More than a Tumor: The rest of April 2013

Back in April of 2013, it was a very surreal experience coming home from the hospital. The previous 6 days were a blur. A brain surgery on the 12th, the Boston Marathon on the 15th, the 2nd brain surgery on the 16th, and home on the 17th. Our baby had 2 brain surgeries in 5 days! We were given the go ahead to resume our life. Whatever that was. We had to go home and find our new normal. This would prove to much more difficult than we could have ever imagined. Our life would never be the same. We would forget what it was like to have 2 happy and healthy children. Our sleepless nights would continue, but for many more reasons than we could count.

Emotionally, I was still trying to find my new normal after the unexpected passing of my Dad. It had almost been 9 months since he died and here I was having to process the fact that my youngest son was just diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor that he would essentially live the rest of his life with. In the following days and months, I would pull my strength from my closest family members: my Mom and my siblings. We each, in our own special way, have conquered some of the most difficult things life can throw at you. My Mom is the definition of strength when it comes to being a parent and she is where I draw my strength from. She has dealt with 2 life threatening situations of 2 of my siblings: my sister has Long QT Syndrome (she had a cardiac arrest at the age of 18 and survived) and my brother survived a traumatic brain injury playing indoor soccer just a short time after my sister was diagnosed. All of these things happened just a few short years after she lost her own parents, my grandparents. Two of my siblings also have children with health issues. We, as a family, are no stranger to facing difficult situations with strength and perseverance. I had no other choice, but to push forward and make our life as best as it could be.

We spent the rest of April with our family and friends. We continued to receive countless messages from our families, my circle of bowlers, former classmates, former co-workers, and many other people. We looked for our new normal. We went grocery shopping and let the boys play as much as possible. We had many visitors and we were lucky enough to be the recipients of food deliveries! This allowed us to focus on the boys and getting our lives back.

Some of my most difficult moments were when I had give my Mom friends at a playgroup we attend the news. I hadn't seen them since 2 days before the MRI; when we were all under the impression that nothing serious was wrong. It was heartbreaking knowing I had to go into playgroup and tell my them (some of whom had young, healthy babies) this crazy news we were given. It's just a lot to digest.

Nathan had a few rough nights of sleep toward the end of the month, but nothing that we weren't already used to! Benjamin also came down with a sinus infection and an ear infection. Life certainly moved on.