I can't believe they said I was 29!!!!!!

This is embarrassing, but the Philly news did a story on me today. You can view it at:

http://cbs3.com/health/Health.Alert.Holiday.2.614582.html

I guess it's worth being 29- if it's for organ donor awareness.

Everythings Gonna Be All Right

Today, I received the best present of my life. My friend Vera teaches 3rd and 4th graders in the Bronx and her students sent me a package full of letters and homemade snowflakes. Seriously, this kind of thing happens in real life???!!!! I’m not going to lie. As I thumbed through the sweet, if grammatically incorrect, letters, I shed a few tears. Some of the kids wrote me poetry. An inordinate amount of the children quoted Bob Marely, again? Others drew pictures of me and Freddie and begged to be invited to our wedding. There is only one way I can express my gratitude to these precious and precocious children.

No, woman, no cry, No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry, No, woman, no cry.

Said - said - said: I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in trenchtown,
Oba - observing the ypocrites
As they would mingle with the good people we meet.
Good friends we have, oh, good friends we’ve lost
Along the way.
In this great future, you cant forget your past;
So dry your tears, I seh.

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
ere, little darlin, dont shed no tears:
No, woman, no cry.

Said - said - said: I remember when-a we used to sit
In the government yard in trenchtown.
And then georgie would make the fire lights,
As it was logwood burnin through the nights.
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge,
Of which Ill share with you;
My feet is my only carriage,
So Ive got to push on through.
But while Im gone, I mean:
Everythings gonna be all right!, Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right!, Everythings gonna be all right!
I said, everythings gonna be all right-a!
Everythings gonna be all right!, Everythings gonna be all right, now!
Everythings gonna be all right!

So, woman, no cry;
No - no, woman - woman, no cry.
Woman, little sister, dont shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry.

And kids don’t worry; you’re all invited to the wedding…but no alcohol.

Thanks so much Vera.

In Response to Bob

Dear Bob,

So that you have a better picture of who your mother was before she settled into her life of gentle domesticity, my favorite Susan stories involve, in no particular order:

1. The time she ordered 40 buffalo wings at the Arena and serenaded my date with repeated renditions of Tom Jones' "Sex Bomb."

2. The time she pretended to be a Mafia don in Thomas McWilliams' D.C. apartment for no particular reason.

3. Always knowing that Susan is in town for a visit because I wake up to the gentle crunch of Doritos crumbs beneath me.

4. Anything involving hamsters.

5. Being at the lake house with her when Baby Cheeks "became a woman."

6. The hair show she talked me into modeling for when we were sophomores in high school. Due to this, I may or may not have attended my cousin's wedding with purple/maroon hair.

7. Listening to her recount her harrowing walk from the subway the first time she visited my new house in Adam's Morgan. The highlights included a dead pigeon and a projectile loafer.

8. The Lucky Horseshoe in Chicago. I'd say more but Susan might want to return to the practice of law someday.

9. Susan's work for the African-American romance novel publishing company.

10. "The Invisible Child" - I still don't have the closure I need from that one.

- Laurel

Where would I be without my good looks?

I would be on the streets and spreading my seed. Luckily, I have Susan and Freddie to support me.

I've been feeling insecure lately. Please tell me how adorable I am. That's a lie. I know I'm adorable, I just like the praise.

But enough about me. Perhaps I'll start my own blog. This blog is about Susan. I want people to write about their favorite Susan moments. My favorite Susan moment involved a 14 hour drive from Birmingham to Philadelphia. We were both very gassy during the ride, so me not smell so good afterwards. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen Susan since then. Why can't I visit?!

Bob

A Message From Bob

Greetings! I'm new to the world wide web, so "blogging" is very exciting for me. Today was a rough day. Master Freddie did not take me out until 9:15 a.m. this morning. He even had the audacity to brush his teeth before letting me out. I had to hold it in for 12 hours! The horror.

He made it up through heavy petting and excessive Purina One.

I'm at home all alone right now and I want Master Susan to return. I love her very much, despite the fact that I left some poop in her favorite shoes.

I have to get going now. It's hard to type with such short paws.

