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The Girl Born Without a Face
I am lucky to have been born with an unknown amount of optimism. I don't know why, how, who, what, where, or when this happened, but I know I've always noticed the upside of anything that happens to me. (It's sickening, isn't it?)
I've always thought to be alive is a bonus because some day we will all be dead, no matter how we live. Right? So, we might as well enjoy every second we have, whether it's crummy or awesome because each second leads to the pathway of the discovery of our lives. So enjoy the ride!!
But, like anyone else, when I first started my journey down the road of pre-transplant tests, swollen feet, and early dialysis, I'll admit... I started to feel a little down.
"Enough is enough!" I thought to myself. "I've dealt with enough crap in this lifetime and now DIALYSIS?!? . When will it let up?"
And then my girlfriend and I watched a TV show about a little girl born without a face.
It was heart wrenching. This little girl named Juliana Wetmore was born without a face. You can read about her and see pics here: http://www.julianawetmore.net
To hear her parents talk about her, and to see her interact with her siblings is phenominal. Her positive attitude and inner strength shine brightly. She doesn't have a face, she can't eat like normal people, and she requires round-the-clock care, but you wouldn't feel bad for her if you met her. She's alive! She's brilliant, and she has a strong, positive personality.
After watching half of the television program, I thought to myself, "Jake, are you telling me you're gonna sit there and feel sorry for yourself because you have to be hooked up to a machine a few hours a week when this little girl born without a face is excited to be alive? HOW DARE YOU!"
Yeah! How dare I..? So I wiped the tears from my eyes and vowed to think of Juliana Wetmore if I ever got down on myself again. Because if she were sitting next to me while I was hooked up to the dialysis machine, she would draw me a picture of her family and show it to me and I would see how happy she is to be alive.
And isnt' that all we need, a little joy? I think it is.
I've always thought to be alive is a bonus because some day we will all be dead, no matter how we live. Right? So, we might as well enjoy every second we have, whether it's crummy or awesome because each second leads to the pathway of the discovery of our lives. So enjoy the ride!!
But, like anyone else, when I first started my journey down the road of pre-transplant tests, swollen feet, and early dialysis, I'll admit... I started to feel a little down.
"Enough is enough!" I thought to myself. "I've dealt with enough crap in this lifetime and now DIALYSIS?!? . When will it let up?"
And then my girlfriend and I watched a TV show about a little girl born without a face.
It was heart wrenching. This little girl named Juliana Wetmore was born without a face. You can read about her and see pics here: http://www.julianawetmore.net
To hear her parents talk about her, and to see her interact with her siblings is phenominal. Her positive attitude and inner strength shine brightly. She doesn't have a face, she can't eat like normal people, and she requires round-the-clock care, but you wouldn't feel bad for her if you met her. She's alive! She's brilliant, and she has a strong, positive personality.
After watching half of the television program, I thought to myself, "Jake, are you telling me you're gonna sit there and feel sorry for yourself because you have to be hooked up to a machine a few hours a week when this little girl born without a face is excited to be alive? HOW DARE YOU!"
Yeah! How dare I..? So I wiped the tears from my eyes and vowed to think of Juliana Wetmore if I ever got down on myself again. Because if she were sitting next to me while I was hooked up to the dialysis machine, she would draw me a picture of her family and show it to me and I would see how happy she is to be alive.
And isnt' that all we need, a little joy? I think it is.
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