Emily Smucker - Emily. My True Story of Chronic Illness and Missing Out On Life

Emily

Emily Smucker

Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida

www.hcibooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smucker, Emily.

Emily / by Emily Smucker.

p. cm.

eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9594-9 eISBN-10: 0-7573-9594-5

1. Smucker, EmilyHealth. 2. Allergy in childrenPatients Biography. 3. Mennonite childrenBiography. I. Title.

RJ386.S645 2009

362.19892970092dc22

[B]

2009015386

2009 Health Communications, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

HCI, its logos, and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.

Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 334428190

Cover photo BananaStock
Cover design by Larissa Hise Henoch
Interior design and formatting by Lawna Patterson Oldfield

To my mom, for loving me and
feeling sorry for me and bringing me
tea in bed even after Id been sick
for over a year.

Contents

Three Wishes

IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE to have three wishes (no wishing for more wishes), what would they be and why?

Okay, I admit, it would be easy to think of three easy answers:

1. That I would never get sick again.

2. That I would never get homework in the coming school year.

3. A nicer video camera.

Its also quite easy to get whatever your heart desires in three wishes, despite the whole no wishing for more wishes deal. You could wish:

1. That there would be no more suffering.

2. That whatever we wanted would appear like magic at the snap of our fingers.

3. That everyone would live happily ever after.

See? You could get everything in three wishes.

Oh, whatever. So I think the question is dumb. Who ever listens to me anyway? Maybe Id better go take my temperature to see if its gone down a fraction of an inch yet, and go lie in bed where I belong.

A Feeling

IVE BEEN HAVING ANNOYING stomachaches lately. Sunday evening I had another one. So I sat out the whole church service, sipping tea and reciting Isaiah 40 to myself. I always recite Isaiah 40 to myself when I have stomachaches. It is very comforting.

I felt better by the time the service was over. My siblings and I went to our cousins Justin and Stephys house, where we played soccer, ate food, and then just sat around while the guys played a game. It was during that time I began to know I was probably getting sick, because there is a certain feeling you get when you are getting sick. Its not just headache and sore throatits a sort of woozy feeling.

When we finally got home, which took a long time due to my brother Matts game playing, I took my temperature and had a sky-high fever.

Arg zarg. I dont want to be sick again. How will this affect my plans?

At least its happening now, and not during school.

Plans

WE WERE HAVING A NORMAL youth function at my churchsitting around, talking, and having fun. We were mostly talking about what to do for a fundraiser. Should we do another slave auction, where kids from the youth group get auctioned off as slaves and have to do their owners bidding for the day (within reason, of course)? That was the only idea anyone threw out, even though no one seemed to like it very much.

Then Phebe said, I think Emily should write a play for us to perform.

A murmur of approval and a nodding of heads swept through the room. I glowed. A play! Could I actually write a play? Ive written skits before. Actually, I usually just make them up and tell people what to do so I dont have to bother with scripts. But could I write a whole play?

Okay, Ill do it, I said.

Im gonna write a play! And the youth group is gonna perform it!

Wow, I have so many things planned for this year. I want to take college algebra at the community college, because I dont think Im smart enough for advanced math, but I want to take some math this year. Plus, then Ill get some, you know, college experience.

I also want to get a job, because I can finally drive. And Im going to be a senior, and at my school, that means I dont have to be in school full time. Oh yeah, and there is the little fact that I need money.

Somewhere, Mom found out about some community writing classes, and I think it would be so much fun to take one with her.

Oh, and now that I can drive, I can finally see if I can find some community theater or something to participate in. Im tired of knowing nothing about drama other than what I make up.

This year Im also probably going to be yearbook editor. I mean, Justin and I are the only ones who even know how to put pages together, and he was editor last year.

And now, this play! Ill probably have to direct it too, because who besides me can direct a play? Well, J. D. can, but I dont think he would really want to direct my play. Ill probably be put in charge of costumes too. I cant wait!

Wow. Yes, I know that is a lot. Ill probably have to drop something. Or several things. Still, I am looking forward to being busy for once.

Now I just need to get over this dumb sickness and getstarted!

Change

WELL, WELL, WELL. I am better I guess. Or at least, well enough to be doing things again, which pretty much translates into better.

And tomorrow is school. The summer is over. But what will the school year bring? Its my last year. Do you know what this means? Everything is changing, changing.

Sometimes it seems like things will always be the same, especially my family. My brother Matt will always talk about leaving the church, moving out, and getting a girlfriend, but never do any of them. Hell always be short on cash. And everyone will laugh when he says crazy stuff.

My sister Amy will keep going cool places and meeting cool people. Shell joke about getting a boyfriend but never actually get one. And shell always come home.

Ben will always hate girls and love sports.

Steven will keep on doing silly stuff and make everybody laugh.

Jenny will be cute and get on my nerves.

Forever and ever.

But its all changing. It really is. I can deal with all that, I think. All my siblings changing. But I dont know if I can deal with me.

For now, I have one more amazing senior year left.

Amy

MY BIG SISTER AMY is gone, far away teaching school in South Carolina. And every time someone over twenty-seven or so tries to have a conversation with me, the first thing they always ask is, So, how is your sister doing?

Heres the problem. I dont really know.

We dont talk on the phone. I dont especially like talking on the phone. We dont really e-mail, either. We did instant message each other for the first week or so, but then, well, she never got on anymore.

So these people keep asking, How is your sister doing? Is she enjoying teaching?

And I go, Umm... I think she is. Uh, I think shes doing pretty good. Last I heard from her she was at least.

Do you talk to her much? they ask.

Well, we instant messaged for a while, I say.

Whats instant messaged? they ask if they dont know what it is.

And thats the way it goes. Over and over again.

So you can imagine my happiness when, the other day, I was online and realized that Amy was too. I sent her an overjoyed message. She returned one. That was when strange things began to happen.