A little perspective

Sometime life decides to throw a little perspective at you.  I thought the last little while that my life was a little rough but a few friends of mine are going through things in their lives right now that make me feel petty and ashamed for ever daring to feel bad for myself.

One of my best friends started dating this girl about a year back who has 2 kids.  I was a little bit leary at first because he's a great guy with a big heart and I didn't want to see him get hurt.  But once i got to know her and her kids, I saw what he saw and fell in love with them too.  We took them into our heart and her kids are like nephews to me and always make me laugh if I'm having a bad day.  About 6 months ago her oldest son started to feel very poorly and gaining lot of weight.  After a few trips to the doctor and a few more to the emergency room he was diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome.  Cushing's is characterized by severe weight gain, a pronounced hump on the back or neck, a very round face and severe acne.  It all made sense as this described K exactly.  After a lot of test and scans they discovered a large tumor in his brain that had destroyed his pituitary gland and a large brain bleed that has made it impossible to remove the tumor until it is under control.  It has been a long road with tons of doctors and drugs and poking and proding and various other things that no 15 year old should ever have to go through.  He has had to withdraw from school as it is just to much for him.  This last week has been very hard as he is getting depressed and has started talking about how it would be easier if he was dead.  That is a heartbreaking thing to hear.  Tomorrow he goes for another brain scan to see if there is anything they can do for him.  Here's hoping....

Another friend went through a really rough experience on the 19th of Feb.  She was cooking dinner when her 18 month-old son grabbed the cord on the electric skillet and flipped boiling oil on his head, arms, back and feet.  She managed to get her hand on his eyes and save him from some very permanent damage. He is in the children's hospital right now and has undergone 1 round of skin grafting on his arms and foot and will have to have another round done on his forehead and scalp soon.  One positive thing about this is he is so young he won't remember the incredible amounts of pain he is forced to endure right now.

Then I came across this blog about this couple dealing with the unexpected loss of their 4 month old baby....

Seems trivial right now that I worry about stress at work and get frustrated over cold weather.  I guess I needed a little perspective in life.