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Rodin Aguirre
, Congenital Heart Disease and ABO Incompatibility.
September-October 2002 - six months after his heart surgery
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BOES.ORG/internetlifeline
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-I look at him and listen to his breathing. I enjoy the silence and the contentment of being able to hold my son
Rodin Aguirre's Mother, Maribel writes, September 12, 2002: "I flexed my shoulders to relieve the muscle of strain. I have just put down Rodin. He's so big and heavy already. It has already been 6 months since his operation. Before the operation I can barely carry him. Now I don't attempt, only at times when I can tolerate the load like when I am not so tired, or for just a short time. Rodin has grown, from 92 cm. to 97 cm and he's 5 kilos heavier, from 13 kg to 17 kg, in jsut 6 months".
"I looked down at him playing with his favorite kind of toy: a car. I felt that familiar twinge in my
heart. Since his operation he has been growing and doing much. He runs now. The one thing he only dared before but couldn't do. He runs. I try to suppress him at times because he easily sweats. Before, I suppress him because he cannot tolerate such activities. Now I let him, giving only an occasional reminder to be careful. And even after such exertion he's still pink. I try hard not to cry but 'gifts' such as these, especially to a mother, cannot be ignored. When we go to the malls, he skips and jumps. He extends his skipping and jumping inside the house and on the bed. I just have to look the other way when I see him all sweaty. I also can't help smiling despite because when I look at him, I see the sparkle of joy and sheer happiness in his eyes. Its as if he has discovered a new essence of life. It is there in his smile, in his laugh, in his glance, in his hugs, in his kisses. Now he's playing with his father. Its an all-male-game, the physical ones, with slapping of arms, imprisoning each other, trapping limbs, etc. We can never play these kinds of games before. The laughter only would already tire him. He walks longer distances, does more things for himself, fetches and retrieves his own slippers and toys. The perpetual moving machine. That's what I called him before. Its truer now".
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"His appetite never changed. He's eating more solid food but still requires his bottle. He even
finishes his 8-ounce bottle in just minutes and asks for more. And he sings. While enjoying his bottle, he asks me to sing to him and he sings along. He sings heartily and with conviction. He is even in tune. I love it when he sings to me. It warms a mother's heart, especially a mother who constantly fears losing a son, her son".
"And now I write, after rocking Rodin to sleep. It is the only time I can enjoy these moments. I look at him and listen to his breathing. I enjoy the silence and the contentment of being able to hold my son".
/Maribel Servando Aguirre
September 12, 2002
An International Partnership
by BOES.ORG - Children's Rights Across the World
(based in Scandinavia)
and Rotary International District 7490 Gift of Life, U.S.
with the very best volunteering from the Philippines
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