October 16th From a Mother's Point of View

October 16 is a day I will also never forget. I knew that something serious was going on because a seemingly healthy 38 year old does not sustain a compression fracture of her lumbar spine spontaneously without significant trauma. When we learned of the fracture (and we were skyping at the time so I watched as Susan got the news from Rachael via telephone) We were dismayed. I spoke to a radiologist the next morning and he offered several possibilities that included breast or other cancer. I felt she was in trouble. She called me days later after the MRI report was in and the decision was made to hospitalize her. It was one of those defining moments, I know the time and place as I was driving to a hair appointment which I promptly cancelled. Driving home, I knew what had to be done. I burst through the door, grabbed my laptop and starting searching for a flight out the next day (thankfully, Saturday). I told Paul we were going to Colorado. His reaction was the same as Susan and Huy's. "Let's just slow down and see what happens in the next day or two." I told him I was going come hell or high water and he could come along or stay home. Within the hour we were packed, the fridge cleaned out, and plans made for an early airport run. At 2pm the next day, we were walking down the airport ramp gazing at Tan Nguyen who was secure in his Baby Bjorn carrier, flopping his arms and legs and smiling at us with a big wide grin. With him in my arms, I could take a small breath again and then when we were with Susan a few minutes later, a bigger breath. We were going to need all the oxygen we could store in the coming days.  It was a dark time of uncertainty, fear, dismay, and the realizition that a nightmare was taking place right in the middle of our lives.  Yet there were bright moments too.  Tan totally charmed the entire nursing staff until he was banned from the hosptial due to the Swine Flu scare.  He was adorable, stretched out beside Susan on her hospital bed, all six months of him, chubby and bald and sound asleep.  His world was not falling apart, in fact it was two times better now with four of us to play with him and give him stroller rides.  We slept those nights in Susan and Huy's bed with Tan snuggled in between us, all soft and sweet smelling.  One night, Paul lifted up a little, looked over the sleeping baby and whispered to me "I wouldn't have missed this for the world."     I knew exactly what he meant.   Deb recently reminded me of Isaiah 41:10  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.