Goodrich – It’s 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and Rebecca Wiley can hardly keep her secret.
Tomorrow she’s going to school.
While school may not be a thrill for some 13-year-olds, Rebecca’or Becky, as her friends call her’has been begging to go.
To Becky, it’s better than being in the hospital.
Two months ago, she thought she was a normal teenager until hearing her kidneys weren’t working right, just a normal girl with all the regular teenage trials and tribulations.
True, last year she and her family worried a little bit that there was a problem when she started showing symptoms of malfunctioning kidneys, but a specialist visit and several tests put their minds at ease.
Becky loves to sing. She’s been in the choir for several years, and joined again this year.
She’s a quiet girl, for the most part, who likes few things better than a good read. Except for jumping on the trampoline, she’s worlds apart from her twin sister Bonnie.
Goodrich Middle School teacher Dawn Robb first met Becky in her sixth-grade English class last year.
‘She has always stood out as a very caring young lady,? Robb says. ‘I noticed how she would stop to help other students in the hallway if they dropped their books or at the end of the hour she would take the time to pick up things, or ask if I needed any help.?
Becky loves to learn. Books are her passion’mysteries, historical fiction. She’s quick to pick up scientific explanations, and is fascinated by rocks with unique, funny shapes.
She enjoys her friends, and children. She’s watched Robb’s little ones at times while the teacher corrected papers or cooked dinner.
Life hasn’t been dull in Becky’s household.
With five children in the home, Becky’s mom, Stella, wondered what the neighbors thought when they moved into the quiet Goodrich neighborhood a few years ago.
Becky’s older sister Jenny, 23, is married and lives in Flint. Then there’s her brother, Eugene Jr., and cousin James Young, both 21, and Jeremy, 15. Becky and Bonnie, 13, are the youngest, although her little niece and nephew are often at her house while her mom cares for them.
Like many hard-working families, Becky’s has played the financial ‘catch-up game? since the company that had employed her dad Eugene closed its doors. Stella has been cleaning houses to earn money, and Eugene took a job with a truck moving company, but health insurance was a luxury they could no longer afford.
‘It would have been $400 a week,? said Stella. ‘How are we supposed to eat??
Stella worried especially about Becky’s eating habits. A very slender girl, it was hard to find anything that seemed appetizing to her daughter, who doesn’t even like the sweetness of cotton candy or vanilla ice cream.
When Becky’s headaches got worse, the family paid out-of-pocket for doctor’s visits, and for the optometrist the doctor recommended she see.
Stella drove Becky to the Grand Blanc office of Daniel Markley, O.D. Becky failed the eye test, as her retina was discovered damaged.
‘It was just strange,? Stella says. ‘He was like, ‘Come back here and let me take her blood pressure.? The minute they took it, he told me to take her to Hurley in Flint. Thank God for him.?
Becky had been ‘swelling up like a balloon.? Now they knew why. Both her kidneys, which are supposed to help her body filter out and get rid of liquid wastes, were working only about one-fifth as hard as they needed to, and scar tissue had built up.
From Hurley, Becky went by ambulance to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich.
‘I don’t care what it costs, I’ll pay it,? said her father.
A tube to help her breathe was put in her throat, and a catheter tube was put in her abdomen. Becky learned what was happening to her body, about dialysis to flush out her kidneys, and doctors talked to her mom and dad about organ donation so Becky can get a kidney transplant.
Becky’s mom put her cleaning jobs on hold to stay with Becky, whose blood pressure went up when Stella left her side.
Friends and teachers made her cards and came to visit. Becky had to wear a mask.
One of her best friends, Josie Story, who’s also in the seventh grade, put a mask on too so Becky ‘didn’t feel stupid?.
Since coming home last week, Josie and Deanna Mitchell, another best friend who’s also in the seventh grade, have been keeping her company. Becky has known the two girls since they ‘were in diapers?.
‘They really helped, so I was grateful for them,? says Becky.
Becky takes 17 pills each morning, and 13 pills later on. Living up to a bargain she made with her parents and doctors’so she doesn’t have to get a feeding tube’Becky faithfully takes nutrition drinks each day, and eats what she can on her restricted diet, like uncooked ramen noodles.
She can’t jump on the trampoline these days, with her catheter, which she thinks of as a coffee filter that drains out unusable liquids. Becky is quick to explain to friends how everything works now.
The hardest part was realizing what she’s up against, like a ‘big nightmare you can’t wake up from.?
But a lot of good has come of it, she’s quick to point out, like her mom’s friend who had similar symptoms checked because of Becky’s, and how it has pulled her family together.
‘I always say God works in mysterious ways,? Becky says.
Her friends are tempted to pity Becky’s situation.
‘Sometimes they want to feel sorry for me, but I won’t let ’em,? she says, her voice raspy from the breathing tube that was taken out. ‘It’s not their fault, it’s these kidneys.?
Hair accessories are just down the hall, Becky tells Deanna, who’s come over so the girls can fix up each other’s tresses.
‘She’s a really good stylist, and I like how she does her hair,? Becky says.
She whispers her secret, the one about going back to school. She went to see the doctor today, and they’re going to delay dialysis a little longer, if the swelling doesn’t become a problem.
And since Thursday is a half-day before the Easter break, she has permission to go to school. It’s a surprise. No one knows, not even her best friends.
Her mom and dad have already asked to thank everyone who’s cared, who have brought gifts or donations to Becky and the family, but no one had to coach Becky to remember her manners. She wants to thank her friends, and teachers, and everyone who’s helped.
Today, she’s getting the chance. At school. In person. Just like a normal teenager.