A WONDERFUL NEW CHAPTER IN MY LIFE

BEFORE I CONTINUE, I WANT TO SAY THAT THE OTHER CLASSES I WAS TAKING BEFORE BEING ACCEPTED INTO NURSING SCHOOL WERE MEMORABLE AS WELL. ONE THING IN PARTICULAR, WAS MY SPEECH CLASS. I HAD TO GIVE A SPEECH ON ANY SUBJECT, AND FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON I CHOSE TO DO A SPEECH ON FLATULANCE. I STARTED THE SPEECH WITH A SHORT FILM WITH "TOOT" NOISES IN THE BACKGROUND, ESPECIALLY A PREACHER THAT "TOOTED" EACH TIME HE SAID "PRAISE THE LORD, OR AMEN". THEN, I BEGAN MY SPEECH AND TALKED ABOUT THE EMBARRASSMENT OF "LETTING ONE GO", AND USED ALL THE TERMS THAT REFER TO "TOOTING" AS WELL AS A COUPLE OF SONGS THAT WE ALL KNOW FROM CHILDHOOD. I COULD BARELY FINISH MY SPEECH, AS THE CLASS WAS ROLLING ON THE FLOOR- AND THE INSTRUCTOR WAS HOWLING. I NEVER CRACKED A SMILE, AND BELIEVE ME, THAT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE! I GOT AN "A" FOR THAT SPEECH AND AN INVITATION TO GIVE IT AGAIN AT A COMPETITION, BUT I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS APPROPRIATE, SO I DECLINED. I DID ENJOY THAT SPEECH, I HAD LOTS OF FUN GIVING IT. IT WAS ALSO IN THE SPRING OF THAT YEAR, MY FIRST SEMESTER THAT MY SON AARON LEFT FOR HIS MISSION FOR THE CHURCH. HE WAS TO BE GONE FOR TWO YEARS, AND I DIDN'T THINK I COULD STAND IT. BUT HE WAS SO HAPPY AND DETERMINED, I COULD DO NOTHING ELSE BUT SUPPORT HIM.
BUT NOW, I AM IN NURSING SCHOOL. IT IS WINTER, AND THE CLASS LOAD WAS TREMENDOUS. THERE WAS ANOTHER STUDENT, YOUNGER THAN ME, BUT STILL IN HER LATE THIRTIES THAT TEAMED UP WITH ME AND ANOTHER GIRL. THE THREE OF US WERE SO DETERMINED TO DO WELL, WE ALL HAD PLANS AND DREAMS OF WHEN WE GRADUATED. WE WORKED SO HARD, AND MADE TOP GRADES. THE FIRST SEMESTER OF NURSING SCHOOL IS TOTALLY ACADEMIC. YOU LEARN ALL THE TERMS, AND SO MUCH ELSE, LEARN NURSING MATH TO CALCULATE DOSAGED AND IV'S, OH GOSH, THERE IS SO MUCH. WE ALSO HAD TO LEARN THE CLASSES OF DRUGS, WHAT THEY DID, WHAT THEY INTERRACTED WITH AND HOW TO GIVE THEM. I HAD NO LIFE OUTSIDE OF NURSING SCHOOL- BUT MARTIN AND MY FAMILY HELPED AND SUPPORTED ME. I MISSED AARON, AND SPENT WHAT LITTLE TIME I HAD LEFT BAKING COOKIES AND TREATS TO SEND TO HIM AND DILIGENTLY WRITING HIM EVERY WEEK. DURING THIS TIME, WE (THE STUDENTS) PRACTICED ON EACH OTHER, HOW TO TAKE BLOOD PRESSURE, BANDAGE WOUNDS, GIVING "EXAMS" AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS. OUR FIRST BIG TEST CAME AND EVERYONE WAS SO NERVOUS. THE CLASS HAD JUST ABOUT 100 STUDENTS, AND THE TESTING ROOM WAS FULL. BEFORE THE INSTRUCTORS CAME TO GIVE OUT THE TESTS, WE ALL SAT QUIETLY, THINKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PASSING THIS TEST. IF YOU FAILED IT, YOU WERE OUT. SUDDENLY, I GOT AN IMPRESSION IN MY MIND, AND STOOD UP, FACING ALL THE STUDENTS. "EXCUSE ME, BUT I AM GOING TO PRAY AND IF ANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN ME, PLEASE FEEL FREE. IF THE REST OF YOU DON'T MIND, PLEASE ALLOW US TO JOIN IN PRAYER." TO MY SURPRISE, ALL OF THE STUDENTS RAISED THEIR HANDS TO INDICATE THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO JOIN IN THE PRAYER. I PRAYED OUT LOUD FOR ALL OF US, THAT WE WOULD HAVE COMFORT, CONFIDENCE, AND THAT THE THINGS WE STUDIED FOR WOULD COME STRONGLY TO OUR MINDS. I SAID OTHER THINGS AS WELL, OFFERING GRATITUDE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO IMPROVE OUR LIVES THROUGH THIS EDUCATION. I FINALLY SAID, "AMEN" AND MANY OTHERS DID TOO. I FELT SUCH COMFORT AND FELT THAT WE WERE ONE IN OUR QUEST TO SUCCEED ON THIS TEST. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE FAILED, ALL OF THOSE IN MY CLASS PASSED. (THERE WERE 3 CLASSES REPRESENTED). I DO KNOW THAT FROM THEN ON, WE WERE ALL CLOSER TO EACH OTHER. AS WE CONTINUED LEARNING AND PRACTICING, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I WAS NOT FEELING LIKE I SHOULD. MY BLOOD PRESSURE WAS VERY HIGH, AND MY CHEST HURT WHEN I EXERTED MYSELF. I IGNORED IT, I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. BEFORE I KNEW IT, THE ACADEMIC PART WAS OVER. NOW, WE BEGAN OUR ROTATIONS IN THE HOSPITALS, AND HAD ACADEMIC CLASSES AS WELL. IT WAS THE FIRST OF THE SUMMER, AND MY LIFE HAD BEEN RACING ALONG. I CHOSE TO DO MY FIRST ROTATION IN THE COUNTY HOSPITAL. IT WAS REALLY MISERABLE, BUT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD REALLY ALLOW ME TO LEARN. I STILL FELT WEAK, HAD THE CHEST PAINS AND FELT DIZZY ON OCCASION. I FINALLY HAD TO GO AND SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. I DID ALL THE TESTS, CAT SCAN, X-RAY, BLOOD TESTS. THE CHEST PAINS WERE CAUSED BY A PINCHED NERVE IN MY BREAST BONE DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAD GOTTEN UP TOO SOON AFTER THE FIRST SURGERY, AND THE BONE HEALED UNEVENLY. THAT WAS GOOD NEWS, AND I WENT ON ABOUT MY BUSINESS. A FEW WEEKS AFTER STARTING AT THE HOSPITAL, I GOT A PHONE CALL AT THE HOSPITAL, AND IT WAS FROM MY DOCTOR. MY HEART STARTED RACING AS SOON AS I REALIZED WHO IT WAS, BECAUSE I KNEW THAT HE WOULD NOT CALL UNLESS SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A LARGE TUMOR IN MY THROAT AGAIN. I NEEDED TO COME RIGHT IN AND TRY TO FIND OUT IF IT WAS MALIGNANT. I JUST SAT DOWN HARD ON THE FLOOR. NOT AGAIN!!! PLEASE, NOT AGAIN. IF I MISSED SCHOOL, THEY COULD EJECT ME FROM THE PROGRAM. I COULD NOT TAKE THE TIME TO GO AND FIGURE ALL THIS OUT, BUT I KNEW I HAD TO, BECAUSE THE TUMOR HAD GROWN SO QUICKLY. I DID TAKE THE TIME TO GO FOR THE TESTS, AND THEN, IT WAS FOUND THAT I ALSO HAD A VERY LARGE TUMOR IN MY ADRENAL GLAND. GREAT. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, NURSING SCHOOL MEANT SO VERY MUCH TO ME, I WANTED TO FINISH AND BECOME A NURSE. THE NEW DOCTOR I WAS SEEING WAS AN INTERNIST, AND HE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE TOO CONCERNED ABOUT THE TUMORS, SO I TRIED TO PUT IT ASIDE. BUT, AS IN MANY INSTANCES, LIFE HAS A WAY OF DOING THINGS FOR YOU. DURING THE FIRST DAY OF MY SECOND ROTATION AT ANOTHER HOSPITAL, I PASSED OUT ON THE STAIRS AND FELL. WHEN I CAME TO, THEY DECIDED TO ADMIT ME. MORE TESTS, DAY AFTER DAY, FOR 5 DAYS. MY INSTRUCTOR TOLD ME THAT I COULD NOT CONTINUE IN THE NURSING PROGRAM UNTIL I FOUND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND FIXED IT. I WAS DEVASTATED. MARTIN TOOK ME HOME AND I CRIED AND CRIED. SUDDENLY I GOT VERY ANGRY. I CALLED THE INTERNIST AND DEMANDED THAT HE SEE ME RIGHT AWAY. HE AGREED TO, AND I WENT IN AND TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS HIS JOB TO FIX ME AND WHY COULDN'T HE? HE SAID HE WAS DOING ALL HE COULD, BUT ADRENAL AND THYROID PROBLEMS WERE VERY HARD TO DIAGNOSE. I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT I HAD A THYROID PROBLEM! HE SAID HE WOULD DO WHAT HE COULD, BUT WITHIN THE WEEK I HAD PASSED OUT AGAIN AND WAS HAVING CHEST PAIN. I WAS ADMITTED AGAIN. MORE TESTS. MORE AGGRAVATION. FINALLY, HE CAME IN AND TOLD ME HIS HANDS WERE TIED, I WAS MORE TROUBLE THAN HE COULD HELP, AND I NEEDED TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE. I SCREAMED AT HIM, "NO SIR! DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME! I HAVE A LIFE, YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!" MARTIN TOOK HIM TO THE SIDE, AND QUIETLY ASKED HIM "IF THIS WAS YOUR WIFE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?" HE TOLD MARTIN THAT HE WOULD SEND HER TO M.D.ANDERSON CANCER HOSPITAL. MAYBE I COULD FIND HELP THERE. DURING ALL THIS TIME, BOBBIE JO WAS PREGNANT. HER DUE DATE WAS APPROACHING QUICKLY. I WAS GOING TO BE A NANA, AND COULD NOT WAIT. I COULDN'T LET THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING AFFECT THIS WONDERFUL EVENT. ON AUGUST 19,1998, MY PRECIOUS JARED OWEN EDWARD HATCHER ENTERED THE WORLD. MY JAYBIRD. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I COULD HAVE SO MUCH JOY. BUT THEN I HAD TO TURN BACK TO MY DIFFICULTIES, AND TOMORROW, I WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THAT! LOVE, NANASEE