- Bob

An Addendum to "Project Philadelphia"

Uh, for people that don't know me well - Laurel is kidding about the tube tops. The last time I wore a tube top was at the county fair in 1986 - even then it was a dreadful and inappropriate choice. I was banned from a number of the more exciting rides due to my thoughtless choice of clothing. From that point forward, I always wore swim suits under my t-shirt during county fair time. Nothing could/would stop me from experiencing the Gravitron (Zero Gravity Machine) ... nothing short of gravitation-less vomit. There is no official comment of whether this may or may not have occurred.

As a side note, I have worn a newsboy cap, but not a body jumper. And, Laurel knows that I could never never wear such a thing because of my extremely large torso and abnormally short legs.

*Imagine denim stretch to its breaking point, structurally relying on a camel toe to stop from ripping at the seems. However, imagine the built-in pants being approximately 1.5 feet too long - with my ankle aligned with the cut of the tapered knee ... far from what the original pattern intended.

*Then just imagine the gaping horror of the BEBE salesclerk as I exited the dressing room.

- Susan

A Missive From the City of Brotherly Love

It's Saturday afternoon, and I just got back from Philadelphia last night. (I decided to leave a day early because I was worried about the weather. I found out what a true Southerner I am over the last few days as I spent most of my time in Philly commenting on the shear number of people in the city, how cold it was and how hard it was to find wine.)

I also wanted to say, that as odd as it may sound, I had a great time in Philadelphia. Susan is in a great mood. She looks awesome for someone in congestive heart failure, and she is surrounded by truly caring, wonderful doctors and nurses. They are taking excellent care of her, and she is taking excellent care of herself. I have no doubt that her new heart will come very soon and that she will be better before we know it.

Freddie also seemed to be doing really well. I think he might have a slightly unnatural love for Bob, Susan and Freddie's new Corgi, but I'd be throwing stones in a glass house if I was to point out anyone else's overzealous adoration of a pet.

- Laurel

Update

There isn't much to report right now. We're all just waiting. It's most likely that until a heart becomes available, there won't be much news. I wish there was more to say, but it's just waiting for now.

Thank you all for your love and support. Susan and Freddie really appreciate it.

- Laurel

Project Philadelphia

Thursday was a good errand-running day here in Philadelphia. (If by "good," one ignores the icy rain and freezing temperatures.) I found my way to the shops not far from the hospital for grippy hairbands, a laundry bag and various other items. (And, thanks to a call from Margaret/Hilton, I knew where not to go when looking for underwear.)

I also offer up a picture of Susan in her hospital room. Don't let the picture fool you - Susan spends most of her time smiling despite the circumstances. In this particular picture, she just chose to express her disdain over one particular problem - hospital fashion.

For those of you who don't know, Susan is a slave to fashion. I, alone, have seen her experiment with newsboy caps and J-Lo style jumpers. (She is nothing if not bold in some of her choices.) Having to spend most of the day in a hospital gown has been ... unfortunate. Plus, after the surgery, Susan is going to have to change most of her closet. There won't be any more v-necks, tubes or cleavage-bearing tops for our Suze. So, if you are still wanting to do something for our girl, she is going to need a lot of boat neck tops.

Susan would never be one to let something like a heart transplant get between her and a chic wardrobe.

- Laurel

A Message From Susan

Hello Friends and Family!

I can't believe my transplant support group has gotten so big! It really helps to know that I have the love of so many people. I desperately need it right now. This is REALLY freak'n scary!!

On another note, I just wanted to make sure that everyone understands - all of Laurel's e-mails and requests are directly from me ... and Freddie.

I can't see more than one person at a time (unless it's a couple) because they won't allow large amounts of traffic in my hospital room or apartment post-surgery. My immune system will be suppressed so I can not be around groups without being at risk for infection.

Also, I am not talking to many people at the moment because:
1) I've lost my voice and
2) I am in congestive heart failure so talking for even five minutes is very taxing on my body.

I want to talk to each and everyone of you and thank you immensely. However, right now,
Freddie and I need to get some rest so we can prepare for the big event. Please contact the people listed in Laurel's e-mail to get regular updates.

I love you all!

- Susan

Update

Susan is officially on the donor list as of this morning. Instead of going home, she's going to stay in the hospital for now waiting on her transplant. According to her doctors, everything could move very quickly from here on out - with a heart possibly being available within 5-24 hours. (Of course, things might also not move quickly. This is all just a wait and see.)

Here are a few stats about the surgery once they find Susan a heart:
- The surgery will last 6 hours.
- After the surgery, Susan will be on a ventilator for 24 hours to make sure her lungs are strong, etc. She will not be able to talk to anyone during this period.
- Susan will be in the hospital for 10-14 days after the surgery recovering.

For all of Susan's friends who have been kind enough to offer to visit, it is immensely appreciated, but there are a few guidelines so that we don't exhaust her:
- If you would like to visit Susan, you need to contact Ashley to arrange that. Ashley is in charge of the calendar, and she will let you know which dates are good, etc.
- There will be a place for you to stay in Philadelphia. Alli is getting an apartment that will hopefully have a guest room, but it will at least have a couch to crash on. Because of the space constraints (and various other factors), only individuals or couples should visit at any one given time. There's no room for big groups, and Susan (obviously) doesn't have the energy or resources to hostess at this point, so only individuals and couples for now.
- I know that not everyone can take off work at a moment's notice, and that most people have designated holidays, but when you contact Ashley about visiting, she'll have to pick dates based on Susan's schedule. I hope that doesn't put anyone out, but there's just not much that can be done about it.

Thank you all for all of your support and love! Susan is so grateful!

- Laurel

Update

There are basically three categories of heart transplant recipients: 1-A, 1-B and 2. Level 2 can wait up to a year for a heart, and level 1-A needs a heart in about 48 hours. Susan is category 1-B. This means that when she is in the hospital she will have to be in the critical care wing with various tubes delivering medicine at all times, etc. She can go home, but when she goes home, she'll have to have a full-time nurse with her (and, as Susan pointed out, this is not your mom playing nurse, this must be a trained professional) and a de-fib machine. Once category 1-B patients go on the transplant list, they can usually expect to wait one day - three months for a heart. Susan won't really know anything until Tuesday, but hopefully on Tuesday, she'll be cleared for the transplant and can go on the list.

I have a call in to Freddy asking what we can do to make his life easier, and as soon as I hear back from him, I'll let y'all know. Eventually, Susan and Freddy are going to work out a schedule of who can visit and when since they're going to need help now, during the transplant and afterwards as Susan recuperates.

I'm sure that I've left people off this list, so if each of you could send me the names of who needs to be part of the phone/e-mail tree, I'll make sure we have a complete master list for updates, etc. I also have Susan's hospital and home addresses if anyone needs those for any reason.

- Laurel

A Message From Susan

I went into a regularly scheduled doctor's appointment yesterday, and they decided to check me into the hospital as an in-patient- for various reasons. This is actually good news I think because I'm going to be here for a full transplant evaluation for six days. This will fast track me.

Otherwise, the transplant process can drag out months, and honestly, I feel like crap. I certainly don't want to die, but don't want to live like this either.

Anyway, I guess anything is possible at this point. But, I'm hoping that I will check out OK and will be green lit for the transplant as early as next week. Sadly, the holiday season is a harvesting ground for transplant recipients. I can't believe I just wrote that ...

I will be using the hospital computer to update and get e-mails. Also, if you are inclined to send flowers, DON'T!!! Take that impulse and send the money to charity.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

At this website you can actually register to become a donor if you prematurely kick the bucket.

http://www.lcnw.org/

Others are of course:

http://www.drna.org/

http://partners.guidestar.org/controller/searchResults.gs?action_donateReport=1&partner=networkforgood&ein=94-3334612

Or just find something you care about on http://www.networkforgood.org/.

Also, my cell phone does work, but I probably will not be answering. Tragically, I discovered, I have a LARGE group of attentive family members and friends. I just don't have the energy to talk to anyone and write them back. I'm exhausted. But, I love you guys and think about you all the time.

- Susan