Families with healthy kids - not fair!!

I always have the morning talk shows playing on TV as I get ready for work each day. I happen to glance up while they were doing their "outside segment" - where everyone stands around the barricades holding signs (hoping they get their 2 seconds on TV!)

One young girl was holding a birthday sign. The co-host saw her sign and asked her how old she was. She proudly said, "I'm 7!"

Immediately, I thought of my daughter's 7th birthday. Was she on a fun sightseeing trip to New York? Noooooooo! She was in the hospital (again) thanks to prolonged poor air quality, asthma and pneumonia.

Did you know that air pollution can cause pneumonia?  

Everything hits harder when you have asthma. People without asthma may be able to bounce back when air quality is unhealthy, but many of us with asthma can't. 

We live near the mountains and have some of the best skiing on earth. But, when we don't get snow storms often enough, the valley fills with pollution and we suffer from an inversion. We had over a month of red (or unhealthy) air quality, and my kid's lungs just couldn't fight it anymore. 

Middle Son was already in the hospital with pneumonia (his 7th time being admitted), and Kitty was admitted less than a day later. (I know my limits and when it's time for the professionals need to take over!) 

Boy, was she mad! That was her 4th time being admitted for asthma, and she hated being there.

Being an Experienced Asthma Mom, we requested that Middle Son move to a double room so we could have them in the same hospital room. 

We were all exhausted by that point. It had been a long week fighting asthma, and it was well after midnight.

The next day, Middle Son was well enough to be discharged, but that left Kitty alone on her 7th birthday. (Well, I was still there, but her brother went home.)

And what a way to spend your birthday - in the hospital! 

Child Life Specialist popped in to visit us (we were now good friends after frequent hospitalizations for asthma!) and was excited to coordinated a birthday party at the hospital. The hospital baker had made a cake with a puppy on it, and Child Life Specialist created fun puppy themed crafts for the kids to make in the Play Therapy Room. 

Kitty was attached to her oxygen tank and was very weak, so I'm not sure how much fun she had. 

But, it was the best we can do.

My kids are all adults now, but I look back on all of the years of allergy shots, After Hours visits, Urgent Care visits, ER visits and hospitalizations and wonder what it would have been like to have 3 healthy kids.  Even as adults, they still struggle with allergies and asthma.

Even Asthma Specialist had a tough time keeping my kids stable. 

They missed out on a LOT of school, sports, and other activities. Our house is still full of allergy medicine, asthma inhalers, nebulizers and tubing kits.(And we still use all of those supplies!)

 

Yes, I'm still resentful of families with healthy children, because it was incredibly stressful and scary trying to keep my kids healthy and breathing. And I have a full head of grey hair to prove it!

 But, then I look up and see our family mantra in a frame: "Things Can Always Be Worse."

Okay, fine.