Cage Free Family

Okay, it wasn't Dysentery, but that sounded so dramatic didn't it?

In reality, it was pretty dramatic though. In the late afternoon of the Fourth, following the main circle meditation, I started to feel pretty ill. We went to bed in our tent around sundown and sometime in the middle of the night I woke up trying to figure out if I was going to throw up or not. Then my attention turned to the question of whether I needed to find a bathroom immediately or not. Then finally (and this is all in a matter of seconds mind you) to whether or not I could get out of the tent before my body gave out on me.

In a pouring sweat I stumbled to the tent door, but realized that my hands wouldn't work and I could not get the zipper to open. I swung my arm in the direction of Jeff's foot and luckily caught him in a light sleep...I don't think I could've swung again. I tried to tell him that I was sick, couldn't get the door, hot, needed outside, but I think all that came out was something to the effect of, "Sick...out...now...NOOOOOW."

From this point it's a little sketchy to me. I entered into some feverish state where it did not matter that I was lying in the fetal position on the forest floor with no pants, surrounded on all sides by sickness. My body was determined to rid itself of some toxin by all means available, as quickly as possible. All the while the feverish beat from the distant drum circle seemed to match my feeling as well as lend a frightening feverish death in the jungle movie sort of feeling to the situation.

I fainted once, or possibly twice, waking up at some point to find myself alone and near to convulsing with the combination of extreme illness and 40 degree temperatures in the Wyoming mountain forest. I tried to get up, but couldn't. I was terrified and couldn't remember where Jeff was or exactly where I was in relation to our tent.
I knew that there were tents all around me so I began calling for help, "Can anybody hear me? I need help."
Finally a voice came asking me where I was. I didn't know how to answer and can't really remember what happened then because the wave of sickness began to come on again.

Friends, in case you have ever wondered to yourself, "Self, I do wonder what it should be like to have vomiting and loss of bowel control in the arms of a perfect stranger." I am here to tell you. I cannot recommend it.

However, to whomever belonged those sweet words, warm blankets and cradling arms, I am forever thankful.
The rest is a bit unclear to me. I was told that it was between four and six hours I spent out there. At some point Neeka woke up, there were many voices, Jeff was returned, I had questions but couldn't speak...

I do clearly recall hearing the sweet, calm voice of Grandpa Woodstock and the peace that came over me when I realized that he was there with me, telling people what to do.
I recall his gravelly, whispery voice as he doubled the blankets over me, laid down next to me and breathed hot air under the blankets to stop the near convulsive shaking that I was experiencing. He was telling someone to go to the CALM Medic tent immediately, someone else that I needed more blankets and another to get blankets on the baby.
I think I cried from relief at this point.

I was barely conscious for about 36 hours following that fine experience. None of the medics could agree upon what the cause of this was, only that I was not at all the first or only person to fall victim to it at this Gathering.

I've said a lot about the scary things at the Gathering; Pepper-spray, rubber bullets, tazers, near death experiences, but there were many, many beautiful things too and it is all starting to come back to me now that there is a little distance between us and the whole experience.

I'm feeling the inspiration to write coming over me again and hope that I can get back to regular posting now.
I would love to tell you about the moose that all but looked in our window, being saved by Search and Rescue (before we even got to the Gathering), Grandpa Woodstock and all the other amazing people we met, the awe inspired by bearing witness to the rapid and completely organic growth of a peaceful community....
There was a car running on water, ovens made of barrels and mud turning out hundreds of pizzas and danishes, a three tiered fire pit and somehow Jeff and I became Mid-Gate.

Oh the stories I will tell you ;-)