Her and Us

Chapter 1

A young woman stands in front of the mirror with her hand gently on the bump that has consumed her normal form.  Her warm cotton flannel obstructs her view so she raises it to view the almost unnoticeable feature.  She slowly rubs small lump and turns for a profile view.  To most, her current state goes unnoticed however, those close to her know her true burdens.  As she caresses her belly, wonders if this sauntered look will progress and if so at what pace. 

As she stands there admiring her state, the soft sound of little feet stumbling through the hallway can be heard passing by her doorway.  Soft voices and giggles can be heard in various corners of the house.  Cabinets can be heard opening and closing as a refrigerator door slams.  There is bargaining and pleading taking place as the table becomes full with its normal patrons.  Her thoughts of self flee from her mind and are replaced with those of responsibility.  Her day, like most recently, will be long and filled with worrisome thoughts of the impending future.  Deep in thought and planning, her mind is shocked back into the here and now by the sounds of children crying and plastic bowls hitting the floor spilling their contents.  She looks to ceiling as if some mysterious being would reach down to remove her from her troubles and carry to a place where rest and peace reign. 

With a deep breath, she embraces her fate and prepares for today's challenges. Challenge..... for the normal person this word carries little weight and merely represents a form of goal setting without any dire or futile consequences, but not in this case.  In this case, there are real risks with real consequences.  Noncompliance can have detrimental effects and yet she met those challenges head on.  She was her own master, her own author and played the lead role in her own way.  Her whole life was fraught with challenges lined with rules set forth by those who had never been in her shoes.  Not anymore, now she chooses which path to follow and weighs each challenge in her own court.

To better understand these challenges, we go back twenty-two years when she was but two years old.  A time in which as many toddlers do, they push the envelope and find their boundaries. Rarely do these limits have mortal consequences but that is with normal children and this case supersedes normalcy.

Chapter 2

A young mother prepares breakfast for her family as they play.  Squealing from a small child can be heard  as they run across the carpet. Another can be heard making taunting sounds from across the room.  A soft crash is heard onto a carpeted floor as young begin to bellow.  "Not again" ,she thinks to herself as she hastily makes her way towards the cries.  A little dusky in color and light brown hair lay on the floor in frustration.  Pajamas soft and cozy cover the girl  but her exposed hand and feet tell her truths.  "Blue babies" is common amongst physicians to reference Kaitlyn's affliction.  She has been sentenced to a life of frustrations and roadblocks.  Her condition is a unique one that often leads to dead end roads with little hope.  Fate however has met it's match with this little adversary.  The fire and determination in the toddler's eyes will see her through many trials and tribulations. 

Her older sister has taunted her into the treacherous trap again and she has become entangled once more.  Her mother complains, "How many times have I told you Kaitlyn?  You can't run around the table like this you'll get tangled up."  Her sister giggles mischievously as many siblings have done in ordinary circumstances.  The toddlers oxygen tubing had become tangled with the coffee table.  As her mother desperately tries to free the tubing the toddler struggles to break free from her grasp, there is still a score to settle and she is not finished.  "Stop it and sit down." her mother states firmly as she seats the little girl on the carpet to complete her task.  "Today is a big day little missy.", she proclaims as she holds back the tears and struggles with the entanglement.

It's been several hours now and the girls are still at odds, but they always will be.  They arrive at an all too familiar place, one they have visited many times before, the hospital where today Kaitlyn will meet another hurdle fate has thrown her way, she will undergo extensive and perilous surgery to repair her heart.  The uncertainty is great amongst the commons, however there is little fear in the toddler's eyes and expressions. Is she naive to what has beseeched her path or is that she confident in the knowledge that she will right her own fate and pave her own roads?