Wish

Just in case anyone thought I'd dropped off the face of the earth, I've not. I'm still here, and we are still doing fine. Joel has been trucking along just peachy. There have been a few times where I thought we were headed for trouble, but each time it turned out to be nothing and we remain out of hospital. Amazing to me. Last winter we also stayed out of hospital, but I remember a lot more infections, colds, flus and so on. This winter we have had surprisingly few of those, the most serious being a slightly snuffly nose. This blows me away. In fact, he had such a good day a while back that it made me think of a term my English friends use: lush. Yup, he was LUSH.

And so, now that Joel is about two and a half, I decided to check if the Children's Wish Foundation would consider making an exception for Joel, as they normally only work with children three and up. Oh, let me say, I didn't get this going on my own, I had some wonderful help from our wonderful palliative care nurse.

And yes, we are asking for a jacuzzi tub, one like we had in the hotel, a two person bath tub with jets and a heater. Just terrific for Joel on so many levels: 1. a COMFY way to take a bath and get really nice and clean. 2. something "fun" to DO with mom or dad. 3. something STIMULATING for him, as it is so hard to find interesting and stimulating things for him these days. 4. Something soothing and relaxing for his muscles and joints, taking all pressure and strain off his body for awhile.

I don't know if this wish will be possible, in fact I feel a bit guilty as it's a more pricey wish we are asking for, but it is the one thing I can think of that Joel would really enjoy and get the most out of. I'm not sure if a two person jacuzzi bath can be brought through our back door and into the basement in one piece. I'm not sure if the plumbing in the basement will work easily with putting in a tub, and of course, they don't do structural changes to the house.

And I don't know how long it will take, or if Joel will remain in good health long enough to really enjoy it, though it's certainly possible or I wouldn't even bother asking.

Despite all of this, I'm glad I asked about it. It's nice to have something pleasant to think about and look forward to. It's nice to have something to "dream about" when it come to Joel's future, because we haven't had that for a long, long time.

So a big thank you to all those who support and donate to the Children's Wish Foundation. Even if a jacuzzi doesn't work out, thank you! Your work and/or donations are much appreciated.