Billy's SAT results came in the mail today and I really really wanted to open that envelope! I waited, though, because I knew he'd worked hard and it would only be right that he should open the envelope.
His score was 1400, 700 on the verbal and 700 on the math. He did 93-95% better than other kids taking the test, juniors and seniors.
I am so proud.
He's delighted but still wants to take the SAT again to try and do better. I think he can do it.
When he took the test, I guess the first 4 colleges Billy expressed an interest in was MIT in Cambridge, RPI in Troy NY, RIT in Rochester NY and NYIT in Westbury. There was information about each of the schools, everything from type of campus, to how many students, to how much might be spent in a year, on average.
Billy could get into all the schools now except for MIT. MIT is looking for an SAT score of 740-800 on the math part. MIT is much harder to get into -- I think they accept only 15% of applicants.
This (Billy's graduation and continuation into college) is getting closer and closer to reality!
How do you feel about organ donations?
It?s creeping to think about this because no one wants to think about their own deaths. Still, there are lots of sick people out there who will die unless they can have a transplanted organ. I saw this commercial one time. There was a little kid on it who said, ?Organ donations isn?t about death. It?s about life.?
It?s true.
When Rich had his first surgery in 1987, we talked about it. Rich thought that he would be able to help further research in Marfan if he donated his organs after he died. We weren?t so sure that his organs would save any people but we thought the researchers might be able to learn something. Anyway, I decided that I would be an organ donor too.
Afterwards, we came home from the hospital and had ?organ donor? added to our drivers? licenses. When we moved to NY from MD and changed our licenses, we did the same thing.
Rich died. It was a shock to me although we knew it could happen at any time. I thought it might be too late for Rich to be able to help anyone. One of the nurses told me no, it wasn?t too late. I asked them to contact the Marfan Foundation. I don?t know what happened there, but I do know that Rich?s corneas and outer layers of skin went to help people. I didn?t realize that skin could be donated to help burn victims. It?s a sort of protective layer that will help protect them against infection.
I felt good knowing that Rich had helped some people. I think Rich feels good about it, too.
What is one event that many people consider entertaining that you personally would have a very difficult time sitting through from beginning to end?
Super Bowl Sunday! I think that the game is hyped beyond belief. What might have been a reasonably exciting game is turned into a big long ordeal (for me) with these spectacular half time events. Zzzzzzzz?.