Tonight we told the kids that I had MS.
Well Matt, did.
I sat there with a really big smile
trying to look as
happy, normal and un-sick-like as I could.
Jessica said "oh." holding a pillow.
Logan we weren't sure heard and kept tossing the pillow in the air.
Hunter buried his head in the pillow and started to cry.
We were both unprepared for all of their reactions. They had heard the word MS floating around the house the last few months and that basically the mood was that we were all rooting for
mommy NOT to have it.
Soo....
We decided to quickly explain what it was and I whipped out a
computer cord showing how it
represented our nerves connected to our spinal cord and brain.
I explained how the coating around the nerves (or cord) in my body are breaking down and the Myelin sheath is getting destroyed. Thus MS.
(Which causes insane pain as you end up getting down to raw nerves without coating, the chance of eventual immobility to a wheelchair, chance of blindness
but we skipped that part we were on a need to know basis.
We didn't need them all blubbering. )
We then told them.
Mommy won't die.
MS is not contagious.
There is no cure yet, but they are working on it.
and we want to work together as a family on this.
and most of all
Mommy's won't grow horns.
So stop looking at me funny.
I think they silently wondered if the prayer, song and treat were going follow it all seemed very similar to a family home evening lesson. I think they all were pretty satisfied and ran off to play.
A little later. Hunter came outside and sat with me out on the swing. He asked me a lot more deeper questions and basically wanted to know how he could help and
felt perplexed about it all.
He had decided he was going to find a way to save money for a cure and then he said.
"Mom, if it get's really bad, I will sell my swords."
This was a big deal.
Because these were the swords he recently inherited and found out were worth a lot of money.....AND fell in love with.
I wonder if "really bad" was when I grew horns?
Well Matt, did.
I sat there with a really big smile
trying to look as
happy, normal and un-sick-like as I could.
Jessica said "oh." holding a pillow.
Logan we weren't sure heard and kept tossing the pillow in the air.
Hunter buried his head in the pillow and started to cry.
We were both unprepared for all of their reactions. They had heard the word MS floating around the house the last few months and that basically the mood was that we were all rooting for
mommy NOT to have it.
Soo....
We decided to quickly explain what it was and I whipped out a
computer cord showing how it
represented our nerves connected to our spinal cord and brain.
I explained how the coating around the nerves (or cord) in my body are breaking down and the Myelin sheath is getting destroyed. Thus MS.
(Which causes insane pain as you end up getting down to raw nerves without coating, the chance of eventual immobility to a wheelchair, chance of blindness
but we skipped that part we were on a need to know basis.
We didn't need them all blubbering. )
We then told them.
Mommy won't die.
MS is not contagious.
There is no cure yet, but they are working on it.
and we want to work together as a family on this.
and most of all
Mommy's won't grow horns.
So stop looking at me funny.
I think they silently wondered if the prayer, song and treat were going follow it all seemed very similar to a family home evening lesson. I think they all were pretty satisfied and ran off to play.
A little later. Hunter came outside and sat with me out on the swing. He asked me a lot more deeper questions and basically wanted to know how he could help and
felt perplexed about it all.
He had decided he was going to find a way to save money for a cure and then he said.
"Mom, if it get's really bad, I will sell my swords."
This was a big deal.
Because these were the swords he recently inherited and found out were worth a lot of money.....AND fell in love with.
I wonder if "really bad" was when I grew horns?
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