she is bitting at the Coban with her teeth trying to remove it.

Meadow trying to remove the Coban with her teeth.

Lora and I both got up, took a shower, dressed, and walked downstairs for breakfast. 

Again, Meadow could only have clear liquids, so she was fed a can of chicken broth.

Both Lora and I ate a bowl of Kasha Cereals for breakfast and after breakfast, we rode over to Save A Lot Grocery Store, where Lora bought some diaper wipes.

Meadow was taken back at 1:30 P.M. for her second SPEC SCAN test at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Lora and I stayed with Meadow until she went to sleep. 

During Meadows's test, Lora and I went to the cafeteria at the hospital for lunch.

Lora ordered a cheeseburger and fries and I ordered chicken fingers, a salad, and a parfait.

After her test, Meadow was taken back to PACU for recovery, after she recovered, she drank a can of Pedi-Sure.

By the time, when we returned to the RMH, it was pouring rain.

Meadow’s test went very well and she was playful for the remainder of the day.

That night at RMH we played Bingo.

Lora won two dolls, one for Madison and a Dora doll for Meadow.

It was terribly stormed that night causing 1 ½ million people in San Francisco, to be without power.

Day 4: January 4, Friday 2008 

Meadow will have two tests today, she could only clear liquids, so once again she is fed Chicken Broth.

Her first test will be the second part of the SPEC Scan Test.

Lora had Meadow’s Pedi Sure shipped to Doctor Stanford’s Office.

We meet Jill, from Dr. Stanford’s office, in front of Stanford Hospital, to pick up the Pedi-Sure.

Both Lora and Jill got wet while loading the Pedi-Sure into the car because it was pouring down rain.

Lora parked the car in the parking deck at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

We walked to admitting, where Meadow was admitted once again to the hospital for the two tests.  

We met with Dr. Dodd in neurosurgery, he is doing Meadows's angiogram, and he explains the procedure that he will be doing on Meadow. 

Dr. Dodd said Meadow will be under anesthesia until the Angio and the second part of the SPEC SCAN are completed. 

Meadow’s little body could not stand all the stress of the two tests, her blood pressure and pulse dropped. 

The team administered B/P meds and IV Solu-Cortef (Cortisol replacement) or stress hormone due to panhypopituitarism. 

The doctor came looking for Lora and me, but he could not Lora because she had fallen asleep at the door in the lobby and I had gone downstairs to use the restroom.

When the doctor did find Lora he explained what had happened and he took her back to be with Meadow.

When I returned to the lobby a male nurse took me back to PICU.

Meadow was placed in PICU overnight, to be watched, Lora and I stayed with Meadow until 12 A.M.

We went to the lobby on the second floor and tried to sleep.

I walked up and down the stairs about 5 times during the night because there was no public restroom on the second floor.

Lora said they got cold sleeping in the corner of the lobby and that it made them sick.

Day 5: January 5, Saturday 2008 

I was up at 6 A.M. I went to check on Meadow, and then I went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast.

I ordered muffins, eggs, and bacon, and I went back to the lobby to work on my computer.

Meadow was dismissed from the hospital at 12: P.M. We rode back to the RMH and everyone took a nap.

The RMH had grilled hamburgers for supper and after supper, we talked to other families that were staying at the RMH.

We met a couple from Oregon who had lost their little girl from kidney failure and had come back to the RMH to bury her. They had four more children waiting for them back home in Oregon.

Day 6: January 6, Sunday 2008 

We were up at 8:30 A.M., we both took showers, ate breakfast, and Lora drove on Highway 101 toward San Francisco.

We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and Lora stopped at Golden Gate Bridge Park.

We had to put our jackets on before we got out because it was still a bit chilly outside.

We put Meadow in her wheelchair and then we wrapped her up in her pink blanket.

We stop to take a picture with a statue of “The Lone Sailor Memorial and his duffle bag” This memorial commemorates the sacrifices sailors of all branches have made for the sake of freedom. In the background, we saw rolling hills of green and brown.

The Lone Sailor

We had walked about halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge when we stopped to take pictures.

A nice woman offered to take a group picture and we said yes.

Standing on the Golden Gate Bridge

While we were on the Golden Gate Bridge both Lora and I took many pictures of the city of San Francisco and Alcatraz (the Rock) the now deserted prisons. 

We returned back to the car to feed Meadow a can of Pedi-Sure.

