May 20th, 2015 was a day that will go down in
my own personal infamy. I shudder to
think how devastating it could have been.
The events that unfolded in the city of Laguna, Philippines as I sat
nervously pacing in Somerset, New Jersey were on the verge of tragic, only I
had no idea how close. The next month
would, in my eyes, be the closest thing to a miracle that I would ever be a
part of or witness.
In a later conversation, Jen relayed to
me her experience during this time. She said she felt peaceful,
as if all the pain had gone away. She
wanted to let go. But she decided to
fight for her life, for two reasons. She
wanted to be there for Rhythm. And she
didn’t want me to be “forever sad”. The
two of us stayed in her thoughts as she battled.
Back in New Jersey, I finally got the news from Jen's sister. Here it is,
word for word: “Patrick, I’m not sure if this sounds like good news to you but,
Rhythm is out now. She’s fine and she’s
safe. Jen’s also doing better now. Though the baby of course still needs to
fully develop her organs. But they are
doing better now. Jen’s blood pressure
has finally been stabilized.
Congratulations, Patrick. Hope
everything gets better.”
Over the next two weeks, I received pictures and updates from Jen at he
hospital. There were some ups and
downs. Rhythm had trouble with her
oxygen levels and with blood infections that required multiple
transfusions. But she was strong, and
made it through and improved every day.
As she began opening her eyes and looking around, I could see the life
growing each and every day. She was
connected to so many tubes to help with breathing and feeding, that those were
permanent fixtures in those first few weeks of pictures. She began to smile, which melted all of our
hearts.
Week 1 - Touch and Go
Week 2 - Battling
Week 3 - Gaining Strength
Week 4 - Going Home
On June 20th, Rhythm was discharged from the
hospital and we were able to bring her home.
I spent my final 3 days holding on to and playing with Rhythm, and had
an early birthday celebration for Jen, who said her only birthday present wish
had already been granted. She and Rhythm
were home, safe and sound.
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