So thor and I take shifts staying at the hospital with the Nadster. one night on, one night off. Living at the hospital brings me back to Rez days in university. Where everyone is living in a small room, usually sharing and there is a lot of stuff going on all the time. You learn to live and sleep through a lot of noises.
You find yourself in your Pjs at 430 pm and walking to the cafeteria to get either a late lunch or early supper and there is no judgment not even a double take as you walk by people in your pink flannel bunny pjs, with bed head. You learn when is the best time to shower, eat, hang out in the family lounge for a few minutes to yourself. Then you start to make friends with the other parents and families, sharing stories of your journeys.
It is sad, uplifting and comforting all rolled into one. People think being in the oncology/hematology ward must be so sad and depressing, something we thought b4 we were in our journey, but it really isn’t, there is a lot of hope and celebration, more hope and celebration than you would feel in your regular life everyday life, something that is hard to express or relate. You learn to celebrate really little things, like normal temperature, no mouth sores, no hair loss, someone ate an entire chocolate pudding then ate cheese and crackers, gaining or holding blood counts, and be hopeful that tomorrow will be the same if not better and if it isn’t then that is something to deal with tomorrow. You celebrate other families victories, discharges, remission, a no barfing day like they are your own and again you hope that the next day is much of the same.
You learn to live in the now, and that is something we never really understood until just recently. People always make the comment don’t take anything for granted and I always thought I didn’t, until this happened to our little family. Now I can truly say, i don’t, because with every little celebration, of no mouth sores, a good nap, a happy kid, a cranky kid, i feel like it is a little victory that keeps us going until the next day.
We have been lucky and blessed, Nadia has been a bouncing monkey since even before day 0. She is a slave driver, and keeps us her parents and hospital staff on their toes!
