The Start of Life

From the day I was born was nothing short than a miracle. My mom would tell me how she would lock herself in the bathroom and cry because she didn't know the outcome of my life. There was so much negative being said to her. She told me if she knew now back then what she knows now, she wouldn't have worried the way she did. She says she knew the day that I was going to be ok. It was when she was walking down the hallway I'm thinking I was about to have surgery and that I pointed to the fishes and she said I had never done that before. That day was a happy day for my Mom. My Mom and Mama went through so much with me. Countless appointments and hospital stays which I know they lost count. My Mama would tell me stories about how they had to feed me milk through a syringe because I couldn't suck on a bottle because of my nose and the holes in my palate. I would choke on my milk. They had to feed me a certain way. I so appreciate everything my Mama and Mom would do. I don't remember much until maybe the age of 4. I know I had many surgeries. The moments I remember most was being in and out of the hospitals. I was born in Galveston Tx at John Sealy Hospital. I was always traveling and staying with family in Dickison Tx. I was always with my Mama (Grandma). We were for the most part with my Aunt Dora at her Trailer with my cousins, Juan, Roy and Rudy,and Fern. I think Nuni was out of the house. (for the longest time I thought they were my Uncles) The boys were so good to me especially Rudy and Roy.They always had me with them. If I wasn't on Roy's back I was on Rudy. When I wasn't at my Aunt Dora house we were at my Uncle Vali at his house. I only remember 3 surgeries and those were major to me. I was 7, 11 (this one was major) and 17 (my last one at my request). I can remember being so scared in my Mom arms and her rocking me to sleep in the doctor's office with the light off waiting to either have a procedure done or surgery. This place was in the same building where I would have my surgeries. I never liked going to that Hospital. I was always in fear that they were going to take me in do what they would have to do. As I grew older I had a more understanding of the situation but still was never easy going in. I felt like I lived in the hospital growing up. I remember getting showered with popsicles and lots of Jello. I even remember all the gifts I would get. That part I absolutely loved. That is where it came in my benefit, I got my first pair of Nikes that my Uncle Vali got me and a playstation my Mama (grandma) got me. Those were my moments. Surgery at age 7 was for my nose, I had a Rhinoplasty done. It wasn't too bad, I even got out of the hospital pretty quickly to only go back in the same day because my sister and I collided into each other which messed up my nose and it never was the same again. My surgery at the age 11 was an extremely hard one. I had bone taken out of my right hip to fix my holes in my palate. I remember waking up in pain and my mom and my dad (my mom's Husband at the time) were at my bedside. I saw my Dad first, he had this big yellow teddy bear waiting for me and he even had the nurse dress it up with the surgery I had. So he had bandages on his hip and an pretend IV. (It was a "him" which I named Murl after my Daddy) My biological father was never around but my Dad (Murl) was there to pick up where my father left off which was nowhere. To this day I still have that Bear. Also remembering not wanting to get out of bed because I was in a lot of pain and my mom telling that I needed to get up and try to walk because my Mama was on her way to see me. That is all it took for me to get out of that bed and start walking. I hated to see my Mama face in pain for me when I would hurt. It took everything in me to pretend I was good. As I'm writing I remember going into a surgery and having to re schedule because they had trouble putting a tube down my throat and when I woke up from that my Mama was with me at the time and I began to cough up blood and at the time I didn't know it was blood and my Mama was the one with the paper towel getting my what I thought was spit until I saw her face and begged her to let me see and there it was blobs of blood. I promised myself that I never wanted my Mama to ever go through that with me ever again. That was scary for a bit until they said it was because of the pipe they couldn't get down correctly.,sigh of relieve then. Can you imagine when I had to go back the fear I had? I went through so much during these times. I was in the era where they would use the "mask" to put you down, boh did I put up a fight every single time. I was ecstatic when they came up with putting you to sleep through the IV. The mask was no fun and they thought it would be so nice to let me chose a flavor to smell. Yeah, didn't care if it was grape or bubble gum, I hated that dam mask. Thank God we have come so far in the medical field. My last surgery was at the age of 17 at my request. That surgery was to try to open the the nostrils up more and to try to thin out my scars.The only bad thing about this surgery was the gauze up my nostrils and when they had to take the out. Nobody warned me it was going to feel like your insides were ripping. That wasn't fun, By this age, I was done. I was happy with who I was inside and out. No matter what was thrown my way I thank God that I got through it all.