December 2, 2020 Issue, Page 1 of 10

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Serving Western Oklahoma S 90 Weekday Edition Elk City military wife Wednesday, December 2, 2020 reflects on home away during the holidays By Shonda Little move,” she said. “I had a dental business that my parents were able to take over. And I had to ease my family into the idea of us moving. When Celeste (Hutson) Holliday graduated from Elk City High It would have been scary enough for them for me to go, but I was School in 2009, she had big dreams. She knew fairly quickly that taking Preslei. And I understand why they were upset. They loved she would pursue a career in dental hygiene, though she wasn’t cer- her so much and she loved them so much. But this was also a chance tain where she would practice. for her to experience something most people never get to.” Little did she know that falling in love with a member of the ‘The couple does not live on a military base. Instead, they get a United States Air Force would eventually take her and that dream monthly housing allowance and use virtually all of it for their con- around the world to Singapore. do. Now, two years into living in the small Asian nation, the chal- Type 1 Diabetes “Everything is so expensive here. They call it a condo, but really it lenges of half a world’s distance amid a global pandemic would is an oversized apartment,” Holliday laughed. make it nearly impossible for her and her young daughter Preslei For what her condo lacks in size, Holliday says that Singapore to visit their beloved family in western Oklahoma for the holidays. “Irs a long and expensive travel anyways,” she explained. “So it makes up for it in the grandeur that surrounds it. Awareness Month “I mean, it is so beautiful. There is so much of it that it takes isn't easy to do. We can’t come for every holiday or every thing we your breath away kind of gorgeous. And then we are getting ex- would like to be there for. My brother — and we are very dose — posed to so many cultures that we never could have back home. My Elk City mother praises just became a father. I see pictures and videos of that sweet little idea of Asian food has completely changed. Honestly, the Chinese boy and I just can’t wait to squish him. But, now with the pandemic food that I can get back home would be bland by comparison. Here, self-determined child, community and Singapore having very different laws, I’m not sure that I would the spices just come to life. They have these things called ‘hawker be able to make it back if I were to come home. It has made coming stands, which are basically like food courts. Instead of the food for success battling type 1 diabetes home for the holidays almost impossible.” trucks like you would see at H&8 in Oklahoma City, it is just these While Holliday has become accustomed to missing precious fam- ‘small stalls side by side. You can get this really amazing food at a re- ily moments since she and her family have been stationed in Singa- ally cheap price. I mean, like $3 can buy you a huge plate of chicken By Shonda Little pore, she has also come to love where they currently live. When she and rice unlike anything you have ever eaten. Many of the workers met her husband Kris, she never would have dreamed the romance are from India. They are often the lower waged workers and they According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 1.6 mil- would take her halfway around the world. are sending everything they can back home, so this is how they lion have type 1 diabetes, or T1D, including 187,000 children. “We met while he was stationed at Altus Air Force Base,” she re- can get something good to eat. I've learned that my favorite of the Among those is 8-year-old Elk City girl Lola McClure, daughter counted. “He had put in for this spot in Singapore, but I don’t think Asian food is Thai food,” she explained. he really thought it would happen. They only have five spots here. Holliday says that learning to navigate through Singapore was her husband Jamie, a principal for Elk City Public Schools. We went on our first date at the Applebee's in Altus and everything both easy and hard. Like her older sister Kami, Lola has been active and healthy just felt right. He and my daughter were pretty much joined at the “My best friend here speaks seven languages,” she stated. “But since birth. But the keen eye of her mother Felicia noticed symp- hip from the minute they met later on. It was like he was meant to for almost all, English is the first language they learn. Most have toms of the disease when she was only 4-years-old. be her father. Then, as we are starting to get serious, he tells me little to no accent. The road signs are all in English. In that way, “It kinda came out of nowhere,” Felicia recounted. “All her an- he got the email that he was being shipped to Singapore. I knew I it wasn’t like being thrown into a foreign country where we just nual check-ups had been perfect. She had never been sick aside didn’t want to stop seeing him, so we decided we would just be long couldn't get around. But, then I had to learn to drive on the other from the run-of-the-mill kid stuff and she always bounced back distance and see where it went.” side of the road. And, yeah, that was hard at first. I joke that I only like nothing had happened. Then, out of nowhere, she started As the relationship blossomed, she decided she should go to Sin- sideswiped one thing and we were able to get that easily fixed. I wetting the bed at night and would wake up crying because she gapore to see if she and her daughter could adapt. So, as her daugh- had myself really stressed about it, but then I realized that it was wanted a drink of water. And she was crying like she was in asuper ter went off on a Disney trip with her grandparents, Holliday flew basically the same as how my dad had taught me how to drive. The urgentneed for water. During the day, I noticedthat we were still halfway around the world to find answers for that question. dotted line is still in the middle of the road and you have to be the drinkinga massive amount of water, like she couldn't get her thirst “Iwas there for two weeks, but it honestly didn’t take that long same distance to it. NowI think it will be really weird when we do quenched, and was going to the bathroom an excessive amount.” for me to know this was the right thing for us to do. I was justcome back home and I have to drive the other way again.” ‘The American Diabetes Association details that it often takes thinking, ‘you won't know if you don't try,” she said. Now, on their second holiday season in Singapore, Holliday does weeks upon months for a child to be accurately diagnosed and ‘The two married by proxy on March 29, 2018 — meaning she find herself longing for home. Last year her homesickness, she says, then it often comes in alife-threatening state, drove to Texas with her best friend standing in for her husband was partially quenched because both her mother and her husband’s Lola was lucky not to face that. Kris and, halfway around the world, he did the same with a stand- mother were able to visit. Because her mother was an experienced registered nurse aware in for her. “It was great,” she said. “And the pandemic hadn't hit, so we were of the symptoms, Felicia’s gut instinct told her what was wrong “It took me six more months to get my ducks in row to make that See Away page 2. even before her daughterhad seen a pediatrician. “Jt was just a couple of days after that first night when I called Dr. Firth’s office for an appointment. You know how the doctor’s office will ask what a patient is being seen for or what the symp- Covid Changes announced locally it. And my through experience, that was the only thing that made ‘toms are? | literally I wanted said, ‘type 1 diabetes.’ You know, it wasn't like it to be that, but if it was that, I wanted to be on top of new visitation polices due to the “current spike in Covid-19 cases sense to me at the time.” WG. District s across Oklahoma and the rise in hospitalizations.” Effective November 25, GPRMC said visitors will not be allowed Sure enough, when Lola went into the check-up, her mother says her blood sugar was a whooping 447.. & Southwest Oklahoma to accompany patients. “He came in and told us that it was diabetes that we were deal- «PNY “This policy includes patients who are undergoing same-day sur- ing with,’ she recounted. “He told us to go home and that he was gery or procedures and those visiting the emergency department calling OU Children’s. He didn’t know if they would want us there By Shonda Little and departments such as laboratory and radiology,” GRPMC stated. that night or to wait.” ‘The new policy restricts all visitors, including waiting in the ER So, the family returned home, only to be there for a few hours. Children’s Hospital called wanting to see Lola as emergent. With Covid-19 numbers spiking both locally and nationally, waiting area. “Most the time when people figure out their kid has type 1 dia- area schools and Great Plains Regional Medical Center are making Exceptions are for labor and delivery or admitted minor patients, whereas only one visitor is permitted in the room. The visitor must betes, they are in diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be near death changes. for some. We were fortunate that she was not that sick. They did According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the remain the same throughout the length of the stay. For confirmed Covid-19 patients and patients awaiting results, put her in the hospital, but were not in ICU with alife-threaten- available ICU beds in the state fell to 52 from 60 just a week ago. ing condition. That night was tough, though. They were checking visitors will not be allowed unless the patient is a minor. Operating room recovery beds also declined from 473 to 397. PICU Visiting hours for the one designated visitor will be from 9 am to her blood sugar and giving her a shot every two hours,” Felicia re- beds went from 25 to 16. 6pm daily. counted. Patients currently hospitalized rose from 1,428 to 1,542. ‘After 6 pm, the designated individual must have permission from During that time, the family learned to give young Lola insu- ‘The one positive increase was that average days of PPE, or person- the unit house supervisor to re-enter after screening. al protective equipment, rose to 39.8 days versus 34.5 a week ago. All visitors must check in through the emergency room registra- part of her job in critical care. ‘The week prior, Beckham County had 10 new confirmed cases. tion area and complete a brief health screening before entering a However, for her father Jamie, Felicia says the experience wasa Now it has 29. Nearly neighboring and surrounding county, includ- patient care area. jolting wake-up call. ing Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman and Washi- GPRMC is asking individuals who may be sick themselves, in- “Lola may be one of the toughest people I have ever known,” ta had increased cases. cluding those experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough or sore Felicia gushed. “So for her, even though she was only 4, she had Only Cotton had a decreased number of new cases, adding 9 over throat, to not visit the hospital unless seeking medical treatment. done really well in the process of being in the hospital. The only last week’s 14. ‘Those seeking exceptions must be submitted to the clinician di- time that she really cried was when Jamie was practicing giving Beckham County has 227 cases as of Friday, with 1,071 consid- rector and then approved by hospital CEO Corey Lively. her the shot and it wasn’t because he was hurting her. I think she ered recovered. Currently, 17 deaths have been credited to Covid-19. In addition to the regional hospital, Beckham County schools are could just see that he was scared for her. And for him, it was scary Last week, the Great Plains Regional Medical Center announced See Covid page 2. because he'sa good father and adores his girls to the end of the Weather Vol. 118, No. 97 Mail delivery View online AM, Weather ge 39/25 75 cents, 10 pgs. 580.225.3000 elkcityoknews.com