Mission of Mercy

My daughter Megan, her husband Denis, and the two grandchildren have been planning a trip to Florida for the holidays for many months.  Denis's Russian parents fell in love with Florida when they visited last winter--more specifically Vero Beach, which is where Megan's father and stepmother live.  In fact, when they decided to vacation in the US again this winter, they decided to go ONLY to Florida...not to the Midwest where the family is.  If Megan and Denis wanted to see them, they would have to visit Florida.  (Not a bad idea, I guess.)  It has long been The Plan for Luda and Sergey to immigrate to the US...but now the elder Shchepetovs have decided that they prefer the warmer climes.  Which is okay, I guess, except that they really don't speak English well, would need jobs to support themselves, and there is no large settlement of Russian-speaking immigrants in Florida like there is in the northern suburbs of Chicago where Megan and Denis live. Luda and Sergey have not experienced either the Midwest OR Florida during summer, so they really don't have a good picture of what either place is like during that season.  I'm not sure that they totally get what they are asking for... 

They were offered to stay in a sort of "loaner" trailer home in the same court where Meg's father is. They arrived last week, with Joe and Sharon (Megan's paternal parents) meeting them at the airport and supplying them with the trailer--which meant cleaning and stocking it some before they got there.  The McNarys also made arrangements for a rental car for the Russian guests, which turned into a bit of a fiasco, but 'twas done.  (So much for their ability to be independent in America!)  Megan and Denis planned to drive straight through to be there late in the day this next Friday.  All plans had been made accordingly.

Okay...so...Meg's father (Joe) had a bout with gall stones that took him to the ER one night this past week.  Then he came down with a stomach bug...then ended up back in the hospital with gall stones AND kidney stones a day or two later.  (I might not have those in the right order.)  The hospital admitted him, but since he wasn't being a very "patient" patient, they discharged him to go home, same evening.  Needless to say, he's been feeling pretty punk and just barely on his feet.  Meantime, just yesterday, his wife came down with the stomach bug that had her in the bathroom every 15 minutes.  (Are you following me, so far?)

Last evening, Luda (Denis's mother) decided that she needed medical attention.  She had developed a blind spot in one eye.  Apparently she at first thought she had just gotten some lotion in her eye, but the blind spot kept getting bigger as the day wore on, so a trip to the ER was required, and Joe was required to drive them because Sergey had been drinking.  When I heard about it, it was already after 9:00 PM EST.  Joe reported that Sergey wasn't wearing many clothes (no one is quite sure what that meant) and that he hadn't taken his BP meds...complications, I'm sure.

Hospitals have their own language, and that language doesn't translate well to people who don't speak it--even people who speak English.  For those who don't, it can be disastrous.  In short order, Joe called to have Denis translate over the phone--from his mother to the hospital personnel to Joe, and back again.  Then the issue of insurance came up.  Sergey didn't want the hospital to do any procedures until he had permission from his Russian insurance carrier...so suddenly, Meg and Denis are trying to put International Minutes on the phone they shipped to FL for his parents to use.  From my vantage point on Instant Messenger with Meg, it sounded like an absolute circus!

Luda was given a CT scan.  I assume they were looking for a stroke or brain bleed.  That came back clear.  Then they transferred her to a hospital by ambulance 20 miles away.  It was determined that she has a partially-detached retina in the affected eye and will need surgery.  But...true to  my experience with the ruptured brain aneurysm AND the heart attack, it is never a good idea to have a medical emergency on the weekend.  They eventually released Luda to go home but she has to return tomorrow...probably for surgery.  But not before Joe took Sergey home for more clothes and his meds.

I stayed up with Meg on a vigil of sorts, just to know what was going on, but along about 2:30 AM, I decided I needed to hit the sack.  She left me an email somewhere along about 4-something-AM (IL time) to say that the decision had been made for Denis to fly down today.  It needed to be, if only for him be be Chief Translator.  Still, it leaves Meg to make the rest of the trip plans alone.  We're working on that.  Plans are changing to make it a bit easier...

There are lessons to be learned from this.  Lots of them.  I won't list them now because they should be obvious to anyone who has ever been away from home when tragedy hits.  Denis has just landed in Orlando as I typed this.  Godspeed, Deniska!  Your family will follow in a few days!  Take care of your mama!