United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Bittersweet Picnic

The date is in the future
the check has gone out.
Phone calls and emails
Who will be about?

This one and and that one,
sisters and brothers.
Grandma and grandpa,
fathers and mothers.

The lump in my throat
has already arrived.
What will I find out
after our long drive?

The day has arrived,
pack up the car.
Get an early start,
we have to drive far.

The name tags are everywhere
buzzing about.
Look! She can do this and that
We all like to tout.

Lunch is delicious,
Which one do you eat?
Tuna or peanut butter,
turkey or roast meat?

The time has come,
up the elevator we go.
The list has the name,
this is obviously no game.

The room is so bright,
they are all there.
We are so excited,
we pull up a chair.

It’s got to be good news
For sure it must be.
But what we hear is different
I want to flee.

This bone and that bone
are not in its right place.
Come back on this date,
the O.R. we must face.

The lump in my stomach
the one that went away.
Is back as big as ever
on this bittersweet day.

Why did I come,
I didn’t want to know.
I thought things were great
but now we have this blow.

I go back to the others
scattered here and there.
I try to smile
but it is hard to bare.

Plans have to be made now
to go to that place.
Where, oh where
is my happy face?

This won’t go away
in her whole lifetime.
I’ve been told this before.
What a terrible crime!

Bittersweet picnic
Thanks for inviting us.
We will meet you for the 4th time
at the place in Texas.

Wow....how powerful....how true, thank you for sharing !

Wow, that poem says it all. I also wanted to thank Claudia and family for all their hard work. It was great meeting so many people and putting faces to names. My children had a great time and my oldest daughter keeps asking when we can go back. Melissa

I had such a great time. Thank you, thank you to Claudia and her family for organizing such a great day!!

Null,

I agree with Cybermonx4 - what you wrote is very powerful. Thanks for sharing. May I share it with my family?

Sally

We also had a great time. It was a long drive for us (even longer since we made a wrong turn which in NYC adds about 2 hours to your trip!)but our daughter had a great time at the museum. She especially loved the bubble area. Thanks to Claudia, TCH staff, and everyone who helped out. Thanks Francine for finding me and saying hi. Also thanks to Nancy for talking to me in the cafeteria and to Kath for the wonderful hug. Unfortunately I was so busy chasing my 2 yr. old around and we knew another family from our area that I didn't get a chance to talk to too many other people but I at least tried to say hi if I saw the BPI name tag. (I also post under Julie-work when I am at work.) Thanks again to everyone. I hope to met more people at the camp this summer!

I would like to thank Claudia her husband her children her Mother her friends and everyone who helped her. She did an outstanding job of coordinating this event. The TCH staff that worked so hard all day. They must all need a vacation.

I was so happy to put faces to some of the names on the Board and some I think I missed that I really did try to find but the lunch room was busy...

I enjoyed meeting so many friends both old and new. You have beautiful children. The kids were just great.I am sorry we had to meet this way by sharing our common injury...

It is great that the kids and of course the parents have a way of networking. The first time I met another obpi was only three years ago when Nancy, Judy and I met in Fla and it was such a turning point and so great to have someone to share with.

Null
I was there so I could tell the lump in many throats after their doctors visits and I really feel for you. Your thoughts are so touching.

For all of those who will require surgery my prayers go out to you and your little ones. To those who got good news I am so happy for you and I wish you continued good healings.

Kath

We want to add our thanks to Claudia and everyone who helped make the picnic such a success. This was our first picnic and we thought it was great! Everything seemed to go very smoothly and the museum was a great place to have a gathering. Our 2-year old loved it!

We were also fortunate to receive the great news that our 4-month old son, Jason, (ROBPI) does not need primary surgery! We were thrilled that Dr. Nath gave us the same diagnosis/recommendation as Dr.Waters in Boston. It's too soon to say what exactly the future holds for little Jason, but we'll take this journey one step at a time...and right now we're celebrating his progress!

We were happy to meet other families (thank you to Claudia for introductions) and wish everyone the best.

Kim and Steve

Hi all. I couldn't make it to the museum after all. My older daughter started running a fever on Friday night. But staying home was worth it - Faith held a teething biscuit to her mouth on her own for a few seconds for the first time on Saturday afternoon! I was the happiest mommy in all the land I hope to meet some of you next time around. It sounds like it was a wonderful day for all.