You Are Always one Decision Away.....

 You can't see my hurt, you can't feel my hurt and you can't see my pain.  As a parent you can't imagine my hurt.  I know what it's like to see your child in pain.  In a life threatening situation.  You get the call and you pray to God that your child is alive and will be there by the time you arrive.  When you learn she is badly injured and critical but stable, you thank God you still have your baby girl.  Everyday you call to check on her, during surgery, in recovery.  You keep calling until you get someone who can answer you because you are not allowed to be with her.  She is severely injured from being hit and run over by a car.  Only by the grace of God she's still alive.  She goes through 2 major surgeries that no one calls to give you updates on.  Your daughter is so heavily sedated she doesn't even know what she's had done.  You call day after day and beg for a doctor to call you to let you know what her injuries are, what is her prognosis and you wait.  You wait.  And you keep waiting.  Then you get the call you can't even begin to believe is true or comprehend.  Finally you get the call from the doctor that tells you, your daughter has aspirated, coded and move to the ICU.  He casually tells you that she may die.  Your mind starts digging for those files that tell you what that means.  Your mind registers that it happens and patients are put on ventilators to let their lungs heal.  It's just temporary.  You call your sister that's a PA to give her the news.  Her mind goes through the files in her brain in a matter of seconds.  She calls to get the numbers, her vital signs.  Her heart sinks because she knows what those numbers mean.  She makes the call she's made before, but not to her sister, her best friend to tell her that her daughter is not going to live.  When she calls, words can't describe what goes through your mind.  As a parent, you think, this can't be happening.  I just spoke to her this morning.  No, she wasn't feeling good, but she was awake and talking.  How can this be?  You rush to the hospital only to realize the truth you've been dreading.  Then you have to make the horrible decision after she had coded several times, to stop life saving measures.

Every blog I write goes deeper and deeper into my darkness.  Why?  There are many reasons as to why I write my blogs.  The reason for this one is selfish.  Selfish because there is a young adult that will be undergoing a major procedure this coming week.  Fortunately their family will be allowed to be with them because there are no COVID restrictions.

Am I angry that this young person gets to have their family?  YES!!!  What angers me is that is a family of a Georgia House Senator, who voted no on HB290.  I want to know why you voted no?

If it was during the COVID restrictions when this had happened and you could not be with your family,  would you have voted differently?  Does it take a critical situation that involves your immediate family to make you think about the TRUE RESPONSIBILITY of your vote?  What would you do?  Would you use your power and step in and be allowed because you are a state senator?  Does that make you special?  Your child's life is more important than others?  Is that what you believe?  I have prayed for this family and that the surgery will be successful and they will have a healthy and prosperous life.  

There were 42 senators that voted the same.  One being my own senator Max Burns.  

Passing HB290 would not bring Em back.  But if any other situation like COViD arose,  it would allow average mothers and families like mine to protect and advocate for their loved ones.  It would allow all patients to have an advocate.

One hour, 60 minutes for one day.  Seems like a small amount of time to ask for.  One hour per day would have been enough for Em.  But too much for elected officials to even debate on a bill.  HB290 received more activity from Georgia citizens than any bill debated in the legislature this past session.  Forty-two of the elected voted to table HB290.  IT WAS NOT UP FOR DEBATE! No matter how important this bill was to the citizens, They voted NO!!

This may not mean anything to you.  But if another variant of COVID-19 develops with the power of the first virus, we all will be in the same situation without rights to advocate for our loved ones.

Life is all about choices and decisions.  You're always one decision away from a totally different life.  Choose wisely.