I did not know when I left Monday that around an hour after I left, she would face a life threatening seizure. She went into seizure due to the pressure of the fluid in the brain and did not come out of the seizure, so they put her under anesthesia and made the decision to do emergency shunt replacement. I was told that the surgeon and his fast acting saved her life that night.
I was told that I would need to stay in Sofia rather than return to Burgas. Partly because Monika was in ICU and could have no visitors, and partly because my presence was making her to excited/nervous and she was not resting well with me there. We were able to see a few sights in Sofia that week. I was not really in the mood for sight seeing when I knew my little girl was sick in the hospital, but also knew that staying in the apartment 24/7 was not a good thing. I do have to say, the food in Bulgaria is the best food I have experienced anywhere and was very fresh. The salads were great, the cheese saurces were to die for. I want to try to replicate some of these recipes when things calm down a little.
So, I spent the rest of the week in Sofia with daily updates of Monika's progress. The shunt replacement was a success and she was recovering well. On Wednesday evening, I received word that the neurosurgeon said I could check her out of the hospital on Friday. Friday morning, we had to leave at 4:30AM in order to get to Burgas in time for check out. When we got there, it was so shocking to see Monika skip down the hallway to give me hugs and kisses. I would never have dreamed she could make such a quick recovery and am so thankful to those who prayed for this to happen. I had a meeting with the neurosurgeon and interpreter, explaining the surgery and what precautions I should take. She basically could eat anything she wanted, just better to stay out of the sun to keep from being overheated and do calm indoor activities until we had clearance from her US doctor. I also met at the hospital with the orphanage director to sign over all necessary custody papers.
Mrs Vitanova (orphanage director) & "Kilinka" with Monika checking out of hospital. These two women showed extraordinary love and care for my little girl when she could not take care of herself. The hospital was a harsh environment. No A/C and no modern devices or machines hooked up to show a patient needed help. They literally stood by Monika's side (there were no chairs) in that hot room and fanned her to try to keep her cool and comfortable. One of the hospital workers was really rude to them, seems like she thought an orphan wasn't worth the effort and their being there was making her go to extra effort in her care. I will always be thankful for these women. There was no money in the budget to hire a private nurse and with no family, Monika would have been left alone in a bed and would not have survived the ordeal.
Karen (left) Monika & I (right) saying goodbye to the orphanage workers that came to say good bye to Monika. They each had a small gift for Monika. They also let her leave in the orphanage clothes and shoes she was dressed in that morning and packed a bag with several outfits a chocolate fruit cake and bananas for her to snack on. They cried as we drove off. I truly think they cared for Monika and will miss her, but were also happy she had a family now.
Kids from the orphanage had requested to come say good bye to Monika, but it was decided that would be too much emotional excitement for her to handle. The director and 3 of the orphanage staff came to see her off. They each gave her a gift. She got a shirt and hat that said Burgas, a talking book, Bulgarian magnets, homemade chocolate/orange cake, large milka candy bar. They also sent her with 3 outfits and a pair of shoes. All the gifts I had left on the previous trip along with those I mailed to her, were all packed for her to take home. It was so obvious the staff loved her and cared for her. They were all crying as we said our good byes. Karen and I cried too. Monika seemed confused by all the commotion.
Our driver/ interpreter was great with Monika. He explained that if she felt sick or strange at any time, to let him know and he would pull the car over. That happened 3 times in the first 30 minutes. The last time she just cried her heart out, wanting to know if she would ever again see her friends. She was so frightened of what lay ahead and the fear was just overtaking her. I asked if she could sit in my lap, she jumped at that chance and just clung to my neck like she would never let go. Her whole body was shaking in fear but she stopped crying. 3 hours into the trip, she finally fell asleep. We had to go straight to the Bulgarian police immigration office on Friday when we arrived in Sofia for her to get her Bulgarian passport. On the way into the office there was a pigeon on the side walk, she was very afraid of the birds. It seemed she had never seen one before. Other than that, all went smoothly and we got back to the apartment to spend our first evening and night together as family.
Picture of Monika and I in the car on the way to Sofia on Gotcha Day.
Self portrait taken by Monika when she was playing with my iPhone at a gas stop on the way to Sofia on Gotcha Day.
Picture of Monika coloring in our apartment in Sofia. This shows how her head was shaved for her emergency surgery. They ended up not cutting the head. She had two surgical incisions, one on her neck and the other on her stomach.
Saturday and Sunday were just days to relax and get to know each other. Monday was the day for the
doctor check up required for her American VISA. That went well. Tuesday we had our "interview" with the Embassy. We were able to get tickets to fly to USA on July 4th. Monika would become an American Citizen on the day we celebrate American freedom and Independence.
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