Josiah has been hospitalized a gazillion times in his 13 years of life. Many of those hospitalizations took place between the ages of 0 and 3, with quite a few more sprinkled in as he grew. Those were the days when I kept a bag packed in my closet at all times, just in case we would need to get him to the ER in a hurry. Those were the days when Josiah didn’t push me out of the room and slam the door in my face. Maybe he wanted to. Who knows?

Having Josiah in the hospital is never easy.  If  you have a child who has spent any time in one, you know exactly what I mean.  It totally disrupts everything. Your life is put on hold for a while and you adopt a new normal.

When Josiah was quite young, all 5 kids were living at home with us.  We were home schoolers. We spent practically every waking minute of every day together.  When Josiah had to be hospitalized, I was always with him.  It’s hard to be a home schooling family when the ‘teacher’ is absent a lot.  We didn’t home school for long after Josiah was born.

Josiah’s siblings have spent many hours in emergency waiting rooms.  They’ve spent many hours in Josiah’s hospital rooms.  They’ve witnessed first hand the changes that occur when a sibling is sick and mom or dad has to be away from home for long stretches of time.  It’s not easy. It’s character building, but not easy.

Josiah was in the hospital 5 months ago.  He was there for a week.  Rick and I took turns staying with him so he was never alone. Josiah can’t really ever be alone because he needs help with just about everything. Our two kids still living at home are now so familiar with the disruption of life when Josiah is in the hospital, I really don’t think it even phased them.  It’s just what has to be done. Rick and I are happy to be able to be there for Josiah, just as we would for any of our children.

Josiah has been hospitalized so many times we should have just built a wing onto one of those hospitals and all moved in when he was born. It would have made things so much easier. Our family would have remained intact without the lengthy separations we have endured over the years. Imagine our surprise then when we learned just a few weeks ago hospitals have ‘sitters’ who will stay with a child so mom and dad can have a break.  We never knew.

When a nurse casually mentioned it to us I didn’t believe her.  She said she could arrange for someone to be with him for a few hours.  I figured it was a, ‘run home, grab a nap, take a quick shower and get right back here’ kind of offer.  But she said someone could stay with Josiah from 7 pm to 7 am.  Was she kidding?  I could sleep in my own bed, all through the night with no interruptions?

I jumped all over that. Thinking it was a one time proposition, I was elated.  I kept thanking her and telling her what a blessing this was and how much it would mean to us.  Don’t quote me on this because maybe I have it wrong and maybe it’s just for certain kids who require more than others, but next came the best part.  She said a sitter could be arranged for Josiah 24/7.  I nearly passed out.

We were being offered the chance to leave our precious son in the hands of loving professionals who would care for him and help him so we could REST.  Praise God! Without this incredible gift I don’t think I’d be sane today.  These CNA’s (certified nursing assistants) are among some of the sweetest, most compassionate people I’ve ever met.  Keep in mind, the first few were staying with Josiah when he was still bouncing off the walls, doing flips on his bed and trying to rip the TV off the wall.  These people are amazing.  Whatever they get paid, it should be tripled.

When Josiah was transferred to the hospital he’s in now, the same service was offered.  He has a CNA with him from 7 am to 7 pm and then a new one comes in for the night shift.  We can call and get reports on his day, learn about his medications and activity level and feel connected to him even when we can’t physically be there.  Such a huge blessing.

It is never my desire to be away from Josiah for long periods of time.  But with a 4-6 week stay, it would be impossible to be with him the entire time. So, to all those parents out there who have children in hospitals frequently, if you never knew about this feature, now you do.  Take advantage of it,  Get some rest and take care of yourself and your family.  They need you to be your best.

And to all you CNA’s out there, thank you for what you do. You are making a positive impact on so many lives. Thank you for lovingly caring for our kids, for being a comforting presence and for being a friend. I know first hand, your job is not easy.  Your hours are long and your pay probably is not what it should be. If I could hug each and every one of you and thank you in person, I would.

From Josiah and his family, we just want to say God bless you for standing in the gap.  And one of these days soon, I’m going to bring you some cake balls!