It’s a lonely house these days as Alex and Laurina took off for Mexico last Saturday to spend a couple weeks with Grandma and Grandpa. By all accounts, they are all enjoying being back in the sun. Alex is spending the days diving for torpedos in the hot tub with Grandpa or painting their new model airplane. Laurina is enjoying the early morning walks and catching up with her mom and dad … it’s hard to believe we hadn’t seen them since the day we left for Australia over six months ago.
As for me, I’m busy shoveling snow and studying … and missing my family. Fortunately, work is keeping me very busy. Each day continues to be filled with new and exciting things.
There are many perks to working at the hospital … one of them being that it is much more convenient when we have to take Alex to an appointment. Today we received a booked for Alex to visit the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor downstairs from my office. His tonsils seem a bit big so we are having them checked out. Typical stuff. As I took the call from the Dr. office, I was taken back to a moment in “those days”. In the weeks that followed Andrew’s reuniting with Alex at the RAH NICU, things were starting to look up for our little family. Alex’s only goal at that point was just to grow big enough so he could go home. Andrew had been extubated and on a road we thought was recovery. Those weeks became the best few weeks that the family of four would ever spend together. But we noticed that Andrew’s cry was very quiet. It was sad to see him cry but not be able to hear it. A consult to ENT was required. We instantly felt a great connection to the newest Dr. in his life. He was very caring and sensitive to Andrew’s needs. He only got to see him a couple of times but it appeared to us all that Andrew’s vocal chords were most likely paralyzed and he may never be able to speak. Days later Andrew had passed away and I remember the sadness that this Dr. expressed weeks after when we ran into him by chance. A few weeks ago, I happened to run into this same Dr. in the halls of my new work place. After five years, he still remembered Andrew and our family. Today, the call for Alex was from the same Doctor’s office. It’s amazing how quickly all of these memories and feelings can come back.
Speaking of memories … this week is the Stollery Children’s Hospital annual Radiothon on the Chorus radio network. For the past 13 years I’ve listened to the stories on the radio and always felt the emotion of the families that were sharing these stories. I remember a February day 5 years ago when I walked down the stairs from visiting Andrew and seeing the action of the three radio stations that broadcast from the atrium. I recall thinking that now these people are helping my two little boys. I felt a great sense of internal gratitude that day. Tomorrow, for the first time, our story hits the radio airwaves as I share our experiences. You can listen to me share our story at:
http://www.joefm.ca/ at 2:15 pm
http://www.cisnfm.com/ at 2:45 pm
http://www.630ched.com/ at 3:35 pm
Awesome Marcel – on the radio! x