Kill The Pity

There are children out there a WHOLE lot sicker than Michaela, and I make it a point to remind myself of that. It may sound weird, crazy, or even sick, but I spend time reading other blogs about sick children. Blogs about very sick children. Children who probably won't outlive Michaela, and who suffer many times more than she ever will. Many of them don't have anything like epilepsy. They have monstrous diseases like cancer.

I do this to keep my life in perspective.

I mean, how can I complain when I read about a little girl who's had more surgery than I've had teeth cleanings? Or a little boy who suffers from screaming pain for hours at a time?

Michaela doesn't have to deal with pain in general. I know there are times when she'll have a seizure that will cause her to bite her tongue, or fall on the floor, or whack her arm. And I understand that a seizure in general is pretty hard on the muscles. It appears as if she's having charlie horses. I bet it hurts.

But that's nothing for her. She bounces right back. And her short term memory really helps, I'm sure. Just the fact that she doesn't think like a normal child, is in her favor in this way. She doesn't know what's going on all the time. She forgets the boo-boos quickly enough.

But the others....

Those children that know what's going on. That hurt. That are scared. I read their stories that their parents record in their online journals, and I ache for them. Literally. Like a ball sized rock in the middle of my chest.....constricting.....pulsing. Sometimes the stories bring me to tears.

I can't imagine what their Moms and Dads deal with. I. can't. even. try.

***

So when things are tough for you, or your children, or you're having a hard day, always remember: It could be worse, and there's always a bright side. You're probably pretty healthy. And so are your kids. You're not watching them suffer, and you're problem with work/school/friends will work itself out in time. That's a blessing. We need to be thankful. It doesn't mean that you don't have troubles---we all do---but it could be worse. Right? For most all of us, our problems are the types of issues other people WISH they had.

So tonight, I'm thinking about Maria.

And Sophie.

And Jordan.

And Riley.

And Nathan.

And I'm hugging Michaela a little tighter. And whispering a prayer for these sweet children who's Moms and Dads wish they had seizures to deal with. Instead of terminal cancer or heart transplants.

It makes even my darkest days seem a little bit brighter, and helps me to kill any pity real quick.











****If children who suffer with cancer or other terminal illness capture your heart, like they do mine, then put your heartache to work and donate to a fund or charity that supports children in that situation. St. Jude's Research Hospital is my favorite. Find your favorite, and let them know you want to help in any way you can....big or small****