105 / 365: A patient and his role models

My little JOR is a little down physically, but his spirits are up....thanks to his doctor's office.

JOR hasn't been sleeping well and last night starting complaining of a sore throat. Since he's been on the "shtuffy" side, we thought allergy / sinus drainage was causing it. Then came the headache. Then the fever. Sinus infection? Nope. Strep.

We took a little ride to the pediatrician this morning. Mind you, there are many doctors' offices that are closer, but we chose one that is a good 25 minutes away. Add the routine trip to the pharmacy on the other side of town and the whole excursion can take up an entire morning or afternoon. Today's trip, three hours total, affirmed the reason we go the extra miles....

After a little bit of a wait, the nurse took us back. I complimented her on her beautifully cornrowed hair. She said she was thinking about cutting it off before going back to Haiti. I sheepishly asked her if she had gone there for vacation or for missionary work. She told me the lead doctor in the practice, one of the nurse practitioners and some of the nurses did two week long stints there already. They donated supplies and their time and went over to do relief work and help mend the injured children. The nurse smiled from ear to ear and a bright twinkle caught in her eye as she talked about the experience. She loved every child she treated, and while it was scary sometimes (including some tremors while on a rooftop), she said they would all go back in a heartbeat!

My son stood there mesmerized. He saw the news reports, he knows how bad it is in Haiti and what those poor people are going through. JOR now looks at his nurse, his NP (who happened to treat him today) and that whole doctor's office as a group of superheroes. And why not? They did something many didn't do: took it in their own hands to make a difference. They used their God-given gifts of knowledge and healing to help a nation in crisis. This affirmed the love and caring we sensed when we picked this practice 4 years ago.

I think this has sparked something in the little guy. Maybe when he grows up, he'll make a difference too!

Until next time....make a difference!