I met my therapist/driver (lol) Alicia, at 8:15am and we left for Denver. We made it up to the news station around 9:15pm. We were early but it worked out okay because we were able to get started early. Cheryl Preheim, the news person was incredibly easy to talk to and made talking about self-injury a lot easier than I thought it would be. It was just like sitting and having a conversation with a friend. I appreciated her style and ease. I can't tell you how long the conversation was but it seemed to, at the same time, last a long time (in a good way) and go by so fast. There was so much more that I could have said if I had thought about it. I trust though that I said the right things and that if there was anything else Cheryl would have asked me about it. Alicia was in the room with me so I always felt like she had my back. I never got nervous though which was a blessing. My voice did crack a couple of times (from allergies) but I'm sure they will edit that out.
After my interview the author/professor showed up and did her interview. I got to be in the room and watch. It went well too. And then they interviewed a college aged girl who also struggled with self injury. I learned a lot from her interview. She had self-injured from about 12-13 years old! So young! I'm glad she spoke out on this topic.
It turned out that Alicia and Cheryl both were born and grew up in a little town in Indiana (Goshen) so they had things to talk about. Cheryl just put everyone at ease. She gave us a tour of the station and we took pictures at the 9News desk after they had just finished a live show. I'll post pics once I get them emailed to me.
Alicia was very thoughtful and took me out for a healthy lunch at a sushi/hibachi restaurant in Denver to celebrate how well I had done in my interview.. She knows I am doing WW and try to make healthy choices. I had water to drink and some rice and chicken teriyaki (which I need to remember to track!). I tried some sushi but wasn't too keen on it because it had seafood in it. I think I would have liked a vegetarian roll much better. It was my first time at a sushi place though and I was happy to have the experience.
Alicia was a great moral support and having her drive gave me the freedom to focus on what I needed to do today. I'm am grateful to have her in my life.
It's been a long day and now I am at home relaxing. I won't pick up Bayou until after 4pm because today is her monthly grooming day. I was so preoccupied this morning with the TV interview that I forget to ask them to groom her so they are doing it this afternoon. That's okay by me because I could use a little time to relax before I get out there again.
So overall it was a great experience and I can't wait until the piece is put together and aired. That won't happen until after the holidays though. I'll be notified when it's going to be on the air and online and I'll let you know as soon as I find out. Thanks for all the support and encouragement. I deeply appreciate it.
No comments:
Post a Comment