HEROES

Little baby Emma was born February 24. She is grandbaby #7. (This grandparenting role is the way to go!!!). The operative word for Emma at the time of her birth, however, was "little." She was ten weeks premature...2lbs,3oz. Daughter/Mother Lyndsay had gone for a regular check-up two weeks before and everything was just right. But at the next check-up, her blood pressure had gone through the roof. The condition, as I understand it, is preeclampsia and it is not a good thing. The way to deal with it is to deliver the baby. So little Emma arrived about 2:00PM; over two months before we were expecting to first greet her.

We were told that the birth by C-section went as expected and things were stable. Emma almost immediately dropped 3 ounces as we had been told she would. The short form of this story is that Lyndsay stayed in the hospital several days, but was able to be at Emma's side a great deal of the time. Now released, she and Daddy Willie go back and forth to the hospital several times a day. They are able to hold her, she is gaining weight, and the medical attendees say she is doing great. She will probably stay there until the end of April. But that's all right. She is being taken care of remarkably.

Which brings me to my thought. I now have a new category of heroes. They are the nurses on the neo-natal intensive care unit. The acronymn for that (which I hear often now) is NICU (Nick-U). It is unbelievable to watch them work. They are well-trained and skilled. There may be a bummmer somewhere in the group, but I have yet to meet that one. They all exhibit the highest quality of care and compassion. And to watch them work with those tiny infants, while at the same time speaking intelligent words of encouragement to the parents, is a sight to behold.

Because of the ability needed for that work, I'm sure the nurses are well paid. And that's as it should be. In my opinion, no matter how good their salary, it is not enough. These are the folk who ought to get the mega-bucks, not the athletes or entertainers who, all too often, bore the rest of us and embarrass their chosen field by an extreme level of infantile behavior.

There are heroes everywhere really. Some are more noticed than others. The drama of the moment may cause us to notice some. Others are just there, doing their best day in and day out. Teachers, coaches, counselors, addiction specialists, workers with children and adolescents,intervention experts, EMS workers, police, firemen, other medical personnel....these are the folk I'm talking about. Some get paid well; others should be paid more. But if they are really authentic in the service they perform, they are not just doing it for the money. Their efforts are just a part of who they are and it is as though they can do no other. They are heroes.

Daughter Lyndsay is still having blood pressure problems. The delivery of Emma has not totally rectified that issue. So she has been referred to another medical specialist - someone whom we trust will be a hero in their everyday efforts. And what they do will enable Lyndsay to be healthy again.

I am in awe.