The Unexpected (9)

Life was as normal as could be for the family. All the visits from OT & PT finally stopped and the little heart warrior was doing great....considering his health history. The family of 6 had become a very close family. The couple lost many friendships along the way, and even some family had a hard time grasping the "germ" spreading. It was crucial for everyone that came in contact with their warrior to get a FLU shot per his Cardiologist. Since he was born with (1/2 a heart) and a non-functioning spleen......simple colds and viruses that a health person would get could be fatal for their lil warrior in a matter of days. The parents went into OCD mode.....they sanitized toys regularly, always washing/sanitizing hands anytime they were out in public. They knew they couldn't stop all viruses but they did the best they could. One time they took their Warrior to a birthday party when he a little over 2 years old, it was in January at a YMCA building. It was cool in the party room but not freezing by any means. The little warriors lips/nail beds were blue as could be, he was so cold. The mother had to take him out to the car and turn the heat on full blast just to get him to (pink) back up. After they came back inside, the couple explained to the parents of the birthday boy that it was too cold in there for their son and he's turning blue....they didn't "get it"....and seemed a little upset that they had to excuse themselves from the party just to warm their son. Sadly that was the last time they saw those friends, no more calls from them. The family went into "LOCK-DOWN" mode from late October to April each year. Meaning that the two boys rarely went out in public and the two girls went out very minimal during this time. The mother taught the kids home-school and didnt work, the father had a full-time job outside of the home. This put a "MAJOR" strain on friendships. People inviting the family to birthday parties or Holiday parties and the family not being able to go. Slowly the invitations & calls stopped. The couple just had each other. As almost all of their friends stopped coming around. The couple often wondered....did they really care to begin with? Why didn't they take the time to understand their new lifestyle? It hurt....but in the end they knew they were doing what they had to do for their child. It was hard not seeing some family over Christmas because they couldn't get their FLU shot. But its a sacrifice the couple had to make. Year after year the same rules applied. The two daughters had issues about wanting to go to sleep overs or hang out with friends...this was a challenge each fall "lock down" time. The mother would lay in bed at night and cry, knowing that sleepovers and hanging out with friends was normal and she knew her girls needed it. But then on the other hand "lock down" meant exactly that. They decided if the friends family had their FLU shot then it was ok for their daughter to sleepover and rarely were they allowed to bring a friend over to their home during this time. Over the years the girls grew to understand their "lifestyle" and it wasn't so much an issue. To be continued....