Hang In There

The coffee was my favorite kind. Brought to me by an amazing friend.

A small gesture to let us know that we were in her thoughts.

As we spent day after day in that hospital, not knowing what was causing my son's liver to fail.

Hang in there was what she had written on the top of the cup.

An expression that we use when there are few other words to say.

That was nearly five years ago now. But I still remember vividly how it felt.

How no one could visit us.

How isolated and lonely it was in that hospital.

And how much I appreciated knowing that I had friends and family who were thinking about us on the outside.

It's been an emotional roller coaster since then, filled with doctors and specialists, tests and infusions, daily medications and so many emotions.

Huge sighs of relief when the bloodwork comes back and his numbers are in normal range.

The intense worry when they aren't - waiting to hear from his specialists what to do next.

My friend would be proud to know that we hung in there.

We hung in there tightly, in fact.

There's no cure for what he has, but I'm so very grateful that things are stable right now.

In fact, he's thriving, looking forward to college and a bright future ahead.

Through all the logistics, all the worry, all the tears, this process has been a learning experience.

I feel for all of the people in this world struggling with chronic medical conditions. And for those who care for them.

I've learned (the hard way) that you can't always trust that the doctors and the hospitals know what they are doing.

I've also learned that you have to be a strong advocate for the person you are taking care of - and pay attention to every single detail.

It's exhausting.

I don't write this for sympathy or attention for my family, but to say that I empathize.

And to acknowledge that it feels pretty darn unfair a lot of the time.

But you know what else I've learned?

That we have a choice when we are faced with something like this.

We can keep moving forward every day.

We can strive to make the best decisions possible in every situation.

We can look around us and see all of the good that exists.

And we can treasure the precious memories we make with our loved ones in the time we have with them.

We can hang in there.

Because every day is a gift.

Even the hard ones.

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