The first questions addressed in this issue were financial. Do we need to worry about who will take care of our child when we pass away? Do we need to be concerned about caring for our child as she grows and we age? He was strongly of the opinion that we do not need to plan for either event. This brought a sickening blend of relief and repulsion inside of me. It is terrifying to think of leaving Aimee's care to anyone else. Yet... he gave her no chance.
As far as life expectancy in numbers, this doctor gave her a 50% chance of living to 14, 25% of living to 21, and down quickly from that point. His opinion is that the body wears down exponentially fast under these conditions.
Lastly, the doctor encouraged us again to discuss (and continutally rediscuss) our wishes as far as care and resuscitation in case of life threatening illness. He recommended attempting to make this decision from Aimee's perspective, not from a parent point of view. We would try to take into account her comfort, her quality of life, her ability to live the life she enjoys. We don't want to miserably prolong life beyond its natural ending basically.
In all of this, we come back to Aimee. Aimee is happy, healthy, and having fun. She is delighted that Christmas lights are up and music is playing. She is here and she is enjoying living! There is future to discuss, hypotheticals to consider, and then there is this smile to catch.
Oh Rosa, these are terribly difficult things to consider. I am praying for your mother's heart and that the Lord be with you and your family through this. You are wise, I often read through this blog for wisdom when I am facing difficult things myself. I am confioyhat the Lord with help your family come to the right decision when needed and hold you up. Right now enjoy the light of Aimee's joy and smile, God the father is with her as well.
ReplyDelete~Christie Olson