Today is our Anniversary. “43” years. I have to giggle a little under my breath. There were so many people who said we would never make it. Two people from such different worlds. I was from a 9to5 blue colour family. Had summer holidays together, went to church on Sundays. Jamie’s family moved around, all across Canada as his Dad was a pipeliner. He had many wonderful adventures across Canada, I think he had been in 6 schools by grade 2. Lol ( no wonder he hated school) Then his family decided to settle down in small town Alberta. Gibbons!! That’s where our story begins. We only lived 1/2 a block away from each other. We could look out our front windows and see each other’s places. We hit it off right from the start. Spending lots of time together at only 12 and 13 years old. We spent all the holidays together at his house then mine. He was away most summers travelling again with his Dad for work as a pipeliner. I spent summers going from lake to lake with mine, tenting it and water skiing on every lake. When fall came and we were back in school we were inseparable. Lots of bush parties as teens and cabarets. Jamie started to pipeline about 15 years old and then he started being away a lot too. We had a few small break ups. But always found our way back to each other. Finally I graduated high school and he was working we got engaged. The rest is history. Now it’s 43 years later. I wouldn’t change a thing. Doing life with this guy has been crazy and busy. Lots of travelling across the country two beautiful boys and then an extra, also, 6 grandkids later. We are very blessed. I am very blessed ❤️❤️

Now onto the other part of my crazy life. Again you can’t make this stuff up………. This happened a couple weeks ago. But I needed to have a little time for it to settle before I could write about it. I get up every day at 4:30am with Jamie. I make his lunch and breakfast he heads off to work and I usually go back to bed about 5 am. This morning I did just that. I woke up about 7 am with a throbbing headache. I got up and threw up a couple times. I took a migraine pill, as usually when I am throwing up it is a migraine. I layed back down but could not settle , I kept getting up to throw up. Finally about 8:30 I called my friend I knew I needed to go to the hospital I had a full blown migraine now. . My head was feeling like it was going to blow off and I could not stop throwing up. Off we went…… I signed in at the hospital told them I had a migraine, told them my history. I usually get right in. They give me a couple shots in the butt then I go home and sleep for the rest of the day. The hospital was not busy, but I waited 2 hours to see a doctor. Throwing up and laying on a bench with sunglasses holding my head. The doctor came in she said was going to give me the meds through intravenous because she said I was probably de-hydrated from throwing up so much. I was okay let’s get started please . They started the intravenous and put the first meds in I think I dosed off then they came in to put the anti nausea meds in.I told the nurse it was not working yet my head was still killing me. She said let the next one go in and then we will see. That’s the last I saw. The next thing I know a nurse is hollering at me to wake up, she called for the doctor who came in and used the heal of her had to rub my chest it hurt like hell but I could not move. I was so confused. I could hear them but could not move and could not speak. I heard them call code blue and I could feel them wheeling me out of that room. I didn’t know what was happening I felt scared. But I was trying really hard not to panic. I could feel lots of people around me. I felt a bright light. They cut my clothes off of me. They kept yelling at me to open my eyes, they lifted my arms and legs and told me to hold them up. But I could not. They kept falling and hitting the table. My heals were so soar from hitting the table so much. Both my arms got bruises from them lifting and dropping them so much. The nurse would open my eyes. I could see her but could not speak. She kept calling me Faith. I was so confused. At one point the doctor said to the nurses this poor women came in with a migraine and is in a “coma”. Then I felt really scared. This seemed to go on for a long time. They had me hooked up to so many things. I was upset because they used my left arm to put an IV in. But I have lymphodemia in that arm it should not ever be used for any fluids. I could feel and hear everything. But could not speak or move. Finally after what seemed like only a few minutes the doctor used a sharp object and ran it down my feet. I flew up and I was finally awake!!!!!!! They were very relieved as was I. The doctor said I was in a coma for 3 1/2 hours that they worked on me. I told her I could hear everything that was going on. She looked at me like she did not believe me. I even told the nurse who was calling me Faith that I knew she was calling me the wrong name. She too was surprised. They had no idea how long I was out in the first room. But I was at the hospital for almost 6 hours by now. They were very glad I was awake but had no idea what happened. And now my blood pressure was at 230/175. Very very high and they were worried about a brain bleed or a heart attack. They also threw out that I could have a mass in my brain that could be from the kind of cancer I had., which could also have caused the initial headache. Now I was really scared. I asked if they had called my husband off of my next of kin. But they had not. (What’s worse is I never told Jamie I was even going to the hospital that morning. I though my friend would take me and pick me up I would go home sleep it off no sense in worrying him. BIG mistake.) the doctor then told me they had called air ambulance to take me to the university hospital in Edmonton.😳 I called Jamie from my phone, and told him the whole story he was so confused as was I. Now I was crying and really scared. Then they brought me in a DNR paper. That threw me right over the deep end. I had to sign what I wanted to be done if anything happened on the way to the University hospital. They said the ambulance would be there in 10 minutes. Jamie was 30 minutes away. I called my sister Cathy totally upset and not sure what was even happening. She helped calm me down. My blood pressure went down a very little and they decided I could go by ground ambulance. That gave Jamie enough time to get there. I was crying when he arrived. He cried too. As the doctor told him I was very sick. The doctor came and talked to us together now. She said she could not figure out what happened so that’s why I was going to the U of A. But that she had given me Narcan. I know what that is for and I was more confused. Did they give me an overdose? I signed my DNR asking to be resuscitated. That was so awful. Then off I go to the U of A. 2 1/2 hour ambulance ride. I get to the hospital and it is hurry up and wait. Jamie drove from Edson later to bringing me all my stuff as they would not let me bring anything. But he could not come to the hospital with me. They asked us when we got there to not bring anyone else in with us. I could see why the ER was crazy busy. At one point a woman came in with the ambulance guys. They announced that she was positive for Covid and asked us ( the 4 people in the waiting area on stretchers) if we were ok being beside her. I said “No” but nobody else did, I couldn’t believe it. My awesome EMT’s moved me into another area. I was so stressed waiting. Finally a Neurologist came and he took me for a CT scan. An hour later he came to see me and said he could see nothing no bleed no mass nothing. What a relief. But still no reason for what happened. He felt my blood pressure was high because of the stress my body went through. At 2am he said I could go home. Jamie was at Mac’s house asleep by now. I called him and told him…… Start the car !!!! I would watch for him and meet him at the emergency doors. A nurse gave me a pair of men’s pj’s and a house coat and blue paper slippers. I waited for Jamie then just walked out the doors. I was so surprised no one asked me anything. Not the security or the Covid workers at the doors. I just left. What an ordeal. I have had a follow up with my family doctor this week. He was just stunned by my story. He said he has never met anyone who was awake but in a come and could hear and feel everything. He said he has read about it but never met anyone. He was amazed . He checked my online records and said that the Edson hospital had not uploaded my info from that day yet. But that the neurologist from the U of A said that they had given me Narcan because they thought I might have taken street drugs. No I did not nor have I ever. That was really awful to hear. So we are waiting to hear what the Edson hospital says and maybe make some sense of what happened. It gave me an awful scare and some terrible nightmares. I am working to get past this. But I think it will take some time. I tell you …… you can’t make this stuff up.

The next thing …….. I had a small little lump on my right ear. After waiting 6 months to see a specialist and getting a biopsy, I finally get the results. Yes more cancer. But he says it is the best kind of skin cancer to get if you ever get skin cancer. It is basal cell skin cancer. I had it removed last week when I was in Edmonton. Just one more thing on this crazy roller coaster of life. Other than that. I am feeling good and keeping up with my Mexico regime. Fingers crossed I continue to stay healthy, and no more headaches.

Jamie and I are still in Edson. I have grown to really love this little town. We built a winter porch on our trailer I really love it. We moved all the coats out there and Jamie’s big winter boots too. It works great to keep extra stuff in, in the winter that can’t stay outside. The building of it was quite a job as Jamie was my boss. A few fights over him bossing me around. But it turned out beautiful. Another fine job by the Kerr’s.

Today’s saying : I don’t know how my story will end but nowhere will it ever say “ she gave up”.

Number 2 : Only once in a lifetime we meet someone who changes everything.

Beth 😇