This story really resonated with me….not that I’ve ever had the same condition that Manisha had, but after going on a missions trip overseas in 1996, I came down with malaria.  The doctors in my small town had no idea what was wrong with me, and I almost died waiting for them to figure out what was going on.  If it hadn’t been for both my Aunt Betty and my Aunt Nancy by my side, fighting for me with the doctors, I seriously don’t think I would be here today.  When I read Manisha’s story, I had to share it.  Spread the word, dear readers.Monster Inside My Daughter

“I feel a pulse,” one of the medics said.

The paramedics worked feverishly on Manisha to make sure she was still alive. My beautiful seven-year-old daughter from Nepal lay on the floor unconscious at the O’Connell Center of the University of Florida.

“Has she ever had a seizure?” another one asked.

“No, no,” I said in bewilderment. Manisha rolled over and vomited.

One emotion consumed me: Fear. The enormity of single parenting hit me like lightning.
I cried out, “Where are you, God? I feel so alone.”

After hooking up stabilizing IV’s, Manisha was whisked off in an ambulance to Shands Teaching Hospital. I found a pay phone and called my mother. Her first comment was, “Do you know what day this is?”

I remembered—September 19. Four years to the day and almost to the hour, my father had died of a brain tumor. It was about 5:00 p.m. My shattered world continued to close in on me. A short time later my worst fears were confirmed.

“There is something on the CAT scan. We have a called a neurologist,” I heard the nurse say.

“No, no, no,” every cell in my body cried out. “God, you can’t let this happen. Not again!”

But God was silent. The next nine days of hospitalization were filled with tests—MRI, gallium scan, spinal tap, TB test, HIV test, numerous blood draws, and too many questions and not enough answers by doctors doing their daily rounds with medical students in tow. Manisha had what in medical parlance is called a “zebra.”

As the days passed in the hospital, I asked God for two things that humanly speaking seemed impossible. I prayed first that the doctors would not have to do surgery. I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Manisha’s beautiful thick, curly black hair shaved off. The ugly scars of surgery still lingered in my mind from my dad’s brain surgery. And I prayed that whatever was in Manisha’s head would not be cancerous. I had asked God to heal my father of a brain tumor and he died. Could I trust God for Manisha’s healing?

It was critical that the doctors make the correct diagnosis. The wrong treatment could kill her. Did she have a malignant brain tumor or a worm inside her head? Manisha had been adopted by me from Nepal at the age of three—old enough to be exposed to the extreme poverty of Nepal and lack of clean drinking water. Over fifty-seven percent of the water in Nepal is considered unsatisfactory for human consumption, contaminated with feces.

It was Neurocysticercosis—the most common parasitic infection of the nervous system. The larvae can travel anywhere in the body—the muscles, brain, eye, and other structures. The condition is still relatively rare in this country, but increasingly is appearing on the radar as part of the differential diagnosis for seizures.

Thankfully, twelve years later, Manisha is a well-adjusted 19-year-old just finishing high school and taking college classes.

Why did God allow this nightmare to happen? I don’t know why God allows the hard things in our lives, but I do know God never wastes anything. I hope writing about neurocysticercosis today will bring awareness to this very preventable disease. International adoptive parents and travelers to the developing world should seek appropriate medical care upon returning to the U.S. if they have been exposed to poor sanitary conditions or contaminated water.

In spite of the trials of single parenting, the years following that dreadful day of September 19, 1994, have been filled with life and joy. Manisha soon will be leaving home to make her own way in the world and I reflect on her middle name Hope—with God, there is always hope, and for that I am thankful.

For more on Manisha’s story, be sure to watch Animal Planet’s “Monsters Inside Me” on August 25, 10-11pm EST. Her story is also published in Children of Dreams, available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstores.

Lorilyn Roberts graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama and is currently working on her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Perelandra College. As a Certified Court Reporter, Lorilyn has made contributions to the National Court Reporters Association Journal. She provides real-time broadcast captioning for television. Lorilyn’s first book, The Donkey and the King, is a beautifully illustrated children’s book. She also co-leads Word Weavers in Gainesville, FL. When not writing, taking graduate classes, or closed captioning for television/web, Lorilyn homeschools her younger daughter, Joy.

