Hubby Update Part Two

                                                                 

                                                                       

We were back in the emergency room again, but this time because Dan's blood pressure was through the roof. I don't think he can blame this on my driving, although, I've been using his car to get us all over town.

                                                                  

No, I think his high blood pressure was maybe due to the leg pain.This has not been a good month for my husband, but... we did learn that there was an Urgent Care next to the Wawa's on the White Horse Pike .

                                                                      

Having worked in the medical field for twenty plus years (Intensive Care, Operating Room, staff for Chief of Urology of Pennsylvania Hospital) before starting a new career at the Academy of Natural Science, I know good health care when I see it and so does my retired Philadelphia Fire Fighter/Paramedic husband. But, we had never been to an Urgent Care Center before. Who would take care of us? What if the doctor's name was Frankenstein?

                                                                          

I had this false assumption that these Urgent Care Centers were...I don't know....staffed by Joe Blow who never really passed the medical board's stringent requirements, BUT, I was wrong!!!

                                                                             

The reception staff, nurse and doctors were the real thing! They did the necessary tests while keeping us updated on their findings and they even touched base with our family doctor before ordering the needed blood pressure medication for Danny. They are part of the Cooper Health System and were able to pull up my husband's x-rays and blood pressure data from the day before. I have to say that Dan and I came home feeling a lot safer. We visit our family doctor in Philadelphia on Monday and hopefully get hubby's body back in working condition.

                                                                       

When we left the Urgent Care it had started to snow. Can you sue the weather? No! But, it doesn't matter. We were feeling pretty good with the courteous and professional care that we had received from the Cooper Urgent Care Staff. Thank you Cooper Hospital.

Spreading the News & Meeting New Friends

                                                                                     

Since our short story anthology Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey was published in November of 2012, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a lot of very nice people. My job is to market and spread the word about our first of what I hope will be a long line of books, to be published. So I try to set up dates for book signings at coffee shops, libraries and events, which is the best job for a people person like me.

Rosie Readers

I watch a little girl, who I’ve been taking care of since she was three months old and who I consider another grandchild, and often take her to the park when the weather permits. I met this charming woman, Chris Ciechon, and her grandkids at the park in Audubon and over time, we became friends. One day, I had mentioned that the South Jersey Writers Group was publishing a book and that we were having a launch party. Chris mentioned that she belonged to a book club and asked if we would be interested in speaking to her group, the Rosie Readers.

Book Club Meeting

I was invited to a meeting where several book clubs were getting together to socialize. Met some amazing people and I’m making plans to bring their groups and the authors of Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey together in May for a panel discussion and book signing. While I was there, I learned about this organization that introduces books to infants. Infants, you ask? Yep, start them young and they will love to read.

                                                                     

Story Storks

Their motto is, creating future readers, and they can be found at www.storystorks.org

The women in charge are Adrienne Evans, Maureen Hicks and Barbara Funkhouser and what they and their volunteers do is go to Cooper Hospital with books for all the newborns. They introduce new parents to the importance of reading to their brand new babies as soon as possible and that means from birth on.

Children want to learn, and just by reading a few books a day to them, opens their mind and instills a love of the written word. Check out their website and think about volunteering, if you’re able to spare some time for a good cause.

Wine and Cheese Benefit on Wednesday, March 13^th

They’re having a party at the Bellmawr Ballroom at 29 Lewis Avenue, Bellmawr, N.J. from 7 to 9 p.m.

The admission is only 10 dollars, so little a price for so worthy a cause. I’ll be there and I’m hoping to see all of my friends there to support Story Storks.

And check out the book clubs in South Jersey.