Thursday, November 20, 2014

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken on December 7, 2008. As you can see Mattie was already in the Christmas spirit with lights strung in his room. With each hospital admission, I always decorated Mattie's room. It was a true labor of love. Because I would decorate and then have to pack everything up when we were discharged. Just to start the process all over again, many times days later when he was readmitted. Moving in and out of the hospital was impossible. It meant moving all sorts of supplies, toys, and clothes. In essence it was basically like moving one's home! However, to me it was important to have some sort of normalcy for Mattie. Decorating provided that, otherwise without touches of home, the hospital environment was very sterile and cold looking. 


Quote of the day: Strength of character isn't always about how much you can handle before you break. It's also about how much you can handle after you've broken. ~ Robert Tew

Today we removed 1500 pounds of candy from our home! I was thrilled to see so much of it go!! Of course we still have much more to get rid of, but to see this large mountain of candy disappear was a positive sign. Yet the question is how was it moved from our home, through our corridors, and into a minivan???! I know if we had to do it alone it would have taken FOREVER!!! 

The answer is we had a lot of help!! Our complex staff mobilized forces today! They showed up at our doorstep with several rolling bins and literally in ONE fell swoop loaded all 1500 pounds of candy! I couldn't get over what I was seeing!!! It was operation candy loading!!! I am so happy I had my camera and could take photos of this outstanding work in motion!

This was our fantastic Columbia Plaza team. Standing up from left to right is Ollie and Bryon and kneeling down from left to right is Mr O., John, Michael, and Vicki. 

This minivan was filled all over with candy. It had a full trunk, the third row of seats was stacked with candy, as well as all the other seats! 

Peter snapped this photo and you can get a feeling for the filled bins!

When we arrived at Georgetown University Hospital, we were greeted by the team of child life staff. From left to right are Jess, Katie, Vicki, and Linda. Needless to say, there was a ton of candy to cart away and store, but these ladies handled it like champs! This is old hat for them, and with each successive year, they some how make it look easier! Which of course it isn't! Candy is heavy, it is hard to move, and these carts are not easy to steer and manipulate. But their 'can do' attitude is what makes them so successful at their challenging jobs. 

While visiting the Hospital, I also ran into Jey, Mattie's CT tech. Or as Jey used to call himself, Mattie's "big brother." Coming to Georgetown used to feel like visiting our second home, but now I am very aware of the fact that so many of Mattie's professional caregivers are no longer working at the institution. This is hard to swallow and accept. To me what makes a place special are the people, NOT the place itself! Once all the people we love are gone, then what is there??! That is a challenging question! My loyalty is to people, and as people disappear, with them they also take a piece of Mattie's memory. I once knew I could turn to people who knew my journey, shared my journey, and helped me remember my son as I walked through the doors of Georgetown. Now with the changes taking place, this is yet another loss Peter and I face, in a long line of losses that have taken place since the day Mattie died.