WAIT! YOU’RE WHAT?

In April of 1992 I came home from work and Krishna was lying on the couch reading our new insurance book. We had moved to Sacramento in July for work and we were living in an apartment. I had graduated from Columbia with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Studies and our goal was to go to school while I worked as a store manager for Castle Management. (Round Table Pizza) Kris had signed up for a few classes at Sierra College and I would eventually start at the University.

As I passed through the room to change Krishna said “hey you know that our insurance covers child birth?” I thought that was cool. Half way down the hallway it hit me. I froze and slowly walk backwards. When I looked at Krishna I knew what she was telling me. I could not have hugged her tighter. We were having a baby.

The next few months were a blur. I went to every doctor appointment and ultra sound. We did not want to know what we having because we liked the surprise factor. The summer was hot in the city but my wife was a trooper and tried to never complain. I made sure to give foot rubs, back rubs, cook dinner, do laundry and anything to keep that amazing wife comfortable.

On November 6, 1992 Kris woke me early in the morning and said lets go have a baby. I was so nervous. I had breathing techniques to remember, people to call and I was not sure if I should take pain killers for the delivery. In the early afternoon I watched through the window as first my parents and then Kris’s parents arrived at the hospital. I was glad to have company as Kris just laid there with her eyes closed and said nothing. I kept my distance as I heard some woman hit their husbands during delivery.

At 9:02 that night my whole world changed as along came Emily Anne Elizabeth Hamilton. She was perfect. She looked just like her mama. There were tears, hugs, and laughter. I was amazed that I got to help the doctor when it was time for Em to arrive. Mostly, I was amazed with Kris. God had created such a special woman for me and now he had created a special daughter.

Emily at her first baseball game 1993. She is a Gamer Baby. I did some promotions with the Giants so we got to go on the field and meet catcher Kurt Manwaring. I have a picture of Kris changing Emily's diaper on the dugout bench but Emily said I could not post it.

Emily started to grow. In January of 1994 we decided to go home to raise Em closer to family. Kris’s dad was fighting cancer and we wanted to be there to help with the battle. We moved in with my parents and I went to work. I also enrolled at Columbia to get two classes and then in the fall of 1994 I started at CSU Stanislaus.

In November, Emily turned two and the next day Kris’s dad passed away. I was in Illinois so I caught the next flight home. It was an awful week. Krishna was a daddy’s girl and the relationship she had with her dad was very special. We laid Bob to rest and moved on with our lives.

1996 was a great year for the Hamilton family. In the spring Kris and I bought a small house and Kris celebrated by decorating a room for a baby. Yes we were again expecting. In May I graduated with my Bachelors of Arts in Organizational Communications. So much to celebrate.

That fall I started working as a substitute teacher and taking my post graduate classes. Kris continued to work at the Cable Television office. In September, we accidentally found out that the baby was a boy. As we left the appointment I told Kris that Daniel Michael was a good name so we decided it would be Danny.

November 5, 1996 was Election Day and Kris said it was time to go have a baby. I was really concerned because I had not had the chance to vote. But a baby comes when it wants to come so off we went to the hospital. Kris was in labor most the day so at one point I left to run vote. While voting they asked if Kris would be in and I told them not a chance. They offered to come to the birth center in Sonora and let her vote at the hospital.

Boy was Kris excited when I arrived with the precinct worker and ballot. She was so excited she handed it back to grab her stomach and said you fill it out. I did most of it and she did the rest between contractions. She did it! She voted while in labor. At 9:02 that night Daniel Michael Hamilton arrived. Emily was so excited. We stayed late and could not make Emily understand why Mom and baby had to stay at the hospital.  

We were awaken early the next day by a phone call. The man said that he was from the Modesto Bee and wanted to interview us about the baby being born during the election. I was like REALLY? Then a news station on the east coast called. By the time I got to the hospital television crews had called to say they were coming. We were going to be on TV.

Emily was excited because she was on TV for her birthday. I was excited because I had a baby and Kris……She was not so excited to be on TV the day after having a baby. Emily handed out birthday cake to the newsmen and woman. I did interviews and poor Kris tried to rest. We were on Good Morning America, The Pat and Tom Show and all the Sacramento stations. Kris was really excited.

Life was crazy.

Kris and I watching Danny on television on the 5:00 news. Emily and my Mom sitting across the room holding Danny.

 Through it all we decided that my headaches were being caused by my back. It hurt stand it hurt to sit it hurt to move. I could not bend or tie my shoe. Most the pain was in my lower back. My arms felt numb all the time and my legs were always aching. I had gone to Physical Therapy and tried chiropractic but nothing helped and it even felt that it made the pain worse.

Then it took a weird turn. It started with just my arms. I would all of a sudden lose all use of them. Then one morning I woke up and could not get out of bed. This was scary. After some working on it my legs started to have feeling again and I got up. This continued off and on for many months. Then dizzy spells started. I would be walking across the yard minding my own business and wham I would hit the ground.

During Danny’s two year old check up I mentioned it to Dr Borgquist. He got my file and said “You have complained about these since the mid 80’s. “It’s time to look deeper.” He ordered a CAT scan and then an MRI. A few days later he called and said he needed to see me that day. When Kris and I arrived he said I have news. You have Chiari Malformation.

We were not sure what that met or what life had in store for us.  We knew one thing for sure God had us and he would carry us. All he asked us for was our faith and we knew we could give him that.  

Matthew 17:20 says:

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

We had had been visiting churches and I remembered Sierra Bible from my days with Kym. Tera Lemons was member there so we started to attend. We had our faith, we had our family and we had our friends. We knew that God would carry us as we set out on the next step of “My Journey.”

Mama's little man.

That is the last time he made her mad. We never did find him. 

 Editors Note: I want to remind everyone that this is my personal way of keeping track of my story so that I can follow my progress through Parkinson’s disease. It is an open diary to my friends and family it is an opportunity to create a diary that my family can use someday to look back on our lives as we traveled through life with Parkinson’s disease. I do not spell check it or look for errors I just write. Over the next couple of days I will be reliving the difficult time of my brain surgery. To be sure that my information is in chronological order and to give complete information, to those of you who have contacted me about Chiari Malformation, my posts for the three or four days may be spread out and not daily posts. Thanks for understanding and THANK YOU for coming along with me on “My Journey”.