You Have Problems? Hah!

During the summer my ten-year-old nephew spends the days I have off work at my place. We have fun watching movies, playing on the laptop, going to the aquarium and many other things. Well, last night I decided I would allow his friend that lives in the complex to spend the night. His name is Hunter and he is also ten. Nothing special about that, a lot of kids have sleep overs. What makes this one worth mentioning is Hunter underwent a heart transplant at age 9. As I watched him in the pool play with my nephew and watched how he acted like any other 10 year old it got me thinking about myself. I have had and continue to have problems, as we all do. Like you, I complain about my problems and sometimes think that no one could be as unfortunate as me.

Hunter just recently got over pneumonia that lasted for two weeks. Because of his medications, his immune system is compromised and he gets sick very easily. He came to the house with a horrible cough and bronchitis. His mother of course is concerned about him but she knows that I have a medical background and can care for him. If he were my son I probably would not let him out of my sight for a second, but his mother has come to terms with his condition and knows he needs to be a kid. He takes an ungodly amount of medications each day and will for the remainder of his life.

The first thing he hands me is a bag with all of his medications and I had to call his mother for the instructions. He must take a handful of pills each evening at 6:30, a handful every morning at 6:30 and a handful at noon as well as numerous breathing treatments throughout the day. One of the pills was so big I thought it was a suppository! He quickly corrected me, laughed and swallowed it.

At no time that I have known him has he complained about the things he has gone through or the things he has to do just to make sure he stays alive. He does it with humor and an attitude that it is simply a normal part of life. Now of course he is ten so he wines and cries sometimes about the normal things kids do. However, if you offer him something he knows he cannot have, for example the sodium filled Beef Ravioli I fixed for him, he quickly informs you that he cannot have it and goes on to explain why. He is proud of what he went through and will quickly show you the huge scars left from the surgery. He calls them badges of courage and he is absolutely right! He’s not even embarrassed about the fact he has to wear “Goodnites” (A diaper for older kids) when he goes to bed. The medications effect his kidneys as well. He pulled them out of the bag with no hesitation, walked into the bedroom and put them on. When my nephew questioned them he simply explained why he had to wear them. My nephew simply said “Oh” and they went about their games.

So, when I think about my problems and I compare it to what this young boy has gone through I realize that my issues are superficial. To be as young as he is, go through something that traumatic and act like nothing ever happened is an example that I wish I could follow.