Breaking the News

Tonight, Court and I will be sitting down with Grace to tell her that in 

two weeks she will be having surgery. 

This topic has been unsettling - to say the least. I haven't talked about it here on the blog and in my "real" life, I haven't talked about it much either. Mainly, because it is no one's business but primarily because we didn't want it discussed in front of Grace. We didn't want her to worry. We didn't want to scare her.  

So Grace's situation has been primarily on 'a-need-to-know' basis for some time. And I break my silence now. Why? Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure. I think partly to vent. Sharing my thoughts will let my heart breathe a little bit. I also don't want Grace's situation to be the "elephant in the room." It is nothing to be ashamed of or some big, bad secret. It is what it is.

Grace will be undergoing surgery on both legs. Currently, she is able to walk only on her toes. She physically can not walk or stand flat footed. The reason is that the tendons in her calf are too short. Why? We don't know. The surgery - followed by six to eight weeks in casts - will correct this. 

I am confident. 

I trust and value modern medicine. It is comforting that my father is a doctor and my mother a nurse. It humanizes the sometimes 'cold' medical experience tremendously. Most importantly, I believe that this is the right course of action for Grace. For HER growth. HER development. HER life.

With all that said, my baby is having surgery. In a hospital. In two weeks. 

I am not naive. 

I know that no surgery is without risk. 

So tonight, we will talk with her. Explain the best we can to a four year old why she is undergoing surgery, the process of anesthesia and what she will find on her legs when she wakes up. Most importantly, we will love her, comfort her and assure her, beyond all rational and reason, that everything is going to be ok. 

Because it will be.