Pain & Suffering

Dear Justin,

Two weeks ago you had major surgery. It's called a tonsillectomy and more than 500,000 kids undergo the procedure each year. Your surgery went smoothly and you were home within 6 hours of leaving for the hospital. Other than a reluctance to take your medicine, you were a model patient. You behaved well for Grandma and Mom Mom & Pop Pop and enjoyed your daily diet of ice cream, popsicles and pudding. We thought you were on the road to recovery.

But on the 10th day...there was a setback. You had some bleeding from your mouth and nose so we called the doctor and he said to take you to the emergency room. Despite it being the middle of the night, you were cooperative and calm. And then it happened...

It has now been five days but I can't get the image out of my head. You kicked and screamed while they held you down and tried to get a needle in your arm. I've never felt so helpless in my life. I wanted to scoop you up and take you out of that room and away from the pain forever. I couldn't wait for that moment to end. It finally did and you were quickly back to your old self.

While I realize many kids endure much worse, I can't help but be proud of how brave you were. It can't be easy to not understand what's going on and wonder why we let them hurt you. Just know, it wasn't intentional and we did it with the best intentions in mind. Most likely, you won't have any recollection of these past two weeks. But for me...it's not a time I'll soon forget.

Love,
Your Favorite Daddy