20th Surgery

So due to taking goofy pictures on December 8th,  am now having my twentieth surgery. Okay, to be honest, that is not the real reason I am having surgery, but it is a contributor. So as it turns out my skin on the right side of my head has given out and tore. This means that that plastic covering that is protecting my brain is now exposed. In other words, I am at risk of getting an infection that could reach my brain...not a good thing.
Thankfully I had already set up an appointment to see my surgeon for December 12th. When I showed him my head he was not happy, he told me right away that this was not good and that he would need to do surgery. Since we are talking about my brain, I had to go see a neurosurgeon; he took one look at my head and the results of my CT scan and MRI and said that I needed to have both the plastic cover and titanium mesh replaced. Thankfully, I have no infection and both my surgeons are confident that they can fix me. I currently do not have a specific date, but trust me that when I do, I will write about it.
After I realized that  I was bleeding from the side of my head, I walked quickly from the second floor of the venue to the first floor to the bathroom. It was there that I was able to see the extent of my injury. I knew right then and there that the bleeding was not good and that a band-aid and ice would not fix it. My friend Chantal texted me asking where I was and why I ran out on her. I texted her as I held a paper towel to my head trying to avoid questions and eyes from fellow colleagues that were using the restroom. Chantal met me in the bathroom, and I showed her my injury, her reaction, "shit, that's not good." I told her I was going home to clean it up and to ice it. While she and I discussed on my ride home, my manager walked into the bathroom. She took one look at us and instinctively knew something was off. She walked to us, saw that I had a wet paper towel to my head and asked. So I showed her. Again her reaction was, "shit that's not good Angela."
I kept insisting that I needed to go home, but my brilliant and wise manager was like, " Just put a band-aid to stop the bleeding."
Duh, Angela! Why didn't you think of this before?  After she found a band-aid and placed it on my head, we snapped a picture and continued partying!

Thoughts on "Wonder"

The first time I saw the movie trailer for " Wonder" I cried. I cried because I saw a reflection of myself in the main character. I cried because it hurt seeing my childhood on the big screen. My mom hugged me and said, " I know." She knew precisely what was going through my mind and what I was feeling. Finally, the world will get a glimpse of how I felt as a child; they will a feel a slither of a fraction of what I have felt my entire life.
I do not know exactly what effect this movie will have overall but what I do know is that I am not the only person in the world that has walked a similar path that Auggie has.  I have felt and at times still, do feel shunned because of my looks. Like Auggie, I have felt that classmates have avoided touching me for fear of contracting NF.
I have yet to see the movie, but I did read the book over the Christmas holiday. I got choked up before finishing the first paragraph. I cried, laughed and got angry while reading "Wonder." For being fiction, it was very truthful and heartfelt.
 I know and understand why my godmother called to tell me her daughters kept saying that Auggie reminded them of me because he was a brave little kid that looks different and has had a tough life. My little cousins, Camila and Daniela, are two of the sweetest and loving girls I know to them I am their older cousin that just happens to look a little different. To them, I am beautiful, smart and funny. I know this because they tell me each time I see them. So when my Godmother called me and put the phone on speaker so I could talk to Cami and Dani after they saw the movie I knew their comments and comparisons came from a loving place.
So, I think that "Wonder" will open up a lot of conversations at home for parents and it is my wish that parents take this opportunity to teach their children about how diverse humans can be.