That Fateful Day,February 13, 1998

2 days before Valentine's Day in February 1998, Ariana our healthy baby girl got very sick. She was 4 1/2 months old. She was getting over her very first cold and her immune system was down a little. She was vomiting and had fever all night long. I alternated with the tylenol and advil, but it would only help for a little while. The next morning, she still was not feeling well. We were sleeping in the living room due to Pete was painting our bedroom. We had Ariana sleep with us during the night due to her being sick. We put her in her swing that morning and a few minutes later we looked over to see Ariana pale and with a strange, lethargic look on her face. The warning bells went off and we called the Pediatrician immediately.

All we had to do was mention the word, "lethargic" and the Dr. said, "how soon can you get here"? She met us at the ER. When she first looked at Ariana she didn't think she looked that bad. She told us to hang on while she made her rounds and then she would come back and check on her. Right before she came back, Ariana's condition worsened. She was crying and not wanting to hold her head up.

The Dr. came in and took one look at her and immediatley said that she thought it was meningitis and that they would have to do a spinal tap right away. She said if it was indeed meningitis, she would have to be in the hospital a minimal of 12-14 days and they would also have to figure out what strand she had. They whisked her off and we stood there shocked and terrifed to say the least.