This is Connor, dear ones.
A couple weeks ago, Connor, a family friend, found himself scary and sudden in the neuro world one morning.
One moment, there was going to be cereal for breakfast, and the next, he was on the ground, his worried parents at his side. Then came an ambulance; hospital bound. And then came the deep challenge of working through what it meant to re-learn and remember after seizures knocked his body and short term memory sideways day after day.
Connor ended up being transferred to Lurie and Chase and I were actually in the room at one point as Connor bravely fought through a seizure moment. Chase watched openly, and with his usual matter of fact voice, stated only: “If I can do it, Connor, so can you.” A rough and direct courage word, for sure, bless him. He would tell me later that he thought Connor was “very brave just like me”.
During Chase’s EEG monitoring, both boys needed to be in their respective beds, and so they started sending pictures and videos to each other via their moms phones: Chase beating me at Uno, Connor catching a nap, Chase with his head wrapped in electrodes, Connor eating a meal.
And then Chase was discharged and it was pictures of Chase resting or throwing his javelin at home, and Connor getting to meet a therapy dog or being brave during treatments to help heal his body from the root cause of the frequent seizures.
During that time, Chase dictated these words to Connor:
“Dear Connor, I can’t believe it! I’m so excited for you! [that the treatment went well] Sometimes being stuck in the hospital – when I was stuck in the bed like you – is really hard, but you get good opportunities to meet people and be the hands and feet of Jesus. You know God is with you always and you can always think about home. And you have your family around you even if you can’t always see them.”
These words, as you know, are based on his long, often difficult experiences, and they ring true in many ways precisely because we know that he knows what he’s talking about, don’t we?
Chase had his cardiac rehab assessment on Monday. This was hopefully going to be the moment when he would get to “re-graduate” and be done…and instead they said they’ll look at his numbers and get back to us.
And then we went to see Connor again.
Today, I got the call that it’s not time to end cardiac rehab just yet. The official opinion is that Chase could benefit from another month at least. And I put the phone down and cried because I know it will help, but Chase is tired. We are all tired, really.
And then I thought about Chase and Connor and the gift of those connection moments. You see, the reason Chase was in the hospital last week in the first place was to try and get answers about his unresponsive episode in February. We spent two whole months on the test waiting list. Originally scheduled in mid May, every attempt to move the EEG forward fell through despite repeated efforts. And then there was a call out of the blue: “There’s an opening…can you make it?”
Dear ones, Chase’s test time came at the exact moment Connor was in the hospital… and was only a few doors away on the same floor! There was such a precious bond of encouragement that was forged in their unique trials – simply because they got to be together in them. And even tonight, as I write these words and remember the moments together, I am reminded that trial moments are not wasted moments. Another month in cardiac rehab won’t be wasted… even if we have no idea what lies ahead.
In fact, nothing is wasted in the story our good God has for us.
“He is with us always…and we can always think about home.” – Chase to Connor
Moment by moment.
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
**at the time of this post, dear, brave Connor has been seizure free for enough days that he was finally able to be discharged and come home. Today’s text thread included the comparison of who would get to take more naps today.