Yesterday Crisi saved Darla’s life and then the perks of employment and affluence kicked in to make what could have been a nightmare into a random parenting adventure.
Background :I have two daughters. Jax is all grown and Darla is 3. As the first of my friends to have a child, I raised Jax without the benefit of a peer group for us. I also dropped out of college and went on welfare (Cal Works) while working cruddy part-time jobs and completing my degree. When she was ill – and when I broke my leg we used Medi-Cal aka Medicaid to pay for the hospital etc. With Darla all that changed.
I have a group of Girlfriends from the Masons / Job’s Daughters/ De Molay who all have little girls . Darla is the youngest member of the Super Secret Sister Society (I named them this week while planning the party for yesterday) as she is 3 years old and Bella is 7 and the oldest.
They had a swim party yesterday. I planned and planned it and nothing went as nm planned but everyone survived so I have no complaints. It could have gone so differently.
- I have great friends who all feel like Darla is their daughter and they take good emotional care of us. We are not alone.
- This happened in Arcadia, Ca.
Arcadia police and fire departments are the best. I’ve worked and lived in a few places so I like to think I’ve sampled the wares of other cities and states and so have come by this opinion.
- Dad pays the $40 or so a year Fire Dept insurance so paramedic calls are free. And those guys and the SWAT officer were at the house within seconds of my hanging up the phone.
- Kaiser has a Web site so I could look up Darla’s health Insurance And Medical Records easily from my Verizon Samsung android phone.
If I were anywhere else and my daughter had swallowed and coughed out pool water I would not have called 911 and she could have “dry drowned”. But I called freely because I knew it would not cause financial hardship.
Kaiser insurance for myself and my daughters is a benefit through my job, and I affirm to you that I stay employed there because of the benefits.
Arcadia Methodist Hospital is a world leader in many area, but they also have a world class staff who were compassionate and patient and did everything they could so make the 3 hour visit to ER a positive experience for a toddler and her mom.
I kept thinking of people in poverty who could not have afforded to be in a neighborhood with this level of care designed into it , nor could they afford to tap into it as a visitor (as I had).
I’m cranky and critical but can honestly tell you that the only bad part if yesterday was my kid’s confession that she snuck into the pool on purpose because she did not like me telling her to get out of the water so I could go in the house and clean without worrying about her. She told the nurse at the hospital that she will follow directions next time because she did not like being stuck under water.
I asked Darla to get out of the water while I went into the house. She left the hot tub and all the adults assumed she would walk to the table and sit down. 3/4th of the way there Darla calmly walked down the steps into the pool. At the bottom step she was in up to her eyebrows and could not yell or get her head or nose over the water. As she moved her arms she made herself spin in circles under the water. Her eyes were wide. Crisi saw her under the water and asked if she was okay. When Darla did not respond, Crisi went in and pulled her out. Darla coughed out water and went quiet until she was handed to me. Then she started to scream. Because she had inhaled water – I called 911 to have her checked and they transported her and me to the local hospital. The ride was very much like the night she was born and we rode in an ambulance together then too.
My friends cleaned Dad’s house and brought my car and keys to the ER. We received a video from the kids at the party asking how Darla was. The neighbors not only came out to see the emergency services, they cared enough to come speak to me while I held Darla and sat on the gurney – and I woke up to email and texts from them too.
All in all- it was survivable and I know enough to be thankful.
PS – Even though I was the only “single” adult there, please note the HAndsome people who crashed the party at the ast minute.
Homeless in LA © 