#037 Seven lessons I learned from when my 2-year-old got sick
Because if what you say makes everyone feel nothing, it probably didn't need to be said in the first place.
"She's got the full house of symptoms."
Our worst concerns had been confirmed. I was sat in a hospital room with my wife and 2 young daughters. I knew I wouldn't forget this moment.
Our 2-year-old had been unwell after Christmas. She had a fever and was off her food. That was nothing new to me. I've learned it's part of the gig as a parent.
But then the rash developed, her lips cracked and she became unsteady on her feet. That's when my above-average threshold for seeking medical help was breached, and how we ended up in a hospital bed a few days before New Year's Eve.
Due to the miracle of modern medicine (it is when you think about it) my baby girl is just fine now. The other day, she attacked me with a dinosaur and then gave me a flying cuddle, so we're back to business as usual.
But at that moment when our consultant had confirmed the diagnosis of Kawasaki's Disease, I decided to take a mental picture of what was in front of me.
My wife exhausted with worry on a fold-out hospital bed. My two-year-old with a full body rash, clinging to her for comfort. My 4-year-old covered in chickenpox (when it rains, sometimes it does pour) and me, sat with them more used to giving such news than receiving it.
I am a discernibly average person in almost every way. But if I could claim one superpower, it would be the ability to turn the negative into positive.
It's what got me through the death of my dad as a boy. It's what got me through the time my mum's heart stopped beating during routine surgery. And it's what continues to allow me to do my job and look after myself and my family.
So here are the lessons I decided to learn from the Christmas we want to forget, but never will.