You know it’s going to be a bad day when you spend 10 minutes standing on your front porch trying to figure out why you can’t get into your home before you realize that repeatedly pushing the unlock button on your car’s smart key isn’t going to open the front door of your house.
Yes, it’s been one of those days.
Actually, it’s been one of those months.
One of those months when you can’t seem to catch a break.
One of those months when the war against fatigue has you in the trenches.
One of those months when your body is begging you not to drag yourself out of bed after just two hours of sleep (for the fifth day in a row), but you do, because your 5-year-old daughter needs to get the radiologist, the ENT and the emergency clinic for an unprecedented nine consecutive visits in her battle against strep throat, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, an intestinal blockage and tonsillitis—–all at the same time.
Yes, it’s been one of those months.
Interestingly, though, whereas fatigue typically has a disastrous effect on my mood, this recent series of sleepless nights has yielded an enlightening of sorts.
In between caring for my poor daughter (who, physically has endured more pain than any child should), juggling two jobs, and trying to keep our house from falling into an abyss of soiled laundry, dust bunnies and dirty dishes, I can’t stop thinking of parents who have it 10, 30, or 50 times worse than we do.
My daughter is in pain. A lot of pain. However, there is light at the end of her pain tunnel. After two failed medicinal cocktails, the doctors seem to have found the right combination of antibiotics and my daughter is on the mend. (Fingers crossed.)
The same can’t be said for some of the sick kids we met during our multiple trips to various specialists and clinics.
I don’t know how those parents do it. Their children suffer from diseases most of us can’t even pronounce, including endodermal sinus tumor (also known infantile embryonal carcinoma), pleuropulmonary blastoma, and botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma.
How do those moms and dads manage to care for their extremely ill children, maintain a job, keep their homes intact, and preserve their sanity?
I have the luxury of being able to telecommute, so I can work from just about anywhere (including a hospital) at anytime (typically when my daughter is asleep or content reading or watching a video).
But what about the parents of chronically ill children who don’t have the same job set-up?
And what about the siblings of sick kids? I saw a few of them tagging along to doctors’ appointments. Most looked like they would rather have their toenails ripped out than be dragged along to yet another doctor’s office.
If you are a parent of a special needs child or a youngster with an incurable or debilitating disease, you deserve infinite respect and admiration. I can’t stomach watching my child roll around in pain. I took solace knowing that her agony was temporary. I’m not sure how I would react knowing that there was nothing I could do to ease her suffering.
Yes, it’s been one of those months, but because of what has transpired in the last 30 days I have gained a new perspective on parenting and a greater appreciation for moms and dads who have one of those months every month.
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