I'm shaking things up by having actual news to share, and it's meant to be a lame pun referencing this morning. I was awakened by a very heavy, rolling earthquake this morning. My bed was really heavily rolling/shaking and it went on for at least a solid 30 seconds. Let me set the stage simply because it lends a better picture to my emotional state today.
I'm awakened from a dead sleep to the first bigger earthquake that I've ever felt (found out later it was a 5.7). I've experienced smaller ones that shake the wallhangings and make wonder if a very heavy truck drove past or if it's actually an earthquake. This was very different and I woke up instinctually knowing that what I was feeling was something to be afraid of. I had adrenaline for a solid hour, I kid you not. The hyper-vigilance I've been experiencing lately already had me al revved up with anxiety:
Let's give some context and start with yesterday. Yesterday Max had his Endodontist appointment at which we found out that his two front teeth that had been damaged last summer finally had gotten infected and completely died. He had to have a procedure to remove the infection and stimulate bone growth to create an artificial cap to the root (since he's so young and it isn't closed) and then he'll have to come back for a full root canal too. These things are sad on a mama heart anyway, but then I'm worrying about his cortisol response to the pain and stress which shoots his blood glucose high...and when his BG is high his immune system is suppressed....which makes me worry about the COVID-19. And speaking of the virus...due to social distancing measures they couldn't fit both Mark and I back in the treatment room so Mark went back with Max and I waited wringing my hands in the waiting room. I sat on the edge of one of the waiting room chairs trying to touch as little as possible and texting updates on Max back and forth with Max... until I got a call from Washington D.C.
I got a call from a very professional sounding young staffer named Emily from a joint team between Lee and Romney. We discussed our situation and she offered to have a letter signed by Senator Lee & Senator Romney urging attention and possible expediting our case, but that I needed to write the letter (as if them) and send it to her along with another privacy release form. I communicated back and forth with Chareyl to be sure the contents I was including were appropriate. She let me know that Nathan and Nisthone's meeting DID happen that morning and our article 23 was applied for (hallelujah!) and that it would be done by Friday. That was good news, but I felt hyper-focused on getting this letter just right and turned in before the end of Emily's work day.
Here is the gist of what I included in the letter: I requested for them to follow up with the Haitian passport office about the girls' passports, asked if they would consider waiving the girl's U.S. required medicals (since they take a week to get back and we're super nervous about borders closing), and lastly that they expedite the visa printing and release it to Nisthone. I explained our concerns about borders closing (everyone knows we're on borrowed time) and gave them information that would help them identify us and our girls.
At 8:00pm Eastern time I received an email from Emily that she had finished compiling things and got the senators' signatures and submitted everything to the Embassy in Haiti with the communication marked urgent! I felt so immeasurably grateful for her hard work, and that she surely spent time after hours getting things done so she could get it out that night. I went to bed feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, grateful, and admittedly a bit anxious.
I had a lot to feel anxious about. The whole virus pandemic...trying to do my part to "flatten the curve", worrying about Max, worrying about parents and my grandma, worrying about Haiti, worrying about borders closing in Haiti (and worrying about borders NOT closing in Haiti for their safety). Worrying about homeschool. Trying to think if I'd worded letters well from the senators. Had I reached out to everyone who could possibly help expedite things on the U.S. side, worrying if I'd bothered people too much, worrying how our girls are doing, worrying what the trauma of being whisked away suddenly from everything and everyone they know will be like for them, worrying about potential violence in Haiti, worrying about us and the girls being exposed to COVID-19 during travel and bringing it home, shall I continue???...
And I had no idea that I would wake up to a big earthquake and all the chaos that ensued for a few hours after that! Rumors flying that FEMA was warning of a bigger earthquake coming within the hour. I didn't know if it was legitimate or not so I ran around moving my van out of the garage (in case of power outage), getting the boys' shoes and hoodies on, grabbing a bag of diabetes supplies, water, snacks, flashlights, charging bar and cords, etc. I tried to bring down my anxiety, but it was rough. It did circulate that the warning was either a hoax or misunderstanding and that there was only a 5% chance of a larger earthquake coming in the next day or so.
THEN! I got an email from the U.S. Embassy basically saying that they wouldn't waive anything (the medicals), but that they'd let IBESR know to process our article 23 quickly. I felt defeated. I was grateful for a response, but there was no mention of the passports (so of course I started worrying that there could be a paperwork issue there) and I knew that if we have to do passports they won't issue medicals until we have the article 23 and then the results take another week! I don't think we have that much time.
THEN! I found out that there was damage to our Salt Lake City airport and that they have evacuated all passengers, diverted flights and closed the airport?! I was like...are you kidding me?? I texted Chareyl about that and she ended up calling me on FaceTime. We just spoke a bit about how crazy this ALL is (pandemic, earthquake, Haiti stresses) and she was so supportive and encouraging. She made me cry. On FaceTime so I couldn't hide it. And she assured me that her husband (who is a pilot) assured her that they would get the airport up and running quickly so not to let that be a worry, so that was reassuring. She assured me that she was doing everything she could on the Haiti side.
She let me know later that she'd been trying to call the Embassy all day and they weren't answering, so I began to feel more overwhelmed. I just needed some answers...and I'm trying to juggle 3 stir-crazy kids and figure out 12 different teachers schedules and oversee sudden homeschooling!
I was about ready to crack up and then Chareyl texted me saying that their passports were issued and that Nathan said he was on his way to pick them up! I literally fell on the floor and sobbed when I got that text. Like ugly cry sobbed.
I know we still have other hurdles, but I needed something concrete. Some progress. And that was a big one.
Checking Facebook was a buzz-kill though since people are saying that the Embassy just cancelled their medical appointments (I don't know why yet) and that the Embassy isn't issuing visas as of Monday now. I'm not clear if they are actually not issuing visas or just not doing visa appointments (which the girls did months ago). I'm trying not to panic about that as things change daily and I don't have details, but that got me back down until...
Chareyl texted me again and said that Nisthone went back to IBESR and stayed there until they issued the article 23 letters!! Are you kidding me? That was such amazing news!! That means that when I wrote back to the Embassy after they denied our medial waiver asking them if they were willing to submit the medical appointment prior to the article 23 being complete (figuring that could save a day or two, which matters at this point)...that they don't even need to make any exceptions now. Just issue our dang medical appointment! And then pray that Nathan takes the girls right in. Then pray that they get results back as fast as possible (and yes I do know this is still Haiti, and Haiti in turmoil).
I don't expect that anyone else will probably ever read this long boring re-cap of my last two days, but it has been cathartic for me to sit in my dark kitchen after midnight and just type, type, type out all the stresses of the last two days.
Now I have room to take on whatever tomorrow brings. (And I'm hoping that includes medical instructions!)
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