Anna the World Traveler

It was a big deal. It was an important learning experience. It took a lot of work. We had a great time.

After almost two years of preparation, fundraising, and praying our whole family traveled to Rome over the holidays to participate in an international conference for children's choirs. The reason I italicize "whole" is because at one point we did not intend to take Anna and her brother, Luke.

"They won't appreciate it, they are too young," I reasoned. "They won't remember it," and "They will be bored," I thought. "It will be cheaper for them not to go and they will have a great time at home with relatives," I figured.

All those thoughts, each holding some merit, didn't really compare to the deeper reason that I didn't want to admit out loud- I didn't want to take Anna on a nine hour plane ride, deal with getting through customs and security with all her medications and therapy devices, and expose her to crowds of people carrying their winter germs.  I was afraid. It seemed too big of a task. I didn't want to go through the hassle.  I guess it is pretty clear that I was focusing on me.

But my husband kept on insisting we go for it. A good friend pointed out that Luke and Anna would always feel left out of the family stories just like they would be left out of the photos. An amazing benefactor stepped up and offered to pay for their tickets.

I talked to the CF staff and we began to plan a way to do therapy while traveling that would not include taking her heavy, expensive vest unit.  Several months before the trip Anna and I began to practice using a small, hand-held device called an acapella to replace her vest system. A person breathes in and out of the acapella in a specific way with timed breaths for a total of 20 minutes. It takes concentration and effort far beyond just sitting in the vest while it shakes and you watch TV.  (sidenote: when Anna broke her arm at the end of November we used the acapella for a week straight until she saw the orthopedic because I was concerned about her using the vest- so she got pretty good at it!) She also switched to a puffer for abuteral instead of the power operated nebulizer.  So, in the long run we went to Europe "unplugged"! ( Oh, but we purchased an electric teapot to boil her acapella device, and that did have a plug! I kept wondering if security would ask us why we had a tea pot in her suitcase, but they didn't. I guess they have other things to worry about.)

Despite my prayers for health for the trip, Anna did have a cough before we left.  Her doctor had given me an antibiotic to take with us, and the third day out, I broke down and gave it to her.  I didn't want to end up in a foreign hospital. She improved.  I was very proud of her when she used the acapella and had no entertainment to make it easier- the wifi wasn't working or the tablet was on low battery. She just sat there as we both breathed to my counting, "Big breath in two three, hold two three, blow two three. Again..." She even did her therapy in such places as the airport, the bus, and waiting to see the pope at Sala Nervi auditorium!

I was concerned for the first few days because she didn't want to eat.  I thought she would be fine in a country filled with pasta and pizza.... maybe it was that her stomach was still unsettled from the massive vomiting she did on the plane? Thankfully, she finally got used to the food and wanted to eat, and then began to say she was hungry and ask for more food, which she never did back home.( I wouldn't have to try to explain massive weight loss to the CF staff after all! )

So what I learned is- dream big, don't be afraid, work the plan, God will provide, and believe in Anna- she can do pretty amazing things!