Brazil declares emergency after 2,400 babies are born with brain damage, possibly due to mosquito-borne virus
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I don't know how I haven't heard of this before now. This is horrible. In what I hope won't seem horribly selfish, I want to share that seeing this on someone's Facebook wall tonight was timely as I wipe away hopefully the last of the Christmas tears.
First, please pray for these babies and their families, and those in the position to aid and support them. Ok, so the thing is, I've been lamenting my body's continual attacks against itself, against me, and how this has knocked me so far off my path, leaving me confused as to what now and dismayed as to what is and isn't, even more than losing Sekai I think because at least I used to think that I could still do the work that he told folks I'd do: "
My mother's going to get her Ph.D. in special education and
make things better for kids like me." My lamentations are no secret, but I think they're poorly understood, as, too, I believe, is my medical condition in general. I won't go there now. Let's just say that I've lost a lot, and because so much of it was through no wrongdoing on my part—I was born this way, I can't help it, I really do try, I'm really sorry that my being sick and being different than I was and not being able to do what I used to has upset folks—it hurts that much more. (Ah, so I just realized that I could attach "like Sekai" to each of those statements.)
I am a nurturer, one who literally craves giving to and helping others, and it feeds my soul to do so. Also, I'm an extrovert, which doesn't just mean social and outgoing, but that I crave being connected, and thrive off being with others; unfortunately the reverse holds as well.
What does this have to do with
2,400 Brazilian babies born in the last year with brain injuries?
A few days ago, a friend asked me,
"How do you want to be needed?" Umm. Hmm. I can't quote it, but my response had something to do with love, because that's always it for me. And connection. There was also something about applying my knowledge and skills to helping others. Reading this, my first thought was,
let's go, I want to go! They are going to need early intervention, special education and related services, parent-to-parent/family-to-family support and peer navigators, and possibly foster care and extended alternative placements and community living options in a way that maybe they haven't seen before, if only because it is such a high concentration of a specific medical condition and developmental concern, and I know this, this is what I studied and trained to do, and networked with folks who studied and trained to do the parts that aren't my strength. I'm sorry if it sounds selfish, maybe it is selfish, God help me, but I was sent here to do something for somebody and since I'm still here maybe there's more for me to do, yet my body isn't trying to let me do much and I don't have all the time in the world anymore to figure it out and get it done. Reading this touched that place in me that gets me brainstorming and believing that I might still be able to make a difference. Of course the fact that it took longer than I'll admit just to write this post reminds me why I'm off my path in the first place. But maybe... That maybe there: Is that what they call hope?
Thank you for praying.
It started with a baby... Merry Christmas, y'all! (Get it?)
I miss you, Bootsie, always.
#makeitbetter
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