Why I Drove in the Ice and Snow

I stepped out into the frigid cold and made my way to the motel lobby in search of coffee. Snow-covered sidewalks and streets met my gaze. Assured my neurology appointment would go on as scheduled, I turned to the manager, “Are the shuttles running this morning?”

“Um… I think so,” he hesitated. “Actually, they must be since the buses are running.”

“I have an 8:30 am neurology appointment at the executive park location. I should be back before check out, but if not, can I check out at noon?”

“Just stay in touch with us.”

“Easy enough,” I replied and stepped back out into the cold.

Back in my room I brushed my teeth and swallowed morning meds. However, when I walked back to my phone, I saw the text from 7:08 am:

Due to adverse winter weather, clinics will be closed today, Wed. January 17th. We will contact you to reschedule. No charges for missed appointments.

I sank onto the bed. Overwhelmed. The absolute worst-case scenario had begun to unfold. I was snowed in, far from home, and my appointment had been cancelled.

It started last May.

After driving to a conference in North Carolina, I experienced a bout of motion sensitivity combined with increased facial weakness—symptoms that require attention. Five brain scans later I won a cerebral angiogram. An abnormality on the scans had suggested the presence of a small aneurysm and fistula behind my left eye. But the angiogram ruled out the scary, bad stuff. 

With all options exhausted, my Kaiser neurologist referred me to the Movement Disorder Clinic at Emory University Hospital. The catch? A six month wait. I called a few times to check for a cancellation, but finally gave in to patiently waiting, and waiting, and waiting. 

So, when I learned that an arctic cold front might collide with coming rain this week on the day of my appointment, I made several calls. First, I changed my hotel reservation from a nice place downtown to a location right across the street.

(Due to recent fatigue and other commitments, I'd chosen to stay close to shorten my morning drive and save my eyes.)

In between those calls, I contacted the Emory Clinic, and when directed, the neurology department itself. Once packed and about ready to leave, I called one last time and chuckled as a nice woman promised, “Our clinic never closes.”

“So, even when we had the foot of snow just a month ago, you stayed open?”

“Yes, Mam! Remember snowmageddon?”

“When a sheet of ice shut down the city?”

“Yes. We were open then too. And if we reschedule you now, you'll have to wait until July for another appointment.”

“Okay then,” I offered, “I’m loading up and heading your way.”

“Don’t forget the essentials,” she encouraged. “Pack a blanket, water, snacks, and something to use if nature calls.”

My stomach churned as I took mental notes. The lighthearted interaction encouraged me, but with my current mobility issues, preparing to be stuck on a roadside in freezing weather in order to receive medical care, just seemed wrong.

It still boggles my mind. 

Why on earth do schools and governments close when clinics for the disabled threaten long postponements if their sick and needy patients don’t brave the ice and snow and show?

I know it’s complicated. I don’t doubt that. 

But I haven’t even mentioned how the hotel management interrupted an attempt at extra sleep (with phone calls and door banging while I was in a stupor) to insist I check out and leave by 11 am instead of noon. 

Again, I realize they had people flying in with medical needs, like mine, or much worse than mine. 

But as I got in my car, unsure of where to go, I fought an intense loneliness… with prayer. 

In fact, I’ll be gut level honest. I read in the paper last week that Tua Tagovailoa, the Alabama quarterback, prayed in tongues throughout the second half of the game as he led his team to victory. (AJC; Charisma News; Sports Spectrum) So, it made sense that if his radical type prayers could keep him calm during the National Championship Game, my radical type prayers could keep me focused and calm too as I drove over ice and snow from Decatur to Cobb County.

And it worked. 

I only almost crashed once. But stopped short of the brick wall and light post by way of the sidewalk. 

My son and his wife opened their apartment and shared their sweet boy with me. Ending the day savoring his bright smile almost made the world feel right.

But now that I'm home and the snow has melted... and schools have been out for THREE days... I still wonder why. Why wasn't there a better plan in place that would've kept me safe at home?

While I wait for man to figure out a better way, I'll continue to thank God for keeping me safe and for getting me home. And in the mean time, if you haven't seen the movie, take a listen to one of many great songs...



All photos courtesy of pixabay.com