Truth be told, I've never really experience true kindness, or fully understood it, until Vera came along. Since then, our lives have been filled with so much of it that it has made me fully aware of it.
Sisters, aunties, grandmas offer unconditional help. Mothers offer liquid love, in the form of breastmilk. Others offer much-needed advice, or equipment. Bosses find ways to accommodate us. This outpouring of kindness is something that I am not used to. I was always brought up to be independent, to rely on myself, to minimise reliance on others. Now I've realized, that may not be what life is about.
Vera comes from the word 'verite', with means 'real'. Through her, I've learnt about real, unconditional kindness - the most amazing thing in the world.
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing and so thankful for all that have been touched by Vera's sweet life.
Thank you May. What a beautiful post.
Some people and medical professionals question quality of life. They ask "But what will the child do? Will they be independent? If they will not live for long, what is the point?"
My answer is "Open your eyes and look around the child in addition to looking at the child. Take it all in, and you will see immense quality; the kind for which there is no dollar figure to place. Look at two parents who give so willingly, patiently and devotedly (as your middle of the night post the other day so aptly described) and you will see the purest, sweetest love at all; the love of selfless giving."
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
By the way, my big "David and Goliath" Human Rights hearing is Tuesday. The mighty pediatric hospital (one of the best in the world, supposedly) will fight to have our complaint dismissed on the basis that we made it past the deadline. The High Commissioner's Office in Geneva is following our case.
All babies, (even those with genetic conditions) deserve a chance at life, if it is in their best interest and they are valued, appreciated and loved. Public health care policies cannot be allowed to target them on the basis of unilateral quality of life judgement.
We hope that we will get past this and Annie's story will be heard in full.
Barb
www.anniefarlow.com
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