When my family sits down to our Thanksgiving meal this week and pauses to contemplate what we might be thankful for, the answer will be obvious. My family is thankful for the life of our daughter, Amber.
In February, Amber collapsed at school and was rushed to Inova Fairfax Hospital. For several months prior to the incident, she had been having unusual tremors and experienced difficulty walking, focusing her eyes and raising her head. At first, her doctors thought that she was having a reaction to a change in her medication. But in the emergency room at Inova Fairfax, my wife and I learned that Amber had a large ependymoma — a malignant brain tumor — which had increased the level of fluid in her brain. Within hours, Amber was in surgery, the tumor was removed and she began a recovery that has stretched on for many months.
For every member of our family, Amber's surgery and five-month hospital stay has proved to be life-changing. Things that had once seemed extremely important have slipped into the background. Our focus shifted to our daughter's illness and recovery and only now are we beginning to assess where we are in the world.
ONE THING THAT became clear early on was that we had many to help and support us. Our employers have been more than accommodating in allowing us the time to take care of our daughter and spend the time we needed with our other children. Family members from across the country contacted us, sending their prayers and asking us what they could do to help. Friends and co-workers likewise gave their support, helping us with meals or doing extra work when needed. For all that, we are thankful.
Obviously, we are thankful for the skill and dedication of all the healthcare workers we've met and worked with over the last eight months. From the surgeons and intensive care nurses at Inova Fairfax, to the therapists at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington and Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and the doctors at Kaiser-Permanente, we've been blessed by their professionalism.
We're also thankful for the small things that have helped Amber deal with being stuck in the hospital or at home — visits by Miles, the therapy dog, at Inova Fairfax; a coloring book from one of my co-workers; nurses who helped us sing "Happy Birthday;" an Internet friend from Chile, who took Amber's drawings and made them into a music video; and handmade cards and a signed poster from classmates at Robinson Secondary. Though these actions, and many others, appear small, they have a positive affect that greatly outweighs their size.
Amber is now home and back at school. The prognosis for her health is good. She still has a lot of therapy ahead of her to return to where she once was, but she and her family know that our network of support is there for us when we need it. For that, we are most thankful.
— Michael O'Connell