The $76K Project: Reboot

Originally posted on The $76K Project on 11/19/2018 One early morning last March, my son shuffled into our bedroom, his hands clenched to his abdomen. "Mom," he whispered. "Mom. I don't feel good. My stomach hurts. Can I stay home today?" "Mrrrph," I said from beneath the covers, wondering how long it'd be before I'd be cleaning up puke off the bathroom floor. Three hours later, I was about to log into a conference call with my boss when I heard an odd, gut-wrenching moan from across the house. Parental alarm bells went off in my head. I hurried into the Kiddo's room to find him curled up in a ball on the bed, his skin pale, his face scrunched up in pain.  I canceled my meeting and we headed to urgent care, where the doctor took one look at him and announced that we'd need to go straight to the ER. The verdict: a classic presentation of appendicitis. By 8 PM that evening, the Kiddo was in surgery. By 9 PM, he was enjoying a popsicle in