No, I'm not talking about the common cold or flu here, although I may address that at a later point. Here, I'm talking about serious, congenital, genetic, and/or terminal illnesses. The kind that break your heart over and over and over.
My best friend's little girl has a genetic disorder. She is 4 years old, and has had more surgeries than most adults I know. She walks with braces on her legs. She is developmentally slow. She has a weak immune system. She will have problems with her health for her entire life. She is completely happy and oblivious to any problems, and that is all due to the incredible amount of work her parents put in to keep her that way.
Day after day, they know all of the pain and suffering their baby has to endure. They know there is nothing they can do to fix it. They struggle with insurance companies constantly, and they are always weighing the financial options. Can we afford this doctor, or this procedure, or this set of leg braces? Knowing what they have been through, what they are going through, and what lies ahead of them breaks my heart and I'm not even related. I cannot imagine the heartbreak that comes with being in their shoes.
I'm not sure that I'd be strong enough to do it. To have a sick child, especially a terminally sick one. To spend holidays and birthdays in the hospital with them. To know how badly they want to run and play and just be like other "normal" children. To know that there is absolutely not a thing in the world I could do to make it all better. It's hard to even think about. And, selfish as it is, I'm grateful I don't have to.
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