Fall is here

Ryan pictured here making Joshua laugh. :0)

I have always enjoyed this time of year. Fall, cooler weather, the leaves changing colors on the trees, lots of baking, crafts, family time and the holidays around the corner! But, behind all the fun and happiness that this season brings, the main thing that is always on my mind is wondering when Ryan's next major illness will happen? Along with all the wonderful things that fall brings, unfortunately, it also brings illness. Will Ryan be in the hospital this Christmas or Thanksgiving? Will we make it through at home without the need for the hospital? Will we be able to get together with friends and family for the holidays...or will someone be sick and we have to cancel last minute to protect Ryan? Living in such suspense all the time, never really knowing when we will lose Ryan or when he will go through several days or weeks of a scary illness is hard. Even after all these years of living with SMA, it's still just as hard. I think the only thing that makes it easier is knowing that we have learned so much along the way and that we can take that knowledge with us during a hospital stay. HOPING that the doctors will listen to us, which they sometimes do not. Right now, I am working on a hospital protocol for Ryan's next ER or hospital visit. Hopefully, he does not have to be hospitalized this winter for any reason. But, if he does, we want to be fully prepared. And even though we have come prepared in the past. There are times that the doctors do not listen to us. So, we decided to print out a plan, list Ryan's previous hospitalizations and his history. We will have his doctor sign it and it will be the first thing we hand to the "hospital" docs and nurses upon our arrival that don't know Ryan as well as his pedicatrician. We are hoping that with his doctor's signature on it, it will come across as accurate and that we know what we are talking about as his parents. I have not had as much time to blog lately. Even with the kids back in school again. Joshua keeps me on my toes! We are praying for a healthy fall/winter for everyone! I know that God certainly CAN protect Ryan. And so that is what I will continue to pray; even with Swine Flu out there. God can certainly control the Swine Flu germs too!