Globetrotters Game
So in March of every year my kids dance studio is lucky enough to be invited to dance the halftime show during a Harlem Globetrotters game at the Wicomico Youth and Civic center.
This year was our first year at this studio. As you walk through the studio there are pictures of previous years games and autographs. And to be honest for us here in Delaware its really the closest to a famous person well probably ever get.
March was a trying month for John and despite his constant medical issues I don’t ever plan for his episodes. I assume life will be normal until that moment it isn’t. I find it is easier to just live, then when something arises, whether we have plans or not, it happens and we make the best of it.
This was one of those times. The kids didn’t need to be at the Civic Center until 5pm so I thought we cold get lunch and spend some time at the Salisbury Zoo. All my friends loved it there and it was FREE. Sounds like a plan.
The day of the game
So we woke up that morning and got ready, no hurrying around or rushing. Just a nice and relaxed day. We stopped in Salisbury for lunch at Golden Corral. Had a great lunch then set out to the zoo.
Now I had already known John would tire easily so brought his wheelchair. Hoping to stave off any episodes on such a fun day. Now we hadn’t ever really brought his wheelchair with us before. It was a FB marketplace deal that I couldn’t pass up knowing that some day he would need it. So I was a bit nervous.
Mainly because to look at John he appears perfectly normal. Just like any other 10 yr old boy. So when he rides in the cart at Walmart people stare and when he’s in a Caroline’s cart I’ve been questioned and told they are for disabled kids. It is hard for people to understand what is going on with his little body.
Even with my apprehension I brought it knowing it was best for him. And my vain attempt to let the kids have a bit of fun while we were in Salisbury. It would seem that the Universe had other ideas.
We arrive at the zoo after lunch with about 3hrs to explore. Let me just say while I typically don’t like zoo’s or the idea behind them this zoo was different and one that I enjoyed. It had such a serene feeling and the animals had room to move and enjoy life.
The photographer was Alex, my 15 yr old daughter. She has the most amazing eye for great pictures and she’s a fantastic editor as well. We would have had more pictures but the camera died and we forgot the spare. Rookie mistake.
The Zoo
The zoo was a most wonderful experience. The path is mostly shaded, It is smaller but also has so many areas to expand your knowledge.
Now my younger kids are actually descendants of Pocahontas, she is their 14th great grandmother. So I was happy and excited to see so much about Cap. John Smith and how he saw Delaware when he arrived. Mainly because how he described it would have been very much like Pocahontas would have seen it. It was a very cool experience.
Now towards the end of the zoo trip John decided that he was feeling ok so he was playing with Gabe and having a good time being 10 in a beautiful place. No one can fault him for wanting to be normal.
So we finish up at the zoo with enough time to stop by Ben Red Playground for a few min. It is a awesome playground and one that even made me want to play around for a while. This is when I knew something was going wrong. John became quiet and at one point walked off away from the playground. Now Johns a very vocal child. He communicates well except when his body is going loopy. Its almost like his brain can only deal internally so communication to the outside world is non existent.
Something wasn’t right
We all know that when John doesn’t answer something is going on. It is especially frustrating for me as a caregiver, to be patient and wait till he is ready. I’m always afraid that in waiting harm will come to him simply because I don’t know what is going on so I don’t know how to help him.
As we left the zoo with the intention of changing our clothes for the performance a tiny voice from the back seat says “I want to go to the hospital.” I asked if he was sure, and he nodded his head. So I turned to Alex in the front seat with me, handed her my phone and asked her to find the nearest hospital. Now we had never been to Salisbury before so I was not sure ether. Fortunately I made what I thought was a wrong turn only to find a huge hospital n front of me. Thank You Universe !!!
Now I had the slight problem of how to get him into the ER and where to park the car. I half carried him into the ER and explained the situation. The staff was nice enough to have a security guard park my car and we waited inside.
All in all our trip to the Salisbury ER was about 5 hrs. John was woozy and off balance for all of them but after monitoring him for 4 hrs and his vitals were stable despite his altered state, we were discharged. And honestly it happens more than not we are discharged while he is wheezing, or cant walk on his own.
This time he nearly fell just a few steps from the ER exit door. I was able to carry him to the car and we departed the ER parking lot at 10:20 pm. With a 2 hr drive home ahead of us.
Such is the life of a zebra and their family. But those few hours at the zoo were glorious. We were as normal as we ever have been and happier than we had been in a while.
