Upended

May 19,1982 - Part 1

My eyes hemorrhaged. I didn’t know why, but I had known for days/weeks that something was wrong. This despite recently being told by my father that everyone feels this way during finals week. The old, “suck it up and be tough” mentality that I had been raised on. Well I got through it….but what a journey. 

Having just completed the last final of my freshman year at CU, I made my way across campus to the health center. At the center, nearly deserted as students headed home for the summer holiday, I sat alone in the long hallway, head in hands as I saw the nurse approach. Immediately her energy conveyed that something was seriously amiss. Moments later I’m listening to the doctor tell me that based on my blood counts, I shouldn’t even be able to sit up and that I should keep the appointment I had scheduled with my primary care doctor the following day. He released me, so I trudged back to my dorm room to grab the last of my things before driving the 25 minutes to my parents home.

The house was busy when I arrived. My mom was making the final arrangements for their trip to see my brother graduate from Middlebury. She was excited about the trip; to see her first-born graduate from college and then to travel around New England and Canada. Then she saw me. I was pale. My fever had spiked to 103. She filled a bath with cold water and some ice and in I crawled. The fever wouldn’t subside. Soon I was in the emergency room and doctors were scrambling around me. All I wanted to do was sleep, just lie down and sleep. I was so tired. I was admitted. Multiple nurses poked my dried up veins, searching for blood. There were whispers around my bed. What was going on with Gail? Leukemia, perhaps? We don’t know. She was a healthy athlete just a few short weeks ago. 

Part 2 Coming soon…