Overwhelmed

This week has been one thing after another, and I'm relieved to say that none of it had to do with Mike.
Last Friday was Sept. 11th. The day started with my brother noticing a leak in the front hallway ceiling. We quickly realized that it was coming from the upstairs bathroom. I knew that I was going to have to call a plumber. When they came later that day, I was told that it was NOT a simple fix and I had to have a portion of the piping replaced. Apparantly when it was originally done, it was installed incorrectly. Big job, big money.
The fact that it was Sept. 11th, made the day even more emotional. Like everyone else, I remember that day very vividly. What affected me more this year was remembering that Mike was still pretty much "OK" at that time. He had just been diagnosed that April, and I remember how upset and confused he was about the whole day. He called me at work when the second plane hit, when the 1st building collapsed, when the 2nd collapsed, when the airplane went down, when the Pentagon was hit. He must have called me a dozen times that morning. My boss finally let me go home. Remembering that Mike was still able to call me and talk, made me miss him and his soothing voice that much more. I REALLY miss the sound of his voice.
Saturday, 9/12, we attended our Memory Walk and I am very honored to report that henley's heroes, raised $5,100.00 thanks in part to some VERY generous friends and family. It was overcast the entire day, but the rain held out and the day was a success. The walk has grown SO MUCH over the last few years, that the Alzheimer's Association may have to change venues for next year. I remembered the Memory Walk that Mike and I did the year he was diagnosed. There must have only been about 100 people there, if that many. It made me feel good to see how it has grown. This year they registered approx. 800 walkers.
After the walk I brought Courtney back to her dorm and she was very unhappy. We had a rational, heart to heart talk, and she expressed how much she dislikes Hofstra, so we will soon start to see what would be involved in transferring her to Fordham.
Speaking of Hofstra, the week began with disturbing news of assaults and a gang rape. After 2 days of investigating, the announcement was made that the gang rape never happened, but the armed robbery was true. The fact that Courtney walks all over the campus at night by herself, concerns me. The campus has been swarming with media the entire week, especially after the accused recanted her story. I WILL be looking into how to purchase mace.
I started the process of switching hospices. Strangely enough, when our current hospice found out that I was switching, the VP of the company called me and asked why. Seriously, are they kidding? They wanted the discharge Mike after he had a high fever for 4 days, how could they be serious? This woman claimed that she didn't know about it, but I alerted her to a number of situations that happened over the course of the year. Hopefully the switch will go through with very few problems.
My week at work was crazy, and I had no time to take care of anything during the day. I am exhausted.
Courtney was approved for the Federal Work Study program as part of her fincial aid package and was told to go the the student employment office on Thursday. When she went, she was told that all jobs had been filled, and they were nasty about it to say the least. She called me in tears, because she knows how important it is that she works while she's in school. She doesn't have a car, so she can't get a job off campus either. I have a message into the student advocate, and I'm hoping that they can correct the situation.
Brandon had a follow-up with the doctor for his ankle and it went no where. Brandon is VERY nervous about doing sports again, because he is so afraid he is going to injure his ankle again. This "specialist" has no bedside manner and basically blew off Brandon's fears and concerns. His ankle still doesn't feel right (his MRI DID show torn ligaments and OCD), we may have to seek out a second opinion.
I get a letter from Department of Social Services stating that Mike's "overage" (the amount that I have to pay for him) each month went from $360.00 to $1,120.00. That's nearly triple. I can't afford the $360.00 a month, how the heck do they think I can afford $1,120.00????
I needed to get some last minute information to the reporter for the story in Newsday. I am almost afraid to say that it looks as though the story will run on Oct. 11th. We all know the way the news works, and if something more important comes up, the story will not run. Actually that's the day that the series begins and I am beign told that the preliminary story etc. is great.
I truly hope that this story open others minds to the fact that Alzheimer's is not just an old persons disease. It affects the younger people also, and as young families, there's so much more at stake. Ths situation is unique and even more devastating. I hope the politicians read it and it stays in their memory the enxt time they need to vote for funding.
Well, I guess you can say that alot has happened, hence the reason why I hadn't written in over a week. I hope I have been able to get everyone caught up on my crazy life.