A local Christian radio station has started "GratiTuesdays" and ask listeners to call in and give thanks for something. I have several things today to mention, which I will simply put in bold letters.
We took two of our sons to Johns Hopkins Hospital for echocardiograms and genetic consultation beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 12:30. (After that we grabbed lunch, tok our eldest down to his college south of Baltimore, came home for a 40-minute nap, after which I took the youngest to piano lessons and then went back down to the college to pick up his brother. Got home at 7.) A long day, but it has made my heart full (no cardiac pun intended--really!). From the moment I stepped foot on the Hopkins campus I felt mixed emotions, all of which were heightened at being there, not simply knowing that America's #1 hospital is only an hour from our home. Hopkins is a world-renowned hospital that treats every disease known to man and studies seemingly every disease man wants to know about! And there we were, being studied by some of the best doctors in the world. It blows my mind, and yet makes me sad that we lost two family members 25 years ago, before recognizing a problem. But mostly I felt grateful, truly grateful, that we have access to top-notch medical care, the insurance to pay for it, and enough medicalese in our vernacular to understand what the doctors are explaining. And enough confidence in those doctors to know that it's okay that we don't understand the details of genes and alleles and other facets of DNA that they dedicate their lives to discovering. Above that, we have confidence in God that this family disorder is completely in His hands and He designed every molecule. Not one maverick molecule escapes His notice.
The youngest son had a meltdown over having to give blood. It was his first experience that he remembered. Talk about drama. Twenty minutes it took his parents, brother, and pediatric nurse to "talk him down from the ledge." He was trembling, "Don't you know if you give too much blood you'll die???!!!! I don't want to give my precious blood!!!" Well, at that display of hysteria, I had to turn my head to stifle a laugh. Finally, the nurse went out and brought back her iPad for him to play with. It had a cool app that he could maneuver with one hand while his dad held his other arm still as the mammoth leech sucked all his precious blood out. I certainly could never be a nurse. I just don't have what it takes. God bless nurses.
Probably the most touching bit of thanks I had was for the chief doctor's unmistakable concern for our family in the event of emergency. I told him I am not confident that our closest ER will be as proactive as they should be, that they might treat "chest pain" the ordinary way. He said, "If you ever feel like anyone is not taking you seriously about this, raise H-e-double toothpicks--" (except he didn't say it quite like that) "--and then call me. Here's my cell phone number." Whoa! I mean, I've only gotten one other doctor's own cell phone number in my life, and that was the Chief of the Field I Needed Other Kind of Help With back in January. I feel so blessed! I am not special, but these doctors make me feel that way when they extend care beyond office visits and hotline numbers.
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