Recently both of my boys contracted RSV (Respiratory Syncytile Virus). October is RSV awareness month so each year I have heard about it but hadn’t personally experienced it until now.
Basically, RSV is a virus that affects the respiratory tract. According to the CDC, RSV is the leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in children under one year old. My three year old developed pneumonia and his younger brother developed croup.
For some compromised groups, like those born prematurely or the immunocompromised, RSV can be life-threatening. After seeing the toll it took on our otherwise healthy children, I cannot imagine how scary it must be for individuals in those fragile populations.
One thing I know for sure is that RSV is nasty and landed my son in the emergency room three times in less than a week. The way they looked when struggling with RSV made me worried.
Both boys are now fever-free and I think we are over the hump. As I reflect on the blur that was the past couple weeks, my only takeaway is gratitude.
I am grateful for our access to medical care
I am grateful that we live in a country where I have faith in the standard of care my children receive. We are fortunate to live minutes from a children’s hospital and even more fortunate that within an hour of hearing crackling in my son’s lung, he was being wheeled in for a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia.
As I lay under my three-year old’s scalding, feverish body, filled with fear, I thought of other mother’s all over the world holding their babies that are suffering similar (or worse) ailments but do not have the access or means to health care. In these moments, I felt immense gratitude for our ability to seek care for our son.
Furthermore, regardless of the flaws with our country’s health insurance system, I am grateful for the coverage we do have.
I am grateful for the compassion of our medical professionals.
Speaking of medical care, I am grateful that there are doctors and nurses, like my sisters, who work through the days and nights, away from their own children, to care for mine with such kindness and compassion.
I am grateful to have family who go above and beyond for us
I have mentioned it in the past, but we are blessed with a generous and supportive family. As soon our families learned that our boys were so sick, we were flooded with help and love. From regular texts messages, to offering to deliver a Thanksgiving meal to our home, to coming to help at the drop of a hat, we are grateful for abundance of care and assistance our families shared with us.
I am grateful for my friends
Not only are we blessed with loving and caring family, but we are equally grateful for true friendships. As I mention on my About Me page, I value “quality over quantity” when it comes to relationships. And I am so grateful for the quality of mine.
All of the friends who were aware of the boys illnesses checked in on them regularly. Two of my best friends (each with their own small children and hectic lives) sent multiple daily texts of love and support. They were even so thoughtful as to send awesome dinosaur trucks to lift the boys’ spirits.
I am grateful for an abundance of snuggles
Obviously, parents hate to see their children feeling unwell. But there is no denying that unwell children often seek comfort in the arms of those who love them. I was the beneficiary of a snuggle buddy day and night. I won’t deny that I loved being deposited back into day-long snuggle sessions reminiscent of the newborn days.
I am grateful for my children’s health and recovery
Most importantly, my gratitude is deepest for the returned health of my children. Before RSV, I had never seen a thermometer hit 105.9, I had never seen those purple, gray circles under my son’s eyes. I had never had a pediatrician send us directly to the emergency room from his office while handing us his cell number to let him know what happened.
So when their fevers finally broke and their little personalities started to return, I felt a wave of relief. I know there is a tragically long spectrum of childhood illnesses. Whether it be the common cold, the evils that are childhood cancer, CHD or the like, the universal desire of parents is for the health and wellbeing of their child. Some families’ health battles are long-term and treacherous so I am grateful for brevity of ours.
That is why even though RSV was the hardest-hitting illness my children have ever contracted, I feel nothing but gratitude. Gratitude for an abundance of love and support. Gratitude for access to health care. And, most importantly, gratitude for the returned health of my children (a fortunate denied to too many).
For more information on RSV visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
