Today marks Christopher’s 2-year transplant anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been 2 years (and it’ll probably won’t be the last time I say this) because like yesterday, our journey up until this point is still crystal clear in my mind.
Halloween has always been a bittersweet celebration for us. For Chris’ first two years of his life, he was thisclose to dressing up, trick-or-treating with his brothers, and eating their spoils in the end. But, he always managed to escape it. The first Halloween, we landed at 6Long because of an infection as a complication of his first Kasai surgery. The second Halloween, we were back on 6Long because he was transplanted the day before.
So, as much as I want to forget the epic transplant surgery and 5-week hospital stay thereafter – I can’t. It was a day there were no treats and costumes were the last thing on my mind. I was a mom of a just-transplanted 17-month-year-old baby.
Every Halloween, as Christopher and I walk hand-in-hand up and down the neighborhood collecting candy, I stop to revel in the moment.
I thank God for giving my Chris-Chris a fighting chance. I thank my friends and family for their prayers of love and support. I thank his doctors and nurses who’ve followed us. I thank God for giving me the the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Something so ordinary as trick-or-treating brings tears to my eyes as my Chris-Chris gets another night to be like everyone else.
