Friday, March 30, 2012

Friday, March 30, 2012

Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2005. Mattie was three years old, and doing one of his favorite things.... playing with trains! Mattie loved ALL kinds of trains, and here he was playing with his Thomas the Tank engine train sets. Mattie would construct elaborate set ups, throughout our home, and what was funny about this picture was Mattie was constructing and playing, while having a Thomas video going on in the background. Mattie for the most part did not like TV. He was the furthest thing from a couch potato you could imagine, and rarely (unless he was sick) would you find him sitting in front of a TV. Mattie was a doer, a creator, and the ultimate multi-tasker!


Quote of the day: Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about. ~ Unknown

Today was another whirlwind, on top of a night of very little and poor sleep. I had several tasks to accomplish today, and in the midst of that had another acupuncture appointment. I think she is coming to the conclusion that acupuncture isn't working for me. Because if it was, I would have been seeing great improvements by now. Last week, my friend, Heidi, gave me an article in The Washington Post that chronicled the lives of daily headache sufferers. Apparently people like myself make up one percent of the population (big surprise!) and such headaches are reported to be associated with a particular point in time. In fact, all sufferers can tell you the day their first massive headache began. Mine began on April 3, 2002, right after my epidural in labor and delivery. However, the article did a great job at discussing how difficult such symptoms are to treat and how alternative therapies, like acupuncture, have been shown to be ineffective. I am happy Heidi gave me this article, because it has helped me to see that the issue isn't just with me, but with most chronic headache sufferers. The highlight of my day was I had a chance meeting with my friend Mary, who lives right around the corner from Ann. Mary had just arrived home from picking up her two girls at school. I got out of the car, and Emily (Mary's youngest) came up to me and gave me a huge hug. In fact, if she was any stronger she would have lifted me right off the ground. I couldn't help but think of Mattie, because Mattie gave the same kind of special, intense, and loving hugs. They are hugs with feeling! I told Mary tonight, that this hug was the highpoint of my day, a highpoint which I haven't experienced in a long time. Parents take these hugs and hand holding with their children for granted because they may get them often or everyday. But when you don't get them anymore because your child has died, then you realize what is missing in your life. I have spent the last six afternoons and evenings with Ann's mom, Mary. Tonight was my last visit for a while, and we began reading a second story together. Mary was listening with her eyes closed but was following along. As was her roommate. Her roommate is a cutie and got herself tangled up in her IV and Cather tube. So at one point, I stopped reading, and went over to her to help her out of her spider web of tubes. Having handled all of Mattie's IV's and tubing, I am very familiar with maneuvering things around. Mary's roommate typically doesn't like to be touched or fussed with, but I have found if you talk her through what you are doing and involve her in the process, a lot can be accomplished. It gets back to the need to empower a person, regardless of their age, disability, or issue. Tomorrow evening, Peter and I will be at the Molecule Salon in DC. Molecule is hosting a fundraiser for the Foundation and we will be there greeting attendees, saying a few words, and processing donations. I am very grateful for the Salon's initiative to host such an event and to support our mission and goals. All of which cost money and therefore we welcome the opportunity to build our support network in this wonderful way.