Putting things in perspective

This week, I was lucky enough to join a friend whose daughter was receiving her wish from Make A Wish foundation. The staff there showed us how the kids decide on a wish, then go inside a tower with a waterfall in the middle of the room to place their wish in a capsule.

Some kids wish for trips to Disneyworld or Hawaii. Others want a puppy or a laptop. One cute little toddler wanted his room to look like a fire station.

But the hardest part on reading the stories of these children and teenagers is to see why they were there in the first place. Some wish recipients had bone cancer, brain tumors, cystic fibrosis, leukemia, etc. Some stories ended by listing the child's death date. Yes, my kids all have asthma, but they're still alive! Don't get me wrong-asthma can be deadly as I was reminded of last month when "48 Hours" news reporter Harold Dow died of an asthma attack while driving his car. They found his inhaler on the floor of the car.

Here's the link -I hope it works. If not, just google "Harold Dow". You'll also find pages of stories of other people who have died of asthma attacks. http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/hours_star_died_of_asthma_zdJQJcIRK6FpwMXO7T8D5H

Anytime your kids are suffering, it can break your heart. Asthma is a chronic, life long disease for most people. I tell people my main goal with my kid's asthma is to keep them alive. People laugh, but it's true. But no matter how bad things get, (12 hospitalizations for asthma during a 3 or 4 years period) they can always be worse. Having a child with asthma doesn't compare to having a child with bone cancer, leukemia, brain tumors, cystic fibrosis, etc. My hats go off to those parents. And it makes me look at my own life and keep things in perspective.

And to Make A Wish Foundation-keep up the good work! You are making the last days for some of these children their happiest days.

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