Heidi - June 15
Hi Everyone
For anyone who knows my family, no Cockram journey is without adventure.
I arrived at the airport Sunday night to discover no ticket waiting
for me. After a bit of kerfufel, I was issued a new ticket with the
wrong date (somehow they couldn’t print out one for that evening) and
was escorted to the check-in - so it wasn’t so bad after all as I
managed to jump an enormous queue! Katrina, Mary, Marianne and I
headed off to the Dome for a hot choc before I had to go through
customs. THANK YOU girls for your company and friendship - and to all
the other lovely offers of lifts to the airport - I had so many I’ve lost count!!
Once I got to Joburg, the plane couldn’t get up to the walkway
because something else was parked too close and had to be moved. So we waited.
Then the plane moved up to the walkway. And we waited. Then the
announcement that the walkway was stuck. So we waited some more. Then
they wheeled over some steps and we got out the back door. So I made it.
To the boys (and girls) who went to the rugby on Saturday night, I
was jealous of you going, BUT had the pleasure of sharing my flight
with the team 
. Yes, I walked off the plane in the middle of all the
boys and then waited at the baggage carousel with George (Gregan that
is). I was regretting leaving my Wallabies jumper at home! I would
have loved to see them play while I’m over here but the game is in
Capetown 
I was picked up at the airport and taken to where Mum and Dad are
staying, then we headed off to the hospital. Heidi was looking pretty
good
- she was awake and quite lucid. I had a guided tour of all the tubes
sticking out all over her, and all the machinery she is hooked up to.
The doctors were happy with her and said she needed no dialysis or
plasma for the day. They also got her out of bed for a while, which is
the first time since she came to the hospital.
We visited again in the afternoon and left her looking a bit tired.
This morning she said she hadn’t slept all night as there are alarms
and bells going off all over the ccu (coronary care unit). The doctor
came to check on her and said she would need more dialysis today, which
is how we found her. She was also a bit distressed as a couple of
things had gone wrong for her in the night and morning. There is no way
for her to get attention from the nurses as they are checking her
regularly and she is hooked up to so many alarms. However, her nurse
was held up a couple of times with other patients and Heidi had no way of saying she needed help.
When you need to go to the toilet and have to wait, it can be quite
stressful. Anyway, we spoke to the nurse and they have been very
attentive while we have been there.
We had one scare this morning when Heidi’s lunch arrived. We had
raised her bed so she could eat, but the change in pressure on the
tubes attached to the dialysis machine, as well as in her body, cause her to have a fit.
Mum, Dad and I had no idea what was happening, all we knew is that one
minute she was speaking to us, the next she stabbed blindly at her food
with her fork, lifted it and poked herself in the chin, then waved her
arms around and had her eyes looking in all different directions. We
quickly called for help, everyone came running and we left the room.
After an extremely long 5 minutes, they came to tell us what had
happened and that she was okay. Needless to say, we were all very
shaky and upset - it doesn’t take much when you really don’t understand what is going on.
It looks like she will be having dialysis one day, then plasma the
next, until the week is out. She is making great gains - miraculous
ones actually, however, as we have been told many times, it really is 2
steps forward and 1 step back. It is so good that we are all here
together, reminding each other of all the love surrounding us, the
prayers that are being answered on a daily basis, the incredible
network of friends and friends of friends who are supporting us, and
the amazing love of God who holds us daily in His gentle hands.
Mum and Dad have gone back to the hospital this afternoon and I will
go this evening while they are out for dinner with some more amazing
Joburg people. We read all your emails to Heidi to every day, so
please keep writing to us. She especially loves hearing about the
little things happening in your lives - they bring rays of sunshine
into a room that has none. Heidi is overwhelmed (as we all are) with
the number of people who know she is unwell and wish her all the best, and pray for her.
This has been a pretty big update but I was making up for a day missed!
Thank you Aunty Judy, for your jacket, and your company on Sunday.
Mum and Heidi loved their cards, and Mum has been wearing your jacket
(she didn’t have one).
Thank you to everyone at All Saints who wrote on Heidi’s big card -
she loved it! Thank you too to those of you who were able to give
personal cards to me to take.
Thank you to everyone at WACS for the beautiful flowers. Heidi
cannot have them in the ccu so we enjoy them back at where we are
staying. We will let you all know when she is in the regular ward and
able to receive more.
Thank you to you all for your kindnesses to me before I left. You
have touched my heart and I have had many teary moments thinking about them.
They are so many I cannot thank everyone individually here.
May God bless you all.
Much love
Kellie
