I’d be lying if I said I was doing better than my son right now, especially with all that’s been going on. To catch everyone up, my son has been admitted to the hospital twice now this year with severe neutropenia. (Neutropenia is an abnormally low count of the white blood cell neutrophils, that fight infection). It seems like the longest we’ve gone between ER/Urgent Care visits is 2.5 weeks. This all started in December on our trip back to Washington, and the fun hasn’t stopped yet.
Even though he has been the one receiving the treatment, it seems like I’m the one that’s super stressed about it. Even though I have taken care of sick kids before as a nurse, it’s definitely different when it’s your child. Maverick on the other hand is happy he gets chicken nuggets, doesn’t go to daycare, and gets to spend the day with mommy and daddy. I also think he likes that he gets dessert with literally every meal (okay, my kid LOVES jello and whipped cream apparently).
Kids are so resilient. Whatever is happening to them, it’s just in that moment. They don’t foresee the future yet and the long treatment plan ahead. When a provider says “I’m done”, it really means they’re done… until next time. Seeing my kid’s resiliency makes me want to be more of a fighter myself. Not just for me, but for him. If he can get through it, why can’t I? I mean, I’m not the one with the needles stabbing me, I’m just the one reassuring that it’ll be okay. So Mav, mommy’s going to fight for you since you’re fighting for all of us.