Online Church and Medically Fragile Children

My daughter, Namine, has always gotten sick easily, especially in the winter. Back when she had a tracheostomy tube, she was prone to infection and we were taking her to the ER on a weekly basis. In those days, we referred to the hospital as our “home away from home.” We were on a first-name basis with many of the nurses and doctors.

Namine is not as prone to sickness as she once was, and not with the severity either. But she will always have a weaker immune system, and the winter is still fraught with easily-caught illness that sometimes take her weeks to get through.

Not too long ago, she had just finished a round of antibiotics, only for us to bring her back to the ER for a bad cough once again.

And then there’s her recent broken wrist, when her broken leg had just finished healing in November.

With all this going on, we haven’t been going to church. Our church attendance consists of watching a live streamed service on Sunday mornings, following along with the service from the comfort (and warmth) of our home.

When Namine was little, if she was sick, we simply didn’t go to church. That was all there was to it. Now, however, we do have an alternative.

Watching church on TV — even if it is live — is not ideal. We’d much rather be there in person, believe me. Sometimes, TV church is the only choice. Trust me when I say, sometimes going to church is a luxury. As parents of kids with disabilities, we have the experience to back it up. But being able to remotely attend church? That’s a blessing.

A version of this post was first published on eichefam.net.

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