Doctor and our 3 year old son
My son was three. He had an appendectomy that led to sepsis and the doctor would not acknowledge anything was out of the ordinary.. My wife stayed at the hospital day and night for four weeks straight with him. I worked nights but was there after work every day.
About the second week after the surgery he was still running a fever of 103–104F and, when he tried to walk, it was like he forgot how. His lower body was swelling from kidney failure but he made the walk to the nurses station four times a day anyways because I’m in his ear like a drill instructor telling him Faster faster, you’re too slow. Hurry up, you gotta get down there and show the ladies your big muscles.
He did and we’d go back to the room. His mother had stepped out for some air and I’d help him into bed. He’d lost 20% of his body weight and the infected fluid was sitting on his sciatic nerves causing him to not have any bladder or rectal sensations and, shortly after, he lay down and pulled his gown up. His scrotum was the size of a softball. I knew it must have taken everything he had to make that walk.
He looked at me, three-years-old and never seen a PG rated movie or TV show in his life. Never had lost any loved ones or been around someone dying. In fact, we hadn’t even ever talked about death yet. His face got very very somber.
He said, Daddy can you do something for me now?
Of course buddy, what is it?
Can you take mommy home and just you stay with me?
I can, why?
I don’t want her to cry when I don’t wake up anymore. I am really tired.
What do you mean, son?
I can’t try anymore, dad.
Then she walked into the room. He gave her his best smile (forced and fake and weak) and said I love you mommy.
And I walked out.
That day I got the radiologist to sign off on a full torso CT to find the infection - against the doctor’s wishes. Got the DON to admit the doctor was negligent, got the doctor’s privileges revoked and we got a drain line in (first of four) - and his white count dropped below 40,000 for the first time in 14 days. (40K is the max. that can be counted.)
Two weeks later, he was sort of walking and using the bathroom on his own again. I came home that morning and he had set up an obstacle course in the living room (first night home) and was doing it over and over again, getting faster and more coordinated. He just smiled at me and I told him he was my hero.
And he still is. Eight, nearly nine, today he is the toughest kid I’ve ever known. And he loves his momma. He couldn’t give up as long as she was there. And she was there. Luckily so was I.
What lessons can you learn from this story?