November 2nd marked 5 years since we moved to Hawaii. Neglect to this blog has been an unfortunate result of our busy lives here but, at last, we return to you with many updates! So, as stated we have packed a lot into the last 5 years. To start where we left off Peggy the Piggy escaped!!! I couldn’t have been more pleased! It has been nearly 4 years but I noticed she was mentioned in our very last post. Mike is sure I had something to do with her escape haha but I can’t accept any credit ( : So that brings us to 2017… Mike and I were dealt some bad cards this year, what would quickly become the worst time in our lives would bring us closer together than ever before. We “celebrated” my 27th birthday on April 27th, I put celebrated in quotations because I was sick as a dog, I had strep throat and had been getting these late night migraines. When I stood up at night I would get an intense pressure in the center of my forehead, screaming pain every night for weeks, begging Mike to rub my head for me. These migraines were like nothing I’d ever felt before and were accompanied with hot and cold sweats… each night when I woke up to go to the bathroom this would begin. It was a nightmare. I dreaded going to bed at night. My only remedy was hours of laying on the porch to cool down or sitting in the shower to warm up. Being off the grid made things slightly more uncomfortable, but my misery was pretty maxed out regardless. Mike didn’t know what to do and it was frustrating for us both, it was a hard time. Our marriage was just starting, we moved thousands of miles away from anyone we knew… there was a lot of misery, confusion, and loneliness. So… On May 6th Mike and I were planning on heading into town and helping some friends of ours with a jiu jitsu tournament. I hadn’t had a full nights sleep in a while and we had a few failed attempts in receiving any help for my discomfort, at doctors offices, urgent care, and the emergency room. They couldn’t find anything wrong with me and and all I knew was what I previously stated. With all this going on I decided to stay home while Mike went to the tournament and try to get some rest. The last thing I remember is putting in the movie A Christmas Story, that movie they play for 24 hours starting Christmas Eve every year. Mike returned late that evening and found me having a seizure, foaming at the mouth, I had peed all over the bed. He quickly carried me to the car and drove me towards Hilo while calling 911, he arrived at the fire station before the ambulance had even left. I was rushed to Hilo Hospital where they exhausted their resources. I was placed in a medically induced coma and put on a linear jet to Queens Medical on Oahu. There I was given large doses of steroids to reduce the swelling in my brain. It turns out I had a brain infection that had been festering for a while and it’s likely Mike found me just in time and saved my life. I woke up two days later not remembering any of it. The doctors could never pinpoint a cause just told us it was viral encephalitis and likely caused by bacteria that could have come from water I was exposed to or a bug bite.. the case was never closed… which is troubling to say the least. Fortunately I was released from Queens after just eight days, made a full recovery within a couple of months, and have been healthy ever since. This experience humbled me a lot and changed life for my whole family. To be so young and come so close to dieing is a bittersweet experience. It has helped me put many things into perspective and make a lot of positive long lasting decisions for myself….speaking of those positive decisions just 5 months after I recovered I got pregnant with our son Michael Thomas, born July 28, 2018, he keeps us both on our toes to say the least! then.. Four months ago we welcomed our youngest Ryan Casey and these two are setup for a spoiled island life filled with homegrown fruits, veggies, and definitely NO MORE PIGS! ha that wasn’t my favorite. Well, 5 years, 2 kids, house built (almost painted all the way(: ) Mike graduated from the police academy at the top of his class, how did he do that amongst all this!?!? I know, crazy! Well, you’ll just have to ask him yourself when you come visit us! On that note – Every story has a hero. We both continue to enjoy BJJ and we are keeping our jungle toned down enough for our trees to thrive in their young life. We have a lot of gardening to do, it’s definitely been on the back burner…We hope you enjoy this update and these pictures of the family we have become. Special Plant update coming soon, see what 5 years of growth looks like, for some a lot, others not so much ): and expect an update of our house and its progression in full. -Sailers (V)#ourownprivateIdaho
l