Saturday, September 11, 2010

Dates.....

I have so many different thoughts running through my head today with it being the 9th Anniversary of September 11th. It is one of those dates I personally will never forget. It has become one of those days that are significant in my life like birthdays and anniversaries.

Being the parent of a child with Spina Bifida, there are other dates that live in my mind. The world may not recognize these dates but my heart and mind do. You may think I am crazy and I will not be offended if you do. Sometimes I think I am crazy. There is another reason why September 11th is a date I will never forget. It was the day of Madilyn's second spinal surgery. The one where she screamed for 72 hours before the spasms in her spinal cord stopped. I remember this day.

Dates: March 26th....Madilyn was born, April 1st....complete GI reconstruction, October 28th...7 hour lipomyelomenigoecle repair, August 1....surgery on right foot, September 11...second spinal surgery, April 14th....round two of surgery on right leg, August 24th....third spinal surgery, October of the same year....Madilyn was able to walk and gave up her wheelchair, March 15th...MACE procedure and so on and so on......

All of these days played in my mind as we journeyed to Children's Hospital this morning. Madilyn had to have a Renal Bladder Ultrasound. It was no big deal for Madilyn. It was more of a big deal to me because of the significance of this day. We were able to zip in and out of Radiology since it was a Saturday. After our ultrasound, we headed to visit our favorite nurse on the 1st Floor. Mrs. Kimi! She is the best and we consider her a part of our family!

I celebrate each anniversary of these dates in a personal way. I usually go back and read my journal entries and see how far we have come. I cry sometimes....and other times I just simply offer a quiet prayer that the Lord allowed me to make it through the experience.

Every experience, whether surgery or test or doctors appointments, have a place in our journey. They come together to tell our story. Some chapters are more pleasant than others. There is laughter and tears mixed together. There are hard days and then there are times of joy. There are days of complete frustration and days of peace. But, we share in this journey together because of the children who bless our lives and challenge us to be better parents.

Best Wishes!
Madilyn's Mom

2 comments:

Jill said...

You're not crazy at all. I think we all have those dates! I have the diagnosis date, almost birth date, birth date, surgery date, shunt date... I'm sure there will be more down the road. The dates have made me stronger as a mother. I pay them their due.

carols said...

Hi,
These are common. Don't worry. Soon the hard days will change to times of joy. Nice sharing and keep posting. Do stay in touch.
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