Lorilyn is offering a drawing for a free copy of Children of Dreams on her website and blog. The drawing will be on September 1, 2010. Go to the website for details.

Website address: http://www.lorilynroberts.com/blog.html
Blog address: http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com/

Today was my deadline to see if I could lose 10 pounds before heading to Colorado for our vacation.  While I didn’t lose all of the 10 pounds, I am still proud of myself and happy that I’ve lost 4 1/2 pounds….but more importantly, I believe I’ve lost inches because I’ve gone down a pants size…..which really makes me happy!  I can now fit comfortably into my pants without having to squeeze and pull and hold it all in, plus the new pair of jeans I’d bought are now way too big.:)LOL

On a more serious note, though, even though I wanted to lose the whole 10 pounds, I’m happy with what I’ve done.  The past couple weeks, I’ll be honest….I haven’t been walking.  So, I know that if I had been exercising faithfully, I would have probably lost the weight.  Yes, I was sick, and yes, we’ve been running around like chickens with our heads cut off, but it’s still not an excuse.

I’m still really happy that I can fit into my pants….it means I have to wear a belt more often than not, but I’m pretty happy right now, in my own skin.  There’s still a long way to go to reach my ultimate goal of losing 33 more pounds.  My ultimate goal is health.  While I was in New York, I had my cholesterol checked, and my numbers were good, but my HDL (good cholesterol) was a bit on the low end.  This motivated me even more because I know one of the ways to help raise that good cholesterol is to really exercise and get fit.  A couple of years ago, I was training for boot camp (long story), and the weight I was then (which was around 145) was the healthiest I have ever felt.  That’s where I want to get back to….that healthy feeling of not being completely winded when I walk or run, that feeling of energy, that feeling of all the stress melting away because my head is clear, and I feel so good.  That’s my ultimate goal…..

Another thing I got to do while at Blogher was to enter a Just Dance competition, which was so much fun!  I’ve decided to buy that game for Dan and myself (with the awesome coupon they sent us home with), because sometimes you just gotta have a little fun with exercise, and what better way than to dance those pounds off?:)

So, if you’re trying to lose weight, keep trudging on.  Keep trudging on because that feeling will come for you too.  The energy will return, and you’ll be a completely new person.  Keep working because it will all be worth it in the end.  We can do this….you can do this.  I promise when I get back from Colorado, I’ll post a new pic to record my progress.:)  Share your journey; leave a comment.

For about the past month, my husband and I have both been debating over something, trying to make a decision….and we haven’t fought over it at all….it’s not like that.  It’s nothing huge either, not a major, life-changing decision.  Just something little that will affect our everyday lives in small ways.  For me, maybe it’s a tad bigger, but not really that much…..

We’ve been debating over moving his computer in from the garage (where he has a little office set up, since he closed his local shop here in the town where we live; he still has his other shop) and putting it in what is now the office/craft room/school room.  The hard part is that it means giving up my schoolroom….and for some, that might be a piece of cake.  But it’s been a tough decision.  I’m not upset over it; I see the need for Dan to bring his computer in.  It would definitely give us so much more working room in the garage, and he’d be in the house, out of the heat, now that summer’s here.  So, it’s time….

It’s time for me to say goodbye to my schoolroom, which on the one hand is kinda sad, but on the other hand, it’s like a new beginning of sorts.  For one thing, we’ll be clearing out all the school clutter, which will be re-organized and sorted onto shelves and cupboards in our dining room.  Everything will have a place, so it doesn’t clutter up our dining room.  The dining room will probably be a much better place for school anyway, as it will be much more interactive for both my boys.  We’ll have so much more room for projects and things.  Plus, our map covers our entire kitchen table underneath a piece of clear vinyl I picked up in the fabric section (I got this idea from another homeschool blogger, but I can’t remember who; I’m so sorry I can’t give due credit).  Not sure where all our posters and things will go, but we’ll figure it out….

I’m actually excited for this new beginning.  It may seem small, yet it’s not for me.  You see, in marriage there are all kinds of sacrifices that have to be made.  There just are; it’s a given, especially if your ultimate goal is to grow old together and still be in love, to honor and cherish the one you vowed to be with for the rest of your life.  I’m excited for Dan to get in out of the heat, and I’m excited to have a newly reorganized school space.  There’s a twinge of sadness at giving up this space, yet there’s so much more happiness at providing a space that Dan truly needs.  In the winter, there was heat in the garage, and it worked out great….but now that summer’s here, it’s just not working, and if I can give to him, then why shouldn’t I?  Please don’t get me wrong here; I’m not trying to toot my own horn AT ALL.  I’m simply trying to make the point that if we, as wives, can give something of value to our husbands, then why shouldn’t we?  What’s stopping us from sacrificing and giving to them, in love?  As wives, we need to provide for their needs, as well, which could include giving up a school room or even something as small as a closet or cupboard.  Hey, and I look at it this way….I’ll get to spend even more time with him because when I’m working on my blog or on MamaBuzz or on school plans or crafting, or whatever….he’ll be right behind me. For Dan and I, we’ve had to really think about it; he didn’t want to infringe upon the schoolroom, and we both weren’t sure if we wanted it in the dining room….but after the last week of just on and off talking it over, it’s time….

Is there something you’re hanging onto….something that could ultimately bless both you and your honey if you were to just let go?

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.

I’ve been thinking….I know, when I get to thinking, look out….seriously, though, I’ve been thinking lately about these reality shows we got goin’ on right now.  Here are my thoughts.:)For all the Real Housewives of New Jersey, or New York City, or wherever else the tv producers think the “real” housewives are found (AS IF), I’d just like to say, some of us REAL housewives would like to see you get down on your hands and knees and scrub a toilet, or for that matter, scrub puke up off the floor after a difficult bout with the stomach flu.  I’d like to see you out in the garden, getting dirt all over your dainty little feet, not to mention underneath your fake fingernails, all the while pulling the weeds out of the food that you, yourself, grow.  I’d like to see you over a hot stove on a summer day, canning the fruits of your labors.  Don’t forget the mounds of laundry from a busy family.  Oh, and I’d like to see you do all this while toddlers and school-age, rambunctious children are running around underneath your feet.  I think that about sums up my opinion of these so-called “real” housewives….who give the REAL housewives all a bad name and a bad rep.

For all you girls on The Hills…. (me speaking slowly) girls, girls, girls, oh girls (sigh)…..I think we should look up the meaning of the word dignity and self-respect and what it means to really live.  Yeah, partying and drinking and sex may feel good in this moment, but what is it getting you?  Are you truly happy?  I speak from past regrets and personal experience when I say that some day you’re going to look back on all of this, and you’re going to either be really proud of how you looked (hard for me to picture how), or you’re going to realize how much of a spectacle you made of yourselves and truly know what it means to regret.  It’s like you’re a bunch of overgrown children, reliving and rehashing out your high school days.  Eventually, we all have to grow up.

For all you girls on The Bachelor…. (again, speaking slowly) oh girls, girls, girls (again, sighing)…..does a guy who goes on a reality show called The Bachelor not speak of desperation to you?  Seriously, do you really want to be kissing all over a guy who was just kissing all over 10 other girls?  Ew….That’s all I have to say on that one.

Oh, and Jersey Shore….I’m not even going to go there!  I don’t think I need to.

Don’t get me wrong; I love me some reality tv, but sometimes enough is enough, and I just have to say what I have to say.:)  Some reality tv goes wayyyyyy too far, and it’s just degrading, not only to ourselves but to future generations, who deserve to learn self-respect and how to have decent, downhome, human dignity.  Did this make you laugh?  I hope so.  Did it make you think?  I really hope it did.

I’m calling all the REAL housewives and all the REAL single girls and all the REAL women who are out there truly living life; I think it’s time for us to show America what we’re really all about.