Around our house, we have great fun celebrating Christmas. This year was also fantastic, with one exception. Nagging at me all day was how baby boy was breathing. Not good.
At 7:30pm I couldn’t take it anymore and made the trip down to the hospital. Before getting admitted, they put us in the trauma room to get him on some oxygen and begin other treatments.
I was sitting there holding a ventolin mask over his screaming face, telling myself that the situation sucked. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, and a lot sorry for my baby boy. It was no way for my little man to spend his first Christmas, thought I.
Then I had a quick reality check. The guy on the other side of the curtain, who seemed to be getting treatment for pain of sorts, started speaking:
Guy: “Nurse? I kinda feel like killing myself”
Nurse: “Hmmm, what are you thinking about doing?”
Guy: “I dunno, maybe cut my wrists, find a gun or take some pills”
Nurse: “Do you have a gun?”
Guy: “No”
Nurse: “OK, we can have a chat with the Doctor about all this”
I looked down at my wheezing boy and thought about the guy on the other side of the curtain. What was his first Christmas like? How would his mother feel if, on his first Christmas, she knew that in about 40 more years he’d feel like killing himself on Christmas Day?
I gave my baby boy an extra squeezy hug and decided my Christmas didn’t suck after all.
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what a sad story! and yet a perfect example of how things could definitely be worse…it’s funny how life builds in those little reminders
It’s funny the difference a frame of reference can bring about.
Extra squeezy hugs to all of your precious children from me!
I am so glad that you posted this. I think too many people feel bad for themselves and forget that things could be so much worse for someone else. Thanks for reminding us all that we have SO very much to be thankful for and I hope your little guy is feeling much better too!
It’s truly amazing how we forget that Christmas can truly be a horrible time for so many people! Thanks for posting this.
Wow, thank you for sharing this experience, Julie. I like to keep the “it could be worse” saying in my head during hard times too. It’s so true!
You have grest perspective here Julie. But still, I wish your little guy a healthy new year.
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Oh my gosh, what a story. I’m really hoping your little boy is breathing much, much better now.
It’s SO true that seeing others struggle helps us keep perspective. But (sort of objectively, as a fellow mom with 3 little kids) in my book you still get to call Christmas at the hospital with a baby struggling to breathe a totally sucky day.
Best wishes for a healthy 2010!
Carol