Parents want to protect children from hard realities of life but these moments can provide valuable lessons.
T has faced a lot of heartbreak for a 9 year old, including Ma's death this year and my sister's death the prior year; the latter lived with us in the last few months of her battle with cancer.
He's also learning to process his diagnosis of FASD, something we shared in late 2022.
Most recently, my Aunt - my late Ma's sister - had a fall and had to be hospitalized as it resulted in a small fracture in her spine and she needed emergency surgery or risk paralysis.
We delayed our recent visit to T's grandparents in the East Coast by a day, so we could visit her and be in town for the surgery.
When we told T, he cried for quite a bit as he thought that she would be the next to die.
We reassured T it was a straightforward procedure with high success rate and that he could see for himself that she is ok.
She was admitted to a hospital in downtown Toronto.
We parked a few blocks away from the hospital and when we got out of the car, T noticed a store sign and shouted, "Vape shop!"
To think there was a time when I worried this child would never learn how to read. 😆
The hospital was located in a grittier part of the city, where there was a homeless shelter and many precariously-housed people in a park along the walk to the hospital.
While I kept a close eye on T, I didn't feel unsafe. I feel it's for T to be aware of all walks of life, especially when he is aware of his birth mother's life circumstances; and to be respectful and empathetic to all.
T gave my aunt a handmade card he drew.
He's obsessed with the Titanic and has drawn countless images of the same pivotal moment when the ship splits in two.
A part of me chuckled that this was not the most appropriate image to give to a person who needs surgery for a fracture on her spine.
But as with everything with T, context matters.
The card and the message inside came from his pure and beautiful heart.
He held her hands several times and I know it provided her with comfort as much as it provided him with reassurance she'll be ok.
We visited my Aunt twice when we got back, most recently on Friday night after work.
She was moved to a rehab centre closer to our home and looked so much better!
She is continuing to wear a neck brace for the next month as she undergoes physiotherapy.
This picture of our cat Kyrie with a cone gives you an idea of my aunt's current condition!
I'm thankful things are on the mend and this experience was an important lesson for T about resilience and keeping the faith.
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