Then and Now

It was the spring of '75. We had been doing 2-a-day rehearsals for band and then, of course, school in between. We were prepping for the big trip to Orlando where we were to march at Disney World!

I remember going shopping for sandals the evening before we were to leave. I couldn't find any - either they didn't fit or I hated them. And I cried. NOT something that was a normal habit in my 17 year-old life!

I don't remember the trip down. I do remember going to Sea World and having a good time. Then I remember ending up in the ER in Kissimmee and being "quarantined" in a hotel room for the rest of the trip. My sis had to pitch a fit just to be allowed to see me! They told me I had scarlatina.

Back in Brownsburg, my doc said I most likely had mono. Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

Now, here I am getting ready to head to Orlando again, but this time, it's a move and not just a visit. And, EBV has chosen this time to reactivate, after being dormant in my body for the last 35 years. My 52 year-old bod is not recovering quite as fast this time. I am in week five of symptoms. But at least now I know what it is, and I know I am not crazy. There is actually something wrong.

And, now that I have a diagnosis, I know that it is unlikely that I could pass this to anyone through incidental contact. That helps a bunch, since I am in the phase of meeting with folks and saying goodbyes. I'm just not the kind of person who likes to do that by waving from across the room.

I am learning how much I have taken my health for granted. It is very humbling that I can take a 2-hr nap and then still have trouble making it through dinner. I am learning more and more that I must depend on God - yes, even for daily, physical strength. Good lessons to be learning at any time of life.