A day to remember..

This Friday is Sport's Day for my kids!  They love this day as they get to spend the day playing games instead of sitting in a classroom. They get to hang out with their friends and get out of school at 12:30. What kid wouldn't love a day like that? Sport's Day used to be a day where that was all that we thought about. Two years ago that all changed.
Two years ago, Adam got really sick. It was the week of Sport's Day, and a few days prior, Adam started complaining of a tummy ache. I didn't think too much of it and thought it would just go away. The morning of Sport's Day came. When Adam woke up, he said he still wasn't feeling well but wanted to participate in the games. We went off to school. Adam was able to do the first event but then said he needed to go home as he was in so much pain. I left the other two kids at school to have fun and took Adam home. He got a nice warm bath and perked up a bit. Later that evening, he started to feel worse. We were over at my parents house and my mom suggested calling the doctor on call as she thought it might be his appendix. When I explained the symptoms to the doctor on call, the suggestion was made to bring him to emergency to get looked at. I assumed it was nothing. Matt was home with Anna and Caleb and off I went to the hospital with Adam.
We were called in and the doctor observed Adam. They took some tests and then took him in for some x-rays. When the x-rays came back, the doctor gave me a diagnosis of what he thought Adam had which I can not remember the name of! The doctor sat me down, and told me that Adam would have to be sent to BC Children's Hospital right away. I was terrified to say the least. I got on the phone with Matt right away and told him to meet me at the hospital. Matt called my parents who picked up the other kids, and he raced to meet me. While he was on his way, the doctor told me that they would transport Adam to Children's Hospital the following morning and would stay overnight in our local hospital under the care of a pediatrician. The nurses wheeled Adam on a gurney into one of the rooms and set up a cot for Matt and I. Adam was given morphine to dull the pain. I could not sleep. Matt told me to go home for a bit to get things organized for the next day and to try and get some rest. I went home to pack some bags. While I was at home, I looked up the diagnosis that the doctor had told me. When I realized what the doctors thought Adam had, I burst into tears. The prognosis for the illness was that he would have 3 or 4 days to live. I was devastated and heart broken and have never felt that helpless or hopeless before. I was heart broken. I drove back to the hospital and stayed awake all night just watching Adam sleep and holding his hand.
The next morning, we got ready to be taken to Children's Hospital. It was almost surreal. I never thought I would be in a position where my child was so ill and there was nothing that I could do. I rode in the back of the ambulance with Adam. He was so sick he could not even hold his head up. It was terrifying and so sad to see him like that. Once at Children's, Adam had a bunch of tests taken. We were taken to his room, where we would spend the next 6 days. Those days were long and hard. Adam had to be given morphine on a regular basis to help with the pain. Matt and I shared a cot in the room for the first few nights, but then Matt went home to be with the other kids. The days were spent with different teams of doctors observing Adam and evaluating him. They were spent with endless blood tests and x-rays. They were spent with doctors coming around the clock to check on his vitals and to make sure he was not deteriorating. I kept asking for answers but the doctors weren't sure what was going on.
Finally, on one of the mornings, the doctor came in with a diagnosis. Adam had a severe infection, but would be fine! The initial diagnosis was wrong, thank goodness! We would be going home the next day with a child that was weak, but so much better!

                        Adam on his way in the ambulance. (The dates on the camera are wrong!)

Starting to feel better!

This event in our life has definitely made us realize how precious life really is! When I received the first diagnosis, and thought that Adam was not going to make it, it was the worst feeling I've ever had. I appreciate each and every day that I have with my family. Now, each Sport's Day, we get to reflect  on that time and appreciate each other as a family!