A little Note:
"How long has he had this heart murmur?" The question sent a shock wave through my wife, Deb. She and our son Michael were visiting our new pediatrician for Michaels 2year well-baby visit. "What heart murmur?" she asked holding Michael more tightly. Dr Adams did not reply. With the stethoscope tight on Michaels's squirming back, he kept his eyes down concentrating. Inside Deb was screaming. What heart murmur? But she held on and stayed silent too. "Probably nothing" he said "but you should get him checked out by a specialist" "It's probably nothing" turned out to be a life threatening heart defect.
I remember the shock and fear when we got the news . But I also remember how family, friends, and co-workers rallied around us., with prayer and support. They cooked us food , joined in prayer circles, listened to our anxieties, and shared their own experiences with health problems.They gave us great strength. the first operation was almost a success . The second a year later was a failure. Every six months for the next five years we'd go back to see if it was time to try again. Michael was eight when the day came, and his memories of the earlier surgeries, combined with the rollercoaster stress of semi-annual tests, had raised his anxiety as sky high as our own. Once again, family, freinds and co workers came to our support-----and Michaels too. About a week before the operation, Michael got a letter from Mr Fred Rogers, of PBS fame. A friend had told him about Michael. "I know how scared you are," Mr Rogers wrote. When he was Michael's age he had spent a long time in the hospital and had been scared, too. "But you've got family and friends suppoting and praying for you,"he wrote. "They will help you through it." Michael was greatly comforted and faced the operation bravely. Deb and I gave thanks not only for a successful outcome, but for all the support that surrounded us.
How blessed it is to have friends and family praying for and supporting us when we are dealing with illness - visiting offering help and respite to our caregivers, all the little and great ways they remind us of God's love - when we need it the most. All of us can be a Mr Rogers for somebody at sometime.
from Catholic digest November issue