A special thanks...

In the last week, I have talked with Jessie several times, as well as Abelina and they are so happy to be together again. I cannot imagine what the reunion of Abelina and her three babies must have been like. I know how I would feel if I was forced to be away from my children for seven and a half months. So the day had finally come for the Magana's and that brings me great joy!


I also was able to speak with her brother Ernesto who flew from Texas with his family, to add to the Magana welcoming committee. Abelina, has been surrounded by her children , her brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins.


May their family unit continue to flourish and grow.





I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank those people that continually assisted us with the children. These people were always just a phone call away, they would drop what they were doing and help with rides to and from school , gymnastics or any given sporting event. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts.

Our good friend 's Brian & Kristin Land, Suzy Fitzpatrick aka Suzy Q, Jeff & Christina Johnston, Aileen Warmood, Alicia Robledo, Marta Moran, Scott & Shelly Vollert, Ericka and Damian Mysliwczyk and Heidi and Alfredo Ulloa.

Also, special thanks to those of my our friends that have just been there to listen. Therapist/friends-Kristin & Brian Land, Suzy Fitzpatrick, Jessica Tevis, Tiffany Kneff, Erin George, Walter & Tonya, Ericka and Damian Mysliwczyk , without all your help we would not have been able to do our part. I know I'm forgetting names, please forgive me. You know who you are.


Lots of Love


p.s. hopefully we will hear from Claudia soon.


Diana

We bid farwell to Abelina

Wednesday afternoon my husband John, Johnny and I drove to the SF airport to bid farewell to Abelina. When we arrived, around 9:30, they were immediately escorting Abelina, her brother Hector and sister Gloria to the gate. I asked if they could wait a little bit so John, who was parking the car, could also say goodbye? As we took our last photographs and hugged and kissed, a lady working for the airline, waited behind us with a walkie talkie.

John finally arrived to say goodbye and again we took more photographs. We exchanged hugs and kisses and talked about, how much we would miss one another, tears immediately filled all our eyes. We bid farewell trying to hold back our emotions, with little success. We followed Abelina, Hector and Gloria all the way until they checked Id's and they went through the metal detector. We were told to stand back, because we were "to close". Then the three of us stood there looking at one another and said, " I guess it's time to go." I suppose we thought we would be able to spend more time with her, but the reality is the longer it dragged on the harder it would have become.

One thing I know is, that the friendship we once shared will be different, but stronger.
We used to talk on the phone several times a week figuring out when we could get together again. Once we got together it seemed like we had never been apart. We enjoyed sharing dinners at one anothers houses, going out to eat at Boca, The Wildfox, The Red Grape, Grazie, Ming Yang's and many more establishments. We spent summer vacations together, one in beautiful Maui and the last visiting her home town, Montosso. We also, loved the occasional shopping trip, boy did we both know how to spend. Our girls certainly enjoyed these outings with their mommy's. Matter of fact the last time I saw Abelina standing was at H & M at the Westfield Mall the weekend before October 12Th. She had decided at the last minute to join us to watch the Blue Angels in SF. She brought Claudia along for the fun. We went down near pier 29 to watch the festivities with my entire family and the Land's. What a day filled with aeronautics, hot dogs, photographs and friends. Claudia mentioned earlier that day, that she really wanted to go shopping. So Abelina decided that night at The Hard Rock Cafe that they would stay overnight. We woke up that morning and walked to Starbucks enjoying the usual tea for me and extra foamy latte with a snikerdoodle. John being the kind of guy he is just ordered a plain coffee. We enjoyed our treats and walked back. After that, we decided to go shopping. The girls were so excited and being that Abelina did not have any clothes for her Sunday open house we made a stop at H & M. As usual we made our way to the dressing room to try on our hoards of clothes. Abelina always would come out to model and ask us how her outfit looked. So, as she normally did, she came out in an outfit I don't quite remember. Because as you know, with Abelina it's not the outfit that draws attention, it's her. But I do remember she had a full skirt on and little white pumps. She twirled around and said, "how do I look?" We all said, "you look beautiful." She then purchased the outfit from H&M. We said our goodbye's since she needed to be in Novato by 12:30 to set up for her open house. We hugged and kissed and talked about what a wonderful day we had had the day before. This was the last time I saw her walk, but as a lot of you believe. If anyone can walk again, it's Abelina Herrera Rodriguez Magaña.

I will always cherish my frienship with my beautiful friend and I belive God brought us together for a purpose. She has helped me in ways that she may never realize. As well as her three brillant children.

I love you Abelina , Abraham Jr., Claudia, Angelito and all the Herrera family.

I will see you soon!

Diana

A tearful goodbye to the Magana Kids

This beautiful Monday morning, at 6:00 am, we bid farewell to the extraordinary Claudia and Angel Magana. They lived amongst our family for seven months, one week and three days. There were a few days when driving to and from Novato and transporting kids to therapy, sports etc... I was wanting to pull my hair out, but the constant voice of appreciation immediately put those feelings aside. Our family fell instantly in love with all the Magana kids and will forever be reminded of their presence in our home and out an about in Sonoma.

Abraham, with his extensive knowledge of history and what I imagine to be a photographic memory, always has something worthwhile to say. He is such a bright, fun loving kid, that has the world at his finger tips. His Uncle tells us how well he is doing in Arizona academically and socially. But we would have expected that, especially surrounded by family. It will be fun to see what path he decides to take (I think I see an episode of Jeopardy in his future).

Claudia, is so patient and kind. One could also say she is an old sole. I call her the Peace maker and she is. She tries, with great effort, to assure everyone is happy and well taken care of. Even though she has migraines once a week, she came into my room one night and rubbed my head until I fell asleep. I personally enjoyed and will miss our drives to and from Novato, it gave us an opportunity to share our feelings and also vent. It was very therapeutic for both of us. Claudia, definitely seems like she will follow her heart in whatever she does in life. She will also proceed with caution and great insight. She is beautiful, intelligent and very disciplined and I can guarantee you we will see her in the Olympics for gymnastics! If you have not seen her muscles, watch out.

Angel, aside from his always upbeat attitude and gregarious smile, is a sweet kid. Yes, he has a lot to say. But when he stops and really thinks about his words, they are a gift. Angel learned many new activities while staying with us and excelled at all. He is a natural athlete he played basketball, baseball and snowboarded for the very first time and did exceptionally well at all three sports. He was on the intermediate slopes, snowboarding on day two. He is a Super Smarty Pants and I predict will invent some sort of flying wheelchair machine to help his Mom get around a little faster. He is always thinking of ways to help his Mother.

So with a historian, olympian and inventor I know we will see great things with the Magana kids and their beautiful mommy.

We will miss you guys.

We say goodbye to Abelina on Wednesday.


Diana

Claudia here ; )

Sorry we haven't written on the blog for a while. We have been living in a rental house (with no internet) near town in Sonoma since the 13th of this month because the septic system backed up and we weren't able to take showers, go to the bathroom, or do any laundry, ect... (which stinks). I went to visit my mom today (of coarse most of you know her as Abelina) and my uncle Jesse was there too. My mom has been doing very well lately. She seems to be very rested and in very good spirits. We now are only waiting for the arrival of my mom's (Abelina's) wheelchair to move on and move to Arizona, which should be coming on the 19th of this month if all goes well : )

Abelina update

When I visited Abelina on Tuesday, she was able to go to the gym for the first time. So I was there to witness her exercise regiment in a new enviroment. She was accompanied by her good buddy Jackson. Whom has the exact spinal cord injury at the C-5 vertebrae that she has. He was also shot, but that had to do with a drug deal gone bad. Nevertheless the two of them are good buddies, swapping stories of recipes, hospital food and how they came to be were they are today. Jackson is quite the character and his personality complements Abelina's sharp whit.



So, Ericka and another assistant physical therapist wheeled the two of them down to level A where people of different ages and physical abilities went about their vigorous routine. First they lifted Abelina out of her chair by using a Hoyer lift, then carefully lowered her onto what looks like a large wooden bed with two mats about a foot apart. One for her and one for Jackson. Then after her transfer, it was Jackson 's turn. He commented a few times,"your my girlfriend Abelina you just don't know it yet." She chuckled and said, "Okay". As the therapist manipulated their bodies they discovered they both had nick names, his being Poppy hers Nena. So they joked about how they would never be Abelina and Jackson again. The amazing thing was how happy they seemed. Laughing and telling jokes while other patients struggled to smile. There were several moments were I caught the eyes of other patients . They watched the two of them very carefully, i'm sure wondering what their secret was. All the while they lay flat on their backs smiling and carrying on. It just goes to show you what a positive attitude and a lot of faith can get you.



I then was able to maneuver the wheel chair back up to the 3rd floor and get Abelina settled before my (never easy) departure. Before I left , she wanted me to read her Psalms from the Bible. So I read from Psalms 13 to 23 I believe. But the most important Psalms (which she had highlighted was) Yeah, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil... I't struck me as odd for a millisecond. But then realized this is a mantra for her, due to the fact she is constantly fighting for survival, life will never be the same. She will have to watch what she eats, make sure shes hydrated, avoid getting sick and constantly monitor her blood pressure. Not to mention being in a wheelchair. So, as we complain about our daily woes remember what her positive outlook has done for her thus far.



Diana

Johnny, Kylie, Claudia, Joe and Angel at the A's

Hello ,

I have not seen Abelina since last Thursday, but she is back in the Rehabilitation portion of the hospital and still awaiting her departure. Which looks more like the middle of May. Although with the recent happenings, there are certainly some concerns about her life outside the hospital. I wish it was just cut and dry but it is not, there are so many factors that come into play and Abelina is the pawn. So, please continue to pray and we will have a better idea of her check out date after this weekend.

Abelina In Critical Care

Most of you do not know that on Saturday Abelina feel asleep at 1:00 O'clock and did not wake up unitil Sunday morning. It was very frightening. Her blood pressure was the lowest I had ever seen it and she was very cold. I tried to wake her, she would try and open her eyes but with very little success. I read to hear, talked with her and sang to her trying to get a response. It was not until later around 10:15 that she started to repeat "Oh my God" over and over. She then was able to answer yes and no on occasion. Around 10:00 her cat scan came back without any deficits, this was a huge relief. I was so scared. They poked her and prodded her drawing blood and flashing lights in her eyes (which seem to irritate her, this was a good sign). Her niece Eli arrived around 10:30 so I was able to call it a night, but of course I did not sleep well.

When I woke up Sunday morning. I immediately called the hospital and they said, "she woke up." So I called John to let him know it was okay to bring the kids. With a sigh of relief I went to go get Pete's coffee with my girlfriend Jessica, enjoyed our treat and Yerba Buena gardens then headed back to the hospital. When I arrived she was sitting in the room with an unfamiliar couple, they introduced themselves. But my mind was on Abelina. She began to cry and "ask were I was"? She said, I called you and told you my blood pressure was low". I then told her that she did not tell me that, but only that she wanted a shower and her ingrown toe nail clipped. Matter of fact at 8:30 am Saturday she called me balling. I could hear her arguing with the nurses about a shower and then she asked me to help her. One of the reason they hesitate to give her showers is due to her blood pressure dipping. Then I told her I was with her all the night before and she was relieved. She did not remember my presence at all. She kept crying and saying she almost died. I do believe she had a fight on her hands.

Sunday we finally were able to talk with Dr. Attena and he deducted from all the test that she had a bacterial infection most likely from Mexican food. He said, this caused severe dehydration, which then lowered her blood pressure, couped with her medications caused her kidneys to start to fail.

So one thing we learned from this is how fragile she is. Another thing we learned is she has to be very careful with what she eats. The doctor said, "No fast food or chain restaurants."

So please do not bring her any food as of now. The only thing that seems to be safe as of now is well washed fruit. Fruit with lime, salt and Valentina is her favorite.

Also, please keep the visits minimal. Although we all want to see her she needs her rest. Also, when you bring children into the room it expels a lot of energy from her. Which on weekends takes away from her visits with her own kids.

Diana Tate

p.s. I f you think I sound a little bossy, I take my co-role of health care directive very seriously.