Life a little sweeter
Posted 2 days ago
Things have been going very well here. I wish I could tell you exactly what has made the difference for Tyler and Thomas lately. It’s very hard to know with their illnesses cause and effect. Even good cause and effect. Perhaps it’s the medicine the boys began a few months ago. Our doctors here felt it was worth trying this new med even though it is not available in the U.S. So we enlisted the help of our friends around the world who have stopped at nothing to get enough medicine for the boys. Literally these super heroes traveled by planes, trains, and automobiles. One even faced extreme conditions including illness and floods to meet and relay the medicine to us. Thank you! Thank you!
We are very hopeful that this medicine is working. Perhaps stabilizing them and helping them stay out of the E.R. but only time will tell. I cannot express how happy it makes me that Tyler has not missed any school and that Thomas has not been back to the E.R. It’s still fresh in my mind that in a season not so long ago we were in the hospital every other week.
Of coarse as you would imagine as a family we do not take health for granted. But I am delighted to realize that beyond that our children seem to have an appreciation and perspective about everyday life that is such a blessing.
The unpredictability of chronically ill children's lives is often overwhelming for them and their families. You would think that many of these kids would be a mental mess, drowning in disillusionment and self-pity. I have found the opposite to be true. Chronically ill children are often some of them happiest and most content people I know. I have come to realize that much of it steams from their perspective. Along with all the misery that accompanies being ill seemingly comes a gift - an incredible appreciation for life.
Tyler’s friend Olivia has been through more pain and life threatening uncertainty than any other child I know. And yet, in spite of it all, her enthusiasm for life is remarkable. I was privileged to spend some time with Olivia a few weeks ago and it was one of life’s moments I will never forget. She hugged me and with a huge smile said “Guess what Mrs. Kim? I got my tube out just in time for you to take my picture and next week I am having surgery to get my stint out. Isn’t that wonderful?” Shining with an inner joy she continued, “I am so grateful.”
Grateful? Two transplants, stints, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, not to mention hundreds of days in the hospital in agonizing pain? But there it was. Gratitude and appreciation. Her refreshing outlook amazed me. These chronically ill children really do view each moment as God given. It's a perspective that changes the way they perceive everything.
A dear friend of mine recently taught a class to Tyler’s scout troop entitled "Citizenship in the Nation." My friend relayed to me later that when they discussed the phrase “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Tyler raised his hand and gave a short dissertation on what he believed. He discussed how the phrase refers to the “pursuit” of happiness not the guarantee of happiness. He talked about how he believed the two were very different perspectives.
I know Tyler, like many other chronically ill kids, often sees the world in a very special way. Maybe the way we all should see it. What would our lives be like if everyday we woke up thrilled just to be healthy? If everyday, in spite of circumstances, we were excited about the possibilities of today and humbled by our ability to pursue happiness to the fullest. What if we viewed every breath as a God given gift and not a guarantee? Maybe for all of us our problems might not appear so overwhelming. Perhaps the sun would seem a little brighter. The grass would seem a little greener. And I suspect, just like for Tyler and Olivia, every moment would seem a little sweeter.
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