Today, though, I'm wanting to thank, with all of my heart, the staff of the Sydney Children's Hospital. All of them. Nurses, doctors, ambo's, café workers, cleaners, administrators... anyone of them who goes to their work each day and does their best so that children like my little Chooch receive the highest level of care.
Today Chooch and I made the trek, about an hour and a half (including boat trip) to Randwick for his final (YIPPEEE!) appointment with the Brain Injury Outpatients clinic after his fall a year ago.
Let me just add a little perspective here. When our little 4 year old pole-jumper fell 3-4 metres onto jetty steps below, he did receive a very nasty gash on the forehead, and a small bruise on the brain. A very small 1cm bruise. He has shown no signs or symptoms since then, whatsoever, so he hasn't needed any form of rehabilitation. But, just to be thorough, we needed to go for follow-up appointments, to keep all abreast of whether or not anything has developed.
I'm so grateful to say that he is a strong, fit, thriving boy. He jumps again (and again and again) from just about anything he can find. He rides bikes and scooters with great gusto. He swims and dives and wrestles. He moves so much that he often falls from his seat (just because he can't sit still). He sings at the top of his lungs when we pootle around on our boat together. He tells the most ridiculous stories. When I went to bed last night, he was leisurely reclining back on MY pillows, hands behind his head. He smiled at me and asked "Which side shall I lie on?". And next week our little Schamoocha starts school. And for that we are also very grateful (because he often drives us crazy at home).
Charlie grows where he can be wild and free. It was tricky to explain to the team of people interviewing us today (neurologist, psychologist, intern neuro, intern psycho) just what kind of beautiful childhood he lives amongst right now... where he is encouraged and celebrated just as he is, within both his school community and his island one.
May all the children we shared space with today, grow strongly, beautifully, and recover fully.
May all the staff of the Sydney Children's Hospital know what good and noble work they have signed up for, and that the likes of us, sincerely thank them... from the depths of our family heart.
January 2011(whilst in hospital, this child drove me to serious nervous breakdown territory by pretending to bump his head against the wall while chuckling, "Whoops! Gave myself a brain injury!")
New Year's Day, January 2012The only time he stops is to bask in the sun after a swim.
Bless you Chooch.
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