Yet Another Scar

A little over a week ago it was about 50 degrees and sunny here in Minnesota.  The snow was starting to melt so you could finally see over the snowbanks once again.  What a great day!

On Sunday I told the kids to put on their winter clothes so they could go outside and play.  With the snow melting, it was great weather for making a snow fort while I chipped away at the ice building up in the gutters of our house. 

The three of us had been outside for a few hours when I noticed Taylor and the neighbor boy playing on top of the snowbank.  I told them they should get down since the snow was getting pretty slick.  I no sooner walked across the street and back up the ladder when I heard my daughter scream Taylor's name.  He slid down a different snowbank, head first onto the sewer grate below.  He was crying, but who wouldn't be after an accident like that?

I calmly walked across the street to get him and bring him home.  I told him that I had warned him about being up there.  I tried to calm him down, but to no avail.  When he got into the house, I called for my husband to come help get Taylor's wet clothes off of him.  Then I started to take the hat off and saw a trickle of blood.  It was no longer a call to my husband, but an all out scream for help.

We quickly got cleaned up and headed to Urgent Care.  Turns out that Taylor had a 3cm gash at the top of his head that required three staples.  Yet another scar. 

When people saw the stitches they would make comments  that boys like scars.  Scars show character.  Scars are "manly". 

This makes scar number 15 for my little guy.  To me his scars are a constant reminder of what he has been through. A reminder to be grateful that I have my little guy, because 50% of the parents with the same birth defect don't have that ability.  A reminder of our journey that didn't end when Taylor left the hospital or even when he was decannulated.  A reminder of why there is CDH and why we need to raise awareness.