COUNT & PROTECT YOUR BLESSINGS “TWICE”!
Posted on 10/02/2011 @ 01:29 PM
It has been quite some time since my last blog posting. Some may be wondering why; especially since I have been so passionate in “SAVING YOUNG LIVES” from the silent killer known as Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndrome.
My last blog was entitled “Count & Protect Your Blessings – They Are A Gift You May Not Have Tomorrow”. Little did I know that shortly after writing that blog I would be facing the sudden and unexpected death of my only daughter, Julie, at the young age of 29. I need say no more about why my writing has taken a hiatus.
All of my children were born out of love and this Foundation was born out of love and honor for my precious son, Marc, who passed away in 1984 from a congenital heart defect. Although you never get over the loss of child, as the years passed, my son’s purpose in life became my purpose in life; making a difference in the lives of others. Now I am face to face with the death of a second child. Her death has been, and still is, somewhat of a mystery and continues to be investigated.
There are “no words” to express the sheer grief a parent experiences when facing the loss of a child. That is why it is so “important” to share those experiences and knowledge gained from those personal experiences. This Foundation has “saved” over a hundred young lives and that is something to be extremely proud of. We have worked very hard to educate and to compel parents, guardians, teachers and whole communities to get involved and “take action” against this silent killer that is taking the lives of our innocent children.
Young people have the innocent ability to “feel” invincible. I mean ABSOLUTELY no disrespect when I say that most parents have the blind ability to feel the same way. They see their children as young, happy and healthy human beings. That observation, though, is only with the naked eye. Of course we all want that to be true; yet 20 children a day die suddenly and unexpectedly from a Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndrome. The “GREAT” news is, when detected, it is a preventable and treatable condition.
I don’t want to get into statistics or debate in this particular blog. I will only say in this piece that it is extremely important to learn the facts http://www.safebeat.org . Education has never killed anyone!
My son and my daughter are gone forever from our lives. Never again will our family share special moments, conversation or even a glance or “smile”. Trust me; a simple smile is a big deal that we, as parents, sometimes take for granted. Today, those smiles are replaced with heartbreak, deep sadness, and breathlessness. I say this not only for my own children but for those who have died today and all of those who will die tomorrow.
Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes do not have to be a death sentence. In fact, when educated, prevented through heart screening and treated, it is a “LIFE SENTENCE”; a life of special family moments, conversations, glances and smiles. I know because I’ve experienced it with the families of the children that we saved! It is what helps me today to deal with my own personal grief.
I have been blessed to have had the honor of being the mother of 5 wonderful children. I still have that honor even though only 3 remain living. I am blessed to be the step-mother of 4 of my husband’s children whose mother passed away tragically in a car accident in 1997. I am blessed to be the wife of the most loving, sensitive, caring and “giving” man that I will ever know in my lifetime. I have also been blessed to be a part of “SAVING YOUNG LIVES”!
We have a duty, as parents, to protect our children from harm through every means possible. I hold only confidence, not regret or guilt, that I did just that for both of my deceased children. The death of a child is grief that is “unbearable”. The death of a child with regret or guilt is “unbearable despair” (despair – a profound feeling of hopelessness). I still have “HOPE” and I hold on to that hope in my journey to move forward.
Although in this modern world it is not politically correct; I have pride when I say that I have always had a strong spiritual belief. In saying that, I end this blog by dedicating this song to my two beautiful angels who now watch over “me” every day of “my” life. I Love You Marc! I Love You Julie! I Miss You Both Very Much!
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