We walked for the March of Dimes almost 2 months ago. It was quite a walk. It sure put me and Eddie to the test physically. We could not be any more out of shape than we are right now. In the past, I’ve been able to walk 5k without difficulty. Ever since having Kyleigh, however, I have knee and heel problems.
The after effects of the walk were worth it, however.
I wished we had raised more money. I won’t list what I raised here, because it is quite embarrassing. I heard what other people raised, and our contribution pales in comparison. I suppose any little bit helps.
That, and the fact that we have friends as poor as we are. L
It was really interesting reading all of the signs that were posted along the walk. Some babies born so early and some later than Kyleigh. Some of the babies were born at the same length of gestation as Kyleigh (33 weeks). It also amazed me to see some of the birth defects that the babies had. It especially hit home when I saw the babies with birth defects who were born at 33 weeks gestation.
I’ve often thought that Kyleigh being born 7 weeks early was really no big deal compared to some of those babies. I also feel at times that I really don’t have a right to be upset, compared to the babies who were born at 30 weeks and under. But then I remind myself that Kyleigh did spend 20 days in the NICU. And that we faced just as much an uphill battle with the issues that Kyleigh did have. I spent 8-9 hours a day, for almost 20 days, at Kyleigh’s bedside. It seemed to fly by, like a blip on the radar.
We really were fortunate that Kyleigh was so strong during her time in the NICU. Her feeding was really difficult initially, but we got through it. She has reached pretty much every milestone right on time thus far. She hasn’t had any Early Intervention; in fact, they saw nothing wrong with her at 2 months old. As her doctor says “I don’t treat Kyleigh as a preemie because she doesn’t behave as one.”
Of course, there is no telling what kind of effects there will be later. A lot of preemies have learning disabilities and higher incidences of ADHD. Only time will tell. But, at least with my background as an educator, we will catch things quickly.
During our brief stay in the NICU, we really didn’t bond with many people. Most people stayed in their rooms and kept to themselves. We did have good relationships with the nurses. I always felt, however, like an outsider, since Kyleigh was doing well and was facing a much briefer stay than others. We did get friendly with our neighbors across the hall. Eddie was friendlier with them than I; the wife always seemed very guarded. I just attributed it to the stress that we were all under.
Their son had been a micro preemie- born 3 months or so before his due date. He had already spent over 3 months there. He had a setback before Kyleigh was released. He had an intestinal issue and needed to stay. They were really upset, and understandably so. We tried to be quiet and considerate the day that Kyleigh was released, but it was hard to keep from being excited.
On the walk, we saw this couple. We thought it would be a great idea to say hi. I’d always wondered how they were doing; and regretted not keeping in touch. They had a team of maybe 12-15 to support them. It was a little disappointing to me that we did not; almost heart breaking. Kyleigh had been through a lot too, and I considered it disrespectful that my family/friends did not see that.
Anyway, the couple was receptive to us. They smiled and said hello. I tried to take a peek at their son, but it was difficult to see because he was wrapped very warmly in an infant seat. From what I could see, he was smaller than Kyleigh. We learned that he was released just 4 days after she was. I asked how he was doing. His mother was very guarded. “He’s doing well. He will be a year old next month.” She said, somewhat cautiously. She remarked on how big Kyleigh had gotten, and I remarked that she was 8 months now and also doing well.
Eddie talked a bit with her husband, and we learned that they raised thousands for the March of Dimes. Thousands. Again, I was upset at the fact that we were poor, and had poor friends.
The couple went on their way, along with their group, and didn’t give us a second look.
I looked at Eddie and wondered aloud if they thought we were psycho for going up to them, because I found it to be uncomfortable. Eddie answered “I don’t know.”
Will we do the walk next year? Yes. But we will raise more money and support.
And maybe next year, we will feel less like outsiders.
No comments:
Post a Comment