I'm Sensing a Theme

Okay, now that all my thoughts have stopped tumbling, I think I'm ready to say something. I don't know how much it will be worth, but it'll be something.

I have a cousin who is a nurse. She recently became a certified acute care nurse practitioner. She works in the critical care unit of some hospital. She wrote about the value and quality of life on her blog. It was an interesting post, and it was a post from a point of view that I'm sure doesn't normally get expressed, that of a care-giver with medical training, mostly seeing people who are dying everyday around them. It was haunting and sad and beautiful. And I could never do it justice trying to explain it.

Shortly after reading that post, I read an update about Anissa Mayhew, who is slowly recovering from a stroke (her second). I, unfortunately, had never heard of her before that happened. I've read some of her writing since then, and found someone who I could truly respect as a person while laughing at what she has to say. Her husband is keeping all her internet followers (new and old) as up to date as he can while not neglecting Anissa or their three children. I'm happy to say that she is doing better, even if she's got a long way to go before she's fully healthy again.

Then, another short while later, I read about Jenna and her IVF treatments. How Jenna and Joey are hoping that they will be able to celebrate a pregnancy very soon. And, I am hoping that they will too. And I'd say more about Jenna, but every time I ever try, my brain stops and I just wish there were some way for me to give her a hug. Besides, I could never try to retell Jenna's story, because it's her story to tell and she tells it so well.

And it hit me, all these posts jumbling around in my head, they are all about medical stuff and showing how precious life is from three very different points of view. From someone who fights for her patients lives (even as they die), to someone fighting to get back to her normal life, to someone trying to create a new life (or two).

It's reminded me that life is special and fragile. It's reminded me that people are tougher than they look, despite how fragile life is. And it's reminded me that life is worth fighting for.