Reality check

So today could have easily been the worse day of my life… except God provided a miracle, or two.

We started off at 8 AM this morning in a 15 passenger van with 13 good friends. We were heading to Hermanus , 2 hours up the coast, to go ocean kayaking with the whales. The plan was to stop half way at a farmers market and have a snack before continuing on. The Elgin railway market is a cute little spot in the middle of nowhere, besides being en route to Hermanus. We loaded up with our pastries and coffees …. and a deadly bran muffin. Avianna has a nut allergy and is normally very careful and conscientious , except this time! She bit off a crumb, and I mean crumb! and immediately said “Mom do you have Benedryl ?” The reality hit me like a tsunami , we were in rural Africa on a Sunday morning and not a clue where to begin looking for a pharmacy. We all piled in the van and manically started typing in our devices to try and find a “chemist near me!” I wanted to call an ambulance but I couldn’t figure out how, its not a simple 911 here, its like seven digits and I couldn’t begin to access the part of my brain that would lead me to that information. Meanwhile Avi is having the worst reaction she has ever had and her throat was “tingling like crazy”. She rated her self as 6 out of 10 and getting worse, I could tell she was very scared. Our poor driver really did not understand what was happening and was being directed this way and that…as fast as he could. The rest of us were praying like never before ! We finally found a town, and our way to a clinic. It was closed. A local man who was waiting for it to open, informed us that the Doctor wouldn’t be there for 15 minutes. Then I remembered passing a grocery store. Thinking I was in North America, I jumped out of the van and sprinted down the road thinking I would just waltz up to the medication isle and get some Benedryl. WRONG. First of all no one knew what Benedryl/ antihistamine/ or allergy was and I was beginning to see the error of my ways. Did I mention I had neglected to bring my cell phone?!?! Meanwhile, Brian (our friend who happens to speak Afrikaans) had managed to explain to the man waiting at the clinic, that Avi was in serious trouble. The man graciously responded with “follow me”, and off went the gang to the ambulance dispatch yard . Thankfully someone was thinking clearly, and they sent Brian to find me hectically running down the aisles of the supermarket. Honestly if it wasn’t for Brian today, things could have turned out very differently. I had no business being where I was, and now we had to try and locate my family. Yet more divine guidance came our way and Brian was able to find someone who knew where the dispatch center was and agreed to drive us. There was a moment on the way when Brian answered his phone, and got very quiet as he listened to the caller. It was a moment I will never forget, It just hung there in time, and I was terrified to emerge from it. Fortunately it was news that they had arrived, and Avi was being treated. Ive never been more relieved in my life to see her sitting in that ambulance with a breathing mask and a dopey smile on her face as the medication did its thing.

The moral of this story… B.Y.O.B. Bring you own Benadryl !!!

With gratitude and praise to God

Jan