Charlene - the connection to the special needs family
Thank God for blessing us with Charlene. To be honest, it is only when we had Charlene that we can understand and empathize with the other special needs children and family. While I do not belong to the superstitious irrational people who will view these children as bad luck and order their children or grandchildren to get far away, I more of belong to the group who will just watch with curiosity, not knowing what can be done to help these children and their families.
Respite
Because of Charlene, Dez and I got to know many special children of varying conditions. One thing I have always struggled with is the lack of respite in our 3.5 years with Charlene. We could leave Charlene with her grandparents or our church friends who volunteered. But we don't feel safe leaving her with them especially if milk feeding is involved. Charlene can vomit anytime and we are worried that the people we leave her with will not be able to handle that. The image of her vomiting on that night (after which she ended up in the hospital and eventually passed away) still invoke feelings of guilt in me.
Helping Others
So because of the lack of respite myself, I want to be able to help other special mummies so that they can take a mental break. I am very thankful to God that I was able to visit a few of Charlene's special friends this week. I played with one, bottle-fed a second and did some facial massages on the third. I hope I have helped their mummies in some way or another. Contrary to what some may think, seeing these children (smile, cry, move) brought me comfort as I know that what I am doing is meaningful. I am also thankful to God that I am able to draw strength and joy from serving these children.
Also, some of these mummies have been through much more than I do and yet their faith in God remains so strong. I feel so encouraged by their faith.
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