Most women dream of becoming mothers,
watching their children turn from newborns to
toddlers,
from school children to teenagers
Proud in their every achievement
The first word, the day they walked
that first day of school
My life turned out a little different.
There are no first words, no walking shoes to
bronze
No play dates or best friends,
No valedictorians or grandchildren
Instead there are lots of other firsts-
when you first realize there's something very
wrong
first MRI or CT scan, first surgery
first set of therapists, first gtube and feeding
pump
There are also multitudes-
so many specialists, so many hospitalizations
a multitude of case managers, braces, and
equipment
Do you have a medical degree?
Are you a nurse? OT? PT? ST?
So many more initials of jobs
I am now an expert in
Why doesn't anybody believe me
when I say I know my child best?
Can you hold a 50 lb child, stiff as a board,
while suctioning with the other hand?
Can you operate any feeding pump, pulse
oximeter, or wheelchair lift?
do chest PT and nebulizer, while answering the
phone?
Can you learn how to use an IV in one day, give
shots, catheterize,
and dress wounds?
Can you change a gtube on a ride in Disneyworld,
while holding the recipient of the tube?
How many standers have you used,
gait trainers, wheelchairs, floorsitters,
augmentative devices?
Do you have a record for the number of
specialists spoken to in a day?
labs, insurance companies, government agencies,
and more.
Have you had one good night's sleep
in the last 14 years?
Not me.
Yes, I am a mommy
I can comfort and kiss them too
I appreciate who they are,
cherish every smile and kiss
Their pain is mine, with every breath we take
So, please
know whom you are speaking with,
whose child you are treating
We are human, not made of steel.
we cry, we break, we need
your help!
Try to ease our burden
Not make it worse.
