I don't have enough good
things to say about SickKids and everyone that works there. I've said
this before, and I'll say it again:
"The nurses, doctors, staff, and volunteers who work at SickKids are goddamn superheroes, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise."
E was in the hospital from July 22nd, 2017 to July 31st, 2017. The first doctor we saw after being admitted reiterated a number of things to us:
1) this wasn't our fault; there was nothing we did, or neglected to do that caused E.'s leukemia
2) there's no way we could have guessed he had leukemia, so don't feel like we should have known or brought him in earlier
3) this is a very treatable disease, and their goal is to cure him
My wife stayed in the hospital with E on the first night. I returned home with my father to stay with my son J who was being taken care of that initial day by my mother. My mom & dad graciously took some clothes & supplies to my wife, dropping them off at SickKids on their way home. My parents returned the next day to watch J so that I could return to the hospital to be with my wife, and E. I no longer recall the exact sequence of who did what, but J was cared for by my in-laws and parents over the next 9 days. My wife and I alternated spending nights at the hospital with E, but we both stayed on the 24th, and 27th because they were days where E received chemotherapy.
On the second day we were there, our nurse informed us that we would unfortunately have to be quarantined in our room because E had a runny nose. They drew blood to culture for bacterial infection, but it eventually came back negative. They swabbed his nostrils and later confirmed that he had rhinovirus. We both began to feel a little squirrely being confined to the room, and we swapped turns taking breaks to try and retain some normalcy. There was a playroom on the 8th floor that E had loved being in before we were quarantined. We grabbed some books and toys to bring to our room so that E would have something to keep entertained. There was also a TV that had more channels than I pay for at home, and there is often something on Treehouse that will catch baby E's attention. Failing that, the hospital provides free Wi-Fi, so we could always cue up Go Jetters, or something else that E likes on YouTube.
.
Time at the hospital moved both slowly and quickly if that makes any sense. In our time at the hospital, I felt quite emotional; tears, or a full on cry were never very far away. I also felt numb, withdrawn, and detached. On my way to get some food that I knew I needed, but did not want, I recall walking down the corridors to the elevator and feeling in a daze. Our lives had just been completely upended, and reality seemed off kilter. The entire time spent at SickKids was surreal. I felt as though i was watching a movie about my life. The story kept getting worse and worse, and I was powerless to fix or change anything. My son's leukemia was the first thing I thought about in the morning, and the last thing I thought about before falling asleep at night. It also preoccupied my thoughts during the day. Meals usually came from the hospital cafeteria, or more often, the onsite Subway. My mother made & sent some stew, and my mother-in-law sent some pasta & crusty bread.
"The nurses, doctors, staff, and volunteers who work at SickKids are goddamn superheroes, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise."
E was in the hospital from July 22nd, 2017 to July 31st, 2017. The first doctor we saw after being admitted reiterated a number of things to us:
1) this wasn't our fault; there was nothing we did, or neglected to do that caused E.'s leukemia
2) there's no way we could have guessed he had leukemia, so don't feel like we should have known or brought him in earlier
3) this is a very treatable disease, and their goal is to cure him
My wife stayed in the hospital with E on the first night. I returned home with my father to stay with my son J who was being taken care of that initial day by my mother. My mom & dad graciously took some clothes & supplies to my wife, dropping them off at SickKids on their way home. My parents returned the next day to watch J so that I could return to the hospital to be with my wife, and E. I no longer recall the exact sequence of who did what, but J was cared for by my in-laws and parents over the next 9 days. My wife and I alternated spending nights at the hospital with E, but we both stayed on the 24th, and 27th because they were days where E received chemotherapy.
On the second day we were there, our nurse informed us that we would unfortunately have to be quarantined in our room because E had a runny nose. They drew blood to culture for bacterial infection, but it eventually came back negative. They swabbed his nostrils and later confirmed that he had rhinovirus. We both began to feel a little squirrely being confined to the room, and we swapped turns taking breaks to try and retain some normalcy. There was a playroom on the 8th floor that E had loved being in before we were quarantined. We grabbed some books and toys to bring to our room so that E would have something to keep entertained. There was also a TV that had more channels than I pay for at home, and there is often something on Treehouse that will catch baby E's attention. Failing that, the hospital provides free Wi-Fi, so we could always cue up Go Jetters, or something else that E likes on YouTube.
Time at the hospital moved both slowly and quickly if that makes any sense. In our time at the hospital, I felt quite emotional; tears, or a full on cry were never very far away. I also felt numb, withdrawn, and detached. On my way to get some food that I knew I needed, but did not want, I recall walking down the corridors to the elevator and feeling in a daze. Our lives had just been completely upended, and reality seemed off kilter. The entire time spent at SickKids was surreal. I felt as though i was watching a movie about my life. The story kept getting worse and worse, and I was powerless to fix or change anything. My son's leukemia was the first thing I thought about in the morning, and the last thing I thought about before falling asleep at night. It also preoccupied my thoughts during the day. Meals usually came from the hospital cafeteria, or more often, the onsite Subway. My mother made & sent some stew, and my mother-in-law sent some pasta & crusty bread.
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