In the House of Ronald part II - The Quest

Meredith seems to be doing better. She does not have snot running out her nose, although she is a bit congested, and her fever has not returned. This morning she was still a bit gaggy when Stephanie tried to nurse her. She has generally been in good spirits. We also figured out that she had not pooped for many days – although she had not breeched the record held by our oldest, which was 9 days. This morning I set out on a quest to locate some suppositories.

Let me preface the rest of this story with a little background, and another story. The area of Cleveland where we are is no suburbia. There is no Wal-Mart, McDonalds, or even convenience stores near by. We did some grocery shopping a couple of days ago at an upscale market when Steve and Toni were still here with their car. To reach any of the comforts of suburbia is a 15 minute drive - we do not have a car and taxis are not cheap. Finally, we have been advised that we should not be out walking after dark. Such is the state of the area.

I was going to take the bus to Wal-Mart yesterday to get some supplies, but the bus stop was about half the distance to Wal-Mart and I decided against that. Fortunately, I discovered (by reading in my welcome to the Cleveland Ronald McDonald House handbook) that there was a Rite-Aid pharmacy within a couple of blocks. For those of you that are not familiar with Rite-Aid, it is comparable to a Walgreens or Osco Drug.

So on a brisk autumn day, I began my quest to find the Rite-Aid. I had an idea where it was (I had been given this odd thing called the "address", something I was not used to using when searching for a location previously)and set off. As I strolled down the sidewalk I realized that the Cleveland Clinic is more than just a single building hospital. I walked past several buildings, each big enough to be a hospital in and of itself, which professed some affiliation or another with the Cleveland Clinic. As I was strolling I came upon what I would call a shopping center. It consisted of 2 local restaurants (one Indian and the other claiming to serve Chicago style fair), a bank, and a medical supply store. It also had a sign telling me that the Rite-Aid which I was seeking was behind this shopping center. As I began my stroll around the building, a man, weaving about 40 feet behind me, asked me to stop. I can only assume that he wanted to discuss the current state of world politics, but as I was on a quest I shunned his invitation and picked up my pace around the building. As I came around the corner of the building I was much relieved to see the Rite-Aid. For as King Arthur had searched for the Holy Grail (what is your favorite color?) and came up empty, I had found the goal of my quest, the Rite-Aid drugstore.

As an aside to the story, I know you really want to know how Meredith is, I will tell a brief tale of elation and disappointment. As I prepared to exit the Rite-Aid, I noticed that behind it, there was what appeared to be a convenience store. Now as I have already divulged in this post, I have yet to find a convenience store, so you can imagine how this ends. Anyway, I was delighted because the only cups I could find to drink out of were 8oz Styrofoam cups, and I wanted something with a larger capacity. As I approached the door a young man with a hood pulled over his head (and eyes) exited the door. I thanked him for holding the door and peered inside. I was disappointed to find it was merely a sheltered place to pay for gasoline. I shut the door and turned away, heading back around the Rite-Aid on my way back to "home". It was interesting to note that said your man with the veiled eyes walked about 200 feet before getting into a waiting car with other young men. Of course I have my suspicions, but my new quest was return "home" alive so I averted my eyes and pressed onward. The return was uneventful, so I will not detail it only to say the quest was one of elation and disappointment, success and failure.

So, this morning, when Stephanie and I decided that if Meredith would poop she might feel better, I again set off for the Right-Aid. Since I knew where I was going it did not take long to get to the Rite-Aid, obtain said merchandise, and return "home". Apparently the idea of having a little glycerin capsule inserted in her anus scared the poop out of Meredith. When I returned, Meredith had not only pooped, but had blown out on her clothes as well. The whole room stunk so bad that we had to prop open our door (the windows do not open).

So overall I think that Meredith is doing pretty good. We continue to pray for her good health and for God’s will to be done. We appreciate all of the many prayers, from those of you who we know and those we don’t, that have been offered on her behalf. We have any early morning appointment at the hospital tomorrow (Friday), I will post afterward.

-Chip