A Nervous Wreck

Sometime ago I mentioned that our family was taking part in the Children's Miracle Network Telethon.
It's a national telethon that benefits your local children's hospitals. It starts tonight.

If you have a hospital near you, why don't you call and make a donation to help brighten a child's day. All the money that you pledge will stay in your local area. And all of that money is used to enrich a child's life.
To make them smile when they are scared or sick. To entertain them when they've been in the hospital for days. To buy new specialty equipment. To buy stuffed animals for children having surgery...or getting stitches...or having long medical tests.
It buys coloring books, and DVD players, and music, and video games...anything to help distract a child who is in pain.

And we get to be part of it. Last month, we taped several segments to air during our local telethon. It happened to coincide with ZooDad's R&R trip home. Those segments have started airing (last night and tonight) and tomorrow, we'll be broadcasting live. I am scared silly.
Petrified even.
But it's worth it. It's my chance to do something for a hospital that has done so much for us.
My oldest had surgery in a different hospital when he was 4 weeks old. It's was the most horrifying and traumatic experience for all of us.

4 years later, we had moved, and he had surgery at our local CMC (Children's Medical Center). The difference in that second surgery was like night and day. At that point, I knew that I would never take my children to any other place.

But the thing that really sealed the deal for me was what happened when A was born.
his birth occurred at a different hospital and the pediatricians there heard an abnormality in his heart. Our CMC sent their personnel and equipment to the other hospital to do the diagnostic tests needed, so he would not have to be moved from the hospital.
They came to my hospital room to let me know that if the tests showed that he needed immediate treatment, that I would be taken with him. They didn't want me to worry any more than I was already.


We've had...
x-rays.
Stitches.
surgery.
another surgery.
more stitches.
lots of occupational therapy.
Even more speech therapy.
Yet another surgery.
speech therapy.
EKG's.
Blood work.
and some more stitches

visits with.....
a pediatric urologist
a pediatric orthopaedic doctor
a pediatric dermatologist
a pediatric cardiologist
a pediatric psychologist
a developmental pediatrician
a pediatric ophthalmologist

All in the same building complex.
You can't beat that.
And knowing that everyone who works with our children is trained in pediatrics is just a bonus.
I can't imagine not having the hospital in our area. I can't imagine not having this resource just half a hour (with traffic and an occasional train) from my home.