One of my little brothers was born with a heart murmur and a hole in his heart. He saw a cardiologist regularly, was told no chocolate or caffeine, had to wear special devices to protect his chest when playing sports and that seemed life changing enough and hard because seriously how can a kid not have chocolate?!
My mom used to make everything with carob (chocolate without caffeine) and he just never really ate candy bars or anything else. This was especially hard for my chocolate loving dad and with two teenagers in the house who were not used to restrictions.
After a few years of monitoring and testing they said if the hole did not close it would require surgery later in life. Something changed when he was little (about 3) and they wanted to put a pacemaker in and start meds and it seeemed like his life, our life would change forever.
I was so upset and could only understand a little, the magnitude of this now looking back, that one day I may not have him or may not have him the same way he was and I loved that little punk. I remember asking my parents to have a sleepover in my room with him in a tent and just make it super special and I did this for a couple days.
I will never forget those days, the scare and the ups and downs of his issue and the unknown for what his life could be.
(He is fine, major fail on the docs part and second and third opinions are NO JOKE!)
Adelaide out of the blue asked to spend the night in Daphne’s room. She stayed in there for two nights. The first night Daphne did not last but not because of Adelaide. Daphne had been battling with an illness, teething and now thrush since before Thanksgiving so it has been VERY tough in our house.
Adelaide must have the same feeling with Daphne that I did with my little brother and that made me feel so good as a parent that she could see this even though we do our best to let her see Daphne’s limitations but not make them an excuse for not living each day as normal as possible.
I hope these experiences keep her heart warm and open for her entire life.
The love these two have for each other is unlike any love I have seen before.
Life is RADD 