Saturday, February 9, 2008

A dose of reality!

I joined a support group for Lincoln. It is a great group and great to have questions answered by people who have or are going through the same thing as I am. I don't post much, as I am a shy member, but I do reply to people when I have gone through the same situation and have asked a few questions. Sometimes I have to wonder if it is good for me though. I am an optimist, I like to believe the best! so when I am forced to come to reality, it is a hard pill to swallow. Even when Lincoln is in the hospital having a surgery I seem to have no problem believing he is going to come out just fine, sometime I think I take everything for granted. Well I had a reality check! A member from the group, who was not a shy member, sent a post. Her little man about 14 months, who was doing just fine, no unordinary problems, just passed away. He was staying with his grandparents while his parents went out of town. He started acting different and fussy, so his grandparents decided to take him to the emergency room; he stopped breathing on the way to the hospital and they couldn't revive him. Cause: He got a stomach infection and his heart wasn't strong enough to fight it. Oh, how my heart goes out to them. Your Legacy will always be remembered little Seamus.


It is a hard pill to swallow. I have to realize that just because Lincoln is doing so well, doesn't mean he is or ever will be safe. Unfortunately my son's heart will never be whole, it will never be "fixed." He has half a heart. He has been "rewired" to live on one ventricle. His heart could decide to peeter out at any moment. Any little infection, trauma, or illness could take my baby from me. He does need additional surgeries and /or a heart transplant in the future. There is not a fix for Hypo-plastic Left Heart Syndrome. It is easy to take health for granted, but I have to realize that I can't take Lincoln's health for granted.
So that all said, am I supposed to live in fear every day wondering if today is my last day with him? I don't think I want to dwell on that at all. I do have to be more careful with Lincoln, but If I was in a constant state of worry; I do not feel I would be able to enjoy and rejoice in his life. I do not want him to feel different than the other kids, and I do not want to turn him into a wounded Duck. So even though believing that he is a super hero may be over the top and leave me vulnerable to great sorrow, I choose to take the road of the optimist, but I do have to admit a dose of reality is also good for me.
(who knows, he just have to hold on till the Savior comes, and that's my final take on things.)

4 comments:

The Flynn's said...

I'm sorry to hear that little boy died. We definitely take our health for granted. When Olivia was born, she had kidney reflux (which obviously doesn't compare to what Lincoln's got) but watching her scream as they would do tests on her was so hard so I can only imagine how hard it must be to see Lincoln and others so helpless. I hope he continues to progress!!

Amber Horspool said...

Oh Addy, you are such a good person! You are so blessed with your beautiful family. I agree with your thoughts on being optomistic. I think that's how we can feel the most joy in this life. Your family has been through alot, but look at how happy you all are! You're a great example to me. Thanks!

Kailey said...

You're awesome. That's just the way you should think. You need to enjoy Lincoln and your other children and cherish the moments you have with them. Having a sick child makes you realize how precious life really is.

Binne77 said...

Hey Addy...
Just wanted to say I completely understand how you feel. All I can say is balance. We never know when a healthy person we love is going to go, vs. someone who has any type of condition.

All you can do is love. You're doing just that. You're in my thoughts!