Today, this most incredible kiddo turned 16.
It’s so weird raising a medically fragile child. When their very life is measured in statistical odds long before they’re born, milestones just hit differently.
From the time we received Bodie’s diagnosis when I was 17 weeks pregnant, we have constantly been reminded that there are no guarantees with Bodie, and that we just have to embrace each moment as it comes. So when you’re parenting under that paradigm, you don’t look toward the future. When you’re sitting bedside with a newborn on a ventilator recovering from open heart surgery, you don’t dare to dream of him being a walking and talking toddler, let alone a robust 16-year old boy who is taller than you. You just don’t even let yourself go there. A protective measure, I suppose, And that protection is compounded even more when you face a heart transplant.
So to say his 16th birthday was a huge cause for celebration was a big understatement! He may have turned 16 today, but we’ve been celebrating for weeks,
Popo Alan and Grandma Jan came to town last weekend all the way from Reno to give Bodie a very special birthday gift and help him celebrate (and yes, at almost 5’11”, he’s taller than 3 of his 4 grandparents – and rapidly approaching the last!).
Then Popo Bill and Gigi Nancy came on Saturday to celebrate with Bodie
And compared broken wrists…
Bodie broke his wrist in December when he fell off a ladder putting up Christmas lights; and got his cast off in January. Gigi broke the same wrist in January and is recovering from surgery. Bodie put his cast back on temporarily so they could compare!
Today, we took Bodie’s group of friends out to eat at Buca di Peppo’s to celebrate Bodie.
We are so incredibly grateful for Bodie’s group of friends. I know from my friends in the heart community that it’s rare for kids who’ve been through what Bodie has to have such a tight knit group of friends. There’s a lot of reasons why, but the constant hospital stays and interventions can be so isolating, and the differences from their peers can be overwhelming. The barriers can be hard to overcome. But this group of boys has been so amazing for Bodie. They accept him unconditionally and treat him just like a regular kid, not like he’s any different. In many ways, these boys have been as big a miracle for Bodie as all of his surgeries have been.
I don’t know how we got so lucky to have them as Bodie’s friends. I just know we are lucky.
BODIE.
We love you buddy.
We are so so proud of you, of all that you bring to our lives and this world.
Did you know that this is your Golden Birthday? You’re turning 16 on February 16th. That’s really special. A perfect time to reflect on how special you are and all the great things you’re going to do with your life.
You, my son, are going to make the world a better place.
I know it’s sometimes hard to see that, when you’ve spent the better part of 16 years just fighting to be alive. It’s hard to see beyond that, to see what plans God has for you. It’s hard to make the mental shift from “I’m so tired of having to fight through all the bad stuff” to “How do we make the bad stuff have meaning?” and “How does my story give someone else hope?” But everything you’ve been through, it’s all been a part of God’s plan. And His plan to use all of it for good is there. l promise. We just need to be looking for it.
Happy 16th Birthday, Bodie.
