Today was a long day, although I’m sure it won’t be as long as tomorrow! Neither my husband nor I slept hardly at all last night. We stuffed every crevice of the car this morning with everything we think we might need over the next two weeks to a month and began a long, rainy trip to Philadelphia.
Once in Philly, we visited the child life specialist who took Alexandra on a tour of the areas of the hospital where she will be and showed her the playroom. Alexandra took it all in stride, and we actually had a hard time getting her to leave the playroom!
We found out that we need to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. for a 7:15 a.m. surgery tomorrow.
Once we finally arrived at Ronald McDonald House, we were exhausted but ready to get settled in. Fortunately, Alexandra had such a positive experience last week when we were here, she felt right at home immediately. They even had a birthday party tonight and served pizza and ice cream and cake. Every child received a stuffed bear and got to do artwork. Alexandra even had her face painted with a butterfly.
Being at Ronald McDonald House is a very humbling but rewarding experience. Most people never realize how important this organization is to families with children who have serious medical conditions and require long-term hospital stays. While here, you see how lucky you are, as there are many families who have children with much more serious illnesses. We are grateful for the opportunity to be here to offer and receive encouragement.
As a heart mom who has “been there, done that” – I still find it hard to find the right words to say to other heart moms who are preparing for a major surgery or just living with the anxiety that comes along with being a parent to a chronically ill child. This is probably because there are no “right words” to say, I wish there were.
What I can tell you, Lisa, is that you are a fantastic Mom and you and Jeff are awesome parents! You will get through this surgery and whatever else comes down the road!
As we have talked about, we are lucky in the respect that we don’t take parenting for granted…we know what a gift it is and we value our everydays with our children.
I am here for you as we journey down this road together.
Keep the faith!
Your “Heart Mom” friend….Beckie