sickle cell anemia
even diseases, then, are racist. i know what it means, but - what does it MEAN?
there is a black woman who is my cube neighbor at work named chemecka and whom i choose to call meecka because it's more fun to say "meeckameeckameeckameecka" when i want her attention. i used to just throw paper clips at her but now she has an extra box of clips and i have an empty one, so that no longer works.
today was meecka's last day because she is moving to georgia. i used to judge her because she would email me pictures of her brand new martha stewart home and tell me how she wasn't going to work once they moved, since her husband got this awesome job, blah blah blah.
today i found out meecka is terminally ill and has been hiding it from everyone this whole time. she has sickle cell anemia (HAS had it since she was a kid) and about every two years she has these horrible attacks where she has to be hospitalized for awhile. if you knew meecka you would be as baffled by this as i am, because she is so kind, caring, optimistic, genuinely warm-hearted, and never seems down. she's had three kids and one hysterectomy.
she and her family are moving to georgia because she is now over 30 and most people with sickle cell don't live past 30. i feel like shit for every time i've complained about my own illness to her. i'm only on percoset and she's taking bloodthinners plus a hundred other things. she's an inspiration because she doesn't think she's inspiring, and i don't think complaining ever even occured to her.
i guess the purpose of this entry is to share a story that i found pretty amazing with anyone else who cares enough to read such a long inconclusive collection of words.
there is a black woman who is my cube neighbor at work named chemecka and whom i choose to call meecka because it's more fun to say "meeckameeckameeckameecka" when i want her attention. i used to just throw paper clips at her but now she has an extra box of clips and i have an empty one, so that no longer works.
today was meecka's last day because she is moving to georgia. i used to judge her because she would email me pictures of her brand new martha stewart home and tell me how she wasn't going to work once they moved, since her husband got this awesome job, blah blah blah.
today i found out meecka is terminally ill and has been hiding it from everyone this whole time. she has sickle cell anemia (HAS had it since she was a kid) and about every two years she has these horrible attacks where she has to be hospitalized for awhile. if you knew meecka you would be as baffled by this as i am, because she is so kind, caring, optimistic, genuinely warm-hearted, and never seems down. she's had three kids and one hysterectomy.
she and her family are moving to georgia because she is now over 30 and most people with sickle cell don't live past 30. i feel like shit for every time i've complained about my own illness to her. i'm only on percoset and she's taking bloodthinners plus a hundred other things. she's an inspiration because she doesn't think she's inspiring, and i don't think complaining ever even occured to her.
i guess the purpose of this entry is to share a story that i found pretty amazing with anyone else who cares enough to read such a long inconclusive collection of words.