next of kin had to fly from Paris after Christmas to be by

her side and to make decisions about more procedures

that needed to be done.
Tita Annie had to be intubated and sedated a few times
because she was having a hard time breathing and
because she was undergoing some pain and discomfort.
There would be days when she would be awake and
lucid and then there were the darker days when she
would simply be unresponsive. We were allfearfulthat
she might not pullthrough.
Christmas and New Year came and went, and Sr. MarJo,
having just
been recently moved to Paris and with
commitments requiring her to travel to Southeast Asia,
reluctantly said good-bye to her aunt, hoping that it
wouldn't be her final good-bye. A cousin, Swasi Bate,
the next closest kin in New York City, stepped up and
took on the responsibility and had the generosity of
spirit to care for Tita Annie during this precarious
episode. Despite her demanding work schedule, Swasi
made daily visits to the hospital and eventually, when
Tita Annie was well enough to go to rehab, made daily
visits there as well.
E-mail updates and requests for prayers continued to
circulate among Tita Annie's AAAA sisters. Some were
able to visit her at the hospital and the rehab center.
And then by mid-March, the exciting news was
announced. Leapinglizards, Tita Annie was coming
home!
That she was able to survive this ordeal was nothing
short of a miracle. Even her own doctors were in
disbelief. She is one strong lady. "Made of steel,"
her surgeon said. And that's for sure! Even more awesome
is Tita Annie's resolve and determination to be able to walk
again and remarkably, within a few months, she was up
and about again and attending her usual activities at the
Center, including being a part of a concert performance at
the Fashion District. Her last words to Sr. MarJo who was
able to visit her again last March was that she would visit
her in Paris!!
Last June, AAAA had a get together, and to everyone's
delight and amazement, Tita Annie made an appearance,
and perhaps other than having lost some weight, she was
her usual
jolly
and amusing self again, proving to all of us
that with will power and by putting your faith in the Higher
Power, you can bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow,
there'll be sun!
AAAA New York's very own AN N lE is back and ready to
seize the day
-
and ready to give Daddy Warbucks a run for
his money!
GigiJacinto Jones
31