A Wave of Good News
Today was a great day
This morning I randomly checked my school email before work. I had checked it yesterday evening, but I didn’t see a new one.
I’ve been consistently checking my emails during my pursuit to be approved for an Emotional Support Animal.
On Mothers’ Day, my dog Tippy gave birth to seven tiny balls of fur. Eight weeks later, they’re all running, barking, and eating everything in sight. I want to take one of them with me to campus this fall.
I checked my email this morning, and noticed a new email at the top of my pinned emails. I didn’t see it yesterday because in Outlook, pinned emails have this blue hue and new emails are in blue writing.
“I am going to approve your request for an Emotional Support Animal.”
I read the rest of the email, but I had already seen what I wanted. I finally got approved to bring a puppy with me to my campus apartment.
I haven’t really written about all of my medical conditions in depth yet. I was born with Allagille Syndome, a rare genetic disease that attacks the major organs. I was also only born with one kidney instead of two. My liver didn’t last long, and I needed a transplant before I even knew how to talk. I had a liver transplant when I was two years old. Eventually the one kidney I was born with started to deteriorate.
The summer before I was about to enter high school, my kidney function was so low I had to be put on the transplant list and start Peritoneal Dialysis. For ten hours a night, I was hooked up to a machine nonstop. If I had to pee during the night (which I always did), I had to go in a yellow trashcan. In the morning, I got off the machine and got ready to catch the bus for school. I did that every day until the end of the school year.
When you’re on the transplant list, there isn’t a scheduled time for when you magically get a transplant. When you’re at the top of the list, if they get a kidney, they call you. You answer the call, and then you race to the hospital. My grandmother received my call while I was in first period P.E. She checked me out, we rushed home to pack some bags, and we sped off to Children’s Hospital.
My kidney transplant was anything but smooth. My new kidney wouldn’t work, and nobody could figure out why. They thought I was going to die. My blood cells wouldn’t make more blood cells. My blood sugar was through the roof. I felt like I had been hit by a car most of the time. I ended up having to get the other form of dialysis until they could figure out what was wrong.
About seven years later, and here I am spending way too much on video games, getting ambushed by seven puppies, writing, and going to college.
Later today I received even more good news. I recently wrote about how I signed up for a workshop led by one of my favorite poets, Crystal Valentine. This afternoon, I got an email from her saying I earned a partial scholarship for her workshop. I’ve never participated in a writing workshop before, so I’m both excited and terrified at the same time.
Today was a great day. Everything just seemed to fall in place. I’ve spent countless hours wondering if these two things were going to work out in my favor, but today ended all of that.
cc: Marley K., James Finn, Eric Griggs, Gwen Saoirse, Zayn Singh, Terijo, Gloria Bates (If any of you would like for me to stop tagging you in future pieces, please don’t hesitate to let me know ❤)
