Mistakes Made Along the Way
- Mistake No. 1: Host a sleepover for a group of girls at a downtown Omaha hotel to mark my daughter’s 12th birthday.
- Mistake No. 2: Devour three slices of deep-dish pizza and a hefty slice of chocolate cake while racing to catch the elevator.
- Mistake No. 3: Plead with the hotel shuttle driver to whisk us off to Starbucks.
- Mistake No. 4: While the younger girls blissfully sip on tall, frothy drinks, I sip a grande cup of Alka-Seltzer.
- Mistake No. 5: Returning to our hotel room, the girls gather around the TV to watch The Theory of Everything. My theory? I need more cake.
Revved up on sugar, I join them. During a particularly heart-wrenching scene where Jane, Stephen Hawking’s wife, confesses, “I did the best I could,” I can’t help but laugh.
“Mom, go to your room,” my daughter, Lily, says, pointing toward the adjoining suite. Yes, she literally sent me away!
A Journey of Challenges
Life has not always been filled with sleepovers and laughter, or watching Lily get overly excited about new Converse sneakers while I cringe at the revealing fashion for 12-year-olds at the local store. “You’re kidding,” I exclaim when she picks up a tiny crop top and shorts that, as my mother would say, leave nothing to the imagination.
Before she was born, Lily faced a serious condition called gastroschisis, where her intestines were outside her body, resulting in a challenging start. Her first home—and my second—was a New York City neonatal intensive care unit, where she spent seven months relying on tube feeds and total parenteral nutrition, an IV solution that kept her alive but threatened her liver.
At the age of three, I learned about Nebraska Medicine’s intestinal rehabilitation program in Omaha. Before we arrived, the team estimated we would have a treatment plan within a week, perhaps a few months at most.
As we prepared to leave, our neighbor bounded into our apartment, asking, “You’re going to Oklahoma?” As a New Yorker, my idea of a trip was typically just a quick drive upstate. I had always dreamed of living in a SoHo loft with sun-drenched windows, but instead, I found myself in a Greenwich Village apartment, surrounded by a vibrant community that felt more familiar than Nebraska ever could. I lived out my dream of writing for New York magazine and covering restaurants for Time Out New York.
Yet, my greatest aspiration has always been to be a mother.
A New Chapter
Three months after relocating to Nebraska, Lily’s liver failed, and she was placed on the transplant list for a small bowel, liver, and pancreas transplant, which she received on July 20, 2006—her re-birthday. Initially, I struggled to even utter the word “transplant,” a term filled with anxiety and uncertainty. However, I soon discovered that sometimes life provides us with exactly what we need, and our exceptional transplant team did just that. We sold our New York home and purchased a house in Omaha, a place I hadn’t even pinpointed on a map at the time.
Many who knew our story expressed disbelief: “You moved from New York to Omaha? Wasn’t that a culture shock?” Yes, indeed. I remember the day a teenager in a loud, black TransAm sped past me while I walked our dog, thinking he’d give me a rude gesture. Instead, he smiled and waved. Even the cashier at Target asked, “Do you need help to your car?”
I’ve come to appreciate this new lifestyle: a place where children play outside until dusk, minimal traffic, and an affordable cost of living that felt like Monopoly money. Ironically, my daughter has even had the chance to perform alongside Tony Award winners at the Holland Center, our local equivalent of Carnegie Hall.
I’ve unintentionally evolved from a high-strung New Yorker—someone who once begged for a 212 area code instead of a dreaded 646—to someone who allows space for help and kindness to come into our lives. As I encourage Lily to embrace her mindset and accept life’s challenges (“Feel the fear, allow it to wash over you,” I suggest), she quips, “Buddhist.”
Finding Home
Flying into Omaha today, I gaze upon the skyline, which I affectionately refer to as “The Building,” and still long for my Manhattan roots. However, I’ve learned that home is a state of mind. A city girl can flourish outside her familiar surroundings, especially when fueled by love—and Alka-Seltzer.
For those interested in exploring options for parenthood, consider checking out this excellent resource for pregnancy and home insemination at Resolve.org. And if you’re looking for tools to assist in the journey, visit Cryobaby Home Intracervical Insemination Kit Combo and discover the Fertility Booster for Men, an authority on this topic.
Conclusion
In summary, the journey from New York to Omaha was filled with unexpected challenges and joys. It taught me that home is not just a location but a feeling, nurtured by love, resilience, and support.
Leave a Reply