The picture below is typical of what we see from our daughter Kendra....lots of laughs and smiles as she plays with her sister and brother. You can always count on Kendra to do or say something witty and spontaneious to break up any tough situation!
I joke all the time that she acts well beyond her years, as usually she is concerned about things in life that most little girls don't think about. She can be deep and reflective one moment, and the next, she can be running through the yard just to feel the air run through her hair. Since she has started talking, many have described her as being "an old soul" - someone that seems to just know what life is about without having to think too much about it.
But this last week certainly reminded me, that at times, she is still just a little girl. A girl who just needs to be held and told that everything will be alright.
Kendra has had a rough couple of months fighting a really bad ear infection. Despite multiple trips to the doctor for new and different antibiotics, we have not been able to cure the pesky ear infection that started in October. Yet she hasn't let it get her down, and bounces into each doctor appointment sure that this time they will be able to make it better. Finally the infection got so bad in late December that her eardrum burst due to pressure in her inner ear. We would not have even known had we not had a follow-up appointment to check the progress of the new antibiotic. So, off it was to an emergency visit with the ENT on New Year's Eve day, with surgery scheduled for the following Tuesday. Unfortunately, the first attempt at doing the surgery while Kendra was awake was not successful. There was just too much pain despite the local anesthetic to complete the surgery.
So, the following Monday, we went about things the old fashioned way and she had surgery at the hospital with general anesthetic. It was an emotional week at our house as Kendra did not want to be put under for the surgery, and was not happy with herself at all for not being able to endure the procedure the Tuesday before. After her 3rd doctor appointment in 4 days, she was cleared for surgery. We laid awake all night worried about what the next day would bring, knowing that Kendra was reaching her limit with all the tests, appointments and procedures.
I am thrilled to say that surgery day could not have went any better! She was an angel when I woke her up at 5am to go to the hospital, played nicely in the waiting rooms through pre-surgery check-in and exams, and when the time came to walk back to the operating room with the doctors and nurses, she bravely held the new little kitten they gave her at the hospital and walked right into the operating room.
Surgery was about an hour, and all went well. There were a few speeds bumps during surgery, but her ENT was very happy with how things went. Her ear was still badly infected, but they were able to drain the fluid, do a cadaver skin graft to close the hole in her eardrum, and place a new tube in the ear. She woke up well, albeit a bit slow, and has been recovering very well since.
In another week or so we will be back to the ENT for her post-op exam. We are hoping the surgery was successful in restoring her hearing, that the infection will finally be gone, and that things are healing well.
We continue to be grateful that God has blessed us with such a brave and happy little girl. She brings joy to our lives every day, and teaches us how to be strong when life throws you a curve ball or two!
~Ali
