Erin's Mack Truck - Chapter 5

Travels with Bacteria

Erin’s unexpected medical journey started with a bacterial infection, one with a lineage of epidemics and evolution, queens and the Muppets. In modern times, group A streptococcus, its medical acronym is GAS, usually turns up as strep throat. When I really hated high school, I fantasized that a good case of strep would give me reason to miss days, possibly weeks of class. I had no idea.

Erin's Mack Truck - Chapter 4

Megamarathon in the Medical Unit

While medical technology kept Erin alive, information technology kept the rest of us connected. Using a secure blog the hospital provided, Rob's sister posted the first update soon after Erin's emergency surgery, days after she gave birth. Rob posted daily updates while Erin was in the ICU. When Erin's lungs and heart looked ready to work on their own, he put that on the blog. When she woke up and was transferred to a medical unit, Rob posted that. Sometimes the blogs were personal but in the early days, many read like the pages of a medical textbook.