Monday, May 23
My friend, Mika, has MS. Mike's mom had MS and died from complications from the disease. (Eliza's named after her paternal grandmother, Lillie.)In the car one night last week, I told Mike that Mika was having some problems and that the doctor had prescribed a three-day steroid drip. Griff asked some questions, so Mike and I tried to explain MS some and to explain how it was affecting Mika and how it had effected Mike's mother.
Griff's a lot like me, like my brother, John. He's a thinker. It takes him a while to process things sometimes, and so he thinks them through by himself until he's ready to talk. He asked me on Saturday if Mika was dying, and I told him, 'no,' that she was just sick right now.
He came to me again on Sunday and asked me the same question. I explained that her MS is a little like his asthma, that sometimes she has trouble with it and sometimes she doesn't. He was able to understand that explaination. We talked about how she may have more trouble with it when she's older, and he said, "like Lillie did," which is what little he remembers about his grandmother.
Then, Griff told me that he'd been thinking about ways that we could help Mika, which is so remarkably touching. He said that he knew that blood gave us energy and good things and so he suggested that we give her some of our blood. His school had a Rodeo Day on Friday, and they had a big jumper thing. He's not a fan of them, so he sat outside it and talked to his friends. He said he asked some of them if they'd be willing to give their blood to help his mama's friend. Again, amazing.
We talked about how Eliza had to have plasma when she was born because she had my blood in her and about how it wasn't very good at the time. so we talked about how good blood is a very good thing, but I also tried to explain that with the MS, Mika's blood isn't bad, so giving her ours wouldn't help. I also told him that I thought it was a wonderful idea, though, and that I appreciated him wanting to help my friend. He said he wanted to help her sons, too, because everyone needs a mama. He's worried that if something happens to her, they will be orphans, and I explained that they have a wonderful father, too, who would care for them. I also explained that Mika's not in any danger of dying any time soon, and that seemed to comfort him. His only connection to MS is that Lillie died of it, and so he's afraid for Mika and her family.
We talked about how doctors and scientists have found new treatments that Mika is taking that weren't available when Lillie was sick. We talked about how doctors and scientists are now looking for a cure (He wants to be a scientist, so that was great news for him. He immediately suggested that we call our friend the scientist so that they could work together to find a cure.). And then we talked about ways that we can help her now. I told him that we live too far away for us to take them dinner or to take her boys out to play for a bit, so I try to send her cards (he said, 'and emails!') and that I pray for them. I told him that I pray for her strength and for her body to have energy so she can take care of her boys. He told me that he would pray for that, too.
I couldn't ask for more. I couldn't be prouder.
[ posted by Chel on Monday, May 23, 2005 ]
[ 1 comments ]
1 Comments:
Okay. Now you're just trying to make me cry at work. I love that little boy!
