#GratitudeWeek2020 Miles’ Story
This guest blog post was written by Miracle Mom Alex Rhoades. Her son Miles has hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid on the brain. Miles continues to receive therapy treatment at Penn State Children’s Hospital.
8 years ago this is where we were. In and out of the hospital countless times since he was 3 months, riding the roller coaster of hospital discharges and admissions. I stopped counting at 20 brain surgeries and after this particular month-long admission around Easter, I stopped remembering the number of hospital stays too.
What I do remember, and still to this day, is how hard I would pray, after each time they took him back to the OR and after every round anesthesia would wear off, asking god to make sure he was able to wake up and smile at us again. 8 years later, he’s still smiling and we couldn’t be more proud of every.single.thing. he’s accomplished. Today we have different battles – speech therapy, OT, PT, epilepsy, cerebral palsy – but he’s still smiling and that will always be what matters most.
I didn’t wake up this morning expecting to see this picture and the emotions it would bring back but I’m glad I did. It reminds me of everything we have to be grateful for.
So, in honor of Children’s Miracle Network Hershey and #GratitudeWeek2020, this will always be what I’m most grateful for and it absolutely would not be possible without the doctors, nurses, therapists and staff at Penn State Hershey Medical Center children’s hospital.
Lastly, if anyone needs just another reason to #stayhome, it’s kids like Miles. Each day is not guaranteed and we never know when we’ll end up back in the hospital – shunts aren’t a cure for #hydrocephalus. They just manage it and as complicated of a shunt system as miles has, the slightest bacteria or infection could put him back in the hospital. For perspective, it took those 20+ brain surgeries to get the shunt system he has now to work and stay stable enough to manage his condition and allow him to be a kid, heck, just stay alive. One infection that’s strong enough like #covid19, could make it’s way into his shunt system and force us to remove 20 surgeries…100s of hospital visits…8 years worth of smiles and start over. And starting over could literally mean another 20 surgeries….100s more hospital stays…you get my point.
Please #stayhome. Be grateful for your loved ones and little ones and be thankful for the #frontlineheroes serving day in and day out during this crazy time. I know I am.
