To My Son's Undiagnosed Anemia Disease
Dear anemia,
There is no easy was to put this, so I think it would be best to sit down — preferably in a spot far away from our son. Despite a three-year relationship, if that’s even what you call it, it is time for us to all part ways. Truly, it’s not us, it’s you.
You have creeped in and out of our family’s life showing up during holidays, family trips, birthdays and family activities causing a level of incomprehensible exhaustion for both our son and consequently us from behavior changes and speech difficulties. Remember that time on the airplane when our son’s iron stores were non existent? I can’t believe we were even allowed to fly after that! Every single time you tip-toe back, just when we think things are looking up. You mess with our son’s breathing, ability to stay well and his sleep. Don’t even get me started on pneumonia, that I will take up with him.
You ring in my son’s ears, you hurt his head, you make him chew on funny things and you make him sit out of his four-year-old life more times than he should. We try so hard to make you go away, throwing vitamins and healthy foods at you, but it never works. It seems you want more than we can possibly give to you. Just when we think it’s time to break out the champagne glasses and toast to your departure, you return year after year.
As you claim to be only a symptom, but not a disease, you confuse people. You are a symptom of many horrible diseases that come in many shapes and sizes, but then you are the disease in things like sickle cell anemia and sideroblastic anemia. Which one is it, anemia? Talk about sending mixed messages. You are just too complicated — more complicated than we ever realized.
Last month, you came waltzing into one of our friend’s lives dressed as sickle cell disease. Sadly, she passed away last month. What did she ever do to you? She was one of the good ones, anemia, and there are a lot of heartbroken people left behind, really and truly heartbroken. Do you ever think about them? It’s always about you.
Your days are numbered in this family. We will find the cause of your existence and continued relentless return and we will help our son. We will eliminate you and any traces of you from our life. That is a promise. When packing your things, please remember the iron belongs to us.
Anything but sincerity, love, cheers or best,
You know who we are
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Margaret is a mother trying to balance life with three children, a husband and a child who has an undiagnosed disease for the past six years. She has stayed very quiet and private for sometime, but is finding that speaking up might just help some other people when they were unable to help their son.
margaretfantasia