The title of my post sums up the people Aly and I met on our weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. Aly and I flew down to meet my mom and dad and have some fun for a few days. I flew home, on Sunday, and Aly rode back with my parents to North Carolina. She is spending some time with them and then they will all be driving up to Minnesota for a visit.
Aly was using her white cane, at the airport, as we thought it would help with the crowds. We had printed our boarding passes at home, so we went directly to the security check. Upon arrival there, the man at the entrance saw Aly's cane and proceeded to direct us to the First Class lane so we could get through easily. This is where thoughtful comes in. I thought that was very nice. He didn't have to do that, but he saw someone who he thought needed assistance. It was a kind thing to do. It only took a few minutes for us to get through security. We were on our way to the gate. We were early because I had no idea how long it would take to get through security, but it didn't seem to take long before the plane was ready to board. As I handed our boarding passes to the agent, she saw Aly's cane and said, "just a moment." She too, was a thoughtful person. She took a few moments to get on her computer and we found out she upgraded us (at no charge!) to business class seats that were still open. Wow, was that nice! I felt spoiled, but I thought that was great. We were in the first row of the plane! Another thoughtful person, what a great way to start a travel day!
We made it to Atlanta with no issues. The plane was actually early! I'm thinking I will fly Air Tran again. Anyways, Grandma and Grandpa were there, to greet us, as we got through the baggage claim area. They were both wearing their Rally for Aly shirts. More thoughtful people! :) It was so nice to see them. My Dad had heart surgery on May 1 and I hadn't seen him since early this year, so I was anxious to see him. He looks fabulous and seems to be feeling much healthier. My Mom always looks fabulous! We shared hugs and greetings then proceeded to the car and our hotel.
Atlanta is a crazy driving experience. Most of the city has 6 lanes of traffic in both directions! People speed and there is no Minnesota nice down there! If you have to get over for an exit you'd better be ready to cut in front. It is really hard when you are not familiar with the city and are trying to watch for an exit and realize you need to get over 2 or 3 lanes quickly! It is scary none the less!
We spent Thursday evening - Saturday evening having fun. Friday was spent at the Georgia Aquarium. I didn't think we could spend a whole day there, but we pretty much did. It was awesome. They had a great dolphin show and the exhibits were fabulous. It was all indoors so we didn't have to worry about the heat. We all decided we could spend lots of time just sitting watching the fish. They also had a couple of artists doing caricatures and Aly really wanted one, so she sat for that as well. At the end of the tour we stopped at the aquarium gift shop for a while. This is where the one inconsiderate person was. Aly and I were shopping and I wasn't really paying total attention to people around us, so I heard part of what was said. Aly told me the rest. As you know, Aly's hair is really short still since it is just coming in after treatments. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, girly pink and yellow, mind you. Very cute earrings and her purple glasses. Another girl supposedly walked by and looked at Aly funny and I'm not sure if she pointed or what, but I heard her say, "Hey Mom!" The mom then said, "oh, she's just different." Now, like I said I wasn't paying attention and I certainly didn't think they were talking about Aly, so it took a little time to sink in and then Aly said, "well that was rude." By that time, the people were gone and I hadn't seen what they looked like to begin with. I would've had a nice chat with them if I had had the opportunity! Sometimes I think that I should make Aly a banner, like Miss America wears, that says, "CANCER SURVIVOR" for her to wear. Maybe Aly would get positive comments then. I think I am going to be braver when I see people starring at Aly or when they mistake her for a boy, or say something inconsiderate like, "she's just different." I don't want to be rude, but I'd like to educate them and make them think. Would that be bad? Thank God Aly IS different and is able to shrug these things off. At least that's what she seems to do. I always wonder if she internalizes it at all. We usually talk about things as they happen and I remind her that people just don't know and sometimes don't care. As a parent though, it is hard to let things like that go! I just want her to be happy. She's been through enough!
The rest of our trip was great. We had a grand time at the World of Coke on Saturday. Again, there was a lot to see and do. You can taste (I think 80 some) drinks that Coke makes and sells around the world. You can also concoct your own recipe. That was fun. There was a short 3D movie about Coke's secret recipe. The seats moved and bounced us around in sync with some of the action on the screen. I figured out that Aly is unable to see the figures popping off the screen. I think you need both eyes working in unison to be able to see that through the 3D glasses. This is the first 3D I think we've been to since her vision changes. BOOO... Cancer sucks! After the Coke museum, we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe and then drove out to Stone Mountain. It was a fun filled couple of days. I was sad to leave!
This summer is going by way too quickly. Since Aly was having issues while being on the growth hormones, we (along with the doctor) decided Aly would quit taking them while she is at my folks. There were just too many variables that would be hard to deal with while she was away from home. We will have to restart when Aly gets back home in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, we'll be able to figure out a dose that will work but not give her more problems. They thought it was a problem with her glucose as the hormones can cause blood sugar variances, but they tested her glucose in the labs they took and it was at a normal level. All I know is that once she stopped the growth hormones, the problems she was having also stopped. Go figure!
If anyone has experience with any cancer survivor support groups or know of support groups for children going/or have gone through cancer please let me know. I think it would be nice for Aly to meet others and share her experiences with kids who understand....I will also be exploring the internet and talking with Aly's childlife coordinator...Thanks!
