The Story Your Body Tells

My sweet Jaycee,

I'm not sure how much you remember about all of your medical experiences, since you aren't able to tell me. But you can find reminders all over your body.

Your eyes-They are bright and beautiful. When you look closely, you might be able to see the fine scar in the corners of your eyes from your two strabismus surgeries. These scars will go unnoticed by most people, but I see them because I was there when it happened. I remember the short surgery, your recovery, and putting in the drops afterwards. You looked so cute leaving the hospital in your sunglasses after the surgeries. Because of this surgery, your eyes are able to stay straight and don't turn in now.

Your chest- You might notice a scar that looks like an exclamation point. If you look closely, will see that there are actually two of these nearly right on top of each other. These scars are from your open heart surgeries. You were so tiny at 3 months old when you had your first heart surgery to fix the hole in the center of your heart. You were so little and not everything could be fixed perfectly that first time, so you had another surgery when you were 2. It was so hard to see your new scar but I knew it was necessary. Your heart had to be fixed so that you could live and have a better life.

Your neck- There are three noticeable scars on the right side of your neck. Two years ago when you were really sick in the ICU, you had to have a central line in your neck to help monitor your vitals and get medications into your body while you were on the ventilator. You were so sick with septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and rhinovirus. We weren't sure if you were going to make it through the illness, but you did. Sometimes, people ask me about the scars on your neck. I get to tell them how you were in a fight for your life and you won.

Your wrist- Right now, you might notice the red tiny marks on your wrist that will surely leave a scar. Just a couple of months ago, there was an arterial line stitched into your wrist so the doctors could monitor your blood pressure. You were very sick. You were on the ventilator, had pneumonia and rhinovirus, and were in respiratory failure. Your body was having trouble regulating everything because you were so sick. Being able to monitor your blood pressure accurately was essential when it was dropping so low. These tiny marks show off another victory you had in a health battle.

So Jaycee, the marks on your body are reminders for you. I don't want you to be sad when you see these reminders on your body. Instead, I want you to be proud and thankful. You have overcame so much. You have had to fight for your life. You have endured things that most people will never have too, yet there is a smile on your face. Your story is amazing and is worth telling!

Love-
Mom