Friday, March 16, 2007

Friends

My son just called from college.

"Mom can you do me a favor?"

Sigh, "What?"

"Can you tape the Villanova game for me tonight?"

"Why? Aren't you going to watch it?" My son and his friends all "bleed Villanova Blue," so I wondered what could possibly keep him from watching the game, especially on a Friday night.

"No, I was kind of in the hospital all last night."

"WHAT??? Are you okay? What happened???"

"I'm fine it was my friend - he was having seizures."

My son's friend, Matt, spontaneously started having seizures last night. My son is halfway through his EMT training, so Matt's roommate raced to get him. My son quickly recognized that this was beyond him and they immediately called the EMS squad, who took Matt to the hospital. The doctors were able to stabilize him, thank God. My son and a few other friends spent the night in the hospital waiting room. Matt's parents are having a hard time getting a flight from their home in Belgium, because of the weather. The boys are taking turns staying at the hospital with Matt, until his parents arrive.

The devotion of this group of friends, who only met last September as freshman, deeply touched my heart.

It brought to mind another group of friends, also met last September. A wonderful group of friends, trusting enough to share their joys, their sorrows, their lives and their souls. Yes, you, my friends. I have been away for a long while, mostly taking care of my tiny but growing business - change of season means new jewelry styles and colors to put together. But my son and his friends reminded me of the value of friendship and how we need to be there for one another. In this I have been remiss, as I have not been there to cheer you on, empathize, laugh or cry with you. I will try to "catch-up" with all of you, little by little, and I will try to be a better friend.

My next post will not be so long in coming. As a matter of fact, it might even involve a lightbulb. . .or two!


Addendum: Still no news on Matt. His parents arrived over the weekend and he has been undergoing tests. They don't have a cause yet. He was able to talk by Sunday. I was speaking with a friend yesterday. Her 22 year old son had seizure disorder when he was a toddler so she has done a lot of research in the area. She said there are certain "thresholds" in life for seizure disorder - turns out onset is very common at 18 years old. I'll let you know if I find out more.

Addendum 2: I am happy to report that Matt is out of immediate danger. He is still in the hospital, but in a regular room, not ICU. He was put on lots of meds to control the seizures and is still undergoing diagnostic tests. He did visit the dorm over the weekend to say hi to everyone and my son said he looked much better.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your son sounds like he is growing into being a wonderful man. You should be very proud.
Yes, you have been missed.
I love to find your thoughts posted on my blog. You always add so much value. Looking forward to hearing from you again.

The Rev. Dr. Kate said...

Yes, you should be PROUD of the young man you and Mike have raised! You have two EXTRAORDINARY children who learned from their EXTRAORDINARY parents how to care for others and to give of themselves. The world needs more parents and more children like all of you! God bless your son and I am praying for his friend and his parents - who are no doubt held up even longer due to our wonderful weather!

The Rev. Dr. Kate said...

P.S. - Just for sharing that story, I am going to root for Villanova tonight. But - come tomorrow, all bets are off!

Sunflower Optimism said...

Yes, Mark and Rev. Kate, we are very proud of him. But you have to understand - this is a boy who fought with me on EVERYTHING from the age of four, on. When I emailed my husband with what had transpired here, his exact reply was "He never ceases to surprise and amaze." LOL Hey, not so important how they behave at home, more important what they do out in the world.

Rev. Kate, despite major upset in your own life, you have managed to raise two fine and kind-hearted boys - you should be proud of your sons - and I'm proud of all of you.

I pray for the day when people who care will simply be considered ORDINARY.

GO NOVA! ;-)

Anonymous said...

I appreciate your son's immense devotion towards his friends. It is not easy to find such wonderful friends but when one does, life happens to feel just like heaven.
I hope your son's friend gets well soon.
sean carter

Anonymous said...

I've missed you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful young man you've raised. I'm glad your son's friend has his friends there, while he waits for his family.

Nice to see you. And I'm STILL wondering if you can see anything in the microwave yet?!?!?

Marion said...

Aren't kids amazing? I remember so many times my kids just blew me away with their good sense and maturity when they were away from home. I felt awe each time it happened!

Glad you're back!

Dr.John said...

B e proud of your son> Glad tos ee you blogging again.

Sunflower Optimism said...

Sean, thanks for visiting - I see your whole blog is about friendship! No news on Matt yet - we're praying for him.
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Awww Mamalee, thanks, you're going to make me cry!
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Jackie, I'm sooo glad they did all stay with Matt. It's nice to know they are all there for each other.

Alas, the micro is still dark - update soon - you're going to love it!
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Thanks Marion - you know when I sent him off to college, I kept thinking "He can't go, he's not done yet!" But he's floored me with all the good decisions he's made, since he's been away. He's DONE!
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Thanks Dr. John - I'm proud of all those young men. So nice to see "friendship in action."

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

Welcome Back Sunflower! We missed you!

Your boy sounds mighty fine! As do his friends.

QUASAR9 said...

Aaah playing with jewels.
I knew it had to be something good to keep you away.
So do you create your own, or do you retail ready made jewels?

Linda@VS said...

Sunflower, I'm delighted to see you again!

Your son has shown himself to have a loyal heart and a level head, two qualities that will stand any man in good stead. I know you're proud of him.

Dave said...

Good friendships arise from common themes, in this case young guys who are in it together. Probably will be a long lasting friendship even after they have left college.

Sunflower Optimism said...

CH - yes I think they are a great bunch of boys. We hear so much bad stuff about kids these days, it's nice to see them supporting each other in a positive way.
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Q9, I create, from stones and beads. I've also started teaching workshops, so lesson plans needed to be written. I have more "free" time than ever with my children in college - but it seems I always "over schedule" my time away, no matter how much I have!
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Thanks Velvet! Yes, I was so worried about him while he was growing up - but he is doing just beautifully. I am glad this group of friends share the same values and are there for each other.
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Hi Dave, funny you should say that. We just caught up with some of OUR college friends, a couple of weeks ago - now that's going back 30 years!

QUASAR9 said...

lol Sunflower
the curse of modern life

washing machines to do the chores, imagine if by hand we had to wash clothes on the rivers shores

Microwave ovens to cook in a jiffy
we spend weeks waiting for the man to change the bulb in a spiffy

And then when the kids the nest have flown, amazing how much the to do list has grown & grown!

Steppen Wolf said...

Very glad to hear that...

Sunflower Optimism said...

No Quasar - we spend MONTHS waiting for the microwave lightbulb change! LOL

Yes, life has gotten hectic. But if I had to wash clothes by the river shores I would never have had time to do things like volunteer for the PTA, be a den mother, run blood drives - or blog! Modern conveniences are a hassle, but they allow us more choices in how we spend our time here on earth.

Sunflower Optimism said...

Sunil, thanks - they did a brain biopsy last week and sent specimens to all the top neuro centers in the country. They know the abnormal area - but can't figure out the sudden problem.