Today was a festive day at the hospital! One of my precious "kids" celebrated her eighth birthday. It is incredibly depressing having to a birthday party at the cancer center. It truly does suck, but we(the parents, nurses, and myself) try to make each child's birthday memorable, unique, and most of all, a happy occasion.
Ava has been dealt a tough hand. She was originally diagnosed at age four. Unfortunately, she was only in remission for a year. She has been trapped in the hospital 24/7 since the age of five. Ava has been a prisoner to a hospital bed, and this lifestyle for far too many years. Occasionally, they have had to restrain her because she gets furiously upset and frustrated by her situation. My hear aches for this you girl.
On her good days, she is an absolute delight. She's cheerful, playful, and silly. She makes me laugh so hard that tears roll down my cheeks. I know, if given the chance, she would change the world. She is wise beyond her years, innovative, and extremely creative. It kills me to see her wasting away in her hospital bed. I have privately talked to her family about her current state of health and condition a few weeks ago. They didn't even have to utter a word. Their faces and eyes told me everything I needed to know. I hugged her family, and made my way to the hallway before breaking down. I couldn't let Ava see me crying. I was hysterically sobbing and prematurely grieving for this adorable little girl I have grown to love. As I sat in the hallway thinking about Ava, a thought came to mind. I knew her birthday was approaching. I would throw her and the other kids an over-the-top birthday party for all the children to enjoy. Ava's parents were on board, so we began to plan. Ava is infatuated with Rainbow Bright and Furbys. It seemed like the most logical party theme, so we ran with it.
Ava's parents, fellow parents, some nurses and myself pitched in to decorate the room and supply gifts. We scrambled to get the room set up before the children came back from their treatments, doctor's appointments and procedures. It was a mad dash, but we accomplished the feat. We were wrapping the last two presents and stuffing the "goodie bags" just as the kids were arriving back to the room. My back was turned when the first child was wheeled back to he bed. All I heard was "wow, our room looks like cotton candy threw up everywhere"! I chuckled to myself. I turned around to see another child being wheeled back to the room. We let everyone know that it was a surprise birthday party for Ava. The floor nurses even asked the treatment nurses to stall, so she would be the last to arrive. That way everyone could join in on saying "surprise"!!
As soon as everyone was in place the floor nurse called to have Ava brought back to the room. We all anxiously waited for her arrival. We hear the elevator door ding and the creeky wheelchair roll closer to the room. As the nurse opened the door was all gently, but enthusiastically yelled "Happy Birthday'!!!! We didn't want to scare to poor girl, but we wanted to make her feel special and loved by all. Her face lit up, and tears welled up in her eyes. She was shocked and so grateful for putting a surprise party together for her. It was a beautiful and heartwarming sight to see. She went around hugging every one of her friends, family, and nurses that were in the room. When it was my turn for a hug, she held me tight and whispered in my ear, "I know you did all of this". I told her it was a collective effort because we all adore her. That was the moment tears started running down her cheeks. She was elated. It was the happiest I had seen her in weeks! My heart melted.
We quickly switched moods to party mode. We play fun dance music, open presents, and shared copious amounts of laughter. All that was left was the cake. Ava's mom made her favorite kind and I brought the number eight candle. Ava's dad brought the cake out and lit the candle. We all sang "Happy Birthday" to her before she mad a wish and blew out the candle. We sliced up the cake, served up some ice cream and enjoyed each other's company, It was an exquisite birthday party, especially considering the setting.
It is a day I will never forget. Of course, mingling with my 'kids", their families and a plethora of nurses was a blast, but it was what happened as we were cleaning up that made my day. Ava walked over to me as I was wiping down a table. She told me that she had a secret. I was intrigued. I stopped wiping the table and knelt down to be eye-level with her. She looked me straight in the eyes before wrapping her arms around my neck. As she hugged me, she whispered in my ear. She told me that her birthday wish was that we would both be cured of our cancers so we can be friends forever. I was immediately filled with love. I choked back the tears and whispered back to her "me too".
Today was one of those "once in a lifetime moments". A moment that will likely never happen again, but will stay with you for the rest of your life. A moment that restores faith in those around us. Whether we know them personally, or only by a smile and a nod. We could all benefit from being a little less cynical and more open-minded. We might just learn a thing, or two. We might even realized the need for change lies within ourselves. Blame is easy to place on others, but virtually impossible to take complete credit for. We live and we learn, but we all too often don't apply what we learned to our daily lives. It's time to make those changes before it's too late.
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