..it takes a village.
To the Occupational and Physio Therapists at Tauranga Hospital,
It's not me that I hope you remember; it's my family.
I hope you remember every time you saw them in the hospital corridors, and every teary hug you tried to give us privacy for.
I hope you remember helping me to bake cookies with my daughter, or walking up and down the corridor with my boys.
I hope you remember introducing us to ways that I could incorporate my family into my rehabilitation exercises and ensuring I knew how important it was to remain 'mum', not just for them, but for myself and John as well.
You see, they're my life.
With my wonderful husband at my side, we taught our babies to walk, talk, feed themselves and begin to become independent. To struggle to do those things myself, was made more heartbreaking by the offers of help I received from those very babies.
I was caught in the darkness of my stroke for many weeks, unable to see past the burden I felt like I was becoming.
I want to remind you of these times and how difficult they were for me, so you get a better picture of how far you have helped me to come.
Last night, Carter went flying down the ramp on his trike, using his bare feet to slow down as he approached the concrete. Bandaids were needed but, more than that, mama's cuddles.
I scooped him up without a second thought, wrapping my arms around him as I carried him inside.
Sitting him on my hip, I reached up to the top shelf to open the 'cuts and scrapes' drawer of our first aid kit. Standing on the tips of my toes, I pulled out what I needed, Carter still snuggled into me. -- a few months ago, I would have struggled just to lift my arms up to wrap him in a hug.
You gave me something no one else could; a chance to be the wife and mother my family need.. a chance to be the woman I was before the stroke.
I hope that when you're waking up for work, or you're sitting in that horrible peak-hour traffic, you remember the good you're doing for people.
I hope that when your patient is having a difficult day, you'll look them in the eye and acknowledge how shit their situation is, but you'll be there for them tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that, because you're determined enough for the both of you, and they need that in a therapist.
More than anything, I hope you know how grateful I am to be able to look after my family again.
Nick, Kate, Fiona, Katelin, Tia, Jess, Lauren and Aoibheann,
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Erin. x
Erin Michele Thomson ∙ Tauranga Photographer ∙ info@erinmichele.co.nz
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