A Thrifty Dad

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I have learned that life is full of moments good or bad, happy and sad…I call these my Mommy Moments.  We have been very blessed these last few years. Many of you who have been following my blog recently… may not know that my son Matthew was born missing half his heart, he has hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He also has a history of seizures, but we have been off medication for a year.  We have been able to live a pretty normal life, free from the constant trips to the hospital that once consumed our everyday life.

This weekend we went to Idaho Falls so I could have some medical tests done and also attend the Time Out For Women conference with  Matt’s Mom and sister.  Matt, the kids, and I were all sharing one room at Matt’s parents house, we tucked our little ones into bed as normal.  Said our prayers, sang songs, gave teddy bear kisses and drifted off to sleep.

At 3:55 am I awoke to a very faint “gurgling” sound… In an instant my gut told me something was very wrong.  I quickly flipped the light on… I found my sweet little Matthew face down in bed, in a pile of his own drool, and non-responsive in what I could only guess what was a seizure.  Praying desperately in my heart that it was not a stroke,  I shook him firmly with no success in waking him. I called for Matt and told him to get dressed and that we needed to get Matthew to the ER, as to not startle the other kids.

This is a role we have played many times throughout his 10 years, in the darkness throwing on our clothes, gathering up medications, cell phones, as calmly as two very concerned parents can be …  then make that drive in the darkness to the hospital.  The drive always seems so long, often silent and left alone with our thoughts and fervent prayers to our Father in Heaven. As we get to the ER  I watch the strong arms of my husband tenderly grasp our limp son, wrapped in his fuzzy blue blanket, and run in the darkness to the ER doors.

Luckily for us, this time shortly after getting him admitted  to the ER, he finally opened his eyes.  Still unable to talk or move his limbs, at least we knew he was starting to pull out of the seizure.  It is one of the few times in life that a mother will welcome the cry of her little one … because the silence of a non-responsive child is one of the worst sounds ever.

After about a hour he was able to regain his speech and our sweet little Matthew seemed to be back to normal.  Unaware as to what happened to him or why he was in the hospital…. and why Mom and Dad were showering him with hugs and kisses.  We as his parents are once again given a firm reminder of how precious he is and what a blessing every day is with him.

Some of you may wonder why I would take photos during an event like this, and I am sure I will receive some criticism. My camera just happened to be in my coat pocket and I felt sharing my story would help other families that have gone through similar things feel that they are not alone. Having a child with special needs can be very lonely and you often feel you are the only one facing these challenges. Real life is much different than the images you see played out on your television set.

So Hug your little ones… this week’s Mommy Moment made me remember just how blessed I am to be given this courageous young man to call my son.