Taken Too Soon

Taken Too Soon
Kristen L. Baker, M.L.C.,M.S.L.C., Wellness Coach

Monday morning, the sun is glistening and the smell in the air is one that you would bottle up. The crisp brief smell of spring just seems to make everything better. As we drive to Boston Children’s Hospital for yet another day filled with fear and passing the children that are missing their hair due to cancer, we find how grateful we are that our kids are not one of them.
As we sit in this small four walled room listening to the doctor telling our son, no, you cannot play football this year, it is too risky for your health, I see my son’s tears pouring down his face, yet another love that he has to postpone. My heart as a mother was breaking but still feeling grateful that things are not worse.
The doctor sees improvements in both children and had expressed this to them, but for them, they feel they are still being punished because they cannot partake in activities that they once could. As hard, as it is to have your child have a health condition, whether it is genetic or by someone’s negligence, there is always someone worse off. Trying to have your children see that they are fortunate and blessed can come at a very high price.
As we enter the driveway after a long ride home from Boston, I am smiling as my son talked to me the whole way home, we bonded, and it was pleasant, my daughter singing in the back seat to Justin Beiber, I was grateful. Never did I know that what I was to find out next was even possible.
A friend of mine whom we had met through a few years of my son playing football and my daughter cheering had experienced the ultimate tragedy one can imagine. She had gone into wake up her 3 sons for school and found her 11 year old son not breathing and cold. She tried with everything she had to revive him with heroic measures of CPR and compressions, but it was too late.
Having to tell my children this was heartbreaking at the very least. Fear set in and questions came spouting out, the why, the how and the complete misunderstanding of it all. Eleven years old, healthy, beautiful young boy with a smile that could light up the sky had been taken too early, with no explanation.
As with everything I do, I try to see the lesson in every negative and I began telling my children how important it is to be kind at all times to one another, to love one another and to live each day with no regrets cause this tragedy proves once again that life is precious and one never knows about tomorrow.
With myself, that Sunday night, I was up and down checking on my children throughout the night as they were swollen in the lips and eyes and I just could not sleep without continuously checking on them. What my friend is living now has been my worst fear as well as any mom’s fear.
This beautiful young boy is now a bright angel above and will give strength to those who need it. His family will never be the same again and I pray that one day they will see the reason this happened. It is so easy to lose faith when something so unfair and unexplained happens, but as my sister told me these are the times, we need faith even more.
There is not one thing that any person can say or do to take my friend’s pain away. It is a helpless situation but this young boy, I truly believe he would want everyone to love one another, laugh together, live together and always be grateful.
As we enter the funeral home to pay our last respects to this angel of a boy, anger rages inside, sadness encompasses all, but what also took place was the realization of true friendships, love, respect and support. Seeing the crowds of children entering with fear on their faces and tears streaming down their faces, the lessons are there. As painful as this is, there is comfort to be had to see the love that was in this room for this young boy taken too soon and for their family . The love will never bring him back, but in the end, it will help this family continue living.
As I lay with my two children after to going to the viewing, I wiped their tears and held them close, as I never wanted to let go. They are young; this was their friend, their peer, their teammate, their age. As the confusion and the fear continues with my children and so many others it is clear to me that this beautiful boy that was taken too soon would want them to learn the lessons.
Therefore, for you Zachary, you will be missed beyond words and your footprint will always be alive. Rest in Peace to a boy who was taken too soon.

Kristen L. BakerMarch 12,2010