When Maura was pregnant with her first baby three years ago, she was overwhelmed with excitement to welcome her little one into the world. However, what she did not know was the challenges life had in store for her, from taking folic acid even before getting pregnant to eating lots of vegetables and exercising daily. As a first-time mommy, she was as careful as she could be. Not just this, Maura followed every test and piece of advice the doctor gave me, who would not want her baby to be as healthy as possible. Her son, Benjamin, was born in May 2015. He was perfect, and they were now the happiest little family of three. So full of love and happiness! But when Benjamin was 8 days old, he got a fever. It was Friday night. They were scared to take him to the hospital because he was so tiny, but they decided to go anyway, and it turned out to be the decision that saved his life. He had meningitis.
A couple of days after being admitted, he started having seizures. The doctor quickly intubates him and connects him to an EEG machine to monitor his brain. Everyone watched him closely day and night. It was the scariest and most challenging night of their life. She kept thinking Still, he works very hard. He loves learning new signs. He understands a lot of what people say. And he is delighted, maybe the happiest child his mom has ever seen. So yes, he is okay. Perhaps not the “okay” they first imagined. But he is loved, joyful, and growing in his own way. And that is more than okay.“ I did everything right during pregnancy. How could this be happening?” Benjamin fought hard for his life. A nurse told her that if we had waited until the morning to bring him in, it might have been too late.
She cried and asked the doctor if he would be okay. The doctor said, “It depends on what you mean, okay.” She explained that Benjamin might have cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or significant developmental delays. His mom felt heartbroken. Muara spent days and nights holding him in the hospital, silently praying to god for her baby’s health. She stopped thinking about big dreams like sports, college, or future careers, but now all that her life consisted of was the simple delights: that he would be happy, have friends, not be bullied, and know love.
A few days before going home, Benjamin had an MRI. The neurologist came back smiling. She said the damage was less than they first thought. It felt like a dream. Many of the scary possibilities were no longer likely. Benjamin still might have some challenges, vision problems, and trouble learning, but he could still be okay. His mom felt a massive sense of relief. As time passed, Benjamin surprised everyone. He grew stronger. He reached milestone after milestone. His parents began to believe his young brain was healing and rewiring itself. Everything should be fine.
Still, he works very hard. He loves learning new signs. He understands a lot of what people say. And he is pleased, maybe the happiest child his mom has ever seen. So yes, he is okay. Perhaps not the “okay” they first imagined. But he is loved, joyful, and growing in his own way. And that is more than okay for the family. The mother holds a heart full of strength and courage while she sees her son fighting meningitis, and she believes in the strength her baby has. A fighter!