We rode to Muir Woods Memorial Park, with all the twisty curves we made as we descended into the canyon below.

Driving to Muri Woods

There was no electricity at Muir Woods, the storm the night before had knocked out the power.

We paid three dollars each to enter the park.

Some of the paths where we walked in the park were concrete, while many others were wooden and some of the beaten paths were just dirt.

We saw a bubbling creek that flowed beside the path where we were walking, and next to the creek was a white wooden fence to keep people on the trodden path.

The dense forest was loaded with Redwood and Sequoia trees and they were big enough to stand inside.

The forest was probably full of bears and other wild creatures, but we did not see any.

The path was muddy and full of debris, and the rough terrain made it hard to push Meadow in her wheelchair.

Meadow’s little head went bobbing up and down as I wheeled her along in her wheelchair, which she thought was funny, and she laughed. 

We walked about two miles into the woods crossing a bridge to reach the other side.

We looked up at the sky from inside the Forrest where we saw the tops of the skyscrapers of the Redwoods and Sequoia Trees.

Redwoods and Sequoia Trees

Standing inside one of the many trees in Muri Woods

We also saw a huge redwood stump that dated back to 1100 AD.

We stopped at the restroom to change Meadow and use the restrooms.

We met two strangers outside the restroom and they wanted one of us to take a picture of them using their camera.

Then one of them took a group picture of us, we were standing next to a statue of a wooden carved brown bear.

I said to Lora that I would be afraid to eat a picnic lunch in Muri Woods because the bears might smell my food. 

We saw a Euro/Asia Indian family eating a picnic lunch in the Forrest.

We headed back to the car and wiped the debris off Meadow’s wheelchair, and the debris off our shoes before we got into the car.

We cross the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco and turn left toward Fisherman’s Wharf.

Lora parked the car inside a parking deck and we walked across the street to Pier 39.

We took the elevator up to Bubba Gumps Shrimp Company Restaurant and Market where we were seated at a table overlooking the San Francisco Bay. 

Bubba Gumps Seafood and Company at Pier 39
Bubba Gumps was a movie sign that read: Movie posters Pirates of the Caribbean.

We start our meal with an appetizer of spinach dip with chips. 

Lora and I split a plate of salmon cooked in rice, served with asparagus, carrots, and snow peas. 

When we finished eating our meal, we took Meadow to the restroom, changed her diaper, and then took the elevator to the lower level. 

We walked to the end of the pier where we both took pictures of Alcatraz.

Alcatraz

Along the pier were piles of brown and black sea lions lying on pallets bathing in the drizzling rain.

Sea Lions on Pier 39
We saw a sign posted that read: PIER 39 Harassment of the Sea Lions is a Violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. No docking, approaching, feeding, or throwing objects allowed.

We stopped in at Candy Baron to buy some saltwater taffy, they have sixty-six varieties to choose from and Lora bought Meadow a colorful sucker. 

We all rode the San Francisco Carousel that was handcrafted in Italy and I filmed Lora holding Meadow as the Carousel went around, up and down.

At Pier 39 Marina we saw 39 houses, with a 300-berth marina double-fingered wooden dock, boat slips that housed, sailboats powerboats, yachts, and a very large white cruise boat with the name Regent painted in black on it.

Lora wanted to drive down Pacific One Highway, this is the road that runs along, the coastlines of California.

Lora needed direction, so when we spotted a parked police officer, she pulled over next to him and asked for directions.

He said I can give you a shorter route so you will not have to drive back into the city.

He said, follow the third street, you will go under the Golden Gate Bridge to Market Street and follow Market Street to Highway 19 and stay in the middle lane. 

We followed Highway 19 to I-280 to Pacifica One Highway, by the time we reached Pacifica Highway One it was too dark to see the ocean. 

We enjoyed the ride even if it was drizzling rain as we traveled up the winding, mountainous roads.  

By the time we reached Half Moon Bay Beach, it was closed.

We stopped at a local store near Half Moon Bay where I purchased some cough drops and a non-winning lottery ticket.

Lora purchased a bottle of water and we used the restrooms.

Lora drove us back to Palo Alto driving down I-280 to San Hill Road.

We saw a family of deer on the mountainous road that Lora took to bypass the city back to the RMH.

We stopped at a local grocery store for washing powders. When we arrived back at the RMH I washed three loads of clothes.