Those are the words Oprah said to me so that I could offer a comment or ask a question. If you go to this link you can see the “After the Show” where the audience gets to speak and I’m somewhere around the 16 minute mark. The experience in and of itself was rather surreal, but that’s only because I spent the evening in the hospital after taking a nasty fall. I will have more to say about that after I gather my thoughts and keep them in a safe place, but right now I have to heal in a major way.
After we watched the movie “Waiting for Superman” at the studio my sisters and I went out to dinner and then headed back to Tracy’s house where I proceeded to feel very sick and spend quite a bit of time in the bathroom. As I was starting to sweat and feel clammy and my ears clogged up so that I could no longer hear, I decided that I was burning up and that I needed to take off all my clothes. If I were in my own home and alone this would be fine I guess, but I don’t remember anything after standing up and looking in the mirror watching my face turn completely white and pale. The next thing I recall is that both sisters were standing over me yelling at me to wake up and ask me what happened. Near as I could tell, I fainted and my chest slammed into the side of the bathtub. They had me covered with a towel and turned over by this time and kept asking what was wrong. When they stood me up and I was able to get my bearings they lead me to the bedroom where I tried to lie down and then got right back up again to go to the bathroom. Whatever was wrong, I still don’t know. But I scared the bejesus out of them when I said, “My chest hurts. I wonder if I’m having a heart attack.”
It was at that point that we went straight to the ER. The more puzzle pieces we put together, the more we realized that I was not having a heart attack, but that my ribs were bruised and my sternum was most likely cracked from the fall. All I can tell you about the ER trip is that I had the best advocates ever for my health in my sisters. They don’t play. No one was going to do anything to me in the hospital that I didn’t want them to do so long as I told my sisters to protect me. It wasn’t my intention to worry them, but I’ve never seen them so scared before. If I cried from the pain, they cried with me and looked like they would do anything to make it stop.
So, let’s recap. We went to see a movie, I got sick and fainted and hurt my ribs, and then it was 3:30 am on Friday when we were supposed to be back at the studio to tape the live showing of Oprah and I was going to regret this the rest of my life if I didn’t make it. Both my sisters agreed that we just wouldn’t go and that my health was too important to even worry about it anymore. But I insisted and begged and pleaded and by this time was a little loopy from the medicine and a little out of it for lack of sleep. So at 5 am we were back at Tracy’s house getting ready for the show and made it back to the West Loop area to the studios and were on time for the taping. WE DID ALL THIS ON NO SLEEP. It was like pulling an all nighter in college but without the beer bong or any of the fun that would include. Don’t even ask me how I got dressed or put on make up or did my hair. I have no idea how that was working out for me.
And the rest of that story? Well, it will have to wait right now as I heal and try to take deep breaths and get a follow up with my own doctor and get more CT scans of my chest and possibly try to figure out just why I got so ill. It felt like a flu bug you get that comes on quickly and goes away just as fast. Oh, and I need to get lots of pain medication because I have never felt pain like this before.
So, hang in there for the story of what happened at the show. Just know this much: when I did get my turn at the microphone I actually cut off Oprah and interrupted her. That probably had less to do with the medication and more to do with the pushiness of my personality. Drugs don’t make me this way. This is all natural.
Oh my goodness. Oprah should totally send you to Australia for your perseverance. (You were AWESOME on the microphone.) More importantly, please feel better soon. Please.
RIGHT ON. It seems like we went from “Teachers are everything, teachers are the world” to “teachers are the root of all evil.” There are some very good teachers out there, and to just say our educators are failing as a universal statement isn’t quite true.
Oh, and you look pretty effing hawt considering you were out cold hours before.
That is a crazy story, seriously. Hope you are recovering!
Wow, that’s scary (the fall, that is). Glad you got your moment to out-Oprah Oprah.
Wow. Leave it to you to take a simple, everyday experience like being invited to the Oprah show and turn it into an adventure. I’m so glad you’re on the mend, so sorry you’re dealing with so much pain, and so proud to have seen you on Oprah looking so fantastic albeit not entirely conscious!
Good Lord! That sounds scary and awful. I hope you heal quickly. Pain meds, stat!
I am not surprised you cut off Oprah. If anyone could get away with it, it’d be you. (High compliment!)
WOW!!!! When will you run for Gov’na of Illinois Kel?
Sorry to hear of your pain. Godspeed. Love ya.
Good heavens! You did look awesome in your purple.
i missed the show, but i’ll check the link. hope you heal quickly, sugar! xoxo
seriously, you are smokin’ hot and i’d let you interrupt me or Oprah anytime
Are you for real? SMH, girl. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
first of all, lady in purple, where did you get that gorgeous shirt? not sure i can pull off the ruffles, but it looks damn-good on you.
2 – way to rock the oprah show. there are so many factors in the education equation & you asked some of the most precisely right questions. we DO need to shift our paradigm & i hope my kids see the changes before it’s too late.
That’s car-razy! Food poisoning? Anxiety attack? Very weird. So glad you were able to make it to Oprah, though. And that you have such amazing sisters.
I’m going to watch the link, and I’m kicking myself for not setting the DVR!
I am so glad your sisters were with you, and I hope that you will be feeling better soon.
I hope you are o.k.!
My co-worker asked if you were or have been dehydrated because that could be a contributing factor.
Other than that, I wouldn’t use the word pushy – I would say passionate. And Oprah can appreciate that (I would think) – one passionate sista to another.
I may have been dehydrated, but I am usually pretty good about my water intake. Who knows? I sent a couple of sick kids home the day before.
And I’ll take ‘passionate’ over ‘pushy’ any day.
Thank you all for the well wishes.
I can’t believe Oprah’s site won’t let people embed that video.
I’m still stuck on YOU GOT TO SPEAK TO MAMA OPRAH?!?
You know she’s my Lord & Savior, right? Mama Oprah guides me in my life decisions. To a point. Ish.
And all that stuff about being hurt and ill? That sucks.
I wanna hear more about Mama Oprah.
I’m grateful your sisters were there to advocate for you. Being in the hospital often means losing control over who does what to your body, and I’m glad they were there for you. I hope you heal quickly!
And dude. I just watched you on the show. YOU? Are amazing. I’m lucky to know you.
You’re amazing Kelly. I’m sorry you had such a spell (yeah I don’t know where that word came from either – oh my days). Hope you are feeling better. You sounded great on the teevee!
Oh my! Girl, I’m glad you are ok. That was one hell of a ride!
OMG. Definitely get your healing on. So scary.
OMG Kelly what a way to spend the day/night before the taping! I do hope you feel better soon (heal baby, heal!!).
Those purple ruffles were scary tho.
*grin!*
Heal quickly!
I loved your comments on the show. Bravo!
Let’s face it. O needs to be interrupted every once-in-awhile. And you did it while speaking passionately about a topic that is of utmost importance to you. That’s more than ok in my book.
I hope you are in bed resting!
Coming out of lurking to say…You Go Girl! Great presentation to that panel!
Feel better soon.
I hope that all is well and that it was nothing serious. You spoke well, Lady In Purple Cutting off Oprah – shame on you! (Yay!!!!!) Peace.
I watched and you were AMAZING.
But honey, I’m totally worried about you. Take care of your pushy, passionate self, would ya?
I think you just ate too many cheese bunnies.
Oh, dude. I’d put cracked rib and back pain up against childbirth pain any day. There is NOTHING like those. I’m so sorry — I hope you heal quickly – or are at least granted the patience to lay still long enough to feel better.
Can’t wait to hear the rest of the story. xo
So sorry to hear about your fainting accident. Sounds really painful especially because every time you breathe you move your ribs in and out. Ouch! Feel better soon.
BTW, you were awesome on Oprah! You speak well. I would be afraid that I couldn’t get the words out being in front of the audience.
And, I agree, no eleven year old should be out of school by 2:30pm.
You make me happy.
Get better lady!
Lead / Led
Hi Mocha Momma, I know you would not do this normally and it probably was because of your illness/accident/medication but I am calling this to your attention so you can rectify it if you wish. Love your blog. That small error does not take away from the fact that you are one smart lady. No one is perfect. Ha! You can probably find a spelling error in my comment.
The past tense and past participle of the verb lead (pronounced “leed”) is led (pronounced exactly as it is spelled). However, many people write such incorrect sentences as these: “In the past, I lead a very sheltered life,” “During the Civil War, Robert E. Lee lead the Southern armies,” and “I am sorry to say that I have lead many an innocent young lady into temptation.” In all three, the correct verb is led.
The “lead” that is pronounced “led” (a homophone of the verb led – i.e., with the same sound but different meaning) refers to a metal and is used as a noun (It is made of lead) or an adjective (We use lead pipes).
So jealous of the Oprah going…It’s a life experience I am starting to see I will never get.
And I hope your non taped ribs are better these days.