Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2009. Mattie was invited over for his first and last sleepover at his friend Abigail's home. Since we know Abigail's parents very well, and her dad was Mattie's surgeon, we decided to leave Mattie there one night. The hospital encouraged us to do this and gave us a night at a local hotel as a respite gift. Naturally I was very nervous leaving Mattie alone, but there was one thing I knew about Mattie.... he was resourceful and knew how to get his needs met. I saw this skill in the hospital, as he had no problem advocating for himself when necessary. He once told a nurse that he did not like how the nurse was cleaning his broviac catheter, and that the nurse wasn't doing it the right way. Mattie was correct and I was very proud of him for speaking up. While staying at Abigail's house, Mattie made sure that her mom gave him all his meds, even his meds for depression. As Mattie told her...... 'without these meds I can't sleep and have bad nightmares.' Keep in mind Mattie was only 7, and yet saw the causal relationship.
Quote of the day: Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic. ~ Laini Taylor
In the midst of great tragedy in Las Vegas, we are finding out about the amazing acts of heroism in its survivors. Living in the Washington, DC area, I hear few people talking about the Las Vegas massacre. I am not sure why? Too scary? Too far away? I have no answers but one thing I know..... I am tired of the political spin. I don't wish to hear about policies and animosity between political sides. This is not the time and place for this. Have we forgotten how to be human?! After all, this is what unites us and whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Liberal, or Conservative, you bleed when hit with a bullet. Lives changed forever on Sunday and into Monday, and some individuals and families will never be the same.
I keep hearing that infamous line...... what caused this? Or WHY did Stephen Paddock do this? People naturally look for a rational and plausible explanation for such atrocities. Though having a child diagnosed with cancer and what happened in Las Vegas are TWO very different circumstances, and don't mean to insinuate that such an attack is equivalent to cancer, I do want to point out a similar feeling both traumas evoke. When Mattie was diagnosed with cancer the question we asked and so many others asked of us is why? We need to always understand the why! We need to be in control of our lives and destiny, so that we can effectively prevent such things from happening. But just like with Mattie's cancer diagnosis, Sunday's tragedy was also not preventable. How does this make any of us feel? NOT GREAT. It isn't great knowing that the killer had no immediate red flags, that he did not fit the typical profile of a mass murderer and everyone who knew him seems surprised. It also isn't comforting knowing that professional first responders couldn't help for the first 90 minutes. It was a scenario no one ever prepared for.
So where is the hope? The hope lies within us. It is the incredible acts of courage and selflessness. All directed from the human spirit, not the government! There are countless stories like the marine who was a concert goer and as the shooting was taking place found a truck in the parking lot and literally rescued 20-30 people and brought them to the hospital or the incredible Go Fund Me pages that are raising incredible amounts of money to support medical care and families of victims. At the end of the day, 59 people were tragically killed, some survivors are physically scarred and all of them are psychologically impacted. But something must be learned from this massacre, that goes beyond the killer, and that is at the core most human beings are good and when pressed the magic of hope shines through even in the greatest moments of darkness.
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