National Social Worker Month

Serene has had a really bad cough since the first week she was born. Six months later she’s still coughing. As of now it is still a mystery. We are running all sorts of tests on her as well as giving her breathing treatments, which seems to be working so far. Admittedly, I still have a habit of thinking of worst case scenarios. After getting blustered by the news of Yousuf and even Omar, with his (not harmful) yet rare genetic disorder, anything rare becomes possible. Before they rarely even crossed my mind. I was at Texas Children’s Hospital with Serene for 4 hours trying to find an answer. I was only sent home with a baby with two ear infections and completely clear lungs…Alhamdulilah. Good news isn’t always the best news at the time when trying to find a solution, though since the problem with her chronic cough still exists.

I got home from the ER at 11:30pm and was due back in the morning at TCH for Yousuf’s round of chemo-therapy. It wasn’t even a matter of dispute that his father was happy to take him for me, alhamdulilah. Carrying Serene from building to building in the ER that night was exhausting but the final walk back to finally leave I looked up and on the outside of the building hung a banner: “March is National Social Worker Month.” Next to it hung another smaller banner saying: “Thank Child Life!” I remembered Dayna, the child life specialist who is always there in the cancer center helping both of us cope through all the different procedures. She always used to make sure Yousuf was stocked up on medical supplies to perform the same exact procedures on his teddy bear. It was therapeutic for him and allowed Yousuf to understand what he was going through and why. Even now, he opens his mouth wide every night to get that spoonful of apple sauce with sprinkled crushed medicine, and he asks, “This is making me better right mama?” By the will of Allah (swt) prayer, healthy eating and all the medicine taking will cure him, insha’Allah. Yousuf has been in remission for 1 and 9 months, so now we are just anxious to say the word CURED…and even better “long term survivor” old in his age, insha’Allah.
Though it was late I still managed to stop by the store and buy Miss Dayna some beautiful orchids and a Dr. Seuss Thank You card along with it.

Thanks to Child Life Specialists that walk the floors of Texas Children’s Hospital, we are making it through this test and even have made it enjoyable at times.