Unexpected Gratitude

Tuesday, Gabe and I, along with Susana, went to visit my SIL Griselda for her 40th birthday. While at the mall yesterday, we stopped in the food court to get snacks. Gabe was being rather fussy and since the place was practically empty I decided to let him out of his stroller for a bit, and of course he made a bee-line for the games/arcade area next to the food court. The very first thing he saw was a kiddie ride, of the same variety of this bob-the-builder tractor, only it was a truck.

I helped him climb in, and I was smiling to myself in amazement and joy that my kid was having the time of his life and I didn't even have to put any money in it!! He was spinning the stearing wheel and jumping up and down, having a great time. Susana walked over to watch him enjoying life, and I walked away to get the food I had ordered him thinking, he'll be okay, it's less than a foot off the ground! After I put the food on the table, I turned back to see Susana carrying Gabe to me, saying he had fallen. I didn't think much of it, he falls all the time, until I grabbed him from her and noticed that he was unconscious, having convulsions, and her shirt was covered in vomit. I start yelling at ANYBODY who can hear me to CALL SOMEONE, CALL AN AMBULANCE. I realize shortly after that everyone is staring at me and I'm screaming in English so quickly start yelling in Spanish. I sat down with him and immediately said a prayer. I could feel that he was at least breathing, and someone told me to lay him across my lap so he wouldn't choke on his vomit. As I moved him, he wimpered a bit but then he was back out. He was probably out for about 2 minutes total, and just as he was waking up and starting to cry the paramedics arrived. But those were honestly the longest two minutes of my life. They took him to the ambulance and even as we were on the way they said he seemed fine, his eyes not dialated, responsive, etc. Once at the hospital the reviewed him, took x-rays of his head which everyone up to the neurosurgeon examined, and explained to me that he must have landed straight on his head when he fell out of the truck. And much like a boxer in a fight, that kind of impact can cause you to faint and vomit, without doing any additional damage. A little ibuprofen and 30 minutes later he was as good as new, running, trying to climb everything, acting silly, and his grandmother and I are still beside ourselves with terror.

Gabe on the 4th of July

While Gabe was napping later and I was resting, waiting for Mario who cancelled all his patients to come get us, I realized I had much to be thankful for, besides the fact that my child wasn't seriously harmed.

I am grateful for medical care that is accessible. Ever since I came here I've had this fear in the back of my mind that if something ever happened to a child of mine the inferior medical care in this 3rd world country wouldn't be able to help me. But so far my experiences have been MUCH faster and better than those of my sister Allison in the supposedly great medically-advanced USA.

I am grateful for a husband who ALWAYS puts his family first. By the time I called Mario, Gabe was home, running around and laughing, and it was not at all necessary for Mario to cancel all his patients and come. But he did it anyways. He truly always puts us before anything else.

I am grateful for the power of prayer. For the knowledge that there is a God who knows what is happening, and will answer my prayers. And I am grateful for my brother-in-law and the other priesthood holder who were immediately in the hospital to give Gabe a blessing.