This is Jesse the week before Thanksgiving. She was taken to Children's from Methodist Mansfield via her own personal chariot. You guessed it...asthma strikes again! When we found out we were being transported to Dallas I was hoping Ron would volunteer to ride with her, while I followed with the car. I tend to crack under pressure more than him and I could already imagine that she would be very unhappy the whole way which would make me terribly anxious. As I was thinking of about it Ron blurted out that I should ride with her because she is known to be a bit of a mommy's girl, beings that we are together so much.
I started thinking maybe I tell him should go home first and pack an overnight bag, and then I imagined one of my regrets in life. I do have regrets...many in fact. It always bothers me when people say they don't have regrets. I call bs on most people that say that. A year earlier...when we were in Children's and the emergency team was transporting us to ICU there was a whole team in the room and I had exited five minutes earlier from not being able to handle it. Ron was in the room and right after he came out they all came out of the room, and headed upstairs. I vividly remember seeing about 15 people surrounding her bed all walking in unison with a Dr in the hospital bed with Jesse...holding her. I told myself..."That should be me".
That memory came flooding over me and I knew I needed to take the ride in the ambulance with Jesse. It started off ok...and then she wanted out really bad which heightened her breathing and coughing. I leaned over the stretcher and tried to hold her in her car seat. I started singing sesame street songs and she started to settle down. The paramedic and I hung up her stuffed animals, baby dolls, and gloves all over the ambulance and she thought that was funny. We got there just fine and even got to bypass the ER and went straight to our room.
This is not just an update but an opportunity for someone that may be reading this. Everytime we have been to Children's we pass by patient rooms that are empty...except for the patient. Sometimes its's an infant or an older child. They are alone...sometimes they are crying...sometimes they are sleeping or watching TV. After talking to a nurse she told us that not all kids are afforded the luxury of family support. Obviously some are there long term and have a parent that needs to go to work, take care of other children, or they don't have family support. Jesse and I walked the halls and each time passed by what looked like a six month old that was alone and wailing in his crib. The nurse would come in and check on him and give him meds/bottle and finally I saw what I realized was a hospital volunteer that came in and held him till he fell asleep. There are two of us....and sometimes more!! But what about the kids that only have one parent...or none!
People tend to push charities/volunteer opportunities that have affected them...so here is my push!! It's the least I could do (besides paying our mounting medical bills) for a hospital that has done so much for us. Even as I have felt down or sorry for myself I know the greatest cure is take the attention off myself and put it on others. There are lots of volunteer opportunities out there...and I myself need to take more advantage of the time I have...I hope you will too
THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